The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1881-12-04
DICKENS, THE REPORTER.

s.
DICKENS, THE REPORTER.
A st. Loulsian Recalls "a Night Tramp
Through London and "A Morning Scene In
Front of Horsemonger Lane Jail.
Various writer's in the English magazines
are just now engaged in reviying reminis-
Cences of the great master Of English now
elists, Charles Dickens. The simplest de-
tails of the life of the man who has written
for the largest number probably, in the
history af modern literature, are possessed
Of a rare interest and one who has wept
with Little Nell, laughed with the genial
Weller or kept up spirits with
the irrepressiblc Mark Tapley,
would fain accompany the wizard
in his rambles through London,
where his all-Observant eyes and .l-hear-
ing ears discovered the characters that
beam from the pages of his novels Of the
people. State Senator Henry Manistr., of
st. Louis is an old Londoner, and enjoys
the distinction Of having know the great
writer. Last evening Globc-Dcmocrat
reporter was seated in the cosy parlor Of the
Senator's home in South st. Louis, and in
n conversation on old country affairs gcncr-
ally the name of Dickens came up, when
Mr.. Manistre slid II had the honor Of Mr..
Dickens acquaintance, aud accompanied
him one evening on one of h characteristic
tramps
THROUGH THE HAUNTs
ofthe lower million, which he made mem
npuhlp IL in thn gnrin.r ,f'lQAl !
think, and the night was cold, raw and
clustering. On the following morning
man named Manning and his wife were to
be publicly executed at Horsemonger Lane
Jail, which was at that time the jail for the
division of London called the Borough,
Manning and his wife had been convicted
of the murder of an excise officer named
O'Conncr. The trial o! the cause had ere
ated great excitement throughout London.
The woman was an Italian, and Illicit re-
lations had existed between her and
the eyciscman, the husband being privy TO
the affair, Stimulated by her wrctchcd
she turned her hold upon the e.
else man to course OF revenue, aud levied
blackmail TO such an extent that he could
stand it no longer. When he declared his
intention ofcutting her of she flew into
violent passion and slew him with stjletto.
! llV lluNublll uNSlNlt'l W NllHll''-t VI lllN
body, and was sentenced to die along with
the murdereSs Such was the general IN
tercst taken in the forthcoming yindicatinn
of the outraged law, that Mr. Dickens
the idea Of taking an extensive
ramble through the night resorts ri the eos
'longShoremcn and Iow-liviHg
characters generally, with view to gather
ing
THE IMPRESSION
Of that class regarding the event OF tie
morrow With our great coats closely but
toned up, we started for lIorScmongcr Lane
Jail. There were six, / think in the party,
MIR, Dickens, Mr.. William Twclle, wealthy
Mr.. Linton, proprietor of a
glass factory establishment, John Grant,
the London representative of a great Mar
chester house myself, and one other. At that
Time | was doing large confectionery BUSH
ness in Loughborough road, nrsion.
We crossed London bridge from tie
Sussex side, thence through Chca}.
side, Fleet street and the Str'nd, clear ut
10 StinEO lane, actually wal 500, through
London. We dropped in at all the saloons,
gin palaces they call them lhcre--oid
ran across all grades Of humanity, from
.cions Of nobility on a lark in some pretnn- :
.ious establishment, to groyclmg, degraded I
in noisOme dcns that fairly |
'eeked with filth and the vile vapors from
the trip sirgularly quiet. He
cnlivcnod the tramp with some .
humorous anecdotc, generally as !
'ocated with the locality through which /
We were passing, I'm no instance did he /,
uingle orattcmpttO associate with the peO- [,
pie whom we came in contact with. Aswc /
ook our drinks or cigars he was silent, but /,
Without showingit,
ms EYES WE'RE EVERYWHERE
nj his ears were listening to and following /
he thread ola dozen conversations. II was /
| long and weary tramp, and day had fairly Z
,rokcn when We reached the lIorsomongcr .
.ane Jail again. During the night had ,
lot seen him take a single. note, yet when, /
day or two ltcr, the |
history of that trip appca-cl in |
,rint, was amazed OF is tIruty "a the .
vents of the night. | carefully read itI
,ver, and found that the scenes and iHc.- |
Tents oil the jaunt were reproduced with /
accuracy, from the frivolous ,
lalfmaudlin differences of a party of young |
Tom Noddys we had found on the,
stand TO the abominable and, to M,
slang of lot of costcrmon- .
,ers in Fleet street establishment, which, /,
n this country, would be called .
dive. The effect OF the |
event upon the popI- |
zee, high and low, was reflected with !
vividness and truthful style that conjurcd |
ip the scenes again as they were. Nor were
he details of the execution overlooked in /
ny particular, Public executions were /
hen in vogue and the scahold from which .
he guilty Mannings was ushcred into cter- .
~ had been erected upon the top of the I
rcat stone gateway TO the Jail. | never
aw a bigger crowd. The .OusctoDS were
lack with people for blocks in every dircc-
ion, and in the street below The crowd was .
o dense that It was impossible % move.
lien and women were faintlug, and then
anne in
THE PLAY OF THE POLICE.
On the low buildings on either side Of the !
treet police were stationed with ropes cor
.cnicnt. When u person tainted he on ,lo
lOS actually passed over the heads of 4 q
hrong To point where one OF these ROM,
% Nd be placed under thoir arms, when II O
'olirc dragged the limp form 'up TO the
oof. Some one threw basket frem n
window and 10 was knocked hthor and .
hither over the heads of the people. as
I II were on the bosom of the ocean, /
stood near Mr., Dickens. who /
'almly, almost carelcssly, looked upon the |
hrong, yet no single Incident was over
ooked by those keen eyes, no sound I'M .
ie0rd. and reading his sketch, saw again
he surgng, trembling multitude saw ,
lgain the condemned march to their doom, |
saw again the last look of agony and ter, |
'or upon their faces as they gazed, for the :
asst time, upon earth, ] saw again the look
)f defiance the woman cast Mt the mob
which hooted at her from below, | saw
again the ashen face of the craven husband