Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1868-07-21
The Wickedest Man in New York.
The Inside of a Water Street Dance
HOuSe.

The Inside ofa Water Street Dance
House.
He goes by the name of John Allen.
He lives at 304 Water street. He
keeps dance house there. He is
about 45 years old. He is reputed to
be worth 100000, more or less, and
is known to be worth over $4,000.
He has three brothers who are cler-
gymen-two Of them presbyterians,
and the other a baptist-and is re-
ported to have once been a minister
Of the gospel himself. He is known
formerly to have been a school teach
er, and IS a man Of education and fine
natural powers was originally a good
man and yet good fellow" in many
respects. Were it not for his good
qualities he never could have attained
unto the bad eminence Of being the
wicl<edeSt man in New York. The
best bad is always the worst. Take
him for all in all, our wickedest man
is a phenomenon. He reads the Bible
to his dance-house girls, and his fav-
orite papers are the New York Obser-
yer and the Independent. He takes
them regularly and reads them. We
have repeatedly seen them lying on
the counter of his bar-room, amid de
canterS and glasses, along with the
daily Herald and Sun. We have also
seen a dozen copies of the Little Wan
derers' Friend at a time scattered
about his place, and goes in generally
for progress for other people.
This wickedeSt man is the only en-
tity appertaining to the shady side of
New York life which we have been
unable to lathom. analyze or account
for. Bu, he is too much for US. Why
a human being of his education, nat
uraI tastes, force Of character and
wealth, should continue to live in a
Water street dance house, and bring
up his children in a soul destroying
atmosphere OF sin and degradation, is
more tina We can comprehend. For
this wickedest man loves his children.
His little fve-year-old boy is the apple
1T his ava the core OF his heart. and
the chief object oil his worship. de
IIrvUr mi9sro UPpUr tu,uity to eounc
the child praises, and to show off his
accomplishments. And, all things
considered, the little fellow is truly g
wonder. He is crammed full of In
formation on all manner oftopics, and
is ever ready to respond to his dotine
fathers attempts to make his smart
ness visible to the naked eye.
Has the reader any notion of a
Water street dance house? Concrete
ly stated, it is a breathing hole of
hell-a trap door Of the bottomIess
pit. You step from the street into a
bar room, wherein busy loafers lurk
and which is 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, if it happens
to be a dance house of the very low
est class. But usually there is q sa
loon in the rear OF the bar room. Pas
sing out ot the bar room by a door
opening in a partition across its rear
you enter the dancing saloon, which
varies in size from fifteen feet square
to room twenty-five by fifty in ex
tent. Along the wall of this room a
bench extends, usually on three sides
In the farther end of the room is al
orchestra, proportioned in numbers
and skill to the prosperity Of the eS
tablishment. The number Of musi
clans is sometimes as high as six, but
the average is not more than three
| In one OF the rear corners Of the Sa
loon there is small bar, where thC
girls can drink with their victims
without exposing their destinations tC
the unthriftful gaze Of non-paying anC
censOrlOus outside public. Sitting or
the beaches, or grouped upon the
floor, or whirling in the dance, art
the girls, varying in number from foul
to twenty. but averaging oh"nt tan
These girls are not often cOmely tC
the fastidious eye. But to a sailor
/ just from d long cruise. where nothing
lovelier than his weather-beaten ship
mates has for years been seen, they
are net without attractions. So, too
do certain landsmen, of a degraded
type, pay homage to their strenuous
charms. But decent man, III the ful
possession and equipoise of his facul
ties, can only regard them with sor
row unspeakable, and pity too deeE
for tears. The only girl we ever saw
in dance house in whom we coulC
detect the slig hteSt yestige of comeli
ness or refinement, had been there
but few hours, and was reputed t
be the daughter of former lieuten
ant-governor Of New England state
The first time we entered John Al
lens dance house, we found it in ful
blast. The hour was eleven in tht
evening. There were thirteen giri'
in the saloon, three musicians in th'
orchestra, and seven customers sub
hitting to the Establishments of al
equal number of ballet-dressed syreni
who peryaded the room. Our party
consisted of the policeman who ac
companied US, three clergymen wht
went to see the elephant" Mr.. Alber
/ G. Arnold, of the Howard Mission
and the writer.
The wickedest man was in his glory
Things were moving briskly. HI
gave us all hearty welcome, orderet
the orchestra to do their best, ant