The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1869-01-10
NEW YORK AFlER DARK.
EXPLORING WATER STREET.
From the New York Tribune, adj

tehen.' we accordingly walked In. It's only
occupants were The proprietor, who was sittins
fast asleep by the stove, and a small boy. By
dnt of much shaking the small boy managed tC
awaken his master, saying, Gentlemen, sir. gen
tlemen." The master quickly reused himself, and
We were somewhat formally introduced to Mr.
Chrlstol her Burn of the Spor nans.Hall. And
so his porty, jivial, peck marked, sodden. ed
looking man is Kit Barn. of whom we have lately
heard so much. Mr.. Burn honored rs with d
shake OF bis hand, and in answer 10 our inquiries
after his health, replied that he was "Nictly,
thank you. SIR" and Immediately added, "What
will you take, gentlemen" Our detective sugges-
ted glass OF sle and glass of ale was drawn. Mr..
b. was poteness itself, but very severe on "those
parsons" Going the round, Ell sir!" Well,
I'm very glad you amt got any parsons with you.
I'm full against those parsons. sir. Somehow
don't find parson sauce good relish 10 a rare
beefsteak. Slippery, sir, very" and Mr.. Burn
emphaticslly shrugged his shoulders. .'Downy
lot, sir, very" and Mr.. Burn winked his eye.
stick In il, every bit as much as you or
do," and Mr.. Burn looked contemporary. "Bat
never throw chance away. sir so says to the
parsons says L "Gentlemen. where's the rhino !:
let's hDes5 , the bills No money no prayers, gen
paid me whole months rent in advance, bnt
they only used the pit fortnight. But then You
see, cir. that's their business, not mine" Here
Mr.. Burn could scarcely control his merriment !;
but il gradually subsidized in a series of chuckles
Hadden. He declared his opinion that they were
both ''reglar bad 'uns." "You see, sir" said he,
they thoroughly sweat poor man, aud make be.
heve they don't; Well now, sir. may be sell
man a drink of bad whisky. but then he knows
that when be buys it; SO that's fair and straight
bnsiness-isn't 1t, gentlemen?" Mr.. Burn then
politely offered to escort us to the Pit, where
there was "a leetle purp of five months, as Mr..
Burn termed rough sandy-haired terrier playing
with rat. Hes only larner, gentlemen" he
remarked, In an apologize tone; "but he'll Kill
IN week. do believe he wl.r How fondly
Mr.. Burn gazed on that "leetle purp;v how he
eyed him with the air of connoisseur He then
called our attention to the tiers of seats for the
spectators OF rat and canine contests, which he
informed us would accommodate 500 persons
though we were at a loss TO conceive how the
unllcky occupants Of the top row could possibly
sit there the seat being only about thirty inches
from the roof. He knew, he said, that ''475
gents were present when the black. snd-tan" NOV
stuffed and ornamenting the window "killed 800
under the hour, sir" and with look of pride he
ADDED, "and he did it easy, sir.'
But the thought of past scenes and DAYS gone
by, never to return, rendered the portly Mr.. Burn
pathetic. "Ah sir" he sighed, those daysi
gone My kind friend, Mr.. De Bergh has ruined
my business. But they are warmth, and nobody
can't persuade me they're not" At the ba
idea Of rats not being vermine, Mr.. Burn became
greatly excited. But they are warmins.n he
repeated, (" and Mr.. De Bergh knows it too; aud
what's II ore, he won't try the law. Why! Be-
cause be knows he'd be beat, sir that's why.
But 1t amt no use me a talking, sir; only lose
my temper; but cant a bear to see people a
meddlin' with what they don't understand y Mr..
Burn very KINDLY offered to " turn of dozen or
two for our amusement, at "ten cents apiece 4
gentlemen ;" but this we politely declined. He |
Insisted, however, on our taking another glass of
ale, for which having paid we wished Mr.. Burn |
good evening, again had the honor of shaking |
hands with him, and took our leave he giving us |
most pressing invitation TO call in and see him
again.
Kit Burn is certainly an original character.
That his business is dsreputable one no one will /
attempt TO deny, and bis views of Christianity /
nay not be all that the missionaries could wish /
It'll, Burn Is good neighbor and kind friend, /
md he will not allow thieves and cracksmen a /
nance in bis house, but turns them out at once.
lie ought not, then, TO be placed in the same cat
CORY as such men as John Allen and Tommy
iadden; for, as he himself expressed it to u.s.
cruelty TO warmth, If il is cruelty, sir, surely
init the same as the cruelty TO humans, carried
n up the street, sir. But because think rats is
Fsrmint, sir and the parsons don't, they pray for
ne every day at the meeting house at ~ O'Clock.
Tut not by name, sir. No, poor Kit Burn comes
, the gineral ketalogue of wicked, unrepenting
nners."
To describe with truth and sufficient force those
ems in cellars which are termed underground
)dging houses, requires the artists brush rather
han the pen. No words can convey an adequate
IMPRESSION of their utter wretchedness for it is
he accumulation of little details of misery which
sDders these sleeping places so horribly repulsiye
} aDy one accustomed to a civilized mode of life.
naglne yourself descending through a sort of
ap ooUr entrance into an underground cellar,
My seven or eight feet high. Its dingy walls and
lackened ceiling dimly Lit up by the filthy kero.
me night lamp which the old bag, who Is propri-
tress, holds over her head to enable you to look
round. AT first you can see but little, but be-
1ming cCustomed to the gloom, you find that
on are sian1lng in perfect maze of beds.
anged round the room. as closely packed as pos
bic, with narrow open space down the middle
70 thirteen filthy dirty beds, all full.
ook at the one nearest you. 1t con.
MS an elderly man and woman of
least hye and twenty years of age. The old |
49, who Is inclined to be communicative, tells
IN that they are father and daughter. You |
udder and pass on. In the next bed lies fine.
lndsome looking laboring man OF 40, his brawny
ms stretched out at right angles on the dirty
lndle which does duty as pillow, the head of a
eeping boy resting on each arm. Neither the
Their nor his boys have any other covering on
EN- than the bedclothes. He is awake, and, in
tone of voice which implies q certain feeling
shame at being seen in such a den. he
forms you that he once had comfort
lie home of his own. But my wife,
:, took to drinking; she sold nv little bits of
rnlture one after another; then all my I
othes, with the exception of what | had on: 6
d, finally. she stole my tools-and here / am ,
Il, fortunately for me, she died last Both of Ju-
e was bad woman" Beyond this poor fellow
Q three Swapping young men, ell sleeping q
evily. And then there is another shocking
Iht-a man, his wife and their gro wn-up SON.
II asleep in the same bed. But why continue Q
IS dreadful tale Of misery and unnatural degra.
ton. IL is the same sad story all around thu | :
ON. and ell around the northumberland. :
'men and children. many of them in a safe of
diiy, sleeping unfortunately together.
We visited place after place, cellar after cellar.
th infatuated persistence. hoping that we might c
least ind some few rather better than the rest | =
1 il was not so, and in one of these dens human
sery seemed 10 have reached its climax. As
, en,eIeu me door OF this particular ceIlnr. g
y, INN wall sruck my ear. turned quickly to | I
T detective, saying: fSurely, that is the err Of ,
lew born baby" @ Yes, Sir" said the woman |
10 lighted us IN, an unusually well spoken Irish. q
man. at the same time pointing to a figme on a | 4
q 10 the further corner of the ROOM thar moor | "
man has just been confined, not ten Minutes
D." Good God ~ | exclaimed. sin sncb q a
ne as this ~ "Wel, Sir,n she replied. " ooor 4
ks can't afford to be as pertickIer as Fif avs. I
e" " And that's true, SIR" quietly observed
poor creature Of whom we we're sneaking
hurried away. In one of these grefcbsa
Is, young Irithwoman, who was sIean- Y
near The entrance, Suddenly snrang i,
OF bed, and planting herself in tbss
'r-way, made grab at one Of a.,
~ with tger-like ferocity, at the same ,;ma Il
L lilng out torrent of abuse against Us for s,