The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1919-02-28
ENSIGN SWANSON IS VERY
BUSY MAN IN KAT0
PIIIFULCASESAUE MANY.
Mankato's Dark Side Is Found
In Long Record Of This
Organization

ton are conditions which exist
among a number of poor and unfortu-
nate families in Mankato. Reviewing
the report of Ensign Swanson of the
Salvation army on the work done
since the first of the year shows that
conditions exist in Mankato which
are pitiful in the extreme. The aged
and infirm, unable to earn their way;
the young and helpless children left
in want through the illness of their
parents and the many families
brought into financial straits though
the influenza epidemic this fall have
all come to the attention of the Sal
walton army workers.
A review of the work of the Sal
walton army in Mankato, of the
number of calls made and the amount
: of help given by this organization
since the first of the year, would
prove a great surprise to majority
Of people in this city. The number of
cases of needy, almost destitute
families in the city and the hardships
many have been forced to endure are
often pitiful in the extreme.
Since January l, Ensign Swanson,
in charge of the Salvation army here
has visited 1876 families, many of
whom are in dire straits, and are re-
ceiving aid and encouragement from
the army The work OF the Saliva
tionists, however, is not confined
alone to the needy within the city,
but to any who may call upon them
for aid.
Soldier Was Destitute.
Ensign Swanson's report contains
the story of a returned United States
: soldier who was in the trenches for
thiteen months with the Thirty Sec
ond division in France. He was sep
arated from his division, sent back to
the United States and discharged. In
the meantime he had not received a
cent of pay and was destitute when
he reache6 Mankato. The young fell
low appealed TO the, Salvation army
and was given sufficient funds to take
him home to his parents.
In another instance man from
Standing Rock, Ia, called for aid. He
claimed that he came to Mankato
with $3.50; that he drank a little and
fell in with two strangers who took
him to a rooming house. This was
the last the man remembered. he
stated, until he woke up in the Police
station without any funds. He was
released and Ensign Swanson adj
vanced him money TO get back to his
home and family.
Among the local cases the army is
helping woman whose husband is
worthless and will not support her
The woman is Lot in the best of
health and is being helped while her
suit for divorce is pending. Ensign
Swanson told arr amusing incident
of an old man in this city who was
left wholly alone when the son went
to war. When the ensign called the
old gentleman thought it was his son,
returned from the army and began
huggfng and kissing Ensign Swanson
with great enthusiasm. He is COM
pletely alone and has no means of
support save what his son sends him.
Wife Left Alone With Children.
Another family receiving aid is a
wife left alone with three small chill
dren. The husband and father left
home sometime ago and the whole
burden of supporting the home falls
on the mother. In another instance
the father in family was sent to
ST. Cloud, his wife and child were
left alone and destitute. Aid from the
Salvation army kept the woman from
want until she obtained work on a
farm near the city.
With the son lying wounded in a
base hospital in France, unable even
to send his allotment, the father i'll and
aged here and the mother unable to
nd fNv hnr hnc OF
the same time the Salvation army
stepped into help in this case at a
time when the family was reduced 20
practically destitute circumstances.
Another case is reported of a boy
eighteen vars of age who-is support
ing mis- father and mother, both Of
whom are old and the father is too
ill to do any work.
Ensign Swanson discovered another
case of woman eighty years of age
who was in strained circumstances.
She has son who pays board but will
not help about the home otherwise.
1t was found that >the old lady was
Obliged to carry all her fuel up long
flight of stairs without assistance.
What Influenza Did.
Influenza wrecked great hardships
among--many of the poorer families
in the city. This epidemic and a
general lack of work have made con
ditions much harder this winter than
previously. In one family of five
children, the parents and all the chill
dren were stricken with the flu, one
of the girls had pneumonia which
has now developed into consumption
and all were very ill for a month or
more, When the man recovered he
discovered that the spinning mills,
where he formerly worked. had closed
and he. was out Of work. Ensign
Swanson stated that the family tried
their best to get along in this ease
but the circumstances were such they
have been able to barely exist this
winter.
Another woman, alone with small
boy, is receiving aid from the army
In this case her husband left her and
the older son is in the United States
navy SO she was left alone to keep
UP her home. In another family the
husband is i'll with cancer of the
stomach and cannot be left alone, so
that hfs wife is unable TO do any work
at all.
In North Mankato family of ten.