Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-12-23
PIG.HEARTED JIM'S
WIDOW LENDS TO ONE
POORER THAN HERSELF
c,.,r Mans Family Win New
Friends and Reversal
/ of Fortune and
Help Others
SHIP BUILDERS HELP

r,tzsimmons lives. The fact that
'm who won this enviable nickname
sbot dead after he had protected a
+ .,-s,.red lad from attack and the fact
his widow and four children had
s,.r evicted from one house and were
,s-.o,ened with eviction from their pres
.,orters. having been in dire poverty
~. since the shooting, a year ago, had
-, them as exceptionally worthy of
csrlstmas season thoughtfulness.
rs,,, wanted to know IL the story was
ard thew found that II had under
siu,sd the degree of wretchedness to
ns,Sb a plucky woman had been reduced
sisy having had one of the coolest and
80 ioken-care-of little homes in South
Sp.n.dsinhia. reduced by no fault of her
,.,r hut by the whlm of crazy bad luck.
rNsv were talking to other women in
80 neighborhood when woman came
y, Nee Fitzsirnmons. She did not know
~, ,he latter had received visits from
,lndlv disposed people Could Mrs. Fitz-
simrnons lend her a nlckel-not cent
more than nickel-she would have 1t
~ nav hack, come pay day, because her
srsband. Joseph had gotten work again
as,or having been laid up for 10 weeks
a. st Agnes Hospital with some tuber-
eolar trouble: he was at work again,
sut her distress would continue until pay
Ssy the first pay day the family was to
celebrate in two moons.
WALKED TO AND FROM WORK.
Tho front room of the Fitzsimmons
house was unusually warm. Mrs. Nc
Woniele wondered why. because there
had been no coal In the house until the
visit of the women who were In the
peIRhborhood. She was glad her neigh
Nor had been helped out, told her so
and went away with the necessary
nickel.
The party OF visitors found in Mrs.
Fltrsmmons an independent woman who
had been unwilling to ask help for her.
1 self and her four children because, un-
fortunately. organized charity seemed
resort which was no better than the poor
house. She scrubs floors in an office
building for 10 cents "a day. She walks
10 work and walks home from work.
Her mother, who picks coal on the rail-
road for fuel for tho cold little house,
a has falling sight 1t is feared she may go
blind.
She was behind In her rent but the
visitors made up this sum for her, saying
then that they had done as much as they
could and appealing to others. Food was
bought for the family and some clothing
was provided for the children. There
we're only two old blankets and an old
quilt for the two beds in which the four
children and the two women slept. And
some blankets were provided. Tempo
nry relief is thus at hand:
1 But there was to be no Christmas for
the family: that is, no tangible evidence
Of Christmas fun, IL 1t is possible to
think Of fun in connection with thinly
clad children and sick baby; for the 49,
nonths-od baby has the grip Ut was
dosed on home remedies and is actually
/ getting welD. So money was brought to
Tie door yesterday; $40 from the employees
oiautomobile Of firms on Broad street. be-
tween Spring Garden and Poplar, and IS
from Tom DAILY, poet. Then Ii seems that
the warrant and chief petty officers de-
tail Of the superdreadnought Oklahoma,
now being built at the New York Ship
building Company's yards, Camden. had
read the report OF Mrs. Fitzsimmons
plight in the EVENING LEDGER and gall
hntly passed round the hat and sent S14
over In a jffy.
l ANOTHER CASE"
The women who went to see Mrs Fitz-
simmons heard about Mrs. McGonigle and
vent to see her, too. Her house Is at
1906 South Napa street. They found
things there just as bad as they had been
a. No. 1928, The four young McGonigle
children ida. 8; Joseph. Z; Mary. 8, and
Harry, 16 months) and their mother were
put out Of their house at 1919 South 33d
hueet two weeks ago. Ireland. one OF
The visitors remarked, seems to be not the
only place where poor families were
syieted
Joseph. the father OF these children. was
IN the hospital when the constable turned
ms little ones out on to the brick side
walk OF S3d street. He had borrowed 81
70 pay months rent In advance In the
new place; because he had to pay in ad-
vance, as he might get sick again and
uen who would pay the rent?
me women found the four children eat
ing the bread which Mrs. McGonigle had
bought with Mrs, Fitzsimmons' nickel.
1ne mouse was as cold as barn, and one
~ .he VISITORS ran TO u grocery and came
pAck with some soup, which was hastily
warmed up for the little girls and boys.
Ars, McGonlgle said her mother had a
sOom around at 1910 South S1st street,
sna went out to work and sometimes
neiped her by sending food around. She
~ NOT been able to work steadily her
children.
she picks coal on the railroad. The
.aIoad men in that part of Ramcat are
su soou Fellows. by the way, for Mrs. Fitz-
lannon's said they had been very kind TO
NJ NJ mother and hadn't chased the half
a nna woman off the tracks when she was
s4f'ns the Goals into her apron.
N&N WANT ShAhIII
SO the party OF kindly disposed women
s ,sana that Big-Hearted Jim Fitzsim-
WINS widow was not the only one in
me Tpa street that is called cease"
ss..y said they began to see what the
reriueised organized charities are up
s-ihsI seeing that these have to meet
snsy DAY hundreds of cases" with in
~. se,nsient funds and keep at the work
peeause they think organized charity
eVer than personal kindness, but be-
i,s-e iew people are personally kind un-
some sharp case of poverty in
spaper happens to touch their hearts
=, eut we are not the only little party
th,r voinen ,s who could try TO do decent
on.s nAe We are trying to do" said
" them, former social worker who
,~asea 10 see with her eyes II 1t was
s tnat Jim's widow could be in such
way. Take these McGonigles.
f,ay got 50 cents worth OF groceries
NJ" charitable organization last week,
a eNaenuy did not want to go back
ho,-.o 70 get more food She preferred to
N% nickel, bless her heart, and
onI,. rilzsimmons, bless hers too, was
100 glad TO be able to lend 1t to
AZ automobile drove up to the door yes
ssy afternoon and left for Mrs. Fitz-
rl,s a suitcase full OF underelothing,
Mic appies and oranges in between. The
vhios looked after the big touring car,
nm A vanished as quickly as 1t came. 1T
-%o mighty EmnnfbIxy "a said sIt