Evening journal., 1906-08-18
GIRL LIVED TWO
WEEKS IN PARK

NEW YORK, AUS. 1s.-Separated
from her kind in the heart of Harlem
as if lost in a forest, Magda Carsten-
sen told Magistrate Cornell in the
Harlem Police Court she dwelt in the
"wilds" Of Mount Morris Park for two
weeks, living on the crumbs that fell
from the poor mans table. The girl
hermit assured the magistrate her only
food was what picnickers left on the
grass. She did in the bushes by day,
she said, and wandered forth at night
to pick up crusts. fruit rinds. bits Of
cheese and scraps Of meat from the
grass. In her extremity she scraped
tins that had held canned meats, and
even munched peanut shells. Fortu-
nately water was abundant, though to
get it she had to run the risk that a
policeman would awake when she was
stealing to a drinking fountain.
The girls story held nothing unus-
ual outside her strange experience as
"a recluse in one of the citv's most pop
ular parks. Mount Morris Park is small.
a few blocks either way, and it's woods
are not as dense as those in Central
Park At least two policemen are sup
posed TO be on duty there all night.
Yet for a fortnight Magda dwelt un-
detected ia a state almost as savage as
If she had been cast away for months
on a desert island Her clothes were
i'm rags, her appearance was wildly un-
kempt, when at last two matrOnly
women. who for a day OF more had
supplied her with food. deemed It their
duty to turn her over to the police.
Nothing was done by the Police De-
partment 70 improve her condition be-
fore taking her to court She receiv-
ed less care than would have been
given to a stray horse
Magistrate Cornell was shocked by
her appearance Bit by bit he drew
from her that she had been in America
about a year and had lived in Brook
lyn half that time. She told him she
had ben betrothed TO d sailor The
seaman. she said. induced her to leave
her home in Brooklyn and live with
him several months in Hoboken. He
abandoned her there and after stay
/ in a hospital, she wandered the streets
in that city until a policeman. with
| more regard for his States finances
] 1iAit AhA iAuiAoiiAANf NtlAlIti .IfIf 10 man r.
haitian on a ferryboat. The girl walk
ed all over Manhattan in search OF
work and two weeks ago gave UP the
1 struggle, taking refuge in Harlem's
little park.
There. with the bustling commerce
Of One Hundred and Twenty-hfth street
only a short distance away. with
lhomes Of luxury surrounding her on al
sides. she almost starved. She watch-
ed the children Of the rich and poor al
play through the long hours OF day.
lirht end after dark crept by the cou-
pies strolling arm In arm. Human
speech fell on her ear from dawn Z,
Irdenight. merry laughter was hlen
with II. and overhead the birds KEN
up Their musical chatter as long as the
sun WAS above tho roofs Of the brown.
stone fronts skirting the pleasure
Ground. But she had only husks fN
food and the grass for n bed. whil'
from the heavy rains that drenched th'
wooded hill several times In the COURSE
of her stav she had no protection.
Mazda told MAGISTRATE Cornell sh'
was ashamed 10 return TO her Brook
li,-n home. whereurnn he sent her T.
.he ,ro~ishnu~e whore at least sh
would he . little above the level Of
woman Of the woods.