Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1880-11-04
NO. 45.
THE PARIAHS OF PARIS.
Their Peculiar Resort in the 1us ,tes
Lyonnais.

Their Peculiar Resort in the 4ue DIES
Lyonnais.
London Globe.
Right III the very heart of Paris, in
the Rue des LyOnnais, the next door to
the Church of st. Medard, the visitor
who has courage enough to see such q
sight may find lodging-house and res
taurant frequented and patronized 10y
the Pariahs of Paris. The sombre build
ing, covered with smoke, and begrimed
without and within, has no flaming
placard. Its owner has not christened
his house with any high-ssunding name
to qualify the word ''hOtel," and the
lantern which hangs out at the first
floor alone indicates that lodging may
be had within. The windows of the
ground floor are closed, and the pane7
have been carefully whitewashed to
save curtains. Now and then a man
comes slouching down the street.
pushes with his shoulder against the
greasy door, and enters.
| The heSitating wanderer who casts
his eye up at the lantern and shudders
when he reaches the door as if all
hope were abandoned has, perhaps.
seen better days. His demeanor con
trasts strangely with that of the next
conner, who has his hands in his pockets
| jingling the few eoppers which will en-
able him to eat and drink, as well as
obtain bed. All sorts and conditions
of men find their way to the Rue des
Lyonnais. The place has a reputation
for cheapness, and poverty gives men
strange bedfellows and companions, so
that the fastidiOus must put all their
finer feelings in their pockets when
| they find that their ideas are not coun-
ter-balanced by a certain sum of money
sufficient to enable them to maintain
their reputation.
Follow the man who has just gone in,
who looks like a student of the RaOul
Rigault school, and who carried Il bun
die of manuscript under his arm, as if
he had been taking cOpiOus notes at
some lecture, OF had been copying
some data from the vel -thumbed foliOS
in the public libraries The door,
when pushed open, leads to passage,
the floor of which is caked with dirt.
In front are the stairs, and lantern
to prevent the dodgers from breaking
their limbs. On the left of the door
is the restaurant, with its low ceiling,
dirty floor and green tables, while an
indescribable Odor of damp straw, old
clothes, etc, pervades the place.
Honesty does not appear to be
prominent trait in the character of the
customers of this establishment. The
pewter platters, which are used to Bro
tect the food served from any contact
with the tables, are attached to the
wood with thin but stout chains, for
the proprietor knows that the merest
trifie has some value in the eyes of a
man whose cravings and stomach
cause him to rise against bis neighbor,
take what belongs to him, and find
some customer for the stolen property.
Benches, worn and stained with use,
are the only seats provided, and the
luxury of knives and forks is unknown
True, every customer carries his own
knife, and knows how to use it
in a pinch, while more than one
has been arrested by the pelice,
dragged from his lair, his hands and
fnger-nails bearing traces of the blood
shed he has committed. Forks are
quite superfiuOus where fingers can be
uStu, tIlu lIIGIl ultttG 10 IlOG SOU III tlle
restaurant. Portions Of vegetables,
fried in some nameless fat, can be had
for penny, while the b0uiUor1, or broth,
which has some 'eyes" of grease on it
for the sake of appearance, is sold for
about half that sum.
Contrary to the custom prevailing IN
other establishments Of this descrip-
ton, neither wine, coffee nor brandy
is sold here. The only beverage the
customers can obtain is what the pro-
prietOr has been pleased to denOminate
'beer," made without hops, by the own
er of the place, in some dark cellar.
and sold for two pence quart-a price
which effectually prevents any grum-
bling. Bread is generally brought into
the house by the customer, who can
buy old crusts and leavings from the
restaurants for three halfpence a
pound
So much for the restaurant, which
has peculiarities of its own unlike the
house in the Boulevard de la Care,
where the customer enters, takes a
penny from his pocket and places it on
the plank, when it is swept in by some
unseen individual, and in return tin
pannikin, full of fiery spirit, more than
half vitriol, called "cognac," is handed
out, while the receptacle which con
tains it is chained to the counter, or
like that in the Rue de Anglais, where
men may pay so much an hour and
drink as much as they can.