The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1880-06-29
Some Adventures of an Enumerator.

The New York World says: Thomas
j. Brosnan, a census enumerator, who
was assigned to the Thirty-ninth Dis
trict, which comprises Park street and
City Hall place and is densely populat-
ed, related to World reporter some of
his adventures.
was driven out of houses number
of times," he said, 4" by people who did
not seem to understand what wanted.
l asked woman at No. 81 Park street
the usual questions and she at once
grabbed stick which she was using in
stirring up clothes in a wash tub and
cleared me out of the room, while her
mother gave me tongue-lashing. She
didn't want to give me any information,
but afterwards some one told her that
she was liable to arrest and when 1 saw
her again talked through the key-hole
of the door with her and she told me
what wanted. When she had told me
all she called me scoundrel and
blackguard. happened into a Park
street garret where young fellow was
beating his mother, very old woman,
and when interfered both turned on
me and drove me out. In another house
in Park street found the woman who
occupied the room intoxicated. ques-
toned her little daughter, and the child
was answering me when the mother
awoke and demanded my business. / tried
to explain, but before had finished she
seized carving knife and tried to stab
me. The knife cut my waistcoat, but /
disarmed her before she could do me
any further harm. One old Irishwoman
to whom explained that 1 was the
enumerator of the district for the tenth
census looked at me in surprise and
said, When l wint to school in the ould
country they taught me that there
were only five sinsis, an now I under
sthand yer ter say there tin. Git out of
here had to explain to her that
census and senses were different words
before she would answer my questions.
A good many women deceive me about
their ages. One old woman, who am
willing to make an affidavit is sixty
years old If a day, said she was thirty
two. Women, particularly unmarried
| ones, tried to conceal their age, especi-
| ally if men were present. Some women
| of thirty said they were eighteen and
| the men standing around would laugh
at them. One Irishwoman said that
she did not know her age, but that she
knew she was born on the night of the
big Wind In some of the hotels I
visited the servant girls were all young,
so at least they said, and many of them
divided their ages by two. At first the
Cinnamon gave me trouble, but when I
threatened to bring Tom Lee, the Chi
nese Deputy Sheriff, down on them
they helped me as much as they could
| The Italians were the hardest to get
information from, as many could not
speak English. adopted the plan of
telling them that was a wealthy gen.
tleman, a philanthropist, and that 1 was
taking their names so that 1 could send
them tons of coal and barrels of flour
when the cold weather came. They all
then showed me their papers very
willingly. A good many tried to make
me believe that they had more children
than they really had. am afraid
will have to keep away from those
Italians, for they will be looking for
their flour and coal. Some people SEEM
ed to believe that was making up a
draft list of their male relatives. One
old woman whom asked If her hus-
band was alive said: If it's for to draft
him, he's dead; If it isn't, he's alive.
In many places 1 was treated kindly
and some young women invited me to
call again. In my rounds met a luna
tic who had escaped number Of times