New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1848-08-31
yEW-YoRK III SLICES.
slice XXI...THE TONES.


swiftly azav frz htened ~ .s.a u has seen and heaiu'
and fastening 70 lose itse in the purifying sunshine Of
the upper worii What unsishly labyrinihs Of MIN
and aboninstoa-vhai heaped-up cells Of iniqliy and
unrspenrant crime-what fens of drunken madness
bowling over the grave OF Reasonwhat dark rece'-es
sacred % the or-es Of corrupt and abominao.e Jus
tca-hast thou not passed over No wonder mat thou
AT tainted with poison that strikes TO the very 11
but 10 breathe No wonder that IA such rednot iur'
mace Of corruption bribery theft burglary murder
prostitution and tcrium emens the very ar = rare
bed with crime We can hardly realize that there j.
10 the whole gloomy ediict honest space wherein
man NAV safely set his foot Where then shall We
b-n-On the Bench or In The Gel At the Law, or rs
Victims In the Bar or he Dungeon No matter
where Let Us enter By sie door and explore from
the ground upward.
Its within an hour OF daylight. APoAceman stands
at the low door and seeing that we are connected
with the press offers no obstacle 20 our entrance
some time he may have case which he has been
paid Tor suppressing-sn nen we may be OF use 70
him We enter and groFe our way Win diracuiy'
stumbling here and there over a sleeping Waichman-
and making slowly toward dim and distant slimmer-
ing light Approaching W see dars lantern heia so
that rs single ray may illuminate the corrugated taco
and ahasiy specaces Of tie Police Magistrate VINO i
doing 40 the losfers and baferesses in squads The
eccsses OF the damp unwhlesome apartment are h-ed
with drunken men and women found helpless N me
street with nishtbravlers and dsturbers Of the public
pesce. and with Young boys and girls who have been
caught asleep on cellar doors are suspected % me
horrible crime Of stealing iunk bottles and old IRON -
The very lowest and most brutal form OF human de-
nravtv nav here be seen In si he horrors and the
most horrible sight OF all is the besreyed. drunken
woman arrested tor robbing her paramour or for quar-
relnv with her companions on the Points and waiting
| her rum. among negro men and women, thieves and
vsgabouds Of every age and qualiy 70 be taken care
o." in that tender and sssctonaie manner in which
Society is in the habit OF providing for such OF her
children a. cannot take Of themselves. Our Ma
gistrate has work enough provide all these uniortu
mates with comfortable quarters either on BLACKWELL
Island or in the Drunkards Room and II Is necessary
that be- should begin betimes and proceed by sunmay
measures IS each case Is called, the Waterman on
whose list Il is comes forward gives wink az worm
eaten Bible the deck, and proceeds % relate his eide
OF the story This Is all that the Magistrate has time 20
listen to The miserable creature who has fallen into
the Watchman's clutches Is AZ once committed and
hurried away. II he has money be may manage wei
enough with the Waterman, and make bis escape ~
once. But If not he must 60 10 quod and Wal 'eNt
day tor the visits Of the shystcr awycrs- 90 If
turkey buzzards whose touch s pollution aud whose
breath is pestilence. II the prisoner however, has
neither money nor friends Justice is rigid and
promising No shyster dsturbs his drunken media.
tons aud no Keeper aleviatos the agoncs OF returning
sobreiy. Thrown bowling and iniuriaied into yard
hlcd with wrstches like himself they aid each other
attempts At demonism until the whole place becomes
a shudderins He'll The women are crammed into a
lin huH Cd ia fu their
rags against the bare stone walls or IN hideous
fury to and fro until their strength is exhausted and
| they fan prone upon the door
This Is the mere fancy .work OF the Tombs. Later
in the morning the real business Of the day begins up
stairs The Judge as the understTappcrs OF the OF.
nee and the Reporters always take to style him has
taken his seat with weblanked Clerk on either side,
And now open the doors Of your cages worthy Police
men and drive your Wild animals into the ring Here
they come An appalling company glazing upon US
witt ferocous eyes liyid A. the hue Of death save
the outline not rag nor trace Of humanity we dis.
cover Ia them al Driven by remorseless hunger or
despair or the goadngs OF unnatural and consuming ap
pettes they have debauched every human feeling and
instinct out OF their very being Full half Of them are
women and with the exception that thev are chsr1rd
with grayer offences the present company, both male
and female are for the counterparts OF the
gang We saw at daybreak and sent of. after
another 10 await their trial the Court OF Sessions
Occasionally, however, a well-dressed swindler who
has robbed his employer forged bis friend name or
"a s.ill handsome woman Of the town, may be in
thu public dock. But rally, al such able. in
one way or an0ther % all examination IN the
private room. or the indignant Reporters (whcn
they are no, permitted 10 share the pos it, the
Star Chamber" In this room. Justice transacts bust
ness upon a splendid scale. Everything is acceptable
and nothing comes amiss, from the cool thousand in
vertable mopusses 10 the canary bird or the broad
cloth cloak Of some poor devil hitherto respectable"
but who mas bundered into unsuccessful speculation
Here too the handsome and dashing Cyprians who
have been complained Of for touching country
merchant, parish clergyman, or greea Congress
man on bis way home, receive the honors of private
examination before the Judge himself By the way
our country friends the merchant clergyman and Con
gresham aforesaid viii bear US out in the assertion
that these generally terminate with the arrest Of
the trail deceiver and the announcement the part
Of the sympaihzing officer that the money has not
been recovered Sometimes ii the amount is large
and muss" would perhaps lead 10 inconvenient in.
yestgatons the victim gets halt Oft back again. out
Of which he gladly pays that " indefatgabe and ETH.
Gent officer A. B. C. d. T. ?. G. smith" FIVE dollars
for his trouble and sneaks Oh about his busncs
People are opt to imagine that thief woman
who robs rich customer, makes thriving business Of
il but they do not know all The drawbacks and
discounts 10 which poor thief i bjected before
being permitted 70 get clear Of the Tombs with his
prey are a very serious and ruiDous reduction Of
profits What with the sub-rosa lions slice for the
- the gra,uity the attentive clerks and the open
bribery 70 the officers and reporters (tne latter only
admitted in case OF respeciao.ty and social position,
We think after al that we had rather be a member OF
the Exterior Board IN Waist than a genteel thief
II YOU would know what Is the extreme Of human
degradation and misery visit the Tombs and take
walk through is various ranges Of cells and apart
ments You may, perhaps, not be especially shocked At
the condition Of the inmates Of the cells along the
arstocratlc corridors whore the iorgers, murdorers
and senteel swinders are confined They allowed
bedlinen and books and may II they choose, keep
themselves clearly and comfortable But wait Let
US open this great gate and step into the oateysTd
where are herded the miserable wrc,ches who have
been found guilty o. drunkenness and starvation or Il
you sill survive let into the female department and
hear the drrke9 boatod diseased white and black
men cucsng snl lac nem.rF' Then remember that al
these H. nf-slg- atuTrs sere rn with pure, beaut
f,f, -1f.. tI..fff nina humid rod