The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1877-01-04
Our New York Letter.
TIE HORSE CARS AND BENGII-DE-
FALCATIONS--PO BUSINESS
FIRE ESCAPES-wEATHE

FIRE ESCAPES-WEATIlER
NEW YORK, Dec. 30, 1876.
BERGH AND TIE HORSES.
Bcrgh, the head of the Society
for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Animals, got after the horse car
people the night before Christmas
in most delightful way. The cars
VIC unusually crowded, and Il heavy
snow was falling. The car com
panics, who are managed by the
kind of mcn who look upon man
and a horse as so much money to
be doubled in the shortest space of
time, were dragging the cars mp
town, loaded to twice their capacity,
with the two horses usual to good
weather. 1t was one strain from
the Post Office up town, and the
jaded stccds only got on by pulling
their shoulders out of joint. At
Odd street, Bergh's officers stopped
every one of the cars, and COM
PEELED them to stay there till ad-
ditional teams could be put on.
There was no help for it, and over
three hundred cars, all loaded to
their utmost with hungry men,were
held there an hour, till the teams
necessary to drawing them with
some degree of comfort could be
brought and attached. The pass
cngcrs we're as wroth as the COM
panics, but Mr.. Bcrgh Informed
them that he did it for the purpose
Overwhelming them to the necessity
of taking some interest in human
itarian movements. While he is
about it he ought 70 do something
for the drivers, who are as badly
overworkcd as the horses, and not
half as we'll fed. The car driver
in New York is compelled to work
from fourteen to sixteen hours a
day, in freezing weather, rain,sno
or slcct night and day, for which
they receive the muniffccnt sum Of
S1.65! They are compelled to stand
on their feet all the time, and there
is scarcely one of them who has not
varicose veins, or some other disease
brought OH by exposure, equally
serious; and as severe as is the
labor, and as hard rs the work,
there are thousands applying for
positions for every place that is va
cant. 1t is a rather good proof of
honesty that they work at all at
such wages, rather than steal. But
while the animals arc taken care of,
there has been as yet no society
organized to prevent cruelty to
men. The street cars arc so many
mines of wcaltll, and the companies
arc enormously rich; but their en-
ployccs arc harder worked and less
paid than any in the city.
HIGH LIVING AND DEFALCATIONs.
The frequency Of dcfalcations by
young men holding confidential
positions cxcitcs great deal Of re-
mark. Every day some young man
gets away to Europe i'll mystcr-
ious way; his books arc examined
and he is found to be u dcfaultcr to
a large amount. Then his employ
crs investigate, and it is found that
he has been living fast, that he has
been supporting woman," and
that his face is wcll-known in the
gambling hclls. If he is smart, he
has stolen and saved enough to be
able to compromise with them; but
rs rule he has squandcrcd all that
he has stolen, and has fed without
money or character. l knew one
case of a young man who belonged
to two clubs, his living at which
costs him not less than $4,000 u
year who kept mistress who re-
quircl carriage for her own use,
and whose midday lunches never
cost him less than SIS. At the clubs
uptown he was supposed to be
partner in the house, and his cxtrav-
agant living was not considered
singular. 1t turned out, however,
that he was merely a clerk on
salary of $1,000 u year, and that
his dcfalcations in two years footed
up over $4,000! And he got away
to Australia with nothing-his
mother sold stocks to get the few
hundreds that were necessary to
take him out of New York. Every
cent of it has gone on his vices.
His mistress sold his carriages,
horses ana jewclry, and immcdi.
ateIy proceeded to find another VIC
tim TO ruin. Another clerk, at a
salary OF 81, 500, embczzlcd in about
the same time 100000 which he
spent in the same way. 1t is n sim
gular thing that the business OF
great house should be managed so
MS to make such thcfts possible, but
it is so; and they occur almost daily.
POLITICAL.
The holidays have taken tho
spirit out of the politicians, and
there is nothing new on the chess.
board. The democracy find it hard
work to keep up an excitement. and
tllcv have about Abandoned Tho do,