Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1860-11-15

gratified by poison or the knife. But | will
not repeat these details for sooth to say, if
they were fit to tell; they would not be be-
lieVed, Familiarity notorious as they are here
In one of these dens, where gin was not pro-
hibited, l saw child, of not more than six
years, stupid with rum--its eyes half closed in
drunkenness, and its little face bloated =
" For Gods sake, give me some air" said one
of our party, cannot staGd this a moment
longer"
Wait. oh overdecate and squeamish friend!
You will cry for air" presently with a sin
cerer zeal. We are as yet only in the vesti-
bule of these mysteries. What we have to
see lies farther on in the night BE patient,
and do not let thy gorge rise too soon.
StoOp here, and take care of your watch.
es." "This," said our kind policeman, {" is
the resort of those who get gin at cent q
glass! Enter !" Gracious God and are
these thy creatures Ranged on benches, in
a narrow cave, are the victims of this Internal
traffic. They are all worse than IDIOTS
There Is not one of them who has intelligence
enough to contend for equality with a mon.
key. They glare at yoa with meaningless
eye they gibber through trembling and quiv-
erng lips, and try to arrest you with weak
haGdS as you pass Hthey converse with each
other, it is like a conversation between balloons
This" said our guide, (touchng the shoul
der of Il man who, with hands in his pockets,
vacantly gazed upon u.s. is a good mechan-
ic, who can earn good wages if he chooses,
but every now and then he breaks out into
frolic, aud here is the place he comes to spend
his leisure in. | am sorry. Ben" he said,
4 :
The poor fellow bowed his head and left the
den.
As it was growing late, we were invited by
our escort to look at some of the lodging
rooms in the neighborhood With lantern in
hand, which served to make his star" vis
BILE, and to show the way to ricketty stairs
we descended into deep cellar. On opening
the door. there steamed up such a stencil as
made us recOil as before blow creating in
dcscribabIe notwithstanding it might be,
infections disease.
The first sight that met our eyes was ba-
by, calmly asleep in its cradle, watched over
by a bIcareyed and drunken mother who
greeted us with laugh, and pointed to the
inner chamber, where was a sight that only
the pen Of Dickens, or the pencil of a Wilkc,
could describe.
The evening was not cold, but the keeper
Of this airleSS hole had lit a fire in dilapida-
ted stove, which seemed to increase the stencil
that filed the place as with cloud. Piled
on benches, packed npOn shelves, lay human
beiugS-happily, up to this time all men
some asleep, some gIaring upon US like wild
beasts, and all apparently miserable. The
proprietor sat between the hunks, smoking bis
pipe and answering questions.
Ia another of these catacombS for so thev
may well be called the living bodies exhaIing
an odor as putrid as if the bodies were as dead
as the sensibilites they feebIy surrounded, )
there was a still more hideous sight Here
husbands and wyeS-for so let us believe
them to be-lay together A sick dog whined
in corner, keeping mp an unearthly yell, and
making US shudder before the superstition that
greetS such "a sound as the foreruuner Of death:
aud between his agOnizing wall and the curses
OF the men aud women around me, thought,
for IL moment, that | was in a lesser Paude.
monium
Gentlemen, are you satisfied ?' said our
kind guardian
Yes, more than satisfied said Phila-
delpha friend by my side, who only stuck to
me because | should have upbraidcd him for
his desertion.
Following our star" in single file we be-
gan 10 ascend a building of some three or four
stories, along dark entries, up creaking stairs,
and through gloomy passages, until we came
to room at which the officer knocked loudly
For some moments there was no answer, but
at last a gruif voice cried out:
Who's there 2"
"An officer"
What do you want ?"
g want to see you I've got company for
you"
They shall not come in you have no
business with me. | tell you III not open
the door"
The officer turned to us and said &" Here
is an old customer who knows his legal rights
wish | could show you his crib but L will
not break open his door"
On another story we had less difficulty At
a single rap the door opened, and there stood
before us a negro more hideouS in his ugliness
and more terrible in bis appearance than can
describe. A mingliag of what one reads of
Fagin and Bill Sykes a combination of craft
and of Sensuality ; a brutazed idea of vul-
gar Shylock, and an inhuman bully.
Well, Tobe,r said our guide, "how are
you to night, aud how are your wives 2"
Pretty WELL thank you sir" he responded,
bowing, and pointing to a corner, where on a
single pallet, with an unoccupied space be-
tween, lay two chite females who had once
been women, and now were brutes
1t was now verging upon the small hours,
and we turned our attention 20 the station
house of another ward. On our way the Off
Ger picked up little boy, with what seemed
to be cigar box slung over his shoulder
a boy not more than five years old. He was
without father or mother, had been peddIiug
his candies and begging his pennies since
morning, and seemed to be clad to be cap