Mrs. Patrick's sister, who was next seen, professed to know nothing at all about Mr. Patrick, but on being ques tioned as to the identity of a little child in the room, who called her " auntie," admitted that she had still another sister, but she asked the visitor not to go to see her, as she was not on good terms with the Patricks, and might say something unkind.
The visitor, however, called upon the mother of the child, in whom she found a woman who was not afraid to tell the truth, and who knew the facts. She fully con firmed the story of the tenant at the address previously visited. She declared her brother-in-law to be a strong young man without a trace of consumption ; able to obtain employment, but unwilling to work ; of good appearance and plausible manner. She informed the visitor that at the time of her call Patrick had doubtless been concealed in the adjoining room, and for this reason his wife had not dared to say anything derogatory about him. Patrick was further described as a man of very dangerous charac ter, who had frequently threatened to stick a knife into any one who interfered with him.
The father of Mrs. Patrick and the informant happened to be in the room at the time of this conversation, and confirmed everything that his daughter had said, express ing, however, a fear of what Mr. Patrick might do if he learned that they had told the truth about him. The visitor thereupon promptly returned to the rooms of the Patrick family, and questioned Mrs. Patrick again as to her husband's relatives and his character. Mrs. Patrick quickly became terrified at this line of questioning ; in sisted that her husband was a frail, delicate little man, and that he was not at the time at home. On being ques tioned directly as to whether he was not in the next room, listening to the present conversation, she protested that this was not the case, and attempted to prevent the vis itor's opening the door to look for herself. The visitor opened the door, however, into the adjoining room, where Mr. Patrick was found seated on the edge of the bed. On being addressed by name he sprang to his feet with many oaths, turned violently upon his wife, telling her that he had told her never to tell a lie ; denied that he was con sumptive ; and declared that he was perfectly able to care for his wife and child without charity ; that he did not wish charity, and had never asked for it. He inquired
of his wife in a very threatening manner whether he had ever laid a hand on her, and the poor wife, frightened almost to death, replied that he had always been a good, kind husband.
Mr. Patrick was described by the visitor as being well dressed, apparently able bodied, stout and thick set, with no trace of consumption, but with a slight cough, which he himself described as a cigarette cough.
Williams, John and Eliza. Twenty years ago an in vestigation was asked by a relief association connected with a church, who felt that the family was becoming dependent. Williams was a skilled workman able to sup port his family. In the following year five agencies asked for information, and it was obvious that Williams, although able to support his family, was quite willing to be sup ported by outside aid.
Four years later the association which first asked about the family reported that Mrs. Williams was un truthful and unreliable, that it was her habit to appeal to sympathy by showing a sore limb. Morris, a crippled boy, was the only wage-earner in the family, his father being idle. The church which had assisted refused fur ther aid, but three years later this church again asked in vestigation, at which time it was learned that the income of the family, partly from charitable sources, was about $65 a month.
After a lapse of another two years, two more char itable agencies had become interested. The eldest daugh ter, whose name had not previously been given, had married a theatrical manager, who aided the family at intervals. The children had been taught to ask aid from different sources. The two agencies that had first come into contact with the family had now dropped them entirely, while another relief society reported that the family had actually refused aid from them.
In the following year, a Roman Catholic and a Scotch Presbyterian church reported the family, but Mrs. Will iams, when visited, insisted that they were in no need of help. Two years later another and final inquiry came from the relief agency, whose secretary had said, fifteen years before, that she feared that the family was becoming dependent.