The Socialist and labor star. [volume] (Huntington, W. Va.) 1911-1915, 1914-04-17

covering every inch of space, squceZ-
ed tight together and overlapping
like great drove of hogs III crowd
ed pen. At first sight one might fan
cy the place Il temporary morgue
where, from some awful disaster,
hundreds OF bodies have been laid
side by side in death. And indeed
the hunger pinched faces, lying in fit
full sleep, glow with the pallor of
death in the dim light from the street
lamps,
Allowing two feet for 4 man. over
two thousands lie upon the bare floors
in the three rooms below. On the
second foo. are eighty small rooms.
Each is packed to suffocation and
after eleven p. NJ, one cannot set loot
in any room or hallway without step
| ping on a man. Packed to nauseating
discomfort, more than three thousand
lie like pigs in a pen making (: human
carpet for every room and hallway.
Even the stairs are covered with the
ragged wr2tches.
The place is an inferno of dcgreda-
lion, stencil and corruption. Lying in
rows, close-packcd, is motley throng
Of the living dead. Hunger-whipped,
bedragglcd md vermin-pestered in
their isolated vagabondage, they re-
mind one Of the hope-lost wretches OF
the leper colony of Molokal. One
night after nine | visited the abomln-
able place. No capitalist paper in
the country will publish the facts |
ferreted out that night in this mon
arch of all pest houses. The room
was not yet filled. Around poor
| fire, the only one in the building,
many were gathered drying their
rags. In the midst of a group Of
some fifty talking together was a SOL
der, dappey, fine looking fellow of
thirty, graduate of the University
of Tennessee. Just back from Manila
where he served six years in the
Twentieth Infantry He was inter-
preting story Of five Filipinos pres
ent. The five came recently from
| Hawii with two hundred dollars in
gold. They were held up on Third
| Street and robbed Of all their savings.
Penniless. hungry and unable TO
speak our language the poor wretch
IS followed the clamoring crowds to
ne bread-ine ana the sleeping pen
at Market md Eeignth.
"Nhat. Soldiers sleeping hcre'?"
said |.
81 should say yes! over 4 hundred
soldiers AMI more than two hundred
hluejackets" answered husky six
footer from the PHILIPPINES.
When I expressed my surprise, they
| crowded around, exhibiting their dis
charges from the army as evidence.
Around me were more than fifty SOL
diers and sailors who had been stand
, ing for hours in the breadline in the
! drenching rain.
How do you like stink hole like
this utter years of patriotic service to
your country" l asked in all SINGER
ity.
Its hell" said 4 soldier.
Its worse hell in the army put Ia
one man who had seen service IN
Chan and the PHILIPPINES. Then
came discussion to enlightcn me on
the life Of :, private in the United
States ARM.
Surprised 10 see so many brave and
loyal flag defenders reduced to so
filthy a vagabondage, eating charity
soup and sleeping like hogs. with
every brand of the outcast, deter
mined 20 study more closely the per
sonn>l of this motely aggregation.
There were four graduates of the
gy and one youthful graduate Of the
University Of Georgetown, with his
certificate 0: graduation carefully
nock2tcd. Twelve doctors, eleven
dentists, many small busted" business
men-one WHO claims residence IN
San Francisco since 1874. Him |
found grim! and scedy bat proud a
Lucifer, tr:irg to console himself
with the beiicI that better days are
coming. Among these wrecks Of our
socia! system. prone in the filth, with
buns, doctors, lawyers, graduate
technologists. soldiers. sailors-and
God only knows how many preachers,
editors and cutcast ex-policemen and
rolice-court :;udges-I found an old
man of seventy. Scarcely may be
seen a more pitiful spectacle. Wet,
cold, without blanket. newspaper for
pillow, feet wrapped in strips OF
gunysack lying squeezed in the
NANCY hcr,l he looked the incarnation
Of sorrow. Daily had seen his bow
ed head in he braadline. He was the
victim Of L t.cfunct bank that stole a.
his hard earnings. !Anoher ola mar
nearly eighty, bert, broken, body
stiff from rheumatism and long years
of unre1uited toll, eyes sunken and
almost colorless, looking like wells Of
grief. He was refused food at the