The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-07-15
AMidniBht Journey in the Haunts
of Vice.
TIE DANGEROUS CLASSES AT HOME.
Horrible Scenes Witnessed by the
Herald Commissioner.
WALLOWING IN FILTH
An Exhibit Most Disgraceful 10 Christian City
Preparing for an Exhibition.

PHILADELPHIA, July IA, 1873.
In my former communication aimed to give an
idea Of the scenes enacted in this city az midday
and at nightfal, and in this 1t shall be my en-
deavor to bring to light few OF those characters
and incidents which saw last Saturday night in
the cellars and caverns under ground.
1t often happens in fiction that the diseased
imagination Of the author forces upon his readers
pers0nages of fendish order who are at once set
down as hideous and impossible. and the field OF
poetry is full OF men and women whom we
despise because they have clothed humanity
In such filthy and obnoxious colOrs
but neither poetry nor prose, neither diseased
brain nor mind enthusiastic In its devotion TO
reform, has ever given birth to character so foul,
so degraded so hopelessly lost as that which saw
last Saturday night
'arRUTH STRANGER THAN FICTION:m
Fancy, therefore sna.I play no part ii ny repro
ductio6 Of these pictures nor shall cast upon any
thing more sickehing light than that IN which 1
actually beheld 1t. l am not dealing with mental
distractions but with realities, and m any scene
In which these realities took part shall not even
mention l am not now dealing with the cabins
and rookeries OF st. Mary's but with
holes and cellars under the earth.
am not peeping through the shutters and
beneath doors, but am going down, down. down
ever so far into caverns and caves within which
there Is light and to which the blessed sunshine
has never come. NY letter must deal with class
of people representing the lowest type of humanity
that we ever beheld-men and women, lost to vir-
tue, lost heaven, STEPPED in crime and frenzied
with drink hated and jeered at by even the vaga-
bonds and harlots OF the street. and who, to hide
their nakedness and escape death from the hands
of the pavement fends, have reeled headlong into
dungeons. among vermtn, among filth and the
most detestabie forms OF disease, never to come
into sunlight again and seldom to confront
human being one single degree superior to them
selves. From the elegant but wicked house Of
BABY-FACED KATE,
upon Locust street, down to the negro designation
den owned by o clergyman there Is direct
avenue OF crime, dawning in paror and culminat-
ing in caves through which there Is no vista
through which there is no l;ght-but adown which
men and women are daily and hourly journeyinR.
ssThe descent TO hell is easy" and in two brief
years many soul has run its awful course AT
every block the rum shops increase il numbers 81
every corner the faces grow more lowering and
drunken, until the hard curbings become pillow
ana some dreary hole grave.
Such, then, are the characters with which have
TO deal, and the scenes in which they fgured-ahl
how can describe them
We did not set out upon our mission until after
midnight. We did not arrive at Alaska street
until about one. The neighbOrhood Is extremely
dangerous and we went armed. The head OF the
police, in order to insure my personal safety de-
tailed two officers for my escort, Detective William
+. Mears and Sergeant Duffy who have been
acquainted with this neighbOrnood for twenty
years. Both of these gentlemen accompanied US
in citizens Dress but wore their badges in case Of
accident under the lappels OF their coats. was
cautioned TO keep the strictest vigilance concern
ing my action, and then
OUR MIDNIGHT JOURNEY BEGAN.
They were standing Alaska street when the
admonitons were given, and the Sergeant, STOPPING
down, pulled almost from under our verv feet
rotten door, and bade us follow him. Upon the
opening of that trap we drew back, for the stencil
that proceeded from below was terrible.
"Husnl not a word; keep cool and 60 on"
whispered Detective Mears who brought up the
rear, and through that opening / let myself down.
There was no light, but heat as intense as that
OF furnace. Our coming had aroused the in
mates, and the dogs savagely sprung towards
the entrance. I was standing upon
mass OF filth and broken glass. and the brutes
rushing forward so Unexpectedly, threw me over
against the wall fell upon something human,
and gruG voice demanded who we were. Just at
that moment the Sergeant struck match. and for
an instant there was light. I shudder az i recall
that pictures
There were men and women, some black, some
white some naked, and all Of them drunken, lying
upon the ground, huddled together in groups,
among garbage and vermin, among neas and lice
End creeping things MANNED, wounded, bleeding,
while some were cold and still and unconscious as
though they were really dead. Oh, such faces
Wild, savage, frightful faces, hollow-cheeked,
sunken-eyed, bruised and bloody; women upon
their knees, their hands clasped, their teeth
cenched, their eyes glazing at like Goals Of vid
fire and their lips never opening save to curse.
Not in one corner but In all, they were piled; not
from one spot, but from every foot OF the ground,
they reused themselves from their stupor and, lift
ing their emaciated arms, silently pointed TO the
hole as q command for us to depart. All this re-
vealed In a momentum the burning OF o single
match-in the winking of an eye.
''Let US CO." whispered
mot yet; but presently" was the response.
'rNo, no; 60 now get outr cried voice, with q
curse. "Why do you come here to wake us upP
LeaveW
The cry of the speaker was caught up by the
crowd, and Leave I" "Leavel" was shouted upon
every side.
''silencer" Numbered the Sergeant. striking an
other match and lighting o roll of paper. "Si.
lence, lsay, to every one OF yeu, or I'll have you
dragged out In the street.n
The paper readily kindled and in an instant the
cellar ten feet by ten, was brilliantly illumined. 1t
was not now single Hash OF match, disclosing
for one moment nakedness and misery, flemish
faces, murderous looks, intertwisted limbs and
writing forms, to be yelled in utter darkness at
tne next. III was not now q momentary glimpse, O
hldeous dream, diseased and distorted fancy, but
the torch, burning IN ''
AN ATMOSPHERE THAT WAS POISONOUS AND rFTIp
blazing amid odor that almost stunned ma dis.
played in perfect light every nook and corner upon
all sides and all the wretchedness of that loath.
some hell. The men and women unwound them
selves. Some sprung TO their feet, others raised
themselves upon their elbows, but there were a
ness, while the dogs, swapping and snarlinQ re-
treated to the walls or growled at from between
the extended limbs OF the forms on the ground
Get out, tell youlu shreked O TALL central
bgure. "Get out or by Cod
Officer.
The man dropped as If he had been shot, and