Delia Laughlin  ( 1873-1896) South Border 60

The Bluebird of Mulberry Bend

 When Delia was very small, her mother died and she was placed in a convent where she was taken care of by strangers. When Delia was 17, she wandered off to be on her own and had a hard time providing for herself. The year was 1890.

 She ended up living in the notorious Five Points, a New York City den of evil and sinful deeds. Her hangout was at Mulberry Bend. They called her "The Bluebird " because she always wore blue dresses. The police called her "The Mystery".

 She lived the hardest kind of life there, and soon her soft, lovely face became haggard and worn. She became a creature of the night in order to survive. She moved from place to place, in worry that she would be arrested for all crimes she was committing.

 She was an expert pickpocket and was put in prison three times. She drank and took all kinds of drugs and hung out at a dive called "Italian Joe's." She fought with everyone and had the scars to prove it. No one could outdo her when it came to drinking, smoking or swearing. Until one day....the missionary Mrs. Whittemore came to her in one of the bars. Delia looked strangely at this soft spoken woman speaking of being saved by The Holy Spirit. She gave Delia a fresh pink rose and told her that she was like the rose. She kept that rose in her room and noticed that the petals wilted and fell, and she suddenly realized that it was like what was happening to her. Then and there she marched up to The Mission to find the lady who had given her the rose.

 She found the Blessed Lord and in her faith, was reborn like a brand new rose. Her heart was filled with love. After she learned the way of God, she returned to the very places where she used to get in trouble, and redeemed many of the souls of the same people she fought with and stole from. Delia helped them find the path of God.

She went to the toughest of prisons to speak of salvation and brought many souls back from the brink of hell.

 In an illustration from 1890’s, it shows a before and after photo of Delia, as a lost, sorry soul and as a redeemed lovely girl with a bible. Bluebird did not live past the age of 23 and was buried in Maple Grove by undertaker Stephen Merritt with a pink rose on her waist. A pin of The Door of Hope Mission that she helped to design was placed on her lapel, and a silver anchor with the words P.B.F. (Past, Buried, Forgotten)  was placed near her heart.

 The missionary story of her salvation is still used today, and biography by Wesleyan Heritage Library is still available.