Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1873-09-02
5pult of yeafl ol1
Chsrlcstown. Jefferson County. West Va.
TUESDAY MORNING, SEPTEMBER 2, 1873.
LETTER FROM NEW YORK.
NEw YoRR, Augus. Is, 1875.
life an a Ney York Tenement

~
Dear .Spirit:-Aman with aipennyweight
of common sense, would prefer to live all tie
days of his natural life within coach in
GocAin- China, than to waste three hundred
aud sixty>fve days, enclosed. within that
modern Tower of Babel-a New York tene>i
ment>house. Milton is termed a sublime poet ;;
because he describes, with such precision and
vigor, the imps' doings in the lower regions {;
but Johnny Milton never lived in one of our
tenements. How, then, did he become ac-
quaiated with the tricks of tormentors?
The New York tenement generally is Eve
stories in height, and gives shelter to two
hundred human beings Some of the more
crowded teDements down town contain from
five hundred to eight hundred souls. tn one
of these houses, may he found Irish, Germans,
French, Americans, Negroes, and Chinese,
Respectable tenements are deprived of John
Chlnamans, as we'll as the Negroes presence
intend to describe only the houses of re-
spectacle class, which ore found in the upper
portion of the city. -Four tenants live on each
floor; so that allows twenty families to one
house, all using the same hall as a means of
entrance. About forty children enliven the
halls with their infantilc cries, or perhaps. oc>
cupy the whole front stoop, rendering exit al
most impossible. Will they move so as to
permit grown person to pass out2 Not they
1t Mrs. Smuggins, from the top floor wishes
to procure Kerosene at the grocery, she trots
down stairs, throws her oil can into the street.
rolls up her sleeves, spits on her hands, and
makes fearful leap; she picks MP her can
with an air of indifference, hardly ever met
with in negro>woman peeling potatoes-
The children simultaneously rush up the stairs,
making noise not unlike the tramp of an
army over a pontoon bridge. If person
have tavorite cat or dog, in tenement the
boys on the floor above. will cut the cats tail
off, or bore holes in the dogs enra run drum
stick through the apcrtures, and hang him on
the ciothes-llne. It's dangerous to smoke in
the backyard of tenement house. for n
flower pot, or smothing>iron generally knocks
the segar out of the smokers mouth. IF a
man with bald head stands on the steps. the
boys above vic with one another, to see who
can deliver the most accurate shot of tobacco
juice on his bald pate. The tenants have be-
come so used TO these freaks, that they regard
them as a matter>of> course Here's n case in
point. In July last, woman, whose hair
was of reddish hue, was leaning out of a
window, where she fell asleep 1t was after
dusk. fireman passing, saw the fierv locks
on the woman's head, and concluded that the
window~cnse was on fire. He gave the alarm;
the engine soon came to the supposed contia.
grafton, and commenced to pour volumes of
water in the red chiennn Of the sleeper, who.
waking from sweet rcpose. exclaimed "Inok
kere, You i'oys on the top floor. had better
stor yer spittin' on my head, or I'll smash We
so fat, that yer mammies won't know,ye from
a gridiron." On rainy dnv, the bows as as
semble in the vestibule. passing away the long
hours in double shuttle. initiating thereby
some favorite in the /" Cona;gue" At night,
the tenants edify all present with pugilistic
entertainments. Two women engage in
duel, using wash-boards and rolling-pins with
commendabe dexterity, while their liege lords
and promisiny children behold the encounter
with feelings of no ordinary interest. This
amusement usually continues until late hour
A tenant, occasionally. protrudes his head
through door, aud kindly demonstrates with
the combatants, hnt without the restoration Of
peace, for the combatant next to him thinks
she is in duty bound to test the solidity of his
skull, with the end of a rolling>pin. Many
fathers, living in these houses, often return
home with cargo of whisky aboard, which
renders them unable to ascend the steps, or,
perhaps, if they able to ASCEND halfway
a retrosrade movement occurs, which draws
them back to their starting point But they
generally have a peculiar kind of fall which
their families understand; some fall on their
heads. others on their sides. This fall Is the
fathers pride.
The other night, I witnessed an interesting
spectacle. Two Young men, dressed in the
height Of New York fashion, stood near
six-story tenement, discussing the beauty of
fair creature, who sat on a stoop which was
opposite. Suddenly window was opened,
and basin of soap-suds hedewed the enrap-
tured Charles. Well, the language these
young men used !. IF minister had heard
them, he would have come to the conclusion
that they had never beheld the inside of q
Sunday School.
There are houses occupied by persons of
peaceful disposition, but such residences are
difficult to fod. A few weeks ago, another
Harper's Ferrian and myself took tea in
tenement house. The family that entertained
US were of the better sort, SO we had a good
opportunity to make observations. When we
entered the room, some difficulty was found
to procure seats, SO great was the throng of
tea>drnkers. A young man with very red
i head was playing dlapidated accordeon;
another young man accompanied him on
banjo; they exerted themselves to initiate
the Southern negro, but signally failed in the
attempt. A miss of nineteen. during the ces-
sation of musical frenzy, asked questions in
the most highfalutin language she could CON-
mand, and would cast look of satisfaction
on the assemblage; she was aware, doubtless,
of the superiority of her expressions. [ in>
troduced my friend q planters son from
the South-well, he is a planters son his
father used to plant corn for the farmers of
Jefferson county. AT last, supper was am
nounced; they told us to ask for anything on
the table. My friend (I'll call him Bill, al
though this isn't his name) asked for mo-
lasses.
..NIolassesE' all llshoutea in chorus sswhy,
only children eat molasses in New York"
Bill has a little moustache, aud he didu,t
want to be regarded as a child, SO he scratched
! his head and made known that roasting ears.
or contalounes uoul6 4, for :. oo,,monoot