National Republican., 1877-02-08
NO PLACE TO SLEEP.
THE GUESTS AT THE NIGHT LODGING
HOUSE.

I
"Can have a ticket to the lodgin house,
sirf" asked little man, In dilapidntcd suit Of
clothes, with q naploss beaver hat, carrying a
bulgy carpet.bag and an umbrella with the ribs
sticking out Of IT'S side In two or three places as
"well, where did you come from ~ asked the
oaiser @ % on duty 50 abrSptiy and siernly that tho
scramble for hP that piece Of bsRRSTs Ss n ms
slipped from his hand; He soon righted himself
| that he was not an impostor.
How long have you been heror"
,nrn Just 81 got here tonight. walked from Potcrs.
The SiGs5 feeling 's,,,aea .na. M the applicant
and dipped his pen Into the ink.b bottle.
| WHAT'S your namef"
John Thompson,n, replied the applicant, and
the oincsr scrawled 1t over the top oi the card.
Thirty Lone last September"
Five foot nine"
| Hundred and hny.aye."
Thompson, who received directions as to the ioca
minute to dsSIphef tho hcrosyphcs % 'GRpt tSas the
| officer scratched on the ticket, left.
THE LODGING HOUSE.
The Night Lodging House occupies tho gloomy
old structure on Louisiana avenue, near tho
Guard House There are no dwellings near il"
nothing s but lone and ugly buildings used as
tas 81 s.S s Sna JUNK snoP hs
| people doomed to neglect and misery. A dIngy
lower issues from the pile Of dark and moisty
over the Irregular tops Of the adjacent houses.
The paint with which 1t originally shone white
grey. The pigeons who have tafen possession Of
It's dark reeetses, on the squatter plan, seem half
ashamed of their dwelling place, and make Wide
that no one observes them. Down below the tower
there is nothing but gloom and grated windows.
No one would imagine that the building was kept
open for charitable purposes, until they saw the
letters "lodgin-ous''-all that remain-palntod
on broken and dirty piece Of glass, lamp held
over the main'door by stout Iron bracket. Tho
door opens into long passage, at the other end
Of which Is q grated gato-the entrance into tho
damp and shsdowy labyrlnths Of tho old prison.
On the right Of the passage, near tho grated
pate. Is small ROOM which is used as the general
business bus office Of the lodging house. It is the
others are closed up, and surrendered to the bats
And AM decay, AZ night the old lamp in front Is
show the way TO the house.
"How many have you got tonight" inquired a
rspSfter Of the superintendent, Mr.. Howard.
The reporter followed the superintendent into
the room used as the office. There was n crowd
o. applicants, successful and unsuccessful, al.
THE oyYIoE.
The office Is furnished with a stove, table, on
which the superintendent does his writing: a cot
bed In ono corner, bench along the side of the
room by the stove, and one or two chairs. On the
stove Is huge cofiee.pot holding ten gallons In
bread, and over 1t Is a row Or hooks, from each Of
which suspend tin cup, used in serving out the
coffee; The Ton Commandments, painted on a
side Of the room, and the rules OF the lodging
house. on pink card, are posted on the other.
dozen men In he room. % Some s' Of them hem S hed al
Teady sSf hS shsir PINT Of coffee and third Of
fhnI wuI.L
Ing lips Two 'uS tSqeeGP SeP'f stood th waiias %1Ss;
With tickets received At station. houses, In their
them The iupertntondent slipped I Sna into tho %
seat bohind the table or desk, an5 adjusting his
eyeglasses, Inspected the tickets, and turning a
Then he put them through a longer exanin q.
subjeetsd at the station house. IUpsIu opposite the
name Of each. bstween ruled lines, were his dos.
tination and trade or profession his age and natvi
ty. The book also tells whether he can read or
write, what city no came from last, and whether
he is married or single.
THE LopoHRs.
Some OF the men In the room were evidently
trying to preserve a neat appearance under dItfi-
culties, There were three or four struggled along
the bench In the last stage Of poverty and wretch
Bad luck and misery make men very democratic
IN their views One middled aged man In sesdy
ses, was telling his troubles In exact and polished
phrases TO IN unksmpt and ignorant mpanion,
who could not sign his own name in the book. A
iorlorn looking man, smaciated by hunger and
disease, with uncombed hair struggling down
into his eyes, thin and tattsred garments, and iii.
croushed in the corner, .clutohIng hls bread and
conee.cup, and glared about the room as If afraid
his right TO them would be disputed.
HARD TIMES.
"These be mighty hard times!" remarked A
oeiiss. AA1 'O''AO'' '00s'f' between Two sa'ps OF
%Y %Ys;," replied the reporter, encouraglngly.
great deliberation then drew his sleeve across his
mouth and continued
me- s sssa S ssE Fs Ss n. ss9s
through Jersey, and Philadeiph!a and Baltimore,
and there amt nothing doing, there ain't nary a
There's hundreds just like me- willing to wcrk, but
there's no work for ON to do. Sec that fellow
over there,,hat fellow in the corner" pointing to
Of the bench, "he cemo with me from PhlladeI.
phia. He's got wife there, and children beg.
Eing for something to eat, and there's no work for
A JOURNALIST IN BAD LUCK.
plead little old man, with sn6w.white hair and
Every bed taEen ~, replied pH AMI Mr. Howe SORROW
fully, shaking his head. There are half a dozen
men here now v who viii have to go because there
The old man turned, walked slowly down tho
passage, and buttoning his coat over his bosom,
passed again out under the broken lamp into the
dark street, without home and wltht ut friend
~ feel sorry for that man. remarked the su.
perintendent; ~ have let him stay here good
ruie,y p1ey '%ss good many times more than tho
"He dIinksl" said the reporter, inquIrngiy, be.
Of the misery Of three-fourths Of the applicants
for sN% NISdEi, gon,, o,,,., ..n,,,, -. ...,.,
ent.
The old man was journalist in this city several
years ago, and attached to the editorial staff of
the National InfeHigencer. Since then he has
tried TO make living out of his old trade print.
Ing But he Is old and decrepid, and there is "no
work for him to do"
THE SLEEPING ROOMS,
The reporter passed up stairs with the super.
lntendent TO look into the sleeping rooms. They
the dodgers who had gone to bed were hanging
on pegs Under each pegful OF faded, wretched
and seanty garments stood pair Of shoes or boots
that had seen SO much wear and travel that they
looked tired. "You ought to see them scraui.
bio for their clothes in the morning
when they get up" observed the superin.
tendent, while passing. In the washrooin, at
the end OF the passage, three men were stripped
and shiyeIing. Each lodger is required to take
bath before going to bed. Only three are
allowed 81 WrsloI9 TO sNI%s.P come up time in order
sleeping rooms In front were rows Of clear.
COTS on the pillow Of nearly every cot was the
weary head Of q wanderer. BY the empty cots
clean night gowns were hanging, waiting to pc
pulled over somebody's head. Several of the cells
on the second floor Of the prison, which is less