New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-06-15
STARVING WOMAN
COLLAPSES IN CAR
Surrounded by Six Children,
FaintS While Seeking Place
to Sleep.
DESERTED BY HUSBAND
Refuses to Go to Hospital, but
Falls in Street and a Sec.
ond Ambulance Is
Called.
DESERTED BY HUSBAND

A pitiful case of poverty was revealed
to the police last night, when Mrs. BERT ha
Price. thirty eight years old. who up unit
yesterday morning, when she was dis
possessed, lived with her children in thre,
rooms at No. SOC East 9th street col.
| lapsed on Third avenue car from star
walton. after vainly trying to have the
! Children's Society take her six children
Mrs. Price is now in Bellevue Hospital
/ in serious condition. and the children
are being cared for at the East Both
/ street station house until TO-DAY. when
they will be taken to the Childrens So
! ciety.
! Mrs. Prices husband, she said. de-
serted her three months ago. and since
| that time she has struggled, until her
strength gave out. to take care Of the
children. \ son nineteen years old left
four months ago. Last night Mrs. Price
with the children. Harry. eleven years
old; Hannah. eight; Jessie, five; David
three; Helen, two, and Carol. seven
months old. walked from East 9Th street
to the rooms Of the Childrens Society,
at 23d street and Fourth avenue She
wanted the society TO take all the chill
dren, but for some reason the officers
consented to take only Harry.
Leaving the boy there Mrs Price. with
her starving brood-she said they had
not eaten since early on Tuesday morn
ing-walked to Third avenue and UP to
Oath street. 1t began to rain. and Han
nah began 10 beg from passersby her
mother deciding to go back to their old
home and try and prevail upon the .ard-
lord to allow them to sleep there an
other night. The mother was unable 70
walk the distance there and Hannah
begged for carfare.
Collapses IN Streetcar.
She succeeded in getting 10 cents. and
! they boarded a southbound car The car
had reached 2Sth street and the woman
was just giving the conductor the IL
cents. when she uttered moan and col
| lapsed.
The car was stopped. and the woman
with the children crying, was carried tc
a doorway. Policeman Charles Carroll
was called, and he sent in a call To Belle
Yue Hospital for an ambulance:
While awaiting an ambulance the po-
| liceman went TO a bakery and bought tive
quarts Of milk and some rolls, and a
Mrs. Boniface of No. POS East 9Str
| street, who was a passenger on the car
got some brandy and forced il down the
woman's throat When Carroll returned
with the milk and rolls the children fairlv
jumped at him and gulped down the
food.
DR.. Belts, of Bellevue Hospital, ar.
rived. and after restoring the woman tc
consciousness said she was suffering
from exposure and starvation and was ir
a serious condition. When he said she
must go to the HOSPITAL she refused to gC
unless her children were taken also
This. the doctor said, could not be done
and no amount of persuasion on the part
of sympathetic spectators could make
her change her mind
The ambulance left and the woman
seemed TO regain a little strength. and
insisted upon going on her way. sayine
she would stay with the children.
After resting a few minutes sh.
started up. walked a couple Of steps AnC
then sank TO the ground again. She wa.
! taken back 10 the doorway which sh,
had just left. and again Mrs Boniface
who had stood by. procured some brandy
The children stood around her crying
The policeman sent call for another
ambulance.
The brandy seemed to give the woman
another lease Of life, and while waitns
for the ambulance she hugged the baby
Carl and wept bitterly.
Il worked so hard to keep our home.
she sohbed. But | could not pay tn,
rent. We have had no food since early
| Tuesday morning, when a neighboI
shared with us what she had. ] don
| know what ! have done that 7 and m,
children should suffer Ike this Bu
they shall not separate us now"
Dr. Kemps. Of Bellevue. arrived thi!
time. and he told Mrs. Price that unles!
she consented to go to the hospital sh'
would die. Policemen Carroll and Leni
Ian assured her that the children woul,
he well cared for.
Finally she consented. the doctor say
ing she could take the seven months olC
child with her. She embraced anC
kissed the children goodby repeatedly
and was carried 10 the ambulance
Carroll and Lenihan took the children
,o the East Both street station. Their
they we're provided with all the fooC
they could eat, and were later put {,
he'd in the matron's room.
The children will he sent to the Chill
dren's Society to-day, and the case vii
in all probability he called To the atten-
,on Of the Charities Organization. Al
,rort will also be made to find the hus
band.