Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1913-01-10

Evidently he passed along the word
Of his good luck, for the following night
seven or eight more unmistakably
hungry and detected looking men, to-
gether with the original discoverer,
gathered where the bakers could be
seen busily at work. Mr.. Fleischmann
was told of their presence and ordered
that each be given half loaf Of bread
and whatever coffee he could dispose
Of
The bread line had been brought into
existence. Within one week some
twenty-five or thirty men were being
fed each midnight at Mr.. Fleischmann's
direction. Ever since that time, no
matter how many persons were In line,
half loaf of bread in summer and the
same in winter with the addition Of as
much coffee as each could drink has
been given each applicant each night
except Saturday, when no bread was
baked, and later, every night except
Sunday, when working conditions of
the bakery were changed.
At last It came to be one of the
sights Of the city, not for resident
New Yorkers alone, but for hosts Of
visitors who gathered shortly before
midnight to witness the unusual sight
of hungry men and women being fed
land no questions asked" It was
something not to be seen anywhere
else In the United States. During later
years a bread line has been established
here and there In a few other cities,
the only other one in New York being
that under the auspices of the Bowery
mission, but open In winter alone and
to aid which, subscriptions are made
from time to time by wealthy persons.
Some Of those who visit the bread
line through curiosity and others who
wish to do so but refrain through con-
sideration and delicacy for the feelings
of those in the lire, assume that these
poor, hungry people might resent be-
ing watched as IL they were part Of a
public show.
Their hesitancy and doubt are need
less. That pathetic line, made up, as
It ever has been and still is, Of young,
middle-aged and old men, whose rag
ged but well brushed clothing and COM
paratively clean shoes in few In
stances show that they still cling to
habits of cleanliness inculcated in for
mer days Of prosperity. consists Of
men, with here and there woman
sometimes, whose air is one OF utter
hopelessness. They are beyond that
feeling Of pride which resents being
stared at as though on exhibition. Here
are men who have struggled and failed
or who have failed without having
struggled. They simply do not care. It
is enough for them to know they are
hungry.
Still there have been instances, al
though few, Of men who were In the
bread line, but have lifted themselves
out Of It. It was Mr.. Fleischmann's
custom frequently to question those in
the lire. They knew him and under
stood his motives, and so spoke freely
with him. 5Ea
II is a known fact that there are
men in affiuent circumstances living In
New York today who once stood In the
bread line, but who were helped to
better things by this Austrian humani-
tartan. No inducement could ever
bring him to divulge their identities.
but there were several witnesses to one
incident In particular where Mr..
F1eischmann, while talking to some
men in the line one bitter winters
night in 1899, suddenly turned when
handsome carriage In which were
man, a woman and several children,
drove up to the edge Of the sidewalk
opposite where Mr.. Fleischmann was
standing and stopped. The man look
ed contemplatively at those In the line.
Mr.. Fleischmann looked at him for
a few moments and then asked, Have
not seen you before?"
yes" replied the man, Il used to
stand In that line. was hungry and
you gave lie 4hSh yoe PeS
in the way to make something Of my
self. Now am in business. This Is
my own carriage and this is my wife
and these are my children. You threw
out the life line and saved me-" Then
he drove away with tears in his eyes.
Mr. Fleischmann died in 1904, having
retired from active business several
years before because Of age, but
shortly before his death he urged MEM
bers Of his family to continue the bread
line and to make provision for its con-
tinuance after their own deaths.
At his funeral an unknown, poorly
dressed man approached the grave and
dropped a single flower, on the coffin,
saying, II stood in the bread line"
And still the bread line grows, long
er today than at any time during Its
existence with the exception Of the
year Of the panic, due 1t would seem In
part because Of the high cost Of living.