The New York herald., 1876-12-12
The Swelling Tide of Poverty at the
Tombs Police Court.
HOST OF APPLICANTS.
Their Stories OF Enforced Idle
ness and Want.
JUDGE DUFFYs OBSERVATIONS.


vagrancy, OF men and women who had no place
whcreon 10 lay their heads, who tramps but
honest people seeking work and dcsparna OF getting
it, II the condition OF things at this moment be SUCH
how must 1t be along through January February and
March, with, perhaps, unusually severe weather,
unsettled political mudde and consequent stagnation
in all branches OF trade and business Cases OF private
distress must, no doubt, be many. These have TO be
sought through benevolent and charitable agencies
for Il IS such poverty shrnks from tho public gaze
and prefers TO suffer on in silence and conccalmcnI
WHERE rnE POOR MAY EE SEEN.
The police the places where the cases OF
vasrancy, row fast multiplying are to be seon daily.
Chicf among these is the Tombs II is in the midst OF
poor and tocming population, and II is the best
known OF any otncr Tho unfortunate and poverty
stricken all heard OF II, and they throng cold
stony steps and It's dsmn! and rcpusvo corridors and
chambers through all the hours Of the day. Court is
held in the morning for three hours in gloomy
room, story above tho street There is number OF
high-backcd benches, where men and women with
complaint another, who there witnesses or
as vagrants, pass tho drcary time TIL their
disposed OIL Drunken people, 10 all stages OF misery
and degradation momcntarily brought in from tho
prison cells and the atmosphere OF the such
times Is heavy with sad and unwholesomo breath.
THE SHAME HONEST POVERTY
cot have trampcd tho c.ys pavoments for ntas in
search OF employment who has slept tho night sta
ton houses and passed his days without knowing tho
luxury OF whole meal, rises up and goes forward to
the bench. Tho Judge is quick to detect who the
is and what he wants, and hc is promptly committed
on his own voluntary application as vagrant to
Backwells Island. One OF these cases will be OF full
grown, stalwart man. whose hoad is bowed with hon
est shame as he moves forward among the criminal
and unclcan to beg the bread OF public charity. It-
oratc and rudo as he may be, the feeling OF
manhood In him is for tho time overcome
at tho consciousness OF being hcrdod with the vile
and degraded OF his species. Then thero old
man, with his faded and thrcadbarc garments be-
speaking hard struggle with pitcss poverty, who
applies to the police Justice to be committed
vagrant and his voice is weak and husky his checks
palc and wan, and his legs scarcely able to
sustain him. but the Justice 1t Is Duffy speaks TO
him few kindly words, tells him 10 cheer up and that
good time is yet in store for HIM. Then there arc
some half dozen women, but, unlike the men, they
set Of unfortunate creatures who brought pow
erty themselves by drink. and who have made uso
OF The public charity time and again.
WHERE SOME vAGKASTs CONE FROM
It. found that many among the vagrants are sent
here from other places on the plea that they belong
to come here rs emgrarts anc land at Castle Garden
Commissioner Cox, one OF tho Commissioners OF Char
authorities wao we're so nyous to SADDLE their poor
on New York thirteen vsgrants and Will continue 10
return them whom he finds they have any friends In
the places whore they como from.
TiE vAGRASrs IN THE ToMBs.
Thirty or forty OF these poor men Yesterday had
themselves voluntarily committed for vagrancy and
were assigned 10 roomy coll IN the Tombs. Keeper
James finn spoke to few Of them in German and to
the English, so that all understood him, when he
told them what the writer desired to know. There
two three there who were dressed with tocr
able decency comfort but the great majority mad
clearly thor clothes and scpt them for quite
time. few were old men, but not so old as to be
past the ability to labor. All OF them told the
pitlul tale OF no work TO do
SAY AND LOOK LIKE.
William Sceckhardt man OF about forty ycars,
lhograph printer, out o situation for three months,
said :-.'You see, loose all my vanity, and shust as
do SO loose my job Efcry.ngs den goes 10 dc very
ole coat, and work gums to me, aud haas to gum
here and vecl pooiy had-yaas. pooty bad--6ut
might vecl worse only know dorc's worse cases den
william Cutter, agod twsniy-sx, said :-'T am a
marble polishor, ana have been OF and on In Boston
for few ycars got out Of situation there few
mouths ago, and when went 10 look for relief they
shipped mo on down here had no place come TO
about tho streets tho host way could''
Patrick English, stout, STURDY. lowsizcd man. Of
Chicago 70 look ior work hore. WAS o", of worH
there Tor a month, and they towd me they couldn't
give any help, but they would send along hero, an
signs by tncy packed me off, an sure II was thought
was comm 10 ine city, but tho dvil thing ex-
pcct 10 get 10 do here IN twcP month, though
William shepherd, aged twenty-five, came from
Whehs in the northern part oi tho state, and spent
Chance a. ali Of getting 60
thing 10 do, but II was no use, and had TO come
bcrc, but Commissioner Cox promises 10 scnd mo
home" Shepherd was the most comfortably dressed
OF any OF the crowd.
John Smith, aged about twcnty -four, d:-sT havo
bin out jest two months Ny business is canal boat
man. but the canals Is g,ttin used up bad and tbero
haint no use fer young lcor like me lookin ior much
OF livin' out o. them"
Jnncs Cnltuohcr ala Rivin rton etrcet said am
out ot employment four months. Ny business wall
paperng and lately u has got 10 be poor business.
tried hard for work In other ways but somehow hcro
was always people ahead OF mo- and | couldn't get
thing. TO do, and have been compelled TO como to
this.o
Henry Harding aged twenty four. said :-sI came
hero from Philadelphia about two months and half
ago, and have been looking for cmploymen as a
ncssy Yes, u has got down putty low. There never
was so mauy scrubs in is ana some Of them work for
Martin O'Day, a man with comical cyc, answered
the question as 10 where lie lived by saying, "Bcdad.
live nowhere, bekasc II could you wouldn't sec me
here. No. in troin; the O'Days, II they had their
rights, would live IN house OF their own and 1.-Two on
the ial OF the land bosideshal is il they could Times
bad you say? Well, II they could be worse suppose
we'd have TO last iasher than wo'rc fastn now. Pm
iaoorer by pcrfcsson and I'm out OF work month,
when TiIdcn's cicctedn
Mark Conway, venerable, large-szcd man, said -
al have been fireman for fortyhvc years, but
saw this state Of affairs before was ten weeks and
three days IN Bellevue Hospital and have been
weeks out Oi II, without getting anything To do. Tho
times, SIR, continued tho old man. with feeling his
voice, ''arc very hard the poor who have do the
hard work OF tho world Help US II you can through
tho HERALD. lived Ut No. l39 East Thirteenth
street"
Michael Moran sad:--"I have address IN this
world. have lately come from the Homeopathic
Hospital and am four mouths out Of work "
Cain Mansfield, oil No. 10 Roosevelt street, said:-
'l have been laid up most all summer VITA the
rheumatism. I'm mason by trade, AID thcre was a
time when money was plenty and had my share of
IT, but these times arc the hardest that ever came on
us; there are lots OF men like me IN th mason trade
AMI other trades, and don't what they're to do
no more than these men here TINS winter"
William II, Mason, No 459 Geccnwch street, trunk
maker, said no was out oil work Tor two months.
Jacob Weigartncr, German, with only few
words OF English, nborer said he had no homc and
had been out OF work for three month";
Peter Callahan, No 40 vandewater street, tailor by
trade, had done nothing Tor Two months.
Patrick NcIins, having lost one leg, had done moth
Ing Tor three years, compelled TO i've charity,
but found even that hard to get now, except from the
CITY.
ON THE WAY BLAcKwELL's
In speaking with number OF the mploycd mon