The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-12-22

IL hau my eyeth, gen Iemeni thertalnly mean
II had my eyeth."
you've got great many things in that head of
yours, Johnson" we remarked, at this point.
II amt got nothin' in my head, thir, and never
had, thr."
1--WE mean in the inside and not on the outside"
ION, yeth! j thee now what you mean. never
had nothin in my head on the outtlide thr; I'll give
any man q dollar for everything he Gndth in my
head, thir." ..
"How did you lese your eyesight, Johnson" we
inquired. ,..s ....
"By 1ghtn', thir.'
"And how did you lose your palate"
"By fghtin', thir." .a
"And how did you lose your front teeth?"
"By fghtn', thir." ..
"What terrible fighter you must have been in
your time! Where did you do all this hghting?'
"On the Pawnee thr, in Mobile bay. thpnter
frofn the nanmatht thtruck me on the forehead
hereh the thcar thir-baring his head for the first
time, as he resumed his seat.
And then, after some further conversation in
much the same VEN, the interview" with "the party
by the name OF Johnson" terminated and we with
drew The ''oe man" carefully closed the shutters
leading into his underground den as soon as we
were fairly out OF it; but half hour later again
encountered him, waddling down Bedford street
briskly as II he could master Spanish in print with
the same readiness as he could with his tongue.
"Jutht out for a little air, gentlemen" he said in
answer to our salutation; IAN to see If couldn't
pick up thomethin to help the ole man along for the
ole man mutht get along thomehow, ye know
Brief Notes of Misery.
Time and space forbid that we should narraten
such detail the incidents Of the whole tour through
this hotbed of depravity In another cellar, which
we soon after entered directly from the street, we
found a white man and three white women, the
former as blind q bat and inclined to be indlg-
nant at the intrusion. But he quieted, and
then grew quite communicative, hopping about the
barren floor with the assurance that he ''had seen
the day when ne could dance jig with any OF u.s.
and do q hard days work with the best of u.s." But
this alas was "before he had lost his sight, one
OF the women found in this squad and filthy apart
ment was lodger for the night only. She lay
sprawllng upon the floor in a corner, without any
covering but tattered Dress and was too drunk to
artculate with clearness. But she was not too
drunk to beseech us to relieve her OF a child less
than year old-a bright and CHEEKY little creature
whose silvery laugh sounded strangely in this
wretched abode
Into still another cellar we went and there, pent
up within a space not more than six feet by twelve
in siZe we found white man and three white
women, grouped about red-hot stove from which
such sitting fumes of gas that the atmosphere
almost Oyerpewerng. And yet, little shriveled
woman,~~whose every hair stood on end declared
that they didnt mind it," The building above this
terrible hole contains at least dozen rooms into each
of which is crammed an entire family at an average
weekly rental Of S125. And the man, negro, who
the property is said to be worth least $50 OOo
Until within few months past he was a regular
minister Of the Gospel, but last spring his case was
taken in hand by his fellow preachers who sus-
pended him from his pulpit functions; but further
than this, understand, definite action has been
TAKEN
In another rickety building were found in one OF
the first floor rooms a black man and three White
women: and in the attic, strewn about the floor,
almost thick as they could lie, were five white
no uprn
vided with an apology for bed-cothing. One of the
women had evidently been surprisingly beautiful in
other days. and even by the dull glimmer OF the
candle could be discerned remaining traces OF the
attractions Of face and form which had wrecked both
body and SOUL I'D. .. D.. -
But we have written enough, as we had surely
seen enough, to convince the good people of mis-
good city that in their very midst there still exists
spot which is shame and disgrace TO the com
munity by whose apathy it is tolerated. The single
square through which our tour extended is but
type of the whole locality the population of which
is numbered by thousands, all sunk TO the very
depths of depravity. ~
A Grand Inquest and It's HIeaEre Fruits.
on the evening Of Saturday, November %, Judge
Peirce, .accompaniedsby District Attorney Gibbons
and the members OF the Grand Jury, visited Bedford
street and It's vicinity under escort of Sergeant
Duffy and other policemen. 1t is needless to say that
these officials were horriled at what they witnessed,
and the result of the inspection was formal pre-
senaon Of the case TO the Grand Jury by the Judge
on the following Monday. From his personal obser-
yation the Judge rightly OWNED that the traffic
was in the greatest measure responsible for the
misery and crime he witnessed, and in his charge to
the Grand Jury urged them to do all in their power
TO inaueurate reformation by attempting to break
I'D this trafc, far as the provisions OF the law
would allow. For the selling Of liquor without
license or to minors, drunkards, and persons known
10 the dspenser to be OF Incorporate habits an in
dictment can be found under the statutes now in
force and almost without exception the tratickers
in the yilest Of vile compounds who in the main
RESPONSIBLE for the degraded condition OF the in
habitants Of this section Of the city, will within
these provisions. Such action Judge Peirce
recommended has already been taken by the Grand
Jury who have indicted a number OF the most noto-
rious dens in the infected quarter
But of what avail will it be If conviction is had
upon each and every true bill so found? The
suppression OF one OF these vile sinks leaves hun
dreds undisurbed, and by the time thesecond is up
rooted the first is as firmly grounded as before II
the population the Alaska district could be shut in
| from the rest OF the world, and whisky declared
contraband of war, it might be possible to improve
its deniZens both morally and physically. But SO
long as they cannot thus be etfectually blockaded
from the assaults Of the rumseers 1t is apparently
a homeless task to make serious attempt at reform
alton on this basis; and If no more feasible project
can be devised the conclusion is inevitable that the
filth and wrechedness and sin OF Bedford street are
| but the chronic upon our social system which,
fostered by an inherent and ineradicable impurlty
| are absolutely incurable.
| determination the Only Remedy.
| In his charge to the Grand Jury, already
| onoted. Judge Peirce described the locality as ga
| common sewer Of vice, corruption, and degrada-
| ,on.p The simple truth OF the matter is that so
| long as the receptacle is permitted to exist the