Page:Immigration and the Commissioners of Emigration of the state of New York.djvu/68

54 of us had milk, perhaps four or five, and each took it by turns; it died of summer complaint. The other infant died five weeks since; it was brought here by a woman not its mother; it was a weakly child; we suckled it turn and turn about; no particular person attended to it; several now in the New York Almshouse nursed it."

Fannie Mitchell, an intelligent young married woman, now at Bellevue, stated under oath the following facts: "That the child referred to by Margaret Bertram was sent over from Tapscott's office, and lived about a fortnight afterwards; that it came on Saturday, and Mr. Tapscott called on the Sunday following, and, an objection being made to nurse the infant, declared that any one who refused should be turned right out of doors. Under such circumstances the women consented, and took it turn and turn about."

Ann Doyle: "While I was there, some of the women induced a man who was cutting up some meat to give them a few slices, one of the women alleging that she wanted it for a sick child. They obtained about a pound, and Miller (the superintendent) discovered it in the evening, and went and informed Tapscott, who came the next morning and turned the women out; one had the sick child before mentioned."

"Another transaction, sustained under oath, we introduce," says the Committee, "as a further illustration of the disregard manifested for the health of the inmates, and the sanitary usages observed even by uncivilized communities. It appears that, of the pigs during the summer, a sow became sick and nearly dead," and that in this condition the superintendent directed it to be killed by one Lavendel; that the sow was afterwards scalded, cut up, and on the following day served at table, but it was so "unpleasant to the taste that the witnesses were unable to eat it."

Said Lavendel, an emigrant from Ireland, and for some time after his arrival an inmate of the house, further states, on oath, that a quantity of mutton-hams were brought there (to the hospital), and served up for dinner, which stunk and were unfit for use; oatmeal porridge was also served up for breakfast, which was bitter to the taste, and smelled bad; also rice for dinner which was unfit for use, and smelled bad. Deponent was compelled to eat what was put on the table or go without food. He further states