The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-04-03

true TO their husbands and chiIdren-wait for. tend
and watch the felon he steals in and out upon his
maIauding expeditions or SIT patiently nursing their
carousng in the cellar or dance-house below. Pic
ture to yourself this infancy, this childhoodnever
drawing pure breath Of air, never hearing sound
Of human voice save the suppressed meanings Of the
mother and che cursings and blasphemises Of the
father-brought up in ignorance that any other way
Of life exists than theft and robbery and trained to
them from the hour the infant mind first receive
pauperism, and prostitunn Enough to stock
country with population 81 hundred millions.
Then, too, there are great many women who,
from age, disease, decrepitude, and what not, are
young girls and boys, the superannuated old men
and grandmothers, do what they can at stealing.
Some Of the women and children are professed beg
gars which is only blind for petty theft and plum
der. Others sweep the streets, sell matches, run Of
errands, do anything but obtain regular situations
and employments-fo who would employ boy or
girl from the Five Points? 1t is in this respect that
the schools Of both the Mission and the House Of
Industry doing their greatest and most tangible
good. At the latter place there are some hundreds
Of children kept employed, and the Mission, since
it's foundation has obtained situations for over three
hu6red of its scholars, not one OF whom has turned
out badly. These numbers, however, are compare
lively insignificant. The population Of the district
of the Five Points and its immediate neighborhood
Is about thirty thousand, which would leave an
average of fifteen to twenty thousand children 80
that all that has yet been done is mere drop In the
bucket. Indeed, the police department positively
assert that the general condition of the Five Points,
and that whole neighborhood, was never at lower
point than now-that no diminuti0n has taken place
in the amount of theft, rowdyism drunkenness, and
prostitution; but that, the contrary, the numbers
Of the abandoned of all grades and classes is con-
The history Of the Five Points in the past, is by
no means destitute of interest, and gloomy fatali
ty seems always to have hung around the spot. 1t
I767 the termination of Broadway was at Pearl
street, and Orange street ran along the western
margin of fresh water pond, where are now the
Five Points. Out Of this pond ran q creek, where
Is now Lspenard street, q wide strip of marshy
meadows, interpreted with ponds, occupying the
whole Of the space in the vicinity of what is now
Canal street and Broadway. In l733-one hundred
and twenty-one years ago-a law was passed to
preserve the fish in Fresh Water Pond ~ Poor
fish Our Common Council have other fish to fry
nowadays. In 174l, New York, then containing
about 1000 inhabitants, onesixth being slaves,
negro conspiracy, preceded by series Of fires, muir
teen negroes were burnt at the stake at the inter-
section of Pearl and Chatham streets, and twenty
one were hung Zone of them in chains,) on an
island in Fresh Water Pond, in the very
centre Of what is now the Five Points A
few miserable shanties were, from time to
time, put up along the marshy banks Of the pond
and when Broadway was continued and opened
through the Sailors Snug Harbor," q property
owned by Thomas Randall, the hills were levelled
and the dirt was carted into the pond until it was
filed up, and was gradually built upon and divided
up into lots, as we see 1t at present.
The following list shows the names Of the owners
of property in the Five Points and the immediate
vicinity at the present time and its assessed values