The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1877-09-19
OUR NEw.yORK LETTER.
New York, September 10, 1877.
NIrRDFRrD BY NFASNESS.

The destruction of Hale's Piano
Factory cannot be ranked among thu
great fires, for it was only u square
that was burned. But so far as thu
destruction of life goes, it will be re
membered for years. Probably ont
hundred men, women and children
were burned to death, and many
more were injured. This loss of life
was entirely unnecessary. Here
was q great six story building, full o
combustibles, and crowded will
working people, aud The only means
Of escape, in ease of fire which wa:
liable 10 break out at any moment
was a fire ladder at each end and
chair escape. So long wasthe building
that it was impossible for those any
where in the centre to get to the lad
ders, and of those who succeeded 10
passing through the smoke and iam'
from burning varnish and paint, only
a few got outside where they could
use them. Around the narrow
small windows that opened to thu
ladders there was the same jam tina
blocked the doors of the Brooklyn
Theatre, and cores persisted misera
bly within o foot Of the place OF es
cape. A thousand dollars in iror
ladders at proper intervals from eact
story would have enabled every per
son in he building to escape. There
ought to be a law in every State
compelling manufacturers who mass
large numbers of people to do this
and make such provision, and in
very liberal manner. Only a yeal
ago, the same tragedy occurred in 9
factory in Massachusetts, and in the
city Of New York there gre a thous
and buildings liable TO 60 ct any
time. But it won't be done. There
will be 8 great deal said. The
Hales when they rebuild will proba
bly, put on their building more lad
ders. but no one else will, and 10 q
week or two there will be another
wholesale destruction of lives.
TIE TRAMP QUESTION.
We have got to face another irrup
ton of tramps very soon The cold
season has commenced in the north
east, and the advance guard Of the
army Las already shown Itself. The
sturdy thieves are getting more and
more common in the parks, and bach
areas that are accessible, and hall
ways that are ca~relessly left open
are being already robbed. There i:
an alarming increase Of sturdy, IN.
shaver, unshorn. pnkempt men staEd-
ing on the streets, looking With vii
famous eyes into houses, to see wheth.
er robbery or beggary will do best,
and the police ere becoming more
and more busy with Migrants. Those
who got far west during the summer,
are not here yet, but when they come
We shall have our hands full.
] asked one OF them which be pre-
ferred, the city or the country. With
charming frankness be answered. the
country, of course, when he weather
is warm enough to admit Of sleeping
in the open air, or in barns.
"Iou see" said the vagabond, "In
the city the Cops are always a
watchin' Of US, and you can't take
nothin' without takin' a blasted risk.
But in the country, bless you, Their
amt uoth;n' 70 stand in the way.
Two of Us watches al, the Hen are
away in the fields, aud we know
tber' amt nobody 10 The house but
women. Then We goes up and asks
for suthin' to eat, which we don't
really want, for we kin kill and
roast as many chickens as we want.
But while the women are gettin' US
suthia' 70 eat, We sights about, and il
Their is any ioose property layin'
around, we gobbles it. ii tie wo-
men make any fuss We show o pistol,
and that ends it. We don't steal
enough to make it worth their while
to foller US very far, and besides they
are afraid,-for We have q dozen or
two in a neighborhood."
"Do the women never make resis-
lance 2"
"CertaiDly they do. Every now
and then we strike one who has a re-
volver aad . Zig dog, and they make
it warm for ns. ] have Q hole in my
left leg bat a woman in Steuben
county, New York, put there. And
my pardner was nearly finished by a
bull dog, and then the men came up,
and they beat us nearly to death.
But Their amt no biznis that you
don't have to take chances in."
"lf you e get all that you want
to eat without invading houses, what
do you want to take these chances
for 20
"Eatin' amt all Their is of life.
Clothes don't bother US much, but
ther' is likker and tobacker. Them
you hev to pay for, in suthin', for
you can't walk into q saloon and
bluff 'em out Of them. No indeed |.
/ wish we could. But them we
must have, and then we like to have
jamborees when o lot OF Us get to-
gether, and then we hey to take keer
of our wimmen, snd one woman will
drink more ana smoke more than two
men. They git crazy and are very
expensive. No, we hev to hev
suthin besides our eating 2"
'If you prefer the country when it
is warm, why don't you go south in
the winter !r
I'VE tried that, but it won't work.
kin git along with the weather,
bat you see the country is so sparsely
thsti it takes too much walkin'
TO git from house TO house. And
then, they don't live well enough.
They cook terrible, and | voL't live
on hog and hominy and all sorts of
grease. / could have done it once,
but my stomach amt what ii used to
be. ! am gittin' old aud have TO
hsvs things better than | used to.
| feel i; AL day If | don't have coffee
the m%ornin', and ] must bave a
great many other things which they
used to in the South. And
besides all this, they are too handy
with their weapons down Their. iu
the North when they git after Us
they arrest Us, and take US very care
fully to q Jail, and they brings US