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The gruesome tale of

Like milLions of others who faced Mary soOn finds work as a low-paid domestic over time, mary Discovers
poverty and starvation folLowing servant. Over the years, she grows into a large, a talent for coOking and builds
the Irish potato famine (1845–1852), capable woman, known for her fiery temper. up her reputation as a coOk,
14-year-old Mary MalLon leaves which pays much betTer.
Ireland in 1883 for a betTer life
in the United states.
AlL of this work for so
litTle money. I thought
this was supPosed to be This is
a betTer life.
I can hardly the life for
believe it—no an Irish girl!
more potatoes.
Watch out,
Mary’s about!

Her employers are hapPy with
the wholesome foOd. Also, mary
LitTle does she know that she is always seEms in goOd health and
carRying with her more than she hates the work and hates the dismal never asks for a day ofF.
a smalL bundle of clothes… salary even more.
However, alL is not welL in …and Mary has unknowingly infected her In 1906, New York banker
the kitchens of New York. Mary’s employers, their families, and their servants Charles WarRen and his family
personal hygiene doesn’t match with typhoid. Some are showing symptoms rent a sumMer house in Oyster
her coOking skilLs. typhoid is of the disease, which include high fever and Bay, Long Island. Mary, whose
picked up from foOd or water chilLs, sweating, a rash, weaknesS, and severe ice-cream concoctions are very
contaminated with feces (or urine) abdominal pain and diarRhea. popular, is taken on as their
from an infected person...
sumMer coOk.
I knew I shouldn’t
have eaten the fish.
Must get
going. No time
to wash my I’d do anything No, even betTer,
hands. they’lL for a long, I’d die for
just get cold drink… some ice cream.
dirty again.

SorRy, sir,
Is it me or is it I’m feEling
That Mary have you hot in here? a bit weak.
gives ever seEn
the Irish such filthy
a bad name. fingernails?
But No one suspects Mary.
…and dying for ice cream this worRies local doctors, He finalLy realizes that Soper tracks Mary down
is almost what hapPened! as typhoid is “unusual” in hiring a certain coOk to ask her for samples
ice cream doesn’t neEd UPMARKET Oyster Bay. WorRied always coincides with of HER feces or urine.
coOking, SO ANY bacteria they won’t be able to rent a typhoid outbreak.
are not destroyed. their house again, the owners
ask sanitary engineEr she was How dare you? I’lL have
George Soper to investigate. irish… your guts for my
so, in the winter of 1906, next pie!
he makes a house calL.
such pain… …about this
Worst… high.
sumMer job…
ever. There’s nothing
unusual here…
so what can …and what
it be?
a temper!
“Feisty Mary,”
i hear you! we calL her.
i’m feEling
stifF, toO.
is that so? eEK!
In only one weEk, six of The coOk is described
the 11 people in the house as Irish, about 40 years she is furious and chases
come down with typhoid, old, heavy, single, and in him away. In truth, Mary was
including Mrs. WarRen, her perfect health. Soper is probably unaware that she
two daughters, two maids, convinced that Mary is the carRied the disease and felt
and a gardener. healthy carRier of typhoid. unjustly persecuted.
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