The New York Herald Newspaper, February 11, 1874, Page 4

POVERTY. Narratives of Real Suffering Among the Poor. TESTIMONY OF THE PAWNBROKERS. Practical Responses to the Ap-| peal for Relief. INTERESTING COMMUNICATIONS. Contributions to St. John’s Guild | for the Downtown Poor. MORE SOUP HOUSES eee | SIXTH WARD POVERTY. In addition to the numeroas cases of starvation and poverty discovered in the Sixth ward by a HERALD reporter, and published yesterday, the following are on the leaves of his notebook: FROM THE GRAVE TO A COMFORTLESS NOME. | On the first foor of the house in the rear of No. | 61 Mulberry street lives Mrs. Connors, @ widow, with three children, all betpless. On Monday | night, when the HzRatp reporter, under the guid- | ance of Detective Cadell, and by the assistance of | his lantern, managed to find his way to the poor woman’s room he found her with her chin resting on her hands and her elbows upon her Knees. She was moaning, and rocked res ly trom side to | side. To the reporter’s third “Good evening” she responded with a 100k of vacancy. When her attention was centred on the visitorshe talked quite freely. She had just returned from Calvary Cemetery, where she had leit her daughter, a young girl aged seventeen years. Six montns ago she was at the cemetery on a similar mission, having at that time lost another daughter, aged fifteen. The woman and her family are in abject want; but she Was too much engrossed with her loss to fully appreciate her condition, There, in her little room, with her cold and comfortless chil- dren, she was lett to darkness and her own sad shoughts, | \ A HARD CASB. Mrs, Julia Cavanaugh, on the frst foor of the rear house of No. 79 Mulberry, is a worthy old wo- man, with too much responsibility for one of her advanced age, She has a crippled husband and two young children, belonging tv her son, who was wounded during the war in the left lung. He ob- | tained an honorable discharge, but never got a cent of elas money from the government, although he appliea for it frequently, THE YTALIANS. The Sixth ward is the home of nine-tenths of the Italian population of New York. In Mulberry street, Baxter street, Donovan’s lane and the “Row” there are immense caravansaries for these impecunious foreigners. Here they are huddied together like sneapie @ pen, and when they retire at ‘me “ to sleep they lie packed like sardines in oll. Itis a notable fact that the Italians when away from home are even more clannish than the | Scotch, A son of the sunny clime Will travel | twenty blocks, and pass twice as many grocery stores, to deal with a countryman who is in the huckater business, 1n their social relations they are just ag exclusive, and the honest poverty that prevails Lag 4 them they keep to them- selves, They do not “go mto the streets | and implore aims wita lugubrious fuces | and full pockets, Those whom the ordinary pe- destriam sees in his daily walks through town are, in & majority of cases, professional beggars—men who have plied the trade they now pursue for | yearsin their own country. They have reduced | begging to a positive science, and make it pay. It | is pleasant to know that this class of Italians is | | Qot in the majority, Many poor and deserving families are in New York at present struggling — hard against poverty and starvation. These famt- | ies, owing to their poverty, are obliged to reside (m the “slums” of the city, among the worst | classes of their countrymen. Their inability to speak the language makes their abject conaition the more pitiabie. They reveal theif sorrows and | trials to one another, but their tales of woe | elicit others still more awiul trom their anditors. The turnip cannot be bled, and these poor people can only give one another sympathy, which, to ase a New York phrase, “buys nothing.” Tneir | WuNts are comparatively unknown to the English | pene charitable societies, and consequently they get but little relief except from the Itailan Society, which, owing to the great demand upon its resources, can do but littie for them. Late last nigtt 4 HERaLp reporter, in company with @ detective, paid a visit to the ae Ganganill Topnaggi, in Mulberry street. In a 12 by 15 room were crammed a man, his wife and seven little children. The woman Was nursing & babe apparently about two months old; the man was seated on a soap box, smoking a pipe, and the room was lighted by a tallow candle in @ bottle, and placed on an empty flour barrel in the middle of the room. Three of ‘the children were sleeping | were supplied with NEW YOKK HERALD, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY Il, 1874.—TRIPLE -SHEKT. present himseif at a counter, The coffee is sweet- ened with molasses, but &® cheap. brown sugar would be far better for the purpose, and let the butter and cheese men come forward and help the “Relic! unctuaily and at once, as Market should be fully competent to iurnish twenty cheeses towards the customers of the reltef; and then there are the pork but who might send a pig now and then, OF some smoked from which would come the invigorating dishes ef pork and beans and botied ham and cabbage. These are not luxu- ries and the ic will contribute the money necessary if the Howard Relief Committee will only act expeditiously, as there are so many other associations in the city which are very desirous of Patronage, To-day General Williamson, who com- manded the “Iron Brigade” on the retreat down the Peninsula from — the tes of Rich- mond, will add an additional range—® very large’ one—to help the cooking — with greater rapidity of large masses of 1ood. A good Sized hunk of corned beef, which may be bought at eight cents a pound, or a piece of cheese would do well to alternate with the soup days. Nothing need be asked for help in the way Of wages, a8 cooks will fal! out of employment as well as other servants and will have to ask for assistance. The destitute printer, Baldwin, who was Dottced in the HERALD a few days since, Was sent irom this ofce to the Relief and there drank five bowls of soup, so great was his hunger, and then he weut home and soon came back and asked for food for his family, which was given bim, For sick or delicate persons, however, the food is rather coarse, and the public should see that the assoctation ts supplied with money in a-proper (ushion to make every want easily com- piled with, Yesterday over 900 persons (males) food, and nearly 350 sought shelter aud found it, Aaeont this number were very few men Who were shabbily dressed, and the majority wore clean shirts, William B, Astor, who had already contributed $500 toward the Howard | “Relief,” yesterday sent another check for $500, with the request that it would be put where it did most good, BRUIALITY TO ANNIE STEWART. Last evening, ata late hour, Annie Stewart was again found near West Rroadway, in the street, having fallen down tn fits from utter exhaustion, and was taken to the Fifth precinct station house and was there examined by the precinct surgeon, who aeclared at the same time that she was sham- ming, and yet said that she was insane. A request | was sent to the Park Hospital for an ambulance to | take her to the hospital, but the doctor in charge, one McEwan, refused to send an ambulance, stating that she was a lunatic and a fraud. How these two terms can agree im one person could only pga! be explained by a Park Hospital doctor. he result was that poor, wretched Annie Stewart Was locked up in & dreary cell as if she had com- mitted some dreadful crime. Yesterday morning oor Annie was taken, having received no break- fast or other nourishment, to the Tombs Police Court, where she was committed ona charge of insanity. Tne hundreds of charitable people wno are willing to nelp this forsaken girl wili, no doubt, Tead this account of oficial neglect and cruelt; with horror and astonishment. The woman wiil be perhaps conveyed to the Lunatic Asylum on Blackwell’s Island on thig superficial and extraor- dinary examination. Let look to itgif any harm befalls the girl. “NINE STARVING CHILDREN.” One of the most terrible cases of destitution yet unearthed by the HERALD reporters is that of Mra, Ford, a widow of respectabie char- acter, residing one pair of stairs up in & rear house, No. 116 Centre street, opposite the New Haven depot, Mrs, Ford tas nine children, and they have been bungry for several days. The eldest ia alad of nineteen, who has been unem- ployed tor ten montis, and the others have been | getting a piece of bread and meat through the | efforts of a nalf-distracted mother. Yesterday Mrs, Ford was absent from an early hour until after six o’clock, at which hour she had not returned (on inquiry Brine made), for food and fue) for her chil- drea. - Whether she got any or not is not known, but Mr. George Middleton sent in a piece of roast beef to them to save them from starvation. They are in a wretched condition, mime persons living in two rooms. MUNICIPAL CHARITY. Tne Commissioners of Charities and Correction have a large appropriation every year for outdoor relief, or, ag the technical term is, the relief of the outdoor poor. Hundreds of poor people, by far the greater part of them women, are in the build- ing of the Commission, Eleventh street and Third avenue, every morning during the winter months, and at six o’clock the Superintendent, Mr. Kellock, is busy taking their applications. They come from all parts of the city, and their | statements are very much the same. The men’s | plaintive words are “No work; the women gen- erally vent the burden of their cares in giving the number of their children, which, as Mr. Kellock re- marked yesterday to a HERALD reporter, is sure to be all the larger the poorer the woman is. Enter- ing the bullding from Eleventh street the applicant finds himself ina large hall, At the farthest end is the desk 01 Mr. Kellock, who sits in a huge arm- | chair behind the railing and surveys the applicant | through his spectacles. In front of the railing | there isa crowd of 50 or 100 poor women, who | are constantly huddled together, waiting their ig of } turn. They are OF ALL GRADES OF POVERTY, | of all ages, of all nationalities, The red-nosed | whiskey-lover; the slim, pale woman, with sunken | cheeks; the white-haired old grandmother, who | totters fearfully; the slipshod girl, who comes to invoke aid for her mother lying ill at home; the on an ordinary iron bedstead and tue others were lying on the floor. In one corner of the room was @ hand organ, and upon it an emaciatea monkey. When the reporter and his guide entered the ani- mail lazily opened one of its eyes, surveyed the visitors, then closed it, and returned to his dream of the tand where there are no land organs. Topn- agi peotblack, and who speaks tolerable English, in- formed the reporter that he had not been out of the house for a week, Owing to a severe cold, from which be was suffering. The last day he was out with his organ aud moukey he got seventeen cents, which he spent for bread. Since then the whole family have had to live on whac the little son could make, which was very little, owing to the muddy state of the streets and consequentiy small demand for “shines,” At the back of No. 14 Baxter strect, in Donovan's lane, there are twenty-two Italian families huddied together, They are allin a needy condition and some positively want food and clothing, The rain comes down through this house and makes it unin- habitable. The stairs, on which the leak water has frozen, are encased in ice and are almost impassa- ble. The banisters are a mass of ice and each Right irost adds to the pile. Opposite, in No. 12 Baxter, is another Italian douse which 13 filled with destitution. The three houses on either side are in a similar condition. in fact the whole street 18 filled with families who Want help and food. The men are strong and healthy, but can get no work to do. It 1s impossi- ble to individualize their cases, ag only in rare \nstances do they speak any English. BREAD, SOUP AND COFFEE. The lady, being closely veiled and handsomely dressed, entered the room in a hurry and came up to the desk railing, where she stood silently await- ing an opportunity to speak. The Superintendent, General Williamson, who has charge of the Howard Relief rooms, was busy at the time, and a Mr. Sloman, one of the mem- bers of the Executive Committee, stepped forward and asked politely what was tne desire of the lady, to which the answer came, from under @ raised veil:— “Can you use canned fish in this work of charity?” “Weil, I don’t know, but I believe that we will try to do so." “fam sure if you can that my husband will be | Bappy to send you as much as you can use for the poor people who call here.” And the Jady left the “Relief” to give way to others who called for the Purpose of donating articles’ of food and clothing. A gentleman came in who said he was a principal clerk in a clothing store, and had called on behaif ot oe firm to promise a supply of several suits of clothing to deserving and needy men. He was page and told to send the clothes along, Some me aiter the lady who had calied to donate canned fish aa her Nusband’s gift arrived in the shape Of several dozen boxes of sardines. This gift Was gratefully received, but it is doubtful if the price of the sardines ‘would not have bought an | entire side of beef, which is far more useful than | Sardines, for soup 18 the chief comfort of the poor | man when hungry. Sixteen tamilies applied by their representatives {or i000 to take home, and they were furnished loaves of bread to taxe nome Bean soup will be served this mo: | Thing from six to to elght o'clock to all. who have tiad jo | the “Relief during last night. ‘About nel eee | Of bread is allowed to each person, which is rather | heavy and yeasty, but is good substanty ahoagry man. ‘The soup is made of beet, 5 rice, white turnips and onions, and js quite ra ttle too tick—as there is bread 0 b in the stomach @ pint of which is thef allowance, althou, bead Wao ie hangry @, although any person Tne tuft for sarrots, thick— enough ry, like Oliver Twist, ean cali for me Unlike him, he may ve sure'to ger to Ore: coffee 18 Teally very poor, and Would not be he | Were it not for the fact that a man i$ work or food who walks all day through streets Of the city finds it dimcult to get 4 viasg of water, a6 his clothes are not good enough to by the aid of his ten-year old son, Who is a | faded dress of former gentility and the undiguised | Tags Of sheer destitution ; the cheerful and buoyant, | the trembling and downcast—they are all there, | Walting to tell their sad tales and state their re- | spective cases to the Superintendent, scrambles eagerly forward and faces him the fol- lowing scene frequently repeats itself:— | Poor Woman (vanding Mr. Kellock a letter of recommendation voucuing tor her worthiness)— This is my recommendation, | Mr. KELLock (after perusing the letter and find- ing that some respectabie lady recommends her)— | All right. What’s your name ? APPLICANT—Murphy, please. Mr. KELLOcK—What, Mary or Bridget? APPLICANT—bridget. Mr. KELLOcK—How many children have you ? APPLICAD xX, Seven (or eight, as the case may ba). Mr, KEtLock—Where is your husband ? ArPLicanT—He 1s dead, sir, these ten years, &C., &e. Mr. Kellock enters the name and residence of the applicant im his day book ana telis her that a | visitor will come soon to satisfy himself of the | truth of her statements. Perhaps she is in imme- diate Want, aud will implore him to give her some- | thing then and there, but to most of these de- mands the Superintenaent MUST NEEDS TURN A DEAF BAR. | The rule is that tue visitor shall first go and see If he finds her worthy of charity, sober and | temperate and in actual need, he gives her a | ticket, Which entities her to 4 small stipena, pay- able every two weeks, Sometimes the visitor gives @ ticket for only one payment, sometimes for | two, and but in very few cases for more, T | Ucket she presents the next day at Mr. Kellock’s | desk, and he pa’ ber the amount. | three different ti $1 50 and $1—the pay- | Ment being in every instance lor two weeks. The | Uvket 18 as follows :— Qeorererererersrerereresese se secece seen serene setees, 3 Superintendent of Outdoor Poor:— 13 Pay to —- ——, 13 No. — —— street, | 3 Two Dollars, | 3 New York, —, 187. — —, Visitor. Qeovoverrrererere rest ee rene re sbee be ne wenesese re erent Mr. Kellock pays this meagre ati a Wge pile of greenbacks on his must [00k yery inviting and tempt destitute outside. The applicants are, for the greater part, respectable—poor widows, with a large number of chiidren; men who have been out | of work for montus and with large Jamilies; or per- sons who are iriendiess and iil and seek, perhaps, only temporary retief, Ifthe applicant has @ face ROSEATE FROM BRANDY SMASHES or gin My pr Mr. pales says sternly, “Pass on!” and the odor of whiskey nips also the hope of relief in the bud, ive te Both Commissioner Stern and Mr. Kellock as- sured the HERALD reporter yesterday that the extent of destitution and distress this winter was something unparalleled. The following compara- tive statistics regarding the relief extended by the Commissioners were obtained through the kind- ness of Mr. Blake, of the Outdoor Kelief Bureau, The Hgures represent only the cash donations, i 1 lesk, Which ing to the | Cash Cash Donations. —Donutiont.— is72, 1873, 72,18 Jannary..... $4,400 $7,106 82.54 uary.... TAD 9576 8 Mareb 8613 11s 1,007 April... aT ‘S17 1545, 517 (1,073 2219 10% = 1,470 December Kies 36,129 $46,310 The amount spent for coal in 1873 was over 1,000, which brings the total amount of relief for up to, $67,300. anuary, 1874, the amount of relief was mid 18 month, according to the statement , iT WILL BE RVEN MOR! With the above named amount were aided last moutu, or, altogether, In $4,864, of M: | which could pe seen in ghastly transparency the } lin’s.?” As each | There are | nd from | 628 families | as not less | Noating our than 21,024 479 males, 5,201 | females, 6,! 7,389 girl During the twelve ‘mouths ending November 30, 1873, 5,882 famiues, or 23,000 persons, were aided, as (ollo’ 1,982 males, 5,422 iemales, 7,562 boys and 7,074 girls, In December, 1873, 1,660 families were retievec. They consisted of 714 males, 1,634 females, boys, 4337 girls—altogether, 6,083 persons, The amount of relief per head in 1873 was about $3. This May seom avery small amount; but it must be remembered that the relief is extended to families Q8 such, and but tn rare cases to single individuals, For 1873 the relief extended, as stated above, | Was over $70,000, How much did it cost (by way | Of salaries, &c.) to distribute this amount? The salaries pald in the Outdoor Relief Bureau The two visitors who receive only $800 a year each serve in the new wards in the’ asnoxed ais, bye Aa seearce = palarion < of ae Superintend- tant endent to state that sae sa COMPS THEY PERFORM ALSO OTHE DUTIES - connected with the business of the Commissioners. The approprtatton for outdoor relief tor this year ig | $99,000, and Commissioner Stern stated yesterday thatevery penny would have to be spent to relieve the terrible distress tn this city. Mr. Kellock, who has ‘perlormea the onerous duties of Superintendent now for twenty-six years, is @ gentleman ot tact and discrimination, both qualities which are greatly needed tor the proper administration of relief to thousands of — He combines firmness with kindness in is dealings with the needy pensioners of the city treasury. The repurter questioned him yesterday ia regard to the cuuses of the vast amount Oo! dis. tress in this city. a “An! the principal trouble is want of labor,’? Mr. Kellock said, “and this winter reminds me greatly of that of 1857, after the great panic of that year. Formerly we scarcely ever received applications from men, but confined the relief to women, Now THE MEN COME 10 US HUNGRY, with hollow cbeeks, and say that they have had no work lor, perhaps, three Months, and are biessed With six, Seven or eight children, You know the poorest men always have the biggest families, Or,* here ig a woman, perhaps, who lost her situation in a shop, and has six or seven children to sup. Port! itis terribie! terrible !"" In regard to the nationalities of the beneficiaries Mr. Kellock said the greatest number were among the Irish, next came the Germans and then the Americans, of Whom there were aiso a very large number. English and Scotch applicants were very few in number, but the colored element had aiso & large share of the city’s Ce Among other cases seen by this reporter yester- day was that of a poor man, formerly a waiter, whose family was literally starving, and who HAD PAWNED HIS LaST SHIRT the previous day for twenty-five cents! He wasa sober, temperate man and Mr. Kellock gave him temporary relief. A colored woman, who looked spruce and neat despite her poor worn dress, aeke Mr. Kellock, in the most piteous tones, to elp ber. “How many children have you?” Mr. Kellock asked. “Eight,” was the calm reply. “What's your busband’s trade ?”’ “He has none,” the poor woman replied, An expression of amazement spread over Mr. Kellock’s face, ‘Well, he ought to have one,’ he said, and a smile forced itself even on the care- | men’s teois tn pawn unredeeme: People get into the habit of pewning in some cases it becomes almost irresistible. Now, of course the fact that there are a great many trades- d, unquesti indicates want of employment, ‘There is no doub' @ great amount of destitution in this (the Thir- teenth) ward, yet there are also plenty of idiers who won't work. A great source of evil is the loan oMces, where ten per cent ® month is demanded and where the party yi ng 13 compelled to sign a bill of sale, setting forth that the article upon which money 1s obtained will be sold in fairey dave, if not redeemed. Pawnbrokers are required to pay @ license and charge only twenty-five per cent Jw anoum. Apother great cause of poverty is the pelicy shops, which do considerable injury to the 1D vishorn $100 Meare aatd that you can hardly Jadge oft by the 10 visitor ice may be said that you can bardly judge o! 2 Visitors, $800 cach or. | vusiness done in & pawn office, siace the destitute “ ecg } ysicians, $500 each 7.000 | do not possess those articles which a broker Salary of Mr. Kellock Superintendent... 4750 | would think it worth his while to accept.” Salary of Mr. Blake, Assistant Superintendent. by Sabsequentiy entering some of the smaliest Total... omMces in the city, where amounts as low as twenty cents were given on pledges, the H&kALD reporter ascertained that in some localities the extent of suffering that prevailed was appal- ling. Hitherto. those who bad come regularly every Saturday aight to redeem the articles pawned the preceding Monday ceased oallin, |, altogether—a tact which showed plainly that suc! customers were destitute. Said one broker, “If the gin mills were snutup there would be less poverty in the poor districts—that’s what's The matter.” Altogether it was evident, from the careful inspection made yesterday, that In both the Tenth and Thirteenth wards desti- tution exists toan alarming extent, The pawn offices can offer a0 relie! to (nose who have nota. ing to deposit, and whut business ts doing does not come froin the starving peope who are bereit of everything. That something should be done, and without delay, toward helping the uniortunates, there can be but one ppialon, Detective Lyon ob- served, at the end of our tour, that since the gambling houses and policy shops in the Tenth ward had been closed, there was a noticeable /all- ing off tn the number of destitute people. On the west side of the metropolis the pawn- brokers intimate that business 1s good—a some- what serious confession, taking tnto account the class of people who seek relief through their instru- mentality. Like smoking, the depositing of arti- cles for the loam of money becomes a@ habit, for, said a veteran broker to a HkRaLp reporter yester- day, “We cannot complain; our ‘customers’ are about the same; but Ican tell you, sir, that the increase or decrease of our business would not be a sale criterion by which to judge of any prevailing destitution, We see the same faces nearly every week, the fact being simply that a great many people, bad managers in household affairs, live ahead of their means.’ Upon making inqairies in reference to the effect of the recent pante it was authoritatively stated that, while no actual distress Was noticeable among the class generally regardea as ‘“‘well-to-do," the pawnbrokers’ estab- lishments on the west side were besieged, at tumes, by Ce pee for loans, the deposits mostly consisting of silverware, The stringency in money greatly affected the small storekeepers with rents owing and business at a standstill. A favorable reaction, however, has since taken place, and those who now patronize the pawnbrokers do the same thing all the year round, But that there exists a great amount of what is known as “gen- teel poverty”? there can be no doubt. Indeed, there is no class in the world who so much need and merit the prompt attention of the benevolent as those who through motives of honorable pride disdain to make known their destitution. worn faces of the hungry applicants who heard this good matured sally. AMONG THE PAWNBROKERS. “Now, then, sis, what’s the matter with you?’ sang out a dapper little man of five and thirty from behind the counter of a pawn office yesterday afternoon, a8 @ representative of the HERALD, accompanied by Detective Lyon, entered an east side establshment, on the frosted window of tempting announcement, “Money Lent.” The speaker was the clerk. The party addressed a little girl, wan and starved looking, ;who, in pushing her bundle forward, cast an imploring look at the | young man as he cheerily tossed it open and-sub- mitted the contents to @ critical inapection. “Mother,” replied the little maiden timidly, “mother told me to get $2, sir.’” “Can't be did, my honey—not taking them things now;’’ and as the clerk proceeded to roll up the quilt the poor girl looked dejectedly at the bundle, unabie, apparently, to utter @ word. But just as she clerk was moving off, she called to him in feeling tones, ‘Oh, sir, give me something on it! We've eaten nothing since yesterday. Mother will blame me.’’ “Eh! give you a dollar—it aint worth two shil- Ina twinkling the ticket was made ont, and, tightly clatching the bill, the girl sped forth like 8 deer. Iu order to ascertain the extent ol poverty in the Tenth and adjoining wards, as illustrated by the increase or decrease of business in the disferent pawnbroker shops, & HERALD reporter, with Mr. Lyon, the able detective so well known in connec- tion witn the capture of the mesked robbers, visited nine or ten establisnments of various grades on the East side. The tour was full of interest, and & good deal of useful information was ob- tained. It may as well, however, be stated in the beginning that the pawn offices furnish no satis- factory criterion of the actual condition of the really destitute people in their vicinity, since, in the first place, they have nothing to pawn, and in the next, the articles with which they might be compelled to part, are value- less. True, many of the poor in the Tenth ward have gradually arrived at their present state of dire distress—have disposed of article after article until now gaunt starvation stares them boldly in tne face. But, as @ general rule, the pawnbrokers do not thrive on this class of business. Their profits are mainly derived irom “customers” who, partly fascinated by the inducements held out, rarely fail to redeem their pledges, It may be mentioned, moreover, that the prevailing distress | is by no means confined to what 18 known as the poorer classes. Throughout the Tenth ward particularly there exists a very wumeasy feeling among those who heretofore might be considered as somewhat well | todo, Of the really starving portion ot the com- | munity the pawnbrokers knew but little, It was | more in relation to the smali storekeepers in the neighborhood that they were abie to give informa- tn, and from all that could ve learned there is reason to believe that many are actually suffering from the want of those necessaries to which they have until recently been accustomed. But of tne | utterly destituie people of the ward Detective | Lyon spoke from personal knowledge, and, describ- | ing the nightly scenes at the Tenth precinct station | house, drew a picture of misery and starvation truly heartrending. ‘I have been a long time here,’? said Mr. Lyon, “and have seen some pretty rough epectacies in my day, but i cannot call fo mind | anything like what may be seen every night at the station. They come there in droves, men of all | descriptions, from the habitual drunkard to the | respectable tragesman or clerk, unable to find em- | ployment or a bite to eat. Of course there’s not | room for them all, but I tell you it’s mighty bard | to turn them away hungry and houseiess.”’ Entering the establishment of Messrs. Simpson | & Greene, in the Bowery—one of the largest of its | class—we were courteously conducted through | the building and beheld 4 countless variety of | articles, decidedly ‘loo numerous to men- | tion,” which hi been deposited for loans. | in the course of conversation Mr. Greene stated | that while there was a great deal of poverty in the | wara the pawovbroking business aid not seem to | be much affected by it. ‘Our profits,” he con- / tinued, “are derived mainly from well to do | people—that is those who obtain temporary loans and quickly redeem their pledges. There is an- | other class who pawn goods on Monday morning | and redeem them on Saturday night. Latterly, | however, that class of custom has fallen of—owing | to their present inability to pay. But you would be surprised at the amount of ‘de- | Pern among the better class of people. | We receive daily baskets of silver ware | from the residents of fashionable localities ahd our re is literally crammed with jenelry of every dés¢rtption.” In verification of thm we | descended into the vault below and there was exX- posed to view an array Of diamouds and watches whic one would think Would take years to collect. | This, however, ts not the case, as expiained.by Mr. Greene, who stated that of the 250 or 300 pledges & | day more than twenty-five per cent were redeemed. Daring the ponte Pawnbrokers were obliged to | curtail — thet loans, but at the present | time pusiness proceeds as usual, “The really poor people,” said Mr. Greene, “generally go to the smaii offices, as the articies they wish to | dispose of are valueless to large establishments. | For instance, we rarely ever take a pledge under $1, though Lassure you that sum has repeatedly been given to many & poor person on an article which, if sold, Woukt not bring twenty-five cents. It is almost impossible to resist the appeals of some, and, tuough it might not be thought 80, there is many a charitable act done in a pawn office. The HERALD representative next pro- ceeded to the establishment of Messrs, Simpson & Co., also on the Bowery, and learned sub- | stantially the same story—to wit, that busi-+ | ness was not much affected by the present destitute condition of the poor. This was virtually explained by the fact that poverty had already | Inade such rapid strides that those who heretofore hati derived some relief from the pawnbrokers, having parted with everything, had now nothing left to dispose of. Strolling down Grand street, sev- | eral pawhbrokers’ establishments were entered, | all presenting a somewhat similar appearance. In | Colversation with one of the most prominent bro- « Kers in that locality aa to the cc tion of the poor, he said that during the panic joans were jim- ST. JOHN’S GUILD AND THE DOWN TOWN POOR. A Qaick and Generous Response to the Recent Appeal for Funds. Tne following contributions have been received by St. John’s Gutla for the poor of the Fifth and Eighth wards :— THROUGH REV. 3, H. WESTON, D. D. Mrs. Catharine L. Wolfe $100 00 ¢. C,, Trinity Chapel 15 00 Oscar Smedberg. 75 00 Anonymous .. . 5 00 THROUGH C. Y. B, OSTRANDER. Mrs, Pollock, Richfleld, N. Y ++ 2000 «The Earlier the Better,” Peluam... 5 00 A poor widow’s mite, Pelham. 25 1» Br Oven ere 10 00 pi n. 25 00 Naltic 1% Tala * a od age aii alia, aged eight, five, 3 earned by hard study and saved 250 and giadly given to aid some poor little aves I Mrs. J, L. Vallotton. SENT TO ST. Mr. Samuel Keyser “a Mite” Everet P. jeeler. Teft, Griswold & Kellog A. and C, & Co. Miss Florence May Ireland. Miss Alice J, Ireland. eu Ireland SBS BlSaSSSaSSBRSuakwans S aaad Onterin; Gh fr ty) Waiter S. Gurnee. Mrs. J. Graves... ‘om Trinity Chapel, imstead. S88 Sssssssssessesssessss S$ SEs Total... sna wend STREETERS CaaS EERO IOD And aaditional contributions, which will be re- Ported to-morrow. The following letter was received yesterday by the Rev. Alvah Wiswall:— If Alice O'Neill will call at No. 2 Kast Fiftieth street, between Madison and Fifth avenues, she and her mother can be assisted at any time, Enclosed she will tind §1. Fesuvany 10, 1874, Many packages of groceries and clothing have also been received. Contributions may be sent to the HERALD Office, or to Mayor Havemeyer, City Hall; C. V. B. Ostrander, President of the Mer- chants’ Fire Insurance pompany, No. 149 Broad- way; Andrew W. Langa ‘ollector of Assess- ments, City Hall; G. J. N. Zabriskie, cashier of People’s Bank, corner of Canal aud Thompson Streets; J. 1. Davis, Sheldon & Co., No, 677 Broad- way, and Rev. 8. H. Weston, D, D., No. 3 East Forty-fith street, or the Rev. Alvan Wiswall, Master of St. John’s Guild, St. Jonn’s chapel, Varick street, DIRECTORY OF PUBLIC AND PRI- VATE CHARITIES, At this critical period for the starving tnousands who are seeking work or aid a list of the most im- portant institutions whose doors are opened to the needy is much needed. The following alphabetical list has been prepared from the “City Directory,” personal inquiry and from other sources, witha been located. Of course this list 1s incomplete, the soclety through which to distribute their offer- Ings of money, clothing and food, and direct the deserving poor to the points where they will not likely be turned away with curt refusals:— Ae American Female Guardian Society, No, 29 East Twepty-ninth street. Association for Improving the Condition of the Poor, No. 69 Bible House, $ Association for Respectable Aged Indigent Females, No. 226 Kast Tenth street. Association for Befriending Children and Young Girls, No, 247 East Thirteenth street. Lic Seamen’s Friend Society, No, 80 Wall Stree! Ancient Britons’ Benevolent Society, No. 214 Bowery. Ancient Order Hibernians (parent) Society, No. 76 Prince street. Bethany Institute, No. 69 Second Avenue, Babies’ Home, No, 212 East Thirty-eighth street, Baptist Home for the Aged, No. 41 Grove street and East Sixty-eighth street. Blind Mechanics’ Association, No, 432 West Thirty- sixth street. c Children’s Fold, No. 437 East Fifty-eighth street. Children's Aid Society, No. 19 East Fourth street. Chapin Home for Aged and Infirm, East sixty- sixth street, near Lexington avenue. Child’s Nursery and Hospital, Fifty-first street and Lexington avenne. Central Dispensary, No. 934 Eighth avenue, Colored Orpuan Asylum, Mra, 0. G. Langdon, Boulevard, near 143d street. Colored Home lor the Aged, foot of Sixty-fifth street. Colored Mission, West Thirtieth street, near Sev- enth avenue. City Missionary Society, G, W. Smith, No, 342 Pearl street. D Demilt Dispensary, No. 401 Second avenue. E Eastern Dispensary, No. 51 Essex street. Porpauvanenuaty, No, 223 East I'wenty-sixth | et Female Bible Mission, Bible House. bi yee a Home, No. id Kast Fifteenth reet. Free Dormitory for Women, No. 54 Amity street, ited to §10, but that now asa matters had taken @ business proveeded ag usual, “When,’? » “there is & good deal of’poverty, we suffer aa well as others, for, strange {may seem, when there is plenty of movey business increases accordingly. Five Points House. of Industry, H. N. Camp, Treas- urer, No, 155 Worth street. rather Mathew (parent) society, No. 214 Bowory. French Benevolent Society, KF. R. Condert, No. 49 Wail street, view of including all whose headquarters have | butit will enable the charitably disposed to select | | | | | New York State Hospital for Nervous Diseases, | Presbyterian Home for Aged Women, East Seventy- | | Strangers’ Rest, corner Centre and Pear! streets. street. | Shepherds’ Fold, Eighty-sixth street, near Second | avenue. Young Men’s Christian @. German Dispensary, No. 65 St. Mark German West Bide Diapensary, No. ‘da weet For- meth street. Germania Benevolent Society, No.10 Stanton street. German Hospital, Fourth avenue and Seventy-sev- enth street. German Society, No. 13 German Ladies’ Guild of Hap? justine. Guild of St. Cat ne. House of the Gooa Shepherd, foot of Bast Six- tieth street, House of Reat for Vonsumptives, Tremont, West- chester. Heiping Hand for Men, No, 316 Water street. Howard Mdasion, No. 40 New Bowery. Bepoldp Benevolent Society, No. 10 Stanton 1 be Home for ‘Young Women, No, 27 North Washing- ton square. House of Industry, No, 120 West Sixteenth street. Half Orphan Asylum, 65 West Tenth street. Hebrew Orphan Asylum, Kast Seventy-seventh street and Third avenue. Henpew. Benaroiens Society, E. B. Hart, No. 50 Ex- lace, Keo and Infirm Hebrews, Sixty-third street and Lexington avenue. Home for Fallen and Friendleas Girls, No. 86 West Fourth street. Home ior Incurabies. Home for Aged and Deaf Mutes, No. 220 East Thir- teenth street, Home for the Cid and Children, No. 445 West Thirty-second street, Home for the Friendieas, No. 29 East Twenty-ninth street. Protestant Episcopal Home for the Aged, Church of Hol, Coumenion No. 380 Sixth avenue, House of Mercy, Houston and Mulberry and 100t of West Papi sinee street, Home for Females of Prison Association, No, 213 ‘Tenth avenue, House uf Rett Randall's imans No, 2,331 Fourth avenue, Harlem Dispensary, Harlem Homeopathic Dispensary, Harlem. enty-cignth Bowery. v hire, Letber, No 48 Hoffman Dispensary, No. 153 West Tw: street. Howard Relief, No. 49 Leonard street. bet ae Fallen Females, No. 22 West Houston L Trish Emigration Society, No, 51 Chambers street. Infirmary New York College of Dentistry. Institution for the Blind, Ninth avenue and Thirty- fourth street, Institution of Reward for Soldiers’ Children, No. 13 Great Jones street. Italian Benevolent Soctety, No. 69 Fulton street. he Ladies’ Board of Missions, No. 255 West Forty-sec- ond street. Ladies’ Union Aid Society, No, 255 West Forty-sec- ond street. Gying-tn Asylum, Fifty-secona street and Lexing- ton avenue, Ladies’ Christian Union, No. 27 Washington street. Leake and Watts’ Orphan House, “aaceency and 12th street, Lying-in for Destitute Females, No. 85 Marion street, mn. Midnight Mission, No, 260 Greene street. Magdalene Benevolent Society, Eighty-eighth street, near Filth avenue. Manhattan Dispensary and Hospital, No. 233 East = a ae itm lount Sinai Hospital, Lexington avenue and Sixty- sixth street, Ay a New York Dispensary, No. 137 Centre street. New York Infant Asylum, No. 24 Clinton place. New York City Mission, No. 51 Bible House. New York Cancer Hospital, No. 468 Sixth avenue. New York Orphan Asylum, Bloomingdale Road, near Seventy-third street. New York Female Assistance Society, No. 18 ‘Waverley plage New York Juvenile Asylum, West 176th street, near ‘Tenth avenue. New York Prison Association, No. 19 Center street. New York Diet Kitchen, No, 374 Second avenue. New York Juvenile Guardian Society, No, 101 St. Mark's place. Institute, Third avenue and New York Opthalmic Twenty-third stree! Bev “ ue aye and Ear Infirmary, No. 218 Second New York Infirmary for Women and Children, No. 128 Second avenue, New York Dispensary for Diseases of Throat and ie oe end Ueno doa N few Yor ensary for seas East Twentieth street. etre A AT New York Homeopathic Dispensary, No. 403° Seventh avenue, New York Dispensary for Children, No, 406 East Fifteenth street. Second avenue and St. Mark’s place. Northwestern Dispensary, Ninth avenue and Thir- ty-aixth atreet. Northeastern Dispensary, No, 222 East Fifty-ninth street. Northern Dispensary, Waverley place and Chris- topher street. Pree) o. Orphan Asylum of St. Vincent de Paul, No. 211 West Thirty-ninth street. Orphans’ Home (Protestant Episcopal church), East Forty-ninth street, near Lexington avenue. Old Ladies’ Home (Methodist Episcopal churcn), Forty-second street, near Eighth avenue. Old Ladies’ Asylum, No. 45 Grove street. P. Protestant Half Orphan, No. 65 West Tenth street. | third street, near Lexington avenue. Presbyterian Hospital, East Seventieth street, near Fourth avenue. Boman peeue Protectory, Fordham, Westchester county. Roosevelt Hospital, West Fifty-ninth street, near Nintl enue, jolic Half Orphan Asylum, Prince and Roman C: Mott streets, s. St. Jonn’s Guild, St. John's church, Varick street. Samaritan Home for Aged, West Fourteenth street, near Ninth avenue. Sisters of the Strangers, No. 4 Winthrop place. Society for Relief of Ruptured and Crippled, Lex- ington avenue, near Forty-second s.reet. Soctety tor Relief and Employment of the Poor, No, 143 East Thirteenth street, Society for Relief of Destitute Blind, No. 219 West | Fourteenth street. Spanish Benevolent Society, No. 15 Bowery. Been Home, No. 145 East Twenty-eighth rr Swiss Benevolent Society, L. C. Lambert, No. 19 | gohn street. St. George’s Society, No. 183 Nassau street, St. Andrew’s Society, No. 133 Nassau street. St. Luke’s Hospital, Fifty-fourth street and Fifth | avenue. St. Luke’s Home, Madison avenue and Eighty-ninth | street. Shelter for Respectable Girls, No. 334Sixth avenue, | St. Elizabeth's Hospital, No. 225 West Thirty-first | street, ; ee Arms, corner Tenth avenue and 129th street, Seamens’ Friend and Retreat, office No. 12 Uld slip. . < sistert of Mercy, St. Mary’s Hospital, No. we Fortieth aureet. m are San? ORY Society for Indigent and Crippled, Seventh avenue, St. Joseph’s Home, No. 209 West Fifteenth street. St. Joseph’s Orphan Asylum, Kighty-ninth street and avenue A. | St. Vincent's Hospital, No. 196 West Eleventh street. Strangers’ Hospital, corner East Tenth street and avenue D. Sisters of st. Dominic Orphan Asylum. Sailors’ Snug Harbor, office No. 74 Wall street, St. Barnabas Home for Females, No. 304 Mulberry | T Trinity Chapel Home for Aged, No. 207 West ‘Twenty-seventn street. | } tate, fearing he mone; riated.’ The HumaLD Inepices ay my mite will misappre- confidence, and [ 10) be ti tion of others until many suena Telieved. Yours, New York, Feb, 9, 1874, “THE HERALD CAN DO IT IN TWENTY-FOUR HOURS.” TO THE EDITOR OF THE HeRALD:— hi The HERALD has done a great and humane work in taking up the present lata-up dollars sm noafiod. oy ving out. Make the rich ‘will succor 100,000 people 7 can bring this avout in twenty-lour 4 It is @ dreadful thing for even a single humaa being to be without shelter for a singie at, Yours, W: 7 4 G00D SUGGESTION, 79, J Epos ov tae Hanatp — revelations in your valuable journal unprecedented distress and fuiferng tow nate ing in our city, have prompted the lowing 8 \<- gestions, which Isubmit to your kind considera- tion and action should you think that the idea could be carried out—and I can hardly see serious reason to the contrary:—The “Liederkrang Ball” \akes place on next Thursday night. Thou. ganda of persong will be in attendance; most all of them in that happy frame of mind, when reflection is off its guard and the heart well disposed to yield to suaden impulses which are rarely other tian ae and generous. Suppose you can prevail upon he committee of the bali to place in the hall ese opposite the central or main entrance to the feor a large square box, something like the Christmas boxes we see in down town restau. rants about New Years’ time, made attractive and conspicuous by decoration with flowers; let this box bear a suitable iscription, “Remember the Poor,’ or somnering like it, and let it beta charge of a number of (masked or unmasked) ladies, who alternately may devote half an hour’s ume to the good work, and I will bet my bottom dollar on the result being a larger number of five and ten dollar bills than could be collected after half @ dozen of the most carefully prepared church sermons among the richest and most ostensibly devout congregations of our pious city. Many of the fair forms and faces hidden under masks and dominoes may promote the eed ing to their intrigued and intrigui glimpse under the mask if they but please to place & fair sum in that box; and many a young Obristian blood whose heart has been gladdened by Roederer and Veuve Clicot will, by a generous contribution flatly contradict the Koran, which teaches the Mahometan that ‘there is adevil in every grape.” A collection of a few thousand dollars might thus easily be obtained, without much effort or trouble, and with very little sacrifice to any one. The few dollars given to the poor will go with the rest ef the money spent during and for the ball, The: ‘will not be missed in the morning; but there will be something in every contributors heart that will tend toward lightening the burden of the “addi tional head” brought home by & festive American youth, as it will also alleviate the Katzenjammer of most of theportly Teutons, for “Charity shall cover the multitude of sins.’ 1 enclose $5 towards having the box made, and will drop another five into it if my suggest on is carried out. New York, Feb. 10, 1874. A STOREKEEPER'S WEEKLY DONATION, To THe EpiToR oF THE HERALD:— On reading your article in this morning’s Haw ALD, on the destitution of the poor, it occurred te me that if every person keeping a store in the city would contribute, say from twenty-five to fifty cents er week towards a fund for the purpose of assist- Ing in relieving those who are worthy, I have ne doubt it woutd do a great deal of , and could hardly be missed by those who would give. Enclosed please find my first instalment, $1. Yours, &c., ‘OREKEEPER, Fourth avenue, near Twenty-secona atreet. FEBRUARY 9, 1874. - A NOBLE OFFER OF BREAD. To THE EDITOR OF THE HERALD:- We are willing to contribute 100 loaves of bread all . for. thirt days, to Sny sonp house opened ia the Ninth war spectiully, G. & 3. HEYMAN & MACK, Hodson street, corner of Houston. New York, Feb, 10, 1874. AID FOR ANNIE STEWART. | To THe Eprrog Or THE HERALD:— Will aioe please appropriate the enclosed, 1f still needed, to “Annie Stewart?” I thank you, ag many will, for briaging to the notice of the publie such individual cases of extreme suffering. There are many, I know, who shrink from making their wants generally known, and they place themselves beyond the reach of concerted action. 1 would not ad you be I know how to reach tne poor sul (erer other way. na % FRIEND OF THE POOR. New York, Feb. 10, 1874. [The above note contained $20,—Ep. HERALD. ‘Yo THR EDITOR OF THE HERALD Piease send Annie Stewart $2, cowards pane her way home to Springfield, Mass, iY. NEW YORK, Feb, 10, 1374, ORGANIZED RELIEF. To THE EDITOR OF THE HERALD:— Your editorial this morning about immediate necessity for the rellef of the destitute in thus cit was so forcible and so much to the point that will endeavor to show how easily such end can be attained, and how a central organization of relie( 18 practicable in a very short time, Lf those who do really feel anxious about it are willing to tace the first necessary steps toward it. What Iam going to iencoon, is not an experi. ment; it has been fully tried, and it succeeded entirely. In the late French war, after the surrender of Sedan and Metz, there were in Germany 315,00 Lal the larger portion of whom were in TUssia. The unavoidaple consequences of such an im- mense number to provide for were want aad misery for these poor soldiers. Prussia, Dot having contemplated such an emer- gency, was totally unprepared, and consequently unable to minister to their wants. It was then that a society for the relief of these prisoners was formed, and from it they received every kind of succor and help, The society made a general call on the country for contributions of allkinds. These appeals were spread freely and gratuitously by all the newspae ers, not only in France, but in Europe, and trom urope as from Paris came help and relief. The society did not call for anything in partict- lar, lt simply said, “Send us anything you please— good or bad, new or old; we will be thankful fer ail;” and soon gilts of every description arrived st the office of the society, by boxes, by bales, by thousands of packages. On receiving these the society had every package Opened and the con- tents overhauled and picke Clothing, Mnen, shoes, blankets, caps, sacks, books, tobacco aid ever so Many Other articles were found ther. When separated and classified the articles cousw- ered as useful were made into packages of 00 each and sent to the places where those prisonera were Kept, the quantities sent being always pro- portioned to the number and wants of the pria- oners, In this way the society was soon able to send sit over Germany blankets, clothes, shoes, tobacco, books and even quantities of preserved meat aid other sorts of dried articles of food. What has been done, then, for destitute prisen- ers, May very well be done for our poor. Twill then propose that a certain number of ladies and gentlemen form themselves into a cem- mittee or general relief for the destitute of New. York, and through your paper, and I will say through the whole press of the city, make an urgent appeal to the people to contribute—ware iG BR i this noble work of relief and charity, eer Let that committee get a place where these do- nations wWiil be received, then divided and picked, and whence they may be sent or given to the other benevolent societies or persons who are dis- tributing help and relief in the different districta of the city. In a letter on the subject in your paper I see that @ house could be had in Bond street. Maybe tha writer, Mr. G. Haskins, would lend his aid in get- ting it, and it would be a most eligible place for the general oMce of the committee, 1t 1s ceatral Uu Union Home and Schoo), 15ist street and Eleventh | avenue, A | yi aera, East Fiftieth street and Fourth ‘enue. Wilson, Mission, corner of avenue D and Eighth Women’s Lying-In Asylum, No. 85 Marion strect. Women’s Prison Association, No, 191 Tenth avei Working Women’s Protective Union, No, Bleecker street. | Woman's Aid Soctety, No. 41 Seventh avenue, | Widows’ Society, No. 99 East Fiiteenth street, Western Homeopathic Dispensary, No. 413 West | Forty-second street. | Water ae Mission for Women, No, 273 Water street, Mutat Dispensary, Young Men's Christian Association, 1 | 4 street and Fourth avenue, p Sent Association Soup House, | Y. | No. 134 Bowery. CHARITABLE RESPONSES, That the heart of the public fully responds to the cry of distress which rises from the thousands who, by reason of the present labor depression, are destitute and suffering, is most forcibly tllas- trated by the generous donations which already have been sent to the HERALD in consequence of our article on “Destitution,” published on Monday morning. Below we print some of the letters thus far re- ceived, with the assurance to the generous donors that their merciful gifts to the poor shall be applied as they desire :— A MODEST MAN'S GENEROSITY. To THR Eprok OF THR HERALD ?— Enclosed find draft for $20, which have your people place where it will Feach the sufering poor and greatly oblige JONES. PHILADELPHIA, Feb, 9, 1876 A SOOKEREPED’S ge ITOR OF THN HERALD: please fad $5, which I desire to go TO THR Ep: Kaclosed } s, & and distril 4 Teeoting for the purpose of considering what tes and easy of access to all. I cannot give here ali the details of the organiza- tion of such a society, but once that committee establistied and a@ president and a treasurer ap- pointed, if they have no better man on hand, I will volunteer my time and services; that is to say, I will superintend the organization and make it work properly and to some effect in a very short time, having done the same for the Society of Re- lief to the prisoners of war in 1870, In justice to the writer of a letter im to-day'd HERALD, signed “Charity,” I must say shat he partly suggested and hinted at some such ching ag the one pr osed above, and J am glad tosce that its practicability and good effect is beileved in by others with myself. ‘To conclude, I will say :— Ye eneral centre 1s wanted for collecting uting relief and help of all kinds. Yes, more soup houses and sheltering places must be established, But, as you very well tell the people in your editorial, it neeas a general impulse, par- tial efforts being lost in the immensity of the we A. MERCIER, M. D, 352 THIRD AVENUE, Jan. 10, 1874, Action of the Produce Exchange, A subscription paper was started on the floor tx day, the proceeds to go for the benefit of the poor in New York and Brooklyn. Five dollars was tha outside limit allowed to be paid, but in a short time $500 was raised and sent to Various charitae bie societies. ‘The President of the Produce Exchange has been requested by a large number of members to cal can be taken to assist and relieve the suftert poor of the city, The meeting will be held tn a di or two. Warm Dinners, The Juvenile Guardian Society will, on Thum day, 12th inst., at two P. M., open two floors of No 14 Dey street, near Broadway, where warm dia- hers will be furnished to the suffering poor free ot charge. Donations in all kinds of provisions are urgently solicited, and may be seat to “The Ke. hei,’ No, 14 Dey street, or witl be called for. Dor tions in money may be sent to William M. Ver milye, Treasurer, No. 16 Nassau street; to Mr. Je miah E. Oary, President, No, 11 Wall street, tothe Kaltor ot the Msmaup, who will eckao yt edge the same.