Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-05-07
OFFICERS FIND
CASE OF POVERTY
Mother and Seven Children Fight
ing Life'S Battle on
West Side.
Howell is DIRTY AND EMPTY,
Woman Goes Out To Work While
Children Rcvcl In Filtli--Juvc-
nile Court to Take Action.

a case of real poverty and squallor
was revealed TO the officers OF the
Juvenile court last evening on visit
70 the abode OF Mrs. Johnson, who
resides at Is Pitt street, between Sew
onth and Eighth West and Third and
Fourth Bouth streets. The family
consists of the mother and seven chill
dren, the eldest a daughter, being
married but separated from her hus-
band The next oldest, a girl of 10
years. was taken from school to take
charge of four of the smaller chill
drcn who are too young to attend
school. Two boys younger than the
second daughter are In school. while
the four little ones run about the
house, yard and street with scarcely
enough clothing to cover their backs
and no shoes nor stockings whatever
adjoining their feet. Underwear Is
also conspicuous by its absence from
their little bodies, and how the family
have gotten through the winter is q
puzzle to the neighbors. Some assist
ance has been given the family by
the county commissioners, some by
tho bishop of the ward. and the neigh
bors have helped, while the mother
and eldest daugter work out when
they can; but the rude howell in which
they live is most devoid of furniture,
only Il broken chair or two serving
for an old table small stove, and two
beds covered with dirty mattresses
and dirtier bedding, being the main
pieces In the two rooms A cupboard
with nothing in it stands in one cor
ner of the poverty stricken place, and
while the children roam the streets,
dogs of the neighborhood enter the
house and drag about what few ar
ttcles of clothing might be found in
the place. The yard is filthy the
house Is more So and although the
woman claims she tries to keep 1t
clean and tries to keep her family to-
gether, the neighbors say while the
mother Is absent the children go at
will.
STORY OF TROUBLES.
The husband died a year ago. He
had been sick for a long time and the |
woman was compelled to work to sup |
port the family and to buy medicine for |
him. He died and left the family with
out anything except a team of horses. |
These were sold but the party purchas- |
ing them so worded the agreement |
that he could pay for the horses any
time he got ready, or never. unless IL !
could be proven that the team earned |
money and he had not turned it over.
Only part of this money has been
paid. and the widow is unable to col
lect from the party who purchased the |
Many of the window panes are miss
ing, the floors of the hovel are broken,
the premises are run down and dirty,
no attention being paid to sanitary con-
ditions either inside or out. The child
rem are without sufficient food and
and it is understood that the
Juvenile court will take the case up and
place the four little children in an or
while an attempt will be made
% get the woman located in another
house where she can at least keep her
children clean. The woman goes out
working and washing and is glad to re-
'eive employment at which she can
earn money to support her large family |