TRAGEDY OF SLUMS.

Taranaki Daily News, 22 March 1924, Page 6

TRAGEDY OF SLUMS.

WOMAN'S SQUALID DEATH.

DIRTY .wvNEDIN COTTAGE.

DECEASED’S SAD STORY.

A distressing discovery was made by a Salvation Army social worker, Ensign Coombs, in one of the most populous parts of Dunedin. She received a call to an ancient three-roomed cottage in the north end of the city, being informed by telephone that her services were required there. On arriving at the cottage Ensign Coombs found it to be in an indescribably filthy condition, so much so that only a strong sense of duty and a desire to help enabled her to go through with a nauseating task. Passing through a dirty and neglected yard, along a path overgrown with rank weeds, she came to the squalid dwelling. Over its solitary dirt-encrusted window was nailed a grimy old cornsack. The door was locked, but in response to the Salvationist’s tapping it was opened by a girl of about 14. The social worker entered and the sight revealed to her was a shocking one. In the back room, the floor and walk of which were begrimed with dirt, Was a trestle bed supporting an unclean mattress. On this lay a figure over which was drawn a dirty ragged cover the face protected by a piece of window’ curtain. .. small table was the only piece of furniture in sight, while on the mantlepiece were old and broken cups and other utensils. Beside the figure on the bed were scattered numerous, tattered memorandum books spilled out of a leathern satchel. It was a scene of squalor and dirt, and in the midst of it lay the small hunched up figure on the filthy bed. The girl lifted the piece of lace ■curtain and the beholder was shocked at the sight of a woman’s wax-like sunken face. Even a novice could see that death was very near, ahid in answer to the kindly inquiry of Ensign Coombs the poor creature on the trestle could only moan.

Her emaciated frame could be’ discerned through the covering. The visitor did what she could, but on the same day the woman died. x..e deceased was married at the age of 16. For I'B years she is said to have suffered the torture of a well-educated and decently reared wotnan who is tied to a drunkard. Two years ago the man died in a mental hospital, but the woman's , health was broken. Keeping her pain and her poverty to herself she slowly {faded away. The neighbours knew nothing and a sister who occasionally visited her was bound to secrecy, for the invalid [dreaded the exposure of her condition and her possible removal to a. hospital. When Ensign Coombs first visited the woman she and a helper tried to remove 'her to the hospital, but she struggled land protested so much that the effort ! had to be abandoned. The invalid threatened self-destruction if she was compelled to move. After her death it was discovered that deceased’s leg was in a very serious state and would undoubtedly have had to be amputated. This fact she had ; suceessfullv hidden from everyone.