Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1874-09-29
Spirit Of yeffers;lolr,
TUESDAY MORNING. sEPTEuBER %. 1914.
LETTER FROM NEW YORK.
Three Hours of Agony.
New York. September s. IS74.

or all that l saw.
Baxter street, which forms part of the
/ famous "Five Points," is study for the
curious as well as for the philanthropist. As
am not what you would call rhilanthropist,
you may suppose my observations were
prompted more by curiosity than the hope of
reforming the Baxter street Jews.
Every thing in this street is very, very
striking. The order is undoubtedly the most
striking of all 1t does'ut hover around your
nostrils like Norfolk mosquito, but enters,
settles there, and ramifes throughout your
body, making you feel as if you were a corpse
awaiting the erection of tombstone over
your grave.
This .simile may be rather strong, but Tn
sure that nothing less than strong simile can
do justice to the odor they manufacture in
Baxter street. If they could only enclose it
in tin cans for expectation, Limburger cheese
would be regarded by Germans abroad as a
mere imposition on their credulity.
Enough is enough have said that, SO
let US return to Baxter street and take long
look at it for this the last time I'll act as
cicerone.
All of the houses are old rickety affairs
built of wood, when or by whom l am not
prepared to say. P S. What's more, shall
never be prepared to say.] These houses are
Inhabited by dirty Jews, swarthy negroes and
mean Irish. Understand, don't mean that
all Jews are dirty, or that all negroes are as
black as the inside of coal-stove, or that all
Irish are mean. Oh no; | love truth too
much for that IF you want hat that out
rivals Alexander the Greats in antiquity, go
to Baxter street; if you want pair of shoes
six sizes larger than any ever worn by plau>
tation negro, Baxter street is the place to buy
them. Every thing in the street is second,
haud-except the odor. Even the inhab>
itants look like a rcjuvenated edition of their
detunct ancestors of ante.diluvian times
They're SO primitive in their habits. Bare
feet, bare heads, and the rest of their apparel
appropriately bordering on the fg>leaf ward
robe of Mr.. Adam and his better half
| wanted to have some sport out of these
people, so l entered clothing store and asked
to be shown a secondhand coat
The proprietor was drinking soup out of
dish which sat on the end of the counter
Wiping up the superhuous soup with the sleeve
of his coat, he gazed at me for minute,
opened his mouth and said, "Eh 2"
Said l, "Show me coat"
The shop>keeper once more looked at me
and uttered one word. That word came slowly
and soemnly from his mouth filed with soup.
| trembled. Was it possible that had
entered the den of magician who, through
the invocation of his ancestor Solomon, the
much-married king was about to metamor-
phose me from prying Harper's Ferrian into
jersey Thomas-cat and immediate me as a
sacrifice on his uncleanly altar-that counter
daubed with soupI
tell you all the crimes of my past life as
sumed the most hideous shapes. How often
had [ refused to-retused to take segar with
q friend How often had l insulted loved
ones when they asked me to take glass Of
soda>water2 How often Alas how often
Such sins showed one another through my
brain. was about to extemporize an apos-
trophe to fair Virginia when l perceived a
lad with IsrseIitish features amble into the
store. The shop, keeper hadn't been calling
the old temple builder after all, but his own
offspring whom he had had named after his
royal forefather
Solomon MCCXX ere saluting his parent
raised his hoof and struck sickly-looking cat,S &
thereby propelling her into the dish of soup
which the master of the situation was regal
ing his earthly body with at the end of the
counter.
After the parent had shaken the cat over
the dish long enough to separate the PARTICLES
ofsoup that. at.adhered to her sides, be proceeded
TO shake the frolicsome Solomon until his ]
hoofs ratified in their coverings.
Then the proprietor spoke three words
Solomon, ihr mutter."
The mother came in, tall woman with no
teeth in her mouth or shoes on her feet
"Was wilst du? Was will you hef?"
felt that it was my duty as a person of
honor-1 am person of homer, though you
al A1,k 7
sought fun instead of coat. said ga CO.
coat"
The woman ran behind the counter. jerked
down several diIapidated coats Selecting
one from the pile, she tore off my blouse and
in the twinkling of mosquito had the ragged,
filthy coat on MY back. l reconstructed
So did she 1 told her that the sleeves were
too short
"Too short, why deys bees vest right"
and to make them so, she caught my wrists
in her huge hands and pushed them into the
sleeves until my elbows cracked I declared
that the sleeves were just the proper length.
''But," said I, ''the coat is too short"
''Oh I'll pull it down." replied the woman.
She did pull it down. went down with it,
and rising 1 struck the soup>dish with my
organ of knowledge with such force as TO
nearly upset the former and render the latter
useless for all other purposes than those of
regulation sized football
The coat would not meet when endeavored
to fasten it in front.
This discrepancy hinted at without the
least manifestation of impatience. Don't
wish didn't hint at all!
She caught the coat by the flaps and turned
me round and round with the same facility
negro cook would turn fap-jack on fry
ing>pan in the cabin of canal-boat
"The color don't suit me, and don't want
it"
Th;s s.;I IN a tone of desn,i-