The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1868-09-19
The Wickedest NAN in New
York.

WRITTEN FOR PAcEARD's MONTHLY BY OLIVER DYER.
He goes by the name of John Allen. lie lives
ne No. 3Oi Water street. He keeIS n dance
house there. He il about ~foTty-fiyc years old.
lie u reputed 10 be worth one hundred thousand
dJlar-, more or les, and l. known TO be worth
over seventy thousand dollars. He has three
brothers who are clergymen-two 81 them being
Prc-byterian-. and tie other a BapJist-and l.
reported To have once been 4 minister of the Cos
pei himself. He i known 20 have been u school
teacher, and i a man Of education and fine nItu-
raj powers was originally n good man and l.
yet a .. good fellow ]" in many respects. Were IL
not for bis many good qualities he never could
have attained unto the bad cuIinenCe VI being tie
Nickeiest Man in New York.
Tie best bad i always the worst.
Take him all in all, our Wickelcst Man j. n
phenomenon. lie reads the Bible 10 hI- dance
house girls. and his iayorite papers are the New
York O5Serrer and the H~GSp1IdeHf. lie takes
them regularly and reads them. We have IT,
Ieatedly seen them lying on the counter Of his
bar-rOOtH, amid decanteTs and glasses, along with
the daily Her0d and the sun. We have also
seen n dozen copies Of the " Little Wanderers
Friend . at q time scattered about his place, for
he takes an interest IN mission work, and {. goes
in - generally for progress for other people.
The Wickedest Man Is the only entity apTer-
tanning To tue shady side Of New York lie which
we have been unable - iathOm, ~analyze, and ac-
count for. But he is too much for ~. Why n
human being Of his education, natural tastes,
force Of character, and wealth, should continue to
live in n Water street dance-hOuse, and bring up
his children in n soul-dcstroying atmosphere Of
sin and degradation, is more than we can coII-
pretend.
For this Wickedest Man loves his children.
His little FIVE year old boy is the apple OF his eve,
the core Of his heart, and the chief object OF his
worship. lie never misses an opportunity to
sound tire chIid's praises and show on his accom-
plishments. And, all things considered, the little
fellow j. truly a wonder. lie Is crammed full Of
information ON all manner of topics, and is ever
ready To respond To his dOting fathers attempts
To make hIs smaTincss visible To the naked eye.
Has the reader any notion of a Water street
dance-house? COncretely stated, il Is n breath
ing-hoie Of hell-a trap door Ot the bottoinless pit.
You step from the street into Il bar-TOOm, wherein
lousy lJafcrs Turk, and which il in some cases on
a level with the sidewalk and in others far below
it and there you are in the general midst of
things, II IL happens To- be II dancc-hOuge of the
very lowest class. But usually there Is u = sa-
loon" in the rear OF tie bar-roOm.
Passing out Of the bar-roOIn, by Il door opening
in n partition across it's rear. YOU enter the dane
ing saloon, which varies Ia size from fifteen feet
square To n room twenty-five IN fifty feet In cx-
tcnt. usually ON three sides. In the farther end
of the room Is an orchestra, prOpOrtiOned in num-
hers and skill to the prosperity of the establish
ment. Tie number of the musicians II sometimes
as high a. six, but the average IL not more than
three. In ono of the rear corners OF the saloon
there Is a small bar, where the girls can drink
with their victims without exposing their flscina-
tions to tine unthriltful gaze of a non-Iaying and
ceusOTiOus outside public.
Sitting On the benches, or grouped upon the
floor or whirling in the dance, arc tie girls, vary
ing in number IRON four to twenty, but averag-
Ing about tea.
These girls are not often comely to the fastidi-
Gus eye. But To a sailor. just from a long cruisc,
where nothing lOyclier than hi- weathcr-Leaten
.Iirruusa- la. FIR .-ur hgsu -aan flnev- ~ MY
without attraction. So. too, do certain lands
men, Of a degraded type, Jay homage 10 their
strenuous charms. But q decent man, IN the full
possession and e~quipOiSe OF his faculties, can only
regard them with sOrrOw unspeakabic and pity
too deep for tears.
The first time we entered John Aliens dance
house We found II in full blast. The hour was
eleven in tine evening. There were thirteen girls
IN the saloon, three musicians IN the orchestra,
and seven customers submitting To the blandish-
ments Of an equal number OF the ballet dressed
syreus who pcFvadci the room. Our party con-
sisted Of The policeman who accompanied us, three
clergymen on the lookout for the =. elephant
Mr.. Albert G.. Arnold Of the Howard Mission,
and the writer.
The Wickedcst Man was in his glory. Things
were moving briskly. lie gave Us n hearty well
come, ordered the orchestra 10 do their best, and
told the girls to = break our hearts" y vigor-
Gus dance followed, after which the proprietor
called out
D." Hartford, 90 up stairs and get my baby"
Hartford turned out to be one OF the girls, who
Immediately disappeared, and soon returned bear
ing in her arms an undrcssed. sleepy child,
wrapped in a shawl. Tins was the Juvenile pro-
dizzy. His father took him in his arms with a
glow Of pride and affection.
Nov, gentlemen, you are writers, philoso-
piers and preachers. but III show you that my
baby knows as much as any of you. He's hell
on reading. writing, praying and fighting
And without more ado, lie stood the sleepy little
fellow upon the floor and began to cateciise him
in ancient history, both sacred and %profane, and
then in modern history, geography, the political
history OF the United States, &c, &C., with a re-
suit which astonished all: suddenly he exclaimed
" Chester, give US a song"
And Chester, for that is the child's name, gave
US a song"