Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1872-03-15
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"A Stroll On observation-disclosures enn.-
The People We MeeEE-E'en E'ertr.iss
of am WI. C.-BsufsaIU BiH-A Mysteri-
o'ts StraHGer-Stewat's Opening.
NEW YORK. Marcl,

III LaVaier, the piysiocn0mist, coilld be
brought 10 life and walk down broadway
the old mans heart would be gIaddcncd at
the notification If his peculiar knowledre
OF human nature that would be found writ
ten on the faces Of lie passing crowd.
/ suppose there is no place in the world
where man sees smell distinctive shades
of nationalities and expressions as in a
stroll on u fair 'aftmnoohE down Broad
way. Intellect in-rags and riscaity in
brOadcbJath cOuntenanceS it4rafea with
cri ne and care eyes aligiIt with the eN-
element of traffic in bodies stad souls; Iips
with their last lie upon thcnl,l almost qIiv-
ering and in sight; and ''hIIman forms di-
vinep that have become the temples of the
worst passions ard vices of mankind -
There is beauty enough 10 make IA bache-
Tor break his VOWS, but, Iobed in the FASH
ion OF the day, you cannot tell whether il
belongs to the great Iarem represented by
thirty thousand houses of prostitution, or
to virtuous home. There is age, veneIa-
bic, aristOcratic and adorned with its silver
locks, but, for all YOU know, it j.
fresh from the battle fields of Wall
street, Where il has been Instrumental III
sending skeleton into q score of house
holds. Then, there are the poor-Goh
help them. The poor scwing-girls in their
thread-bare garments; the poor old women
who sit i'll the cold blasts on the street cor
ncrS and sell newspapers ; the poor Chi
nese patiently waiting for somebody TO ptr-
chase their cheap cigars the poor blind
people who grind ont the sad tiirge of their
life OH a hIIrdy-gurdy, and are grateful for
trile; the poor boys and girls who brush
The mud from the street crossings that YOU
may pass over dry shod, and ask with their
pleading eyes and pinched faces for ssOnly
penny, please, sir - the omnibus drivers
those Cossaclls Of city civilization, whose
hand is literally raised against every man.
as they invite him to come in ottt Of the
cold, and who sit from morning till night
OH their frigid pedeStalS like So many ami
mated iccbcIgS, never 50 lively as when
the atmosphere is ten degrees below zero.
Where 10 they all find an abiding place :?
That's the question. Cheap lodgings and
the station houses, where humanity is
packed together in Il filthy mass that taints
the air with corruption, tell one part of the
story; Potter's field and the Penitentiary
tell the rest. ....... ...s .r
Yet outside of these grayer shadows,
the picture is still made interesting by the
people you meet. The social and political
''hons" are always visible, and with true
democratic independence you may elbow
your way among celebrities who range
from a prize-fighter TO a President. Take
lily 0llH IOE ~ SdtIlltI uON IL bfOa1WaN ana
let me point out q few. That finely dressed
man III front Of the Sterling House, with
the form Of an Apollo, and Il figure thai
| looms up head above the majority of the
passing people, is Heenan, the ''Benicia
Boy" His broken nose, the relic OF a
twcnty-four foot ring, but slightly disig-
ures modest cOuntcnancc, and the lilI-
assuming and peaceful bearing Of the man
is in keeping with the general character
which he has maintained since lie aban-
doned the muscular profession. He las
thousands Of friends, especially among the
local politicians.
Perhaps we shall meet John Moirisey,
albeit when in town he holds foifl at the
Hoffman House. Take six feet OF human
stature, pad it solidly with two hundred
and ten or twenty pounds avoirdupois,
give it pair Of broad shoulders and hips,
a steady underpinning, and gait every
motion Of which is Indicative Of power;
crown the whole with Il massive head
black hair, keen, dark eyes, an immobilc
face and mouth, though slightly shaded
by mOuStache and beard, and married by
another broken nose, and you have as good
a pentOgraph as / can make Of the famous
fighter, NJ. {. and millionaire.
Speaking of fighting, here comes man
in whom you will be nterested-Bufialo
Bill, real border hero, who for tie first
time has travelled east Of the Mississippi
River. William Cody is his true name,
but in his wild life among the frontiersrnen.
scouting among Indians and scalping Apa-
ches, he has won a SOubri(met that has al
ready been made famous in romance and
the drama. Ned Buntline has clevoily
done" him in a tive-act play full of thrill
ing border scenes that has set the Bowery
boys wild with delight. You will notice
that, apparently, there is not spare ounce
Of flesh on his superb frame that it is knit
together as with hooks Of steel, end is 1.-the
and elastic. lie moves along with all easy,
swinging stride; his feet and hands are
small, but he seems uncomfortable out of
the moccasnS and leather leggins. He has
a young face, but what a world of charac-
ter is written on il. Although the long
brown hair sweeping down on the should
crs Of the heavy blanket ovcrcoat may SAVIOR
of bit Of romance in his composition, a
single look into pair Of gray eyes that
you cannot help associating with rifle bar
rel, dispels :hC notion that there is any
nonsense about the man-anything but the
tense, sharp, highstrung courage ofone who
carries his life in his hand, and brains
enough, i'll the language Of Hawkcye, to
"SHcumvent the pesky redskins" lie re-
turns to his post in Il few days.
Wonder goes Another charactcr--a strange
compound who for ten years has walked
Broadway, apparently ''thc world unknow-
ing and by the world unknown 1 have
never yet seen man who knew his name
or business: only this, that he came from
Europe i'm well-to-dO circumstances, ac-
companied by his wife and daughter: that
one died and the other was ruined. since
Which time lac has pursued his lonely way
among men. lie dresses meanIy, but
walks as if he owned the street.
There is a wild glare in his eyes, height
encd perhaps by pair Of iron spcctacIcs.
and a savage fiImness about the lips, rs il
he feared some mighty secret mighty es-
cape them. Altogether it is n face which,
even IN the crowd Of broadway prints itself
on the memory and comes UP among the
ghosts Of after hours. -
But am transgressing he proper Limits
of letter, and must close even in the mid
die of my chapter. / might 90 on by the
hour and 'describe notabilities-the Japi-
ncse princes, Greeley, Oakley Hall, John
Graham and his learned wig, Walt Whit
man the poet, Mark Twain, Josh Billings
Timothy Titcomb, Thomas Mast the carl
caturist, and dozens OF persons whom you
are likely to meet in walk; yet they must
be held in reserve for another day.
Of local events there have been none
worth recording. The trial of Stokes dra. S
its slow length along; that of the Mayor is
still pending. Murders, suicides and mys-
ferrous dead men make up the rest Of the
procession Of New York items. The wea-
thergrows decidedly '.Marchy, !" and, though
clear, the clouds Of dust that play their mad
FRANKS and whi!l in eddics up to one 5
eyes, ears and nose, make days tramp
anything but agreeable. II may interest
the ladies to know that Stewart has had a
grand opening of coming fashions, which
for three days attracted thousands of the