The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1879-06-29
THE JANGLING JUNK BELLS.
ARRESTS THAT NAVE CAUSED ALARM
IN NINTH WARD EASEMENTS.

Unton, and Preeident ShauGhnessy'a Speech
In Explanation OF ns Principal Objects.
capt. Kennedy has been sent up town to
command tho rocks and the goats. whore he
belongs" said Mr.. Robert Buckley in explana-
ton OF his grievances yesterday. " He used to
arrest every one OF us for carrying tho bells
when he was In the Charles street police sta
ton. but since he's gone wore not troubled so
much in the Ninth Ward. There have been
only one or two arrests here since Capt. Ken
nedy went away. but north OF Fourteenth street.
In the Sixteenth Ward. they're arresting every
body. Fourteenth street divides two precincts.
We can trundle our bells on tho south side.
with the policemen blinking across the street
but we can't trunde them on the north side"
Mr.. Buckley keeps junk shop In n basement
In Greenwich street. near Barrow but he is
not above going out with his handcart to bar
gain with housekeepers for junk and rags
Rising from the sides OF his cart arc two up
right pieces between which hangs string OF
bells. He does not make use OF an extra string.
as some junkmen do. to give extra motion to
the bells nor are his bells Of the large. fiat. and
particularly Objectionable kind known as COW
bells. II was Mr.. Buckley who called an assem-
bly, OF junkmen to order last Saturday evening.
In the Junk basement OF Mr. Thomas Dobbins.
400 West Houston street. and explained the OBJ
ject OF the meeting. This was to protect the
rights OF all engaged in the junk business. and.
ia particular. to obtain the repeal Of an alleged
ordinance forbiddng the carrying OF bells on
junkmens carts. The result OF the gathering
was decision to form Junkmen's Protec-
tive Union. No. l." at another meeting to be
held on Wednesday evening
What ordinance do you mean 2" the reporter
asked yesterday OF one OF the men who had at
tended the meeting.
Il mean the ordinance we're arrested on.
whatever it is. We don't believe there is any"
was the reply.
Mr. Buckley thought 4. was Alderman Nor
riss ordinance"
The reporter called on Alderman Morris. who
showed him an ordinance approved by Mayor
Cooper on tho 9th OF this month.
1t is nm old ordinance" the Alderman ex-
planned. to which only added an amendment
70 prevent any person from performing on any
| hand organ or other instrument treading the
amended part without its surplus Of legal YER
biagel for pay. or In expectation Of payment. IN
| =. NJ. nor within Ave hundred feet OF any
school house or church during school hours or
| hours OF worship, nor within the same dis
lance of any dwelling or other promises when
requested 6y any househ3lder not to do so. I'M
fer pa nut al to ba H srS
| ing street bands My amendment does not ap-
ply to iunkmet's carts. Itried to have stop
that the Board would not second me. Now.
| doubt whether the old part OF the ordinance
covers lunkmsn's bells. but with that 1 have
The part OF the ordinance 10 which Alderman
Morris last referred and the only part which
can possibly refer TO junkmen's bells, is. when
| stripped Of unnecessary words, as follows:
No person shall ring any boil or bells. for
| senRers. in the street. 10 any show Of birds or
beasts or other things in this city. under PEN
II will be observed that the purpose Of tho
ringing must be q attract the attention OF pas
| sengers and not the inmates OF houses. which
latter class Ia the one that the iunkmen want to
reach Again. y Is said that the phrase. or
other thing, which might In itself cover Junk
show Of other things" Mr.. Buckley interprets
mo person shall ring bells to attract atten-
ton to any show Of birds or lshow of beasts or
lshow of other things THAT is. snakes or fat
The ordinances was shown % William C,
Whitney. Corporation Counsel. He read 1t and
Ss but that dS mot e want Ssn 70
give "a horse-shed opinion"
Out in the country" Mr. Whitney explained
pie ride a great way 10 church. the men are ac-
cnstomed to gather In the horse shed near the
and the afternoon services in talking about
horses and crops. II IS at this time that the
lawyer OF the neghborhood Is seized upon and
made TO give opinions without fees and. OF
course without any proper s1ami1anon OF au-
sound opinion in this junk bells matter be-
cause l don't understand all It's bearings"
Next the reporter sought 4 police station
authority iunkmen were arrested for carrying
be!lwSS Is. ,on,, .rr.., ,n., :, ,h,. rr.o,r.,
said. but suppose that the words or other
things. In Alderman Morris's ordinance. cover
A sergeant In the Twentieth street police sta
ton whose precinct covers the sixteenth Ward;
told the writer that only three lynx men had
the Police Justice. he said, had discharged the
prisoner. after warming him In future 70 take
TO. At the Police Central oflce the reporter was
told that the police bad right 10 arrest Junk;
ground that Il Is public nuisance. He was
also shown section Al article s., OF the ordi-
nances OF 1889. which reads as follows:
No horn. humpet or other instrument shall he blown
asfS y q .r e s sasst bs q o q GS
offence
This. II was claimed was suficient authority
for the arrests the iunkmen complained OF.
Mr.. Thomas Dobbins was asked whether he
thought II right to use large COW bells on his
carts, OF when he sends out four or ilye ..,.
like sleigh bells. are big enough. and most Of Vi
who is Il that uses the large ones7 2"
They're the rich fellows up town. TheI
send out now many carts as they please. Il
used to be they could only get licenses for fouI
are the ones that put the big bells on all theiI
carts"
loud. Which brings the most attention. the
On man. crying would Drenk your nehrt u
you had 10 keep II up all day. The bells are thI
thing. That Is what calls attention to us all tn,
world over. No one ever heard OF stopping the
bells In England, Ireland, or Scotland. but Nv,
come from u land OF freedom 10 a land Of Iyran
e Do you suppose you'll have influence
enough to get an ordinance repealedP
" Oh. Yes. Junk IL one OF the biggest bust
nesses that s carried on In this big city. The
men that trundle the carts generally don't owr
them, They come 20 US, who have the carts
and the license numbers. The license used L
cost $40 the first year and s. a year afterward
Now 1t costs only IS the first year and az. so
year aiterward. We give "a man a cart and ad
vance him few dollars. II he has no money
and he goes out and makes the best bargain,
he can. At night he comes back and sells tn,
stun he has collected to us mt the best bargain
he can. That is all the arrangement there Ii
generally between us. We get no rent for tn,
cart Each poor junkman Is ambitious TO owl
a cart and take out a license. because then h,
can sell his junk to any one he pleases Yer,
often the keeper Of a junk shop. even II he Ii
] pretty well on will be seen trundling a cart"
The basement 800 West Houston street is p
feet square. Its wa lie are blackened, and IL
some places draped with cobwebs. IL wal
lighted with one kerosene lamp suspended
over a table in the centre. On the walls wer,
hung two empty demijohns. a piece OF harness
a wood saw. and variety OF similar diverse
articles. About seventy-fiye men OF all age
found seats on bags OF old paper and rags OF
benches, on old stoves, on setteo, and on fOul