The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-01-14
Distribution of Jersey Samari-
tan's $50 Reveals Many
PiteOus Stories.
PATRIARCHS SMELTERLESs
Oldest. 81, Forced to Seek Bow
cry Charity-AnOther. Past
20. "Out of Work."

men who had no place to sleep and prob
ably nothing TO eat on the coolest night
in two years. He wanted THE Sun to
distribute the money to the deserving
He had telephoned to Bayard Dominick
Of the banking firm Of Dominlck &c Dom
mick. rs Broadway. and within a few
minutes a check for the amount reached
THE Sun from Mr. Dominlck. Reporters
were sent out to search for the poor and
homeless of Mr.. Sanfords charity.
When you think of men wandering
around the streets with the thermometer
below the zero mark and food and work
scarce you almost instinctvely think OF
the Bowery. SO the reporters started to
walk there.
A big policeman at the Brooklyn
Bridge thought the reporters were crazy
or worse at first. When he realized they
were In earnest he swore softly for n
moment and said that Of all the places he
knew where the drifting tide OF poverty
and distress set in the strongest the
Bowery Mission was the place
Policeman Points the Way.
II haven't seen many OF the poor ones
down around here tonight" he said. but
IL you Just walk on up this street and
don't find a lot OF people that have cold
and hunger stuck out all over EN-. why
then you come back here and hit me with
this here club. Damn Il, that's fine idea
Of that mans
A short block from the bridge. stink
ing In and out Of the hurrying crowds,
came the first proof Of the big policemans
knowledge OF the haunts Of the homeless
II was a man, little one. thin. age
worn brown suit pinned tight about his
neck and upon his head a tattered derby
hat that was not pulled down far enough
TO hide a fringe OF sadly gray hair. Now
and again a cough sent the thin neck
straining from it's meagre covering
The reporters stopped him and asked
him how old he was.
I'm Ga. boss" he said. "and, before
God, amt done nothing. I'm out OF
work and down and out. guess. and I'm
broke and hungry. But l amt ever been
arrested and don't want to be- Let me
alone Maybe can get a job tomorrow.
A few steps beyond was lodging
house. The wandering old man was taken
there a bed was bought for him and
when he had turnbled thankfully into It
half dollar was put In his hard. lie was
crying his thanks when the reporters left
On up the Bowery toward the mission,
the wind so cold that the heaviest and
warmest OF ciothng didn't keep 1t out
Even the saloons we're almost empty. 1t
was plain that any one who had roof to
get under was beneath H. The task OF
finding enough men in the streets to take
all Of the $50 looked hard. But wait
minute.
He, Too, breads Arrest.
A man Is turning into "A doorway. pick
Ing up some ragged newspapers as he
goes and stutiing them under his thread
bare coat TO keep out the cold Stop and
watch him He looks carefully up and
down for a policeman and sees none lie
crumples up the papers In his hand and
spreads them on the cold stone OF the IN.
trance. Then he lies YEARLY down. You
can hear him groan under his breath.
So you step In and tap him on the shoul-
der. He starts as the little old man did,
in fear OF arrest You ask him n he'd
like bed and money to get somt thing to
eat He looks at you for q moment as IL
he didn't understand. So you show him
the money and his hand starts toward 1t
and then stops
you aren't kidd,ng me. are you? Good
God, you wouldn't kid man like that,
would your
You tell him you wouldn't and you
tell him to take the coin. He does and
he gets up. shaking still with the cold. bu,
smiling happily. And you think that
maybe this business OF giving away $50
Of kind mans money to the unfortunate
isn't going to be such an unpleasant job
after all
Now you are at the Bowery Mission.
lou walk into the chapel and you know
you have found the place you were look
ing for Such a world OF woe and misery
and poverty and cold and hunger
stretched out on the wooden benches you
couldn't nnd. perhaps. anywhere else In
the whole big city
Every lace Is filed. Four hundred men
huddled together for warmth and com
fort II Is the best the Mission can do on
q night like this. Supt Hunt comes to the
door and tells you that his own beds were
full long ago. The men In the hall are the
leftovers from the bread line. Earlier In
the evening they had passed through the
big room In back and had each a cup of
steamng coffee and a roll, az big as
small loaf of bread.
81 let 'em stay here for a while" SAYS
kindly Mr.. Hunt ITS the best We can
Do"
IL - and "Out Of Work."
In one corner Is q little shivering old
man-the place Ii warm. but even heat
won't stop hungry man from shiverins
with his head on the shoulder OF big.
gaunt, white haired veteran who sits
staring straight ahead Of him. You ask
about him and learn that he is rs years
old and lost his Job only a week ago
Mr.. Hunt thinks that the best way to
help AZ many a. you have money for IL
TO 70 out and buy a lot Of beds In some
lodging house and then II there is any
ching left over to give breakfast money
around.
But the lodging houses are full
sChock-a block two hours ago" say the
owners of the ten-twenty-th thirty cent
places. When you 40 back Mr. Hunt has
an Idea. Maybe the Salvation Army hotel
next door has some room.
A CHEEKY little Irishman who keeps as
surfing you that It's "a grand thing you
are doing. young man, and be sure OF
that" takes you to the Salvation Army
place and you talk with Mr., Sinclair, tho
chief there. He thinks n moment and then
AyU he'll omen up the eighth floor and