Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1874-06-02
TUESDAY MORNING, JUNE ?, 1874.
LETTER FROM NEW YORK.
NEw YoRk. Anril "a. la7.

In New YORK. do not look at my pocket
thermometer or at the horizon to tell me this
fact, but simply take peep at the crowded
streets, and if see many women q should
Say ladies, for all females are ladies now out
with shopping bags hanging from their arms,
/ am positive that masculine like myself
may venture beyond the threshold without
running the risk of being drenched or frozen
to death.
respect the female portion of society, for
many reasons. The primary reason is they
are the best weather prophets. They beat
t"Old Probabilities" Smikes says "If you
see pig with straw in its mouth or gal
with umbrella in her fist, its goin' tae do
sumpin. sure"
I'm like an engine on the B. l. o. +. R.,
it jumps the track occasionally. Let us talk
about New York. Having braced my nerves
with drink of water and my shoulders with
2 pair of elastic suspenders, started down
Third Avenue, determined ON a good long
walk. [ came in contact with crowd at
45th street, who were intently watching the
antics of two trained bears which an italian
had in the street. The italian kissed the bear
and the bear played hop-skip>and- jump with
as much skill as Harper's Ferry negro would.
Finally the bear tried to kiss all the by
ISLANDERS. but the loafers scattered and the
young ladies wouldn't, because they can't ap-
preciate a kiss worth a cent. unless it's from
the mouth of noustached swain. left the
bear
In the Bo%ery new scenes presented them
selves. Blind soldiers with one arm and
Italians Nth arms pressed music out of several
dilapidated hand>organs. In one corner
ChinamaD, whom Brete Harte would call a
''heathen Uhinee." endeavored to sell me a
frvo~ ont forf /, H.,
"Misteree; do youee wantee buyee niece
segaree? Chinese are always at their ee's
Cor ease).
In Grand street, in front of Lord Il Taylors
dry goods store, dozens of pedlars were doing
their best TO sell hair pins and other adorn-
ments, which only woman of the period could
tell the use of.
Out in the Bowery again I came, where sat
a one>legged fddler scratching with the
greatest vehemence fiddle, which from
it's appearance, would say that one of Nqah's
boys was accustomed to play on, to lull the
wild beasts to sleep, hich his father had
penned up in the ark. / stopped to catch the
melodeous strains jerked from the bosom of
the fiddle, but he was a Taud, for there was
not string on the instrument, nor had there
been for months.
entered Bowcry auction room, where
the auctioneer was trying to sell gold watch
to Herald reporter. The reporter doubted
his honesty, doubted his honesty, in fact all
in the room doubted his honesty, consequent
ly, he signally failed in roping us in.
A little farther down, / saw one of the
standing frauds of Nav York. He stood
that is, until policeman told him to move
on-with a travelling valise spread out, in
which could see FIVE cent sticks Of. candy
mingled with FIVE dollar bills. Having
wrapped up stick of candy in the. same
paper with five dollar bill, he said, Presto,
shook the valise, and told us to draw. Sew
eral drew plenty of candy. Two of his cons
federates (not Southern Confederates, mind1
were fortunate enough to draw greenbacks.-
I knew they were in league with the fraud.
because had seen them drunk together in
Central Park.
IF the readers OF the Spirit should ever see
man with a valise, who promises to give
them ten dollars and q strick of taffy for
twenty-five cents, advise them to shun him,
for he don't belong to the Young Mems Chris
tian Association, nor is he missionary travel
ing for the benefit of his health.
had not gone far, before l came to another
fraud, who sat in a buggy, holding a little
bottle in one hand and very dirty pocket
handkerchief in the other. The bottle had
the figure of a man III 1t, which the fraud
caused to 90 through many turns much to the
amusement of the crowds that thfoneed the
payefents. One old negro woman said ::
"Bless de lamb, dis hear chile reber seed
nuthih' like dat no how"
Yot want to know how he made money
from this exhibition. I'll tell you. The litl
tie man in the bottle was used to draw crowd.
When euficient number of people had coll
leuted on the pavement, Mr.. Fraud began !:
CHOW; gentlemen, lam not goin' to swalIer q
buffalo; or cut the head off baboon, but I'm
goin' to cell you set of jewelry-breast pin,
ear rings, gold and silver finger ring, a
beautiful watch chain, for the sum Of S25 8
no, let me see. for twenty-five cents. Only
twenty-five cents" When the fraud had thus
harangued the crowd; he produced several
specimens of sham jewclry, which can be pur-
chased at the factories for mere trif1e. The
negro woman who had calculated ''BIess de
lamb" was the first who bought the Milton
| jewelry.
On my way down to the City Hall, I en>
! countered all kinds of pedIsrs and veuders.-
Irish woman wanted me to buy dirty; rotten
apples Germans begged of me to purchase
last years chesthuts-Wotns and all; girls
generally ore>eyed-persisted in thrusting
specimens of ten or twelve New York daily
papers into my pocket and abstracting there
from the money sufficient to pay for the papers.
1 went to see Ami mean Ann street, where
the pavements are covered with merchandise
and old books. loitered long in Maiden
Lane, peering in the windows at all the sights.
I like Maiden Lane, not because it is of the
feminine gender, bat because it reminds me
of Baltimore street in Baltimore, where vas
wont to ramble when was permitted to visit
that dear city. In Nassau street; found an
old friend in the person of very tin6leanly
looking Jew, who is looked upon as all oracle
or living cyclop5edia by all Of the. college
| students III New York He knows the name