The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1880-04-15
The Native Hoodlum.

An entirely original product OF San
Francisco is the hoodlum. He IS
cross between the New York street
Arab and the Sixth avenue corner
t'statue." Ordinarily, he is ragged and
dirty. On Sunday, however, he is ar
rayed in short black sack coat, old
fashioned 'spring bottom trousers that
cover three-quarters of his high heeled
boots. felt hat with sugar-loaf crown,
and a necktie SO lurid that it would light
nh the Harlem tunnel. His face is gen
orally meagre, sallow and unwholesome.
His shock of long hair shines with an
odorous imitation of Macassar. lie
walks with the Bowery swagger, and
usually hand in hand with the female of
mis- specie. She is coarse, loud -tongued,
gypsy faced, in cheap and gaudy dress,
a "Pinafore" hat, with a flaming ribbon,
set jauntily upon her head. She chews
gum with stolid contentment and the
rotary jaw motion of the domestic COW.
She rattles off glibly the slang of the
street, and, if vexed, she shows unex-
pected resources in blasphemy. Her,
the hoodium calls his "chunk." There
are thousands of these creatures Ill the
city who are scarcely more than chill
dren in age, but. who have absorbed all
the vices, European and Oriental.
The center of the hoodlum's activity
is known as sTar Flat"-a low lying
quarter, thickly covered with small
houses Here he bids defiance to the
police. One of his favorite pastimes is
to come down like the Assyrian, under
cloud of night, upon the peaceful Ger.
man corner grocery, demand unlimited
schooners of lager, maui about the maj
gard the proprietor who refuses, leaves
the spigots running, and depart for
fresh fields of conquest just as the Irish
guardian of tho peace appears IN the
distance He delights also to beleaguer
the Chinese wash house and lombard 1t
with stones. If he can break the win
dows and soil the clean linen on the
roof, he retires with the conviction that
he is public benefactor. These sports
have become hazardous, though, of late,
as the police justices do not seem to ap-
preciate the point of such playful prac-
teal Jokes. No empty house is safe
from the hoodums depredations. He
oonfscates gas fixtures, lead pipe, win
dow slass-everything that may be sold
to the Junk dealer. He is the terror of
solitary pedestrians IN the suburbs. He
loves to linget about the street corners
after nightfall, smoke cigarettes, tell
ribald stories, and insult any passers-by
who look incapable of resenting the out
rage. If attacked he invariably whips
out knife or pistol, and no is reckless
in the use of either He cruises about
the Barbarv Coast, place given up to
thieves, street walkers and sailors, and
is ready for any crime. He forms the
larger share Of the white patrons of the
cheap Chinese opium dens. The hood
lums of both sexes herd together like
beasts, in large, squalid lodging houses,
where the amateurs in vice and crime
receive professional polish. Half the
persons arrested for street drunkenness
and assaults are hoollums. The" Black
Maria" which disgorges its load at the
Police Court every morning, carries
many of this class whose beardless faces
show their precocious debauchery. The
hoodlum evil has grown with the growth
of hard times. There are very few man
ufactories to give employment to the
half educated children of the poor. Ne
cessity drives them into the street and
inclination keeps them thcre.-Corr N.
Y. Tribune.