New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-08-23
MARY THE BARE" DEAD.
For Tarenty-eight Years She Had
Shared Hen Of OIiCer Street.

The little barber shop at No. = Oliver street
-zas closed veste-day-.'per causa di m6rte' said
scrap Of paper tackled the door A block away.
;n she dim basement OF the old Catholic church. In
James street. high mass was being said for the soul
ca the barber, Mary Palumbier, who for thirty
reSrs had shaved and shampcoed the men. sed
rae hungry people, protected the young girls and
nttle children stopped street fights at the risk &
her life and generally made herself Indispensable
The neignbo-hood that her funeral was an oc-
casi5n long TO be remembered.
u was grand funeral" James street said go.
hanging out Of its windows. with a regret for the
dead woman that the less genuine for
being mixed with burning curiosity TO see how
many carriages there The waiting carriages
extended -'aIl clear way around the mex street,
as one breathless little girl who reconnoitreJ an
slounced 20 her friends the church steps There
were dozens OF children there. uptoeing on their
bare feet into the church TO gaze solemnly on as
the priests performed their offices over the coffin
Most OF the little girls rugged oaoies. whorn theF
Quoted with whispered admonitions to keep quiet.
or YOU can't stay an see the dead come out Then
the coffin was borne out and the procession started
away. with little boys white carrying big white
Ureaths and the browning glory OF a brass band
marching = front playing slow march If most
Of she lighted cigars they started off in
the procession that did not prove that they were
not sorry Mary was gone.
Then Oliver street settled down. the masculine
portion Of IL rubbing tts unshaven chlns to dis
what Dominica would do without Mary Do
minico IS Mary's husband and together they kept
the barber shop and an intelligence office for
BARRIERS.
There wasn't a man round here except her hus-
band. could touch her harberin'." sed a big Irish
man next door She's been after Shawn me
twenty-eight years now No one knew any harm
o. Mary. She couldn't bear to one hurt an
she didn't know fear. Mary didn't.l They'd talk
about stationin' a policeman around here, but
Mary was betthern any policeman I've seen her
Jump in between men thai was hghtl2 ana had
their razors out and part EN-. Afraid Not her
Shed protect any poor old drunken man or woman
that the boys was teasin. too. and she'd always
keep an eye on the church over there Many's the
time I've her over and lead away some
the church reoDle was lkelv to have trouble with
for raAEr fin no
said another man. who testified TO having been
shaver by Nary since his beard first sI'route1
sometimes the young BARRIERS here d get sissin
the girls Dominica and Mary kept an office and
sometimes Saturdays rhere6 be a hundred BARRIERS
waitn here be sent out and the young ltallaIls-
you know how they are-they'd siss the girls. linen
you'd ought to "a Mary jump on them Knock
the life out Of them. she would. and then lead EN-
gsSri-7 down into the basement They could stay
there she said. and let the that had sense eft
outside Dominica? He's good fellow; he tended
Mary when she was sick like she was a baby. I've
lived next them thirty years and never heard a
cross word between them two But Dominica was
more Of n she But Mary was good
their luck I've seen her go down 20 the pasernsnt
and cook meal Of maccaroni and meat ana feed
twenty or so Of them young fellows like mother
She never had family. Mary didn't She was al
ways ready give. There was generally three OF
four street organs playing here every day and she
always gave all something"
The women Of The neighborhood all had a good
word for Mary the barb, she called herself
Course. she like a man; standing over men
thirty years SHAVING an, she WOut0 get so. sdIu
one. However. they all agreed that she was "a
good woman. t5at worked hard living
For ali her strong fists. she had : very feminine
love Of dress, and Oliver street will long remember
her prou6ly as the who had a lady hair
dresser come every morning TO do her hair She
adored 3eTel-y and bright colors, and were the
costumes IN which she Iathered and shaved her
customers. "T2ut she had right 70 dress f1re
said one neighbor: sure. she worked hard for IL
Though she lived many years in this country.
Mary re-er learned English -'Me-a Mary the
barb was about the extent OF her knowledge in
that line. But she made up for the lack with her
gestures AS one Irishman said she was always
great for sTpressin' things into you wild her finger
Every che. man woman. Boss to her
--FIeIlo-a boss" would hail the passerby, and
81 Il WIS a woman with a child IN her she
would stretch hand and say, -Nice-a bah.
r9ire-a hal" Toward the last these salutations
got We 5oarse for Mrs. Palumbier died OF
sStflrna re died at the snug little house the
E3altrrF.--= Bought Staten Island with their
fngs Fl as brought Manhattan TO be buried
Ia 4 varied nationality Mary's
ellen But one Irish woman. who lives near No.
g C1sr street, divided the customers. evidently,
ssl:F 80 kinds
--D-a Mary shave Italians chiefly" the reporter
asked.
NO" said the woman. oh. no: she shaved
Christian people, too"