The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1904-05-25
Protect the Drunkard's Wife.

The following letter is cent to us from
West Ninety street, New York City
The name is omitted although the writer
does not request the OL.ission:
Editor Evening Journal:
For six years ! have borne the wretch.
edness of drunkard's wife Ny husband
recently went on a debauch and, aftt.
spending the last dollar we owned, came
home, stole a garment OF mine and, while
drunk, pawned it for IS in order to pro.
long his spree-then lost the pawn ticket.
Il have summoned the pawnbroker, in
the hope that | might claim my garment
by paying him the s. and interest, or that
! might punish him for accepting property
from drunken man. ] was informed that
| must get bonds and then by paying the
man | could regain my clothing. As | do
not know any one owning real estate OF
cash to spare for my bond, what am | tc
do? | am a breadwinner and need the
garment for my personal warmth.
is the law so lax as to allow a drunken
man to pawn his wifes clothes for rum.
while the innocent wife and mother OF his
child tolls and suffers, half clad?'
Many miserable woman could write
the same story, with endless variations.
Unfortunately, it is the Oldest and the
commonest story in the world. Srch
woman lives on every block. in every big
tenement house As long as they can.
these unhappy wives OF drrnkards conceal
their suffering and shield the man that
makes their lives a burden.
The letter that we print w4s written
some time ago, when the weather was ex
tremely cold. 1t presents close view oi
civilized life in great city.
A woman, working hard to take care OF
her child, goes about in cold weather, in
sufficiently clad, beca, Sc her drunken hus.
band has pawned her clothes.
one concrete suggestion occurs to us
upon reading this letter, We think that
our readers will indorse It.
Why should any pawnbrokcr be al.
lowed to take household articles, and espe.
cially the clothing OF women or children,
from drunken man.
The law says that i thief pawns his
booty the nawLbrokcr that takes !. must
give it back and lose the money that ne
lent.
Why sho.ll whisky. that worst OF
thieves, be not included with thieves OF
other kinds!
When a pawnbroker sec a drunkard
stagger :, with the clothing OF his wife OF
his Chiidre., he knows perfect well that
whisky stole those cl3tnt
He knows perfectly wei, that, for the
sake of little miserable profit he is add
ing to, the suffering OF family, posing
the helpless.
The laws should oe so arranged as to
make it impossible for a drunken man tC
pawn anything. And they should prevent
absolutely md under all circumstances the
lending OF money to any mal on the cloth
ing OF women or children.
The law puts all kinds of safeguard.
around what it considers important prop
erty.
The soberest. wisest .lan cannot pawn
mis- real estate without mis- wife's consent,
proved by her signature. Without that
signature, no mortgage on real estate is
valid; the wife can recover her right in it
although she may never have paid cent
for the real estate herself
Would it not be good .iea to protect
the wifes and the children's clothing from
the pawnbroker. as thoroughly as the real
estate is protected, even from the most
legitimate mortgage transaction? -- New
York Evening journal