Newspaper Page Text
IV
i
$2.50 a day, a policeman came to the
room, and he served a warrant on
William, a warrant sworn out by the
United Charities.
William was taken to Desplaines
street jail. His hearing came up in
the Court of Domestic Relations.
He-had committed no crime, but
the array of witnesses at the trial
would have done credit to the most
desperate criminal.
Dr. Ritter of the Rush Medical
Hospital, Miss Lunn, a nurse, Miss
Bergen and another United Charity
"light" were all there.
Mrs. Corrigan says she was asked
by Miss Lunn if "William hadn't abus
ed her, but, alas for the plans of
charity, William is a model husband.
There was nothing left, if the United
Charities was to succeed in. exploit
ing Mrs. Corrigan, but to have Wil
liam forced to go to Dunning.
William doesn't know the name of
the judge who presided at the Court
of Domestic Relations. All he knows
is that everybody seemed to be
against him that he felt hopeless,
bewildered, and wished he never had
gotten into the clutches of the char
ity trust
The judge ordered that William
should go to Oak Forest for a .month
and "try it' and that if he couldn't
be taken in there and must go to
Dunning, they should respect his
wishes and not force him to shave
liis moustache.
And then, though William had
been guilty of no crime, he was re
leased under bond and told that he
would be sent to Oak Forest that day.
Ha waited all of the day, afraid
to go out and work, brooding over
the fact that he had a $2:50 a day
job that would have been a God-send
to him', bitterly disillusioned regard
ing the "charity" of organized chari
ties, rebelling against being sent to
an institution supported by the coun
ty when he did not want to be "a
"pauper," grieving over separation
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wanted to be with them, and affirm- J
ing over and over: "I haven't tuber
culosis. I feel all right."
But nobody came to take him
away, so he went over to the County
Hospital. They laughed at him at
the County Hospital when he told his
story, and said that no order had
come from the Court of Domestic
Relations that he be sent to Oak For
est. Yesterday he sat in the one room
where the family live, and looked out
of the window, up and down the
street, dreading to see the wagon or
some of the United Charities' inves
tigators, yet afraid to go out and
hunt work, lest he be arrested on
some other warrant sworn out by the
United Charities.
He has lost $7.50 this week that
he might have earned.- He lost at
least $20 before that while he was
obeying the U. C. dictates and being
examined, etc.
On the other side of the slate, Mrs.
Corrigan has been given ten days'
work by the Mary Crane Nursery, at
45 cents a day less than she would
have been paid anywhere else.
And the United Charities, in the
period of over a month has given Mrs.
Corrigan, according to 'her state
ment, about and not over $8 in gro
ceries, milk, and the trifle they paid
on her rent
Meanwhile, William sits at the win
dow wondering what new thing the
United Charities will do to break up
his family.
"Why don't they -stop hounding
me," he cried. "I can take care of
my family if they will let me alone.
I am guilty of no crime. Why don't
they let us alone?"
o o
"Sarah," said a lady to her maid,
"I'm vexed at your neglect and care
lessness. Just look at all that dust
on the piano! It's six weeks old at
the very least." Sarah suddenly be
came very dignified. "Then's it's no
fault of mine. You know very well,
ma'am, that I've been with you only
four weeks I"
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