The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1876-09-28
4 Migrants and Tramps' Lodging
house.

The Detroit Free Press says: Sunday
evening officers Ira Mack and Stearns
were called upon 20 investigate an old
rookery on the southeast corner of St.
Aubin Avenue and Antietam Street,
from whence sounds were coming in
dicating terrible melee. The officers
were met at the door by man named
DUNLAP, who made all manner of threats,
and when he saw that resistance was
useless darted back and was lost in the
darkness. The air was sickening and
bats blinded by the sudden CLEAN of the
officers lanterns darted wildly across
THE room until, stunned by repeated
sudden shocks against the smoke be-
stained walls, they fell helpless TO the
filthy floor.
SO soon as the officers had accus-
toned their eyes TO the darkness, a
sight was revealed that was beastly and
almost horrible. In one corner of the
room, curled up on a large chest-the
only article of furniture in the room
was a weak, besotted old man named
Burns, who, while he vainly struggled
to assume an erect position, emitted
groans of pain, intermingled with terri
Die cursing. Near the back door, which
stood open, lay an unfortunate female
vagrant whose only known name is
&c Bricktop," who has just been released
from the House of Correction. She was
lying upon pile of rags and scraps Of
carpet in an insensible condition, with
the blood oozing from numerous newly
made wounds in her face, while by her
side was a nearly naked baby, wailing
piteously as it tried to awaken its de-
graded mother.
After having taken the child to the
house of a citizen living near by, the
officers returned, placed the old man,
Burns, in a more comfortable position,
and then set about dressing "Brick-
tops" wounds, during which operation
she recovered her senses, and between
torrents of abuse shOwered upon the
heads of the officers, she told how Dun
lap and she had engaged in q fight in
which she was beaten, but not word
did she have to say in condemnation of
her assailant. q
After having relieved Bricktop" the
officers continued their explorations.
Not a piece of furniture was to be seen,
not a single article of clothing was
found, while the room was bare of even
the smallest particle resembling food.
All was rags, rubbish and vermin. AT
last a rickety, marrow stairway was
found, and with squads OF rats scamper-
ing before them and clouds of cobwebs
settling over their faces the officers
CROPPED their way NO stairs. Here an
equally disgusting sight greeted them.
Like the room below, the chamber
was barren of furniture with the
exception of a badly broken cook
inc stove and two dilapidated
chairs. Rags were plentiful, however,
the floor being fairly covered with them,
while lying around the room in every
conceivable shape were thirteen per-
sons, all soundly sleeping. There were
boys Il and ID years of age, stout, but
depraved young men; there were five
females, the youngest, Annie Leroy,
being IA years old, while her compan-
ions were Eliza Miles, Hannah Fuller
and two elderly persons, who refused
to give their names. There they were,
Just above the nearly tragic scene
which had Just been going on down
stairs, and all of them quietly sleeping,
exhibiting by their semi-unconsciOus-
ness such a thorough familiarity with
such scenes that their occurrence in no
way disturbed them. When awakened
by the officers they quietly arose and
left the house, as though heartily glad
at leaving it with the prospect of more
comfortable quarters at the House of
Correction