The New York herald., 1871-12-24


"In thousand ways. You see they don't under.
stand the customs OF the people, and then, when
they come IN. they treat all alike. Now, some are
hypocrItes ana some are susceptible or improvement
while q large majority are really oad.'
'Ihen you think the mistake rs In the treatment
s.N0w, VIII endeavor to show you. At first when
the movement was started these gentlemen and
houses Well tney saw natnaS but the 9 most abect
POVERTY, DIRT AND sQuALOR.
The strange signt sickened them, and, taken with
compassion for the people. supposing they were
hungry, they gave them money. They no sooner
turned their backs, however, than one OF the Mo-
men, or q child, was sent out for whisKey to the
1ull amount OF the gilt, and the population OF the
whole noor got drunk.n
..Such things seem scarcely possible 9n
.Tney DO yet they exist, and worse than that TOO.
have seen people VINO were snlvering in their rooms
with cold, and who had nothing to make fire
with, yet when they were given food or fuel they
Immediately sent IL 70 tae bucket shop for
alcnohoi."
themYu
II nave known OF cases wnere after distribution
OF bread or meat In o house. one or TWO OF me
women would go around the place. collect the food
and take 1t TO the 'distlllery where sne would ex
change It Tor rum, and come back to make the
Then, where do they get foodsn
''Oh they never nave much difficulty about that,
they mistake the feeling for q desire for wniskey,
ana the WhlSkey Is always preferred"
"But, independent OF tins, there must be great
deal OF suffering among some deserving pe0ple.n
'.Ihere is more tnan any one calculates upon"
"well. and now do you discriminate IN dealing
"Ah, that Is The difficulty. can only show you
what exists. l am sorry TO say can't point out
"How about the childrenw
.Inere is another grave question, and the most
difficult one 70 deal with. | have seen hunters Of
cases where they could put the children INTO good
institutions, where they would be well cared lor;
but no, the parents would not part with them"
.lt is not because they are too fond OF them, you
may oe certaln; out rather mat they are useful"
'.Sometlmes there ana oftener out of it, They run
errands, WORK abou. the house, and, when occasi
requires, they are sent out TO beg or, perhaps,
al suppose the presence OF the children excites .
sympathy that could not pc evoked without them ~
"There you are right, and thousands OF these very
children are trained 10 tricks that wouldDappa the
hardest"
"Llte lodges to get up feeling, such as crying ct
the proper tme-0f course when strangers are
present-askmg Tor bread or something to eat wnen
by wink or some such sign they are gwen 10 un-
derstand one OF the parents Is thirsty"
This is terrible state OF things. is 1t notg"
"lou may well say 50; but II you watch these
places well on cold winters DAY, when some be-
nevolent people are gong about TO help the aicted,
you WIN notice the fact oi .ne visit ls Leralded
when they come into the ROOM"
ut Is. sir. | have seen the same number OF chill
dren do duty iu three several houses, IN how many
families don't know; but nave seen them 70 from
In each nave heard OF others and know II to be
the truth"
In the Sixth ward the tenement houses vary
good aeal in character. There are some OF The
fthlest and most densely populated In the city In
this ward, and there are others Of the improved and
better descriptions. One OF the worst and most no.
torl0us OF these was burned some lour or i've
weeks ago. and has since been ordered to be va
Gated by the Board Of Health This place was
known as the Tabernacle and was ut one time a
church. 1t was five story frame building,
completely shut IN BY tall structures The entrance
a n hury nall
way through a brick building ON Mulberry street.
Between the front building and the tabernacle"
narrow lane ran the iull length OF the houses and
the only means Of entrance or exit TO
THIS VAST SHELL
way At the time OF the burning there were la this
place fity regular families, and at night 1t covered
500 people. The stairs leading to the different floors
were narrow, rlckety and out OF repair. and from
the top OF The house TO the foundation It was one
mass or accumulated nth. Every family In the
building took IN dodgers at nignt the number IN
each varying with the accommodation they pos
sessed. The first two floors being the largest the
greatest number OF people huddled IN them. and
more motley gathering could not be discovered IN
New York than was 70 be seen there every night.
Tne blind, lame and crippled were huddled together
without regard to decency or comfort. Profess
sonal peggars made this den resting Dlace
and the scenes that were nightly enacted In It
On the flrsJ, ground noor, the rooms were regu-
lary laid out Tor the accommodation OF the lOdgers
the otSer 50 as 70 the Tse
winters stock OF coal and wood was piled up
disposed
sucn sleeping arrangements as were at hand for
the hdouues. When the hunks against the walls
were filed with the earliest customers the others
who ventured In later were
DISPOSED ABOUT THE FLOOR,
and each room was packed until 1t could hold no
more. One woman who during the day played the
rote OF distressed "blind widOw,n with q largo
family. owned Two apartments on che third loor,
and she always had large otentee OF impOstors Of
her own class.
ON the Sunday morning the fire broke out the wild.
est CONSERVATION prevailed among the inhabltanrs.
Man nl rnenoA tn hA w nxuo
and tumbled through the narrow doorway, shout
Ing to the neighbors lor assistance. Furniture OF
and when the police went into the house to assist
the people out numbers OF them refused to be re-
moved without their valuables. The "bIind widOwn
was bodily taken hold OF by stawarr sixth ward
policeman, anu as he was handing her out the win.
dow TO his companions below she shouted out
wildly thar she would not be stirred until she got her
pipe that was lett on the hob in the roOm She was
Notwithstanding landed IN the street, and sne no
sooner regalned possession OF her feet than she
walked OF 10 the liquor saloon on the corner IN
direct line. An old man VINO had . corner on the
with wlll, pitching out the furniture to his spouse
who stood In the yard below to receive IT, Wishing
TO protects table, which was the most Important
article In the household, he attached piece OF rope
to one Of the legs and began TO lower II down
gently, when the cord gave way and
THE VALUABLE MAHOGANY
fell at the feet or the lady or the man !.
SION In q thousand pieces. This cumsiness on the
part Of her lord 30 exasperated the lady that she
rated him furiously, until lie disappeared from the
rear tenement OF this kind In Baxter street num-
Der OF negroes congregate who tell fortunes and DO
other mysterious things Of the same kind for the
colored population all over the city. These people
do thriving business and fatten upon The credulty
OF their race. Underneath this house in Baxter
street IL large stable where balls are held
periodically by the chief ''necromancer," ana on
these festive occasions the abandoned population
OF the surrounding neighborhoOd, white and black,
cOngregates 1or amusement.
Tie second district OF tenement houses is situated
east OF Catharine street the Bowery and Fourth
nue. ana south OF Fourteenth street. This Ia the
most densely peopled part OF the city, the Seven
teentn ward, which comprises less than one-forteth
OF the total area OF the city, alone containing not
less than one-t tenth OF the whole population.
census OF this ward, taken by the sanitary Com
pany OF the Metropolitan Police, In the year 1885,
showed that 4, l20 houses contained 85,0g1 inhaDl.
years OF age The Eleventh ward Is still more densey
populated the rate not being less than 200 900 people
TO the square mile and giving scarcely sixteen yards
to each person. This census, taken in 1868, and
which believed to be accurate, contains details OF
3o2s front and 492 buildings of which 1854 are
brick, Ala frame, l1s stone while four only are CON-