The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-07-14
The Woes and Grieh and Vagabondage Which
the Sun Shines On.
CrumbIing Walls, Ruined Roof
trees and Inexorable Rents.
Waits of the World from the
Cradle to the Grave.
Drunkenness, Dirt, the Social EVIL and the
Rule Of "Doggy'' Doughcrty.
PHILADELPHIA, July IL, 1873.
ruB scUMs BY DAYLIGHT.

But little better, however, than the scums by
Night. Our trip to-day has been over pretty much
Me same field as last evening but less hurried,
and better adapted to famiarize US with the lead
ing features OF the neighborhood as well as with
rs more interesting detail We made an error
when we said that 70 the alley Of st. Mary's and
about the corner OF Alaska street the worst cha.
facters In the lower ranks Of crime were &C
bust0mcd to assemble, for indeed, they are
grouped together there at all times, SO that
Inc pavement OF St. Mary's was this afternoon
again filed with besotted men ana women, while
he less drunken to avoid the heat and glare OF the
sun, were seen sitting in their doorways or wran-
Cling from their windows. Now and then last even
ing we could catch the glimpse Of face leering up
rom the stencil and the garbage; but the visage
was soon lowered, and the impression but momen-
larry. Not so, however, has 1t been to-day. In the
open sunlight all things about which darkness had
hrawn her pale were fully and vividly disclosed,
and the scenes we saw were terrible In the ex-
IRENE.
DEsoLATIoN INVITING DEATH
The miserable cabins are literally crumbng to
pieces, and the majority OF them are destitute of
HindOws. The roofs, the DOORS the sto0ps, are all
rotten and crumbling, yet in each Of these dens
rom fifteen to twenty human beings have their
abode, and pay rents which in year make q total
N SIX or eight hundred dollars, when in reality
she entire cabin neither at auction nor private
sale, would bring seven dollars for kindllng wood.
The interior Of these huts beggars description. 1t
was seldom we saw chair, and still more seldom
that we noticed table, The moor and the walls
were bare, the former rotten and the latter
covered with dirt and cobwebs. The bed when
shere was one, was filthy mass of straw, used for
20 long time that 1t had been ground quite nne
and become infested with vermin to an extent
which made IL appear almost animate. Those hv-
ing In the attic assembled thereunto by means OF o
ladder, and once we saw q man going up hand
over hand upon rope. We entered none Of these
upper rooms, for our first attempt to do aroused
the passion Of one of the inmates. and we had no
inclination to indulge In personal encounters but
from our casual glimpse within we can safely say
that they are still more loathsome than the rooms
below. So much for the cabins and now a word
concerning their inmates.
WAITS OF THE WORLD
They are persons who Tor the most part have no
occupation, but who support themselves by fraud
and theft; they depend entirely upon chance, and
hence 1t Is that they are in the last stages of
poverty and want. The coats OF the men are
simply bundles Of rags, and the skirts of the
women slitted into dirty ribbons. The creatures
about here, said in our former letter, are Of
all ages and colors, and belong to one class In
wickedness and crime. Young girls here
early in years but STEPPED in sin, with
faces blotched and eaten by fearful disease
and old hays reeking In profanity and
gin. They expose their persons regardlessly
and indulge In the most fearful scenes In broad
daylight They are prostitutes all of them, black
and white, young and old. They live to drink rum
they steal to get 1t, they will kill to get it, and
when 1t is secured they are. OF course, insane
Upon one making visit alone, danger Is attendant
ut every step. He knows not at what moment
some one may spring from an attic window or
crawl up from filthy cellar and make a demand
or an attack. Once out OF money and destitute Of
things to pawn they will resort to any means to
secure penny. They will go up to the weather.
part OF the city in quest OF gentle
mems washing, and II they are fortunate
enough to get 1t, it can always be found in some
corner pawnshOp an hour after. They have time
and time again stolen young children and we are
told that in ne reward Is offered, ana the
police fail to find it, they will besmear its face
poison it with drugs, and take position on some
street corner, where the Iorlorn appearance Of
the babe is likely TO excite public sympathy. To
illustrate this we will give q summary Of the re-
marks made to us this very day by popular
author whose works are very widely known, and
who is thoroughly acquainted with the neighbor-
hood. child was stolen by the hays Of St.
Mary's lane. 1t was concealed until the police
had given 1t up lost and the unfortunate mother
had taught herself to consider 1t as dead The two
wretches who had stolen 1t entered into the follow
ing contract lone was to feed the child and the
other was to beg with 1t upon the corner, while
both were to share equally the money thus secured.
This contract for while was faithfully kept, but
the infant possessed OF unusual power OF vitality,
grew and was hearty. This, of course, greatly
interfered with the business and the infants
food was reduced and its number Of hours
for sleep greatly diminished 1t 80 happened
that the person who felt the most SYM
patty for the babe as 1t cried in the
old womans lap, and also the one who
never passed it by without giving the bag q few
pennies, was the chds own mother, but she
knew 1t not in its dirty face its pale, emaciated
cheeks and its rags OF filth and tatters. Thus mat
ters ran along Tor some time until the two women
disputed concerning their contract. One said that
the other was starving the child and spending all
the money for gin. The other replied that the one
whose mission was to beg was keeping more than
her share Of the spoils; and so they wrangled and
sought and finally turned the child over to a hos
pital, from which. In the course OF events, it was
returned to its own glad mother
THE BOARD OF HEALTH AND THE BONDS OF DEATH.
This is no romance; it is a fact And now a word
or two about the Board OF Public Health. Since
our arrival we have heard much OF It's doings and
fhe inhabitants seem 10 think IL Is about as per.
feet as 1t can be- ~ they tell you this they point
10 Chestnut, Walnut, Market or any Of the public
thoroughfares, or else they conduct you to their
admirable tenement houses for their laboring men
and say :--"LooK therel Amt they nicer No dis
ease can live in these; they are too clean, too
light, too carefully guarded"
We admit II. The streets are cleaner, the tene-
ment houses are better infinitely better, than
those OF New York. To be sure Philadelphia is ex-
tended over greater area and has less people to
clean after than New York; but, even turning the
table, are willing to admit that in all probability
TIE results would be the same; but In regard TO
Alaskast. Marysand Lisbon streets, we insist that
the Board has done and Is doing absolutely nothing
The members have skirmished down upon these