New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1848-08-05
NEW-YoRK IN SLICES.
slice XI...THEFIvE PoIHT.

Site XI ...THE FIVE POINTS.
Turning eastwardly from the Tombs into a
street that would strike even the practiced eyes and
hardened ofactores of veteran New-Yorker as par
tcularly foul and loathsome few steps bring to the
great central ulcer Of wrechedness-the very rotting
Skeleton OF Civilization whence emanates an incxhaus
tible pestience that spreads its poisonous influence
through every vein and artery of the whole social sys
tenn and supplies every heart throb of metropolitan
life with pulse Of despair. No matter how hopeful
soul you may bring with you into these horrible pre-
cncts it will be many hours after you have left them
before your mind can regain its temper The memory
Of the horrors that here breed and gender will haunt
you like hend, forbdding hope for human nature
that may become thus degraded.
Mere words can convey but faint idea Of the Five
Points but what be thus accomplished has been so
well done already by Dickens and Willis that hes
tate TO attempt going over the same ground. But no
description Of New York. matter how dscursive or
superficial could pass this one of its most prom
nent and revolving features As in most other cases the
architectural aspect Of the place is striking indication
of its character and purposes The Five Points lies in
the bottom OF the Deltavaley formed by the diver
gence OF Centre and Chatham streets and receives its
name from the five corners or points where Anthony
street. coming from the west, and Orange from the
street running from the Tombs eastwardy to Mott
street The buildings in all that neehborhood are
nearly all of wood and are old and rotten that they
seem ready to tumble together into vast rubbshhesp
Many of them are furnished with steps, from which
half the stairs are missing and each provided with
decayed cellar door broken from the hinges and ready
to precptae any who ventures to tread upon into
the cellar below. Nearly every house and cellar IL
GROCERY below and brothel above. In the doors and
at the windows may be seen at any hour OF the alter
noon or evening of sluttishly-dresscd women
in whose faces drunkenness and debauchery have de
stroyed every vestge OF all expect in the counte
nance of Woman, and almost every trace of hui
man expression. They are of all colors white, yellow,
brown and ebony black and from house TO house,
from cellar cellar and the narrow street. flows
continuous stream OF obscenity and basphemy which
makes the very soul shudder Here and there, digging
in the foul cutters baskng in filthy nakedness upon
the cellar doors may be seen groups of children from
the infancy up to the verge OF premature puber
ty-some seeming pretty. some deformed and diotc,
and others horribly liberated from head to foot with
that hereditary leprosy which debauchery and lcen
tiousness entail their upon their innocent OIL
spring Oh God that helpless and unconscious inian'
CIV should thus come into this sorrowfu world with It's
innocen, veins filed with corruption instead Of blood
|
of incurabe disease even from its mothers womb -
And this not in great ways but constantly re
curring-scores ay hundreds and hundreds Of them
crowded into the space of single neighborhood-
born living and dying amid sores and yermin never
seeing nor hearing from the cradle to the grave aught
of pure or innocent save the sky far beyond their
reach and the wind that gets atray in these rghtfu
realms and signs as it fees away. Is 1t any wonder
that we have so many of juvenile deprayity'
reported in the newspapers
But let us enter one of these dark abodes We have
taken the precsuton of getting ourselves accompanied
by an officer and the blesreyed inmates of she crib
both male and female. receive us with some show OF
reluctant ciyily 1t is in the afternoon, and many Of
the inhabitants and requenters are absent The recep
tonroom is furnished with wooden benches, and one
corner is garnished with bar behind which barrcaded
with brokenipped bottles and sxpenny tunblers,
stands the bosted mistress of the house ready to ad
minister drugged brandy at any price from three
cents dollar glass, according to the stage Of in
toxcaton at which the customer has arrived Halt
dozen disgusting wretches who ought TO be women, are
louucinc upon the benches in immodest attitudes while
others gather about you and insist upon your treat
ing as they have MT had drop all day" The officer
seems to be an old acquaintance and they st first
played shy. until he assured them that this time his
we stumble down three four rckety steps and enter
a still meaner and squalid building in the rear,
with only six feet space between the Here all Is
silent and we see heap Of rags. however,
strs in the corner and examining nearly, there
appears femsle face, ghastly with suffering the eyes
CLASSY as II set in death Even while gaze the Jaw
falls and with gurgling imprecaon the spirit Of the
prostitute seeks its Maker What q death bed What
an awful entrance the world Of immortal justice
Clambering with difficulty up narrow staircase
leading from the room where the strangers hand has
closed the eyes of the poor erring suffering sister we
enter an apartment separated by tsttered blankets sus
pended from the low rafters and inhabited by several
families Here mother lies dead drunk in her squsld
bed upon the floor and her two children are lighting
over her body for the bottle which she may not have
drained quite TO its dregs There two women. their
ewes named and their faces distorted with passion
swearing furousy at each other and threatening
NJ blows Yonder on a cot without mattress pillow
lies psrslytic old woman looking as If living and
uenant ewes had been given to adecsying wsxhgure.
o,r Communion tells US that she has lain in that place
ana in nearly the same condition than quarter
Of g century. praying for desth-cursing for death
.sDhsins for death to come and end her earthly suf
serins. Once she vas beautiful and joyous and limo
osn, and her voice rang and her eye flashed gsdness
around her path. She I'D husband too, and darling
daughter Her husband was poor whAe soc hsa oeen
bred in spendor and extravaganza Inc sirs romance
in the hight of which she had eioped with her poor
lover, subsidized in year in another 'ne nero'oVer
hsd become the hated husband Her passion iof dress
ami admiration subdued long. broke out hfesh ana
with teniold force The rich lecher o. the hunt Tor
spcils, found her, and she became Wiling victim "