The weekly Lancaster gazette. (Lancaster, Ohio) 1852-1855, 1853-09-08
lFrOm the N. Y Daily Tribune of Aug. ]
HOT CORN OR LIFE IN THE CITY.
CHATTER T.-THE FIRsr IErERv1rw wIrn

/ LATHE KATY.
shot Corn! Here's your nice Hot Corn
spoking bot-smokiug hot, just from the
Ipot" Hour after hour, last evening, as we
sat over the desk, this cry came up in soft
plantive voice under our window, which
told US of the ways ofthe poor to exc Out
the means OF subsistence in this oyerbur.
dened, illfed and worse lodged home of mis-.
ery--of so many without means, who are
constantly crowding into the drtiest pur-
lieus of this notorious dirty city, where they
are exposed to the daily chance OF death
from some sudden outbreaking epidemic
like that now desolating the same kind o
streets in New Orleans and swallowing uI
its thousands Of victims from the same class
of poverty stricken, uncomfortably- provided
for human beings,who know not how,or have
not the power to fee to the healthy hills
and green fields of the country. Here they
live-in holes almost as hot as the hot corn
the cry of which rung in our ears from dark
until midnight.
slot corn, hot corn! Here's your nice
hot corn, Prose up in faint child-lixe voice,
which seemed to have been aroused by the
sound of our step as we were about enter
ing the Park, while the City Hall clock told
the hour when ghosts 60 forth upon their
midnight rambles. We started, as though
spirit had given US rap, for the sound
seemed to come out Of one of the iron posts
which stand as sentinels over the main en-
trance, forbiding all vehicles to enter,unless
the driver takes the trouble to pull up and
tumble out of the way one Of the aforesaid
posts, which is not often done, because one
OF them often, if not always, is out OF its
place, giving free ingress TO the court yard,
or livery stable grounds Of the City Hall
which in consideration Of the growth of a
few miserable dusty brown trees and doubt
full colored grass patches, we ca!l"the
Park"
Looking over the post we disco, cred the
owner of the hot corn cry, in the person o.
an emaciated little girl about twelve year:
old, whose dirty frock was nearly the col
or or the rusty iron, and whose face, hand:
aud feet, naturally white and delicate, were
gr;mmed with DIRT until nearly of the same
color. There were two white streaks run.
i ming down from the soft blue eyes, that tolt
of the hot scalding tears that were coursins
their way over that naturally beautiful
face.
"Some corn, Sir" lisped the little suffer
er, as she saw we had stopped to look a
her, hardly during to speak to one who die
not address her through tones of command
such..as "give me some corn, you little WOLF
whelp," or name still more approbriou'
both TO herself and mother. Seeing we ha,
no look of contempt for her, she said, pite
ously "please buy some corn, SIR"
"No, my dear, we do not wish any; it l.
not very healthy in such warm weather a
this, aud especially so late at night.
"Oh dear, then, what shall do!'
"Why, go home. 1t is past midnight
land such little girls as you ought not to bt
in the streets ofthis bad city at this time o
night"
al can't go home-and am so tired ant
sleepy. Oh dear"
"Cannot go home. Why not!"
"Oh, Sir, my mother will whip me if g
home without selling allmy corn. Oh, sir
buy one ear, and then shall have only TIVE
left, and am sure she might let little Si
and me eat them, for have not had any
thing to eat since morning only one appl
the man gave me, and one part of one h
threw away. / could have stole turni
at the grocery when went to git-to ge
something in the pitcher for mother, but
says that it is naughty to steal, ard I dom
want to be naughty, in deed don't; and
don't want to be bad girl, like Lizzy Smith
aud she is only two years older than me,
she does dress fine; cause Mr.. Pease say
she will be just like old drunken Kate, on
Of these days. Oh, dear,now there goes
man and / did not cry hot corn, what shal
do!"
"Do! There, that is what you shall do,
as we dashed the corn in the gutter. "G
home; tell your mother you have sold it al
and here is the money"
"Won't that be a lie, Sir! Mr.. Peas
says we must not tell lies"
"No, my dear, that wont be lie, becaus
| have bought it and thrown it away, in
stead OF eating it,"
"But, Sir, may eat it then if you dom
want it,"
"No, it is not good for you; good bread
better, and here is sixpence to buy loai
and here is another to buy some nice cake
for you and Sis. Now that is your money
don't give it to your mother, and don't sta
} out so late again. Go home earlier, an
tell your mother you cannot keep awake AN
il she is good mother she won't viii
you"
""Oh, Sir, she is good mother sometime;
But am sure the grocery man at the corne
is not a good man, or he would not sell m
mother rum, when he knows-for Mr.. Peas
told him so-that we poor children wer
starving. Oh, wish all the men wer
good men like him, and then my mothe
would not drink that nasty liquor and beu
and starve us, caue there would be nobod
to sell her any-and then we should hav
plenty to eat"
Away she ran down the street toward tn
reeking centre Of filth, poverty and misery
:. the noted Five Points of New York.
AS we plodded up Broadway, looking /
l here and there upon the palatial splendov
4 of metropolitan "saloons"-we think thu
Ia the word for fashionable upper class gros
shops--we almost involuntarily cried "ht
I. corn" as we saw the hot spirit of that grail
. under the various guise Of "pure gin"-
"old rum "pale brandy"-"pure port
--.'H eidsick "Lager-bier''---poure
down the hot throats of men--und ah, yes,C
! women, too, whose daughters may som
+ day sit at midnight upon the cold curb-ston
, crying "hot corn" to gain penny for th
purchase Of drink Of the fiery dragon the
> are now inviting to home in their bo
oms,who Sc cry in after years will be, "Giv
Q give, give" and still as unsatis6ed as II
horse leach's daughters.
Again, as we passed on up that stree
still busy and thronged at midnight, as
q country village at midday intermission
nrufa f.. .