Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1915-11-10
THE PEOPLE OF THE ABYSS
BY MARY AnI-IN

band Of Mrs. Jelena Rajkowitz OF Va
tertogn was shot In the hack IN she
streets Of Rock Island while fes!ng
from county officers who had HIN IN
charge for chicken thefts on course
killing or murder always IS tragedy
But in this case il WAS not merely a
tragedy Of one, but Of five persons and a
little soul yet to see the light Of DAY.
For With the shooting Of Smith. as
the name Rajkowitz has been convent
entity translated, all the slender hap
pinesg that conferred in the lives Of his
unfortunate family was obliterated. in
part, forever. There is a likelihood
that the unborn babe may be still
born because OF the torture its mo
has suffered; there is probability
that the mother may not survive.
Learning Of the fact that Mrs. Pal
kowitz had applied for naturalization
papers, and hoped thereby to get
scant aid toward the care Of her
babies In the provisions of the moth
ers' pension law, AMI that this act
had aroused the menacing interest Of
some who thought to take advantage
Of her heIplessne&s ami ignorance 10
deport her to Austrfa and thereny
quiet a nasty affaip, the writer deter
mined TO learn the source and basis,
If any, Of a batch of inuendoes as coTu-
ardly as the damage already inflicted
"a force that was coyertly seeking
10 defraud her of her good name, ara
mayhap Of her children.
In a thin Old shack scarcely 1890
feet in size. containing two small
rooms, and tumbled Iean-to, paving
So e month rent for what is not worth
81 a month as shelter for animals, we
found the woman and her children.
No carpets are on the floors, not even
3 small rug or strip Of any sort. two
beds occupy the front" room, one for
the babies. There is not room for
other furnishings and visitors must Of
necessity sit on the beds. In spite of
the upheaval that has visited this
place called q home, we noticed that
the bedding was not soiled, that the
little scraps Of curtains at the wind
ows are white, that Mrs Rajk0wftz
was cleaner-looking than women we
often have seen in fats Of pretenUous
order, that the babies were not filthy,
but lovable
Somehow We can always expect
visit TO the poor, as chronicied by our
settlement workers, charities ~, TO
tell Of unmade beds, cuIpable uDcIean-
illness, and such rot Buy we hadn't
any idea that our visit to the shack
that Mrs Rajkowitz made home would
reveal her mistress of the situation
after the terrible shock to which she
has been subjected And it didn't We
are not unacquaiDted with the depras-
sion that IS the natural sequel TO ad-
versity, and we have found In our in
designations that the Mrs. WigEses are
all In story books and very fictitious.
ridiculous characters al that Sorrow
10 rich and poor is alike reuding
blow; hunger has no soft appeasing,
worry places no roseate aureole. Ly-
ing like q storm blasted tree, this lit
tie Austrian women is trying to think
think what TO DO for her babies,
barred as she to the storm society has
driven upon them
The circumstances that made Raj
kowitz a thief are common. Jean
Vatican went 10 the gaIleys 20 years
for the theft Of leaf of bread. He
could no longer look upon the hunger
Of his sister-iu-law' brood and re
main uncrazed. To steal he became
as an animal To place himself in
the mood for thrusting his hand
through the bake shop window ba
must scar his soul with hitherto I'M
known passions To save his little
brood from starvation. Rajkowitz, too,
became a thief He stole chickens
it may he he had stolen other things.
For pay he jeopardized his life. He
could offer not more fer his loved
ones.
Don't think, kind friend, because he
was an Austrian immigrant that he
wasn't as human as yourself, with af-
fections as strong. The coterie Of
neighbors say he was a good father,
kind husband. His wife says he was
these.
He had been without steady work
for q long time The depression in
Moline and enyirons has been sharp
for the common 1aborer this last year.