Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-06-21
roundings and special attendants as

roundings and special attendants as
signed TO her care.
She at once. became the object of
solicitous interest on the part of the
nurses, and she was never from that
night to her death out of sight OF some
one Of them.
Employees Wed with each other in
attending upon this unfortunate Her
case received wide publicity and every
visitor asked to see the woman who
was brought there in a clothes bas-
ket.' II was considered an honor and
a favor 10 be assigned 70 the care of
this patient.
She never talked. Her knees were
drawn up until they touched her chest
She weighed about 80 pounds and was
in good physical health at the time OF
her admission. She was without rel
atives or friends. All her family had
preceded her TO the grave. At ,he
time she was reported TO DR.. Zeller
her name was unknown and it was
only through his search that her his
tory was uncovered.
She lived to be seventy years of
age and died in the Peoria hospital,
surrounded by her nurses. Due hon.
ors were done her as her body was
laid 10 rest. Her nurses, many of
the attendants and officials were pres
ent, and tears filed their eyes as the
earth was thrown in upon her coffin.
Or. Zeller, in his report on this
case, said:
Time, which spared her 10 become
an object lesson TO the state and
arouse its latent sense Of justice to
the unfortunate, was slowly accom-
fishing its mission, and her emaciation,
always notable, became more pro-
nouncel, until only a bundle of bones,
covered tightly with skin, remained,
and when the final summons came it
found her surrounded by her faithful
nurses, without even a bed-sore upon
her deformed body. Tell me such a
life was lived in vain, Where are all
the relatives of this once prominent
family? All have preceded her to the
grave. They no doubt lived useful
lives, but none made such an impress
| sion upon the public thought of the
day as did this unfortunate woman. 8"
"All the rest who sleep here came
with names. They emerged from the
cellars and dungeons of the poor
/ houses, from the unspeakable under
ground warrens that confined them
from the garrets and attics of homes
/ that had tried TO conceal their shame
from the world and at this first op-
portunity shifted their charges upon
the state, then 20 forget them.
Eight hundred and siXty-One, Not
large number, to be sure. but almost
a fun regiment, all Of them abandoned,
all Of them friendless, exception the
care Of the state; all of them unknown
except for a name and a number!
/ Where is that Gray to stand today
upon this hillside at the close of this
silent, tragic story TO write the elegy
OF this graveyard? Who shall say he
could not write of them who rest here:
Nor ye proud, fmpute to these the
fault
If memory DER their tombs no tro-
plies raise.
Perhaps in this neglected spot is
laid
Some heart once pregnant with celes-
tial fire.
He gave to misery all he had, a tear:
wished a friend
The graveyard is full. The last
opening has been made, the last bod .
has been laid upon its bosom and the
last clod has ratified upon the pine box
OF Charity 10 echo and re-echO upon
the stiffness and beauty of this scene
that uncanny. chilling voice that is
the last message Of the departing.
Every grave has a cement post.
Every post has a number Every num-
Der refers the inquirer to the records
OF the institution, and opposite that
number he may find a name and what
ever of history was collected of this
Individual
When this cemetery was opened.
il was remote from the buildings.
Since that time the institution has en-
croached upon its silent ward and it
was decided to close its portals After
several years shall have elapsed, a
minute map will be made of the plot,
the posts will be sunk beneath the
surface and over this scar the grass
and the flowers will grow"