The Daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1845-1850, 1845-08-15


presume you are interested in the one portion
OF New York made classic by foreign pen, let
me jot you down men, or two from nv first
visit to Dickens Hole, at the Sc Five Points .
made one evening with distinguished party
under charge of an officer.
[ had an idea that this celebrated snot ,vas a,
the eastern limit OF the city, at the end of one of
the omnibus routes, and was surprised to find
that in was not more than three minutes wall
from Broadway, and in full view from one Of the
fashionable corners 1t lies, indeed in Ian he
tween Broadway and the Bowery in what was
once a secluded valley Of the island of Manhat
tan, though to believe it ever to have been green
or clean, requires powerful effort of the imagin
alton We turned into Anthony street at half
past ten, passed the TOmbs, and took the DOWN
ward road, as did Orpheus and Dickens before
US 1t was a cold night, bnt women stood At
every door, with bare heads and bare shoulders
most OF them with something to say, and by their
attitudes, showing a complete insensibiitv to
cold In everything they said they contrived to
bring IN the word SC shilling" There were few
men to be seen, and those whom we met skuIked
past as II avoiding observation, possibly asham-
ed TO be there, possibly shrinking from any fur
theF acquaintance with officer Stevens, thouoh
neither OF these feelings seemed to be shared bv
the females of the community A little turn to
the left brought us up against what appeared to
me a Dnhd, tumble down board fence, but the off
Ger pulled the latch and opened the door, and
flight OF steps was disclosed FL went down
hrst and threw open door at the bottom LETTING
up blaze of light, and we followed into the
grand subterranean Almacks of the Five Points
AND really 1t looked very clean and cheerful Tt
was spacious room, with low ceiling, excess
lively whitewashed, nicely sanded, and well lit
and the black proprietor and s. ministering spirits;
LITERALLY fulfilling their vocation behind very
tidy barr were well dressed andamannered peo
pie, and received Mr. Stevens and his friends
with the politeness of grand chamberlains. We
were little early for the fashionable hour, & the
ladies not having arrived from the theatre. ssand
P opposing to look IN again after making the round
OF the other resorts, we crept up again to the
street.
Our next dive was in cellar crowded with ne
groes, eating, drinking and dancing one very
well made mulatto girl played the castanets, and
Initiating Ellsler is what is called the cracoyer-
again. in their way, these people seemed cheer
full, dirty, and comfortable. We looked in after
wards at several 9riD.sing places, thronged with
creatures who looked over their sIioufTirr- ,-rr
significantly at the offcer-found one or two bar
rooms keptby women who had preserved the one
virtue OF neatness-(t Though in every clean place
the hostess seemed a terrible virago)-and If was
then proposed that we should see some of tbe dor
mitories of this Alsatia. And at this point must
end all the cheerfulness of description. This is
called numbering alley," said our guide We
entered between two high brick walls with barely
room to pass, and by the light of the police Ian
tern we managed to make our wav up broken
and filthy staircase to the first floor of a large
building Under its one roof the officer thought
here usually slept thousand of these wretched
outcasts. He knocked at a door on the lett 1t
was unwillingly opened by woman who held
dirty horse blanket over her breast, but at the
sight OF the police lantern she stepped back and
let US pass in. The floor was covered with hui
man beings asleep in their rags and when called
by the officer to look in low closet beyond. we
could hardly put our feet to the floor, thew laid
so closely together, black and white men. women
and children. The doorless apartment beyond.
OF the size of kennel, was occupied by woman
and her daughters child, lying together on the
floor and covered with rags, and clothes of no
dlstInguishable color, the rubbish of bones and
dirt only displaced by their emacated limbs
The sight was too sckening to endure but there
was no egreSs without following close to the lam
tern. Another door was opened to the right 1t
dlscloses low and gloomy apartment, perhaps
eight ieet squae. Six or seven black women Law
together in heap, all sleeping except the one
who opened the door. Something stirred in a
heap OF rags, and one of the party removing
dirty piece OF carpet with his hand, discovered a
newborn child 1t belonged to one of the Sleep
ers in the rags, and had an hours experience OF
the tender mercies OF this world! But these de-
tails are disgusting, and have gone far enough
when they have shown those who have the COM
mon comforts of life, how inestimably, bv COM
parison, they are blest For one had never be-
tore had any idea of poverty in cities | did not
dream that human beings within the reach of
aid, could be abandoned to the Indebtedness
Which there saw, and have not described the
hall OF it, for the delicacy OF your readers would
not bear it even in description. And all these
horrors OF want and abandonment lie almost with
IN sound of your voice as you pass Broadway =
The Officers sometimes make descent and carry
Off swarms to Blackwelrs Island-for all the in
habitants of the Five Points are supposed to be
criminal and vicious but still thousands are
there, subjects for tears and pity, starving like
rats and dogs, with the sensbities of human be-.
ings'
As we returned, we heard screams and fight
ing, on every side, and the officers OF the watch
were carrying off party to the lookup house.
We descended once more TO the grand ballroom
and found the dance going on very merrily. Sew
era very handsome mulatto women were in the
crowd, and few young men about town. mix
ed up with the blacks and altogether it was a
picture of amalgamaton such as had never
seen. | was very glad to get out of the neigh
borhood, leaving behind me, am free to confess
all discomfort OF my earthly allotment. One gen.
n, l,Gt b,ht. i'm