The daily sentinel., 1908-02-19
THE STORK'S PATHETIC
VISIT TO THE JUNGLE
a Most Pathetic Story Showing the
Awful Poverty That Prevails in
Our Great Cities Among
the Masses.

I was sitting in my office in one of
the charitable dispensaries, idly
looking out on the white ground be-
low, when l was called away to at
tend a patient in the stock yard dis
trict.
1t had been showing constantly
for the last four days, the relentless
cold always keeping the mercury
down to zero. l was very reluctant
about leaving my warm room, but,
nevertheless. got into my furs an
started off.
boarded a South Halsted street
car and after many changes and in
Quiries, was directed to a broken
down shanty that had evidently seen
no repairs or paint for about the last
thirty years.
raped at the door. but no one
answered; finally, l walked in. 1t
was dark and ! almost fell over the
sleeping forms of four little children
huddled together on the floor, in an
effort to warm themselves.
There was no fire-the cruel wind
came tearing through the cracks in
the walls and broken glass panes.
later discovered that the only quilt
in the whole house was used to block
up one of the windows which had
home the stork was expected to ap-
pear at any moment.
On a rude structure in one corner
of the room that had been given the
honorary name of bed lay a woman
doubled up and pale with pain. On
first sight, l thought she was old.
Her temples and cheek bones were
protruding outward, her cheeks sun
ken in, her voice hollow and hoarse,
the hair on her head was rapidly
turning gray. l also noticed she was
in the last throes of white plague,
due, no doubt, to constant privation,
toll and hunger, but she told me,
II just turned twenty-seven last
week"
On making inquiries, 1 learned
that the father at one time worked
for one of the large packing houses,
but had been blacklisted, and had not
been working for the last five
months. True, he had walked the
streets day after day, trying to pick
ap odd jobs, but to no avail. The
family had had nothing substantial
TO eat for some time. and were forced
to live on the bounty of their neigh
bors, who did not possess much
more of these worldly goods than
did this family.
OH lne Deu WAS an Olu diu toI Ii
understanding more, and bed
clothes were not to be thought of. |
looked around for some water with
which to get myself in readiness for
work. There was none, neither was
there q kettle to boil it in. / sent
one of the children to the next-door
neighbor to get some, also had him
borrow a sheet and dress
1t now grew pitch dark. The only
light they had came from flicker
ing lamp, only the last few drops of
kerosene still remaining. The father
now came home, not looking much
different than did the mother, and
with a sigh, that came from the bot
tom of his heart, in answer to her
anxious look, informed her that there
was as yet nothing to do.
After few hours had passed,
hurried away from the home. In ii
/ left a corpse and a newborn babe.
About six months had elapsed,
when 1 was again in the neighbor-
hood, and, remembering the heart
rendering incidents, l turned in the
direction of the house to inquire
The family was no longer there. A
neighbor told me the father. after
some time, had deserted. He was
later heard of in the daily papers as
follows: Hobo stealing ride on
engine No. - was thrown off and
killed as the train turned a sharp
corner"
The other children were sent to
some charitable institution. while the
new baby was adopted by some
neighbor. The child, not ever having
Known q mother, was more or less