New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-07-17
THE ITALIAN QUARTER.
STRANGE NIGHT SCENES IN NETWORK.


III. "boodlumr of New-York. with his senses
deadened to the beauty of the Latin tongue anu .he
mellow Neapolitan accent, has bestowed upon tilr
that use nS % TRs only
cbaracterstic for the local geographical yccaoniary
If This CITY contains such names as Senasl9vnOI.
enS BOTTLE Alleys. These localities have oesn
named from their inhabitants or ron ;s sS; ;s
suqgsesye ward is the oppressed
and Czar-ridden Hebrew Muscovites HiHs uear
T. ON impre enable fortress on the Fast sue nf s
It ds Is f fas' Gs%S 's and almost
n1Iry st., near the North RIVER is hfi t,s
kitchen" b ss" upon the
wa; osenr Scarcely night passes WitoG. am
arrest being made in helps k'Ghehh ne ast decade
nc scene or adious Central Park ana Is wei ~
erpillar" Alley is eGntonanohI o 81
Grovest Bottle ana since the peaceful Chi
much OF 1'; ;1add the vicinity OF the flye ions
o. the East Side of the city is Gerna my africa"
Wooster Su,iiHa IN, arter. In the Fourteenth Ward
auu .no the Lover portions OF Notl' I~ ana
Crosby and Jersev-s's'' "A' 'N0
the Italian Qnartser will take stroll through the
Y.I;e ararter the most exclusive OF aIS, n sum
cepng the Chimes nc to interest him and some
th;n 4 to admire IN the swsrms OF .n1 among
children Of Italy he WIZ hio conntry are unlike
The Italians VINO cur cur otions trainlOads OF whom
roll ont every night from Jersey Mains of the far
coal mines of Pennsylyanla or loves company
He wants 20 hear spoken arounu a. left behind
home the language of the country ne ne stle Garden
nm ano 40 no SUarter where in the Sgt s I ,u
sounds about him he sees nothlne 10 | property
bomesiek Mn hacker aer small squads of them may may
slnns o over eVerv dav going mp Broad"ya " TO
cross;nc the CITY Hall Park on inc his new
I'll, ct the heart OF
I.aly' where await them Liberty fIaternaI nd-the
Foualitv Their figures are snort anu luces are
yesnlt of ages of oppression nc On" hNr-or of
nnglv IN favor of their receiving snow the
stones on the way, from the ragged gaH 1 II,
street cry out at GV thr conntrvmen and when
t%nv see on every side Italian signs over me The
WAYS and sw9rt Italian faces peeIn es o" pTerfecty
at home They find Fraternity , va arv
sonalitv. if not always liberty. Ma ny
Of them come over the wafer Oh tb~ir passage
,nonev and rent them rooms aiier 'h9y gei ny.
no re1ay these men, who ae only slHu qf Nv III
man p;ction 20 them They hired out TO the
railroad companies until the passage iuoner the
rent have been pal9 WIN fSom tins slavery and
ho" LAID M efficient number OF IlastIes ne Pa{s
an organ and monkey and walks nc s'ifets =" i if
lilo city grinding out dOlefnl tunes TOT iNImg ;.h
there = boy in the family he is prcvldrd WITH d
boofblack's outfit and takes to the streets aiso.
The Italian section forms one 90. Ho coS,nonoi,t tam
fRl,s o. "f he CIV The streets aIe narrow, and
tie wooden tenements with Their steep roofs ana
rirt.tv stems look as if they might tumoe mo lne
street at any moment During tie day 'leIe Is
little of life or animation visible lOr tc occu . a.
lions of these people carry MN @ w hr small
Tho city Up the numerous alleys ana III 'ic sihalI
nuodrougular courts to which they lead are 10 ne
found a lew old croncs bending over 'hrlI Wasn
iubs or in charge of the scores OF ba"les aI"aEs
lac seen living about. Clothes lines. with the secured
apparel drying in the air shut out me sinaiI tTl-
ton OF the sky winch would othcrMs, OT n
IL. n,naS owe
,roaches More children and babes appear um Ii
The number seems as the sand on the Seashore. ne
sidewalks become popu Gus ana the 9oo htep9 any
I'll neonle The vendors of roasted peanuts the
pedlers of hai-decaged and bad,snleiilnS nun
and the numerous uloS OF s'Ioliins liuS ,,dh
with their flutes. harps and ViolIns, approach
threunh the narrow SIDE streets ana help 70
swell the throng There is nothing 10 az;
1uire in the men. They are utterly ueHon
al a1ubition to pursue any other than gToYclhng
occupation and if type is wanted OF glade lower
vel than The peder of fruit and the sIollng musl-
zion II is fouud in the black-brOwcd man who tolls
I'D the street bent almost double under a monster
sack of Old rags and pascbOarlS te Tag-pichcr ana
Nh. raker ia ash barrels. The StTangr giving
ioos rein 10 his imagination regrets that the man Is
not a brgand operating among ms naive nils OF
hbrnzzi The shrewd old dealer III rags and
noner stands waist deep in his merchandise,
WEIGHING the sacks, while his victims look On
in Ossful ignorance that ne Is eAacI,ne 800 tc
ms cent per cent About tins tine inc stfeel lamps
are Grhted aud shed their sckly rays upon the
motley and Bohemian throng, Inc HaIan qualtct
IL IN rs glory now Every D0dy except ue COOKS
il IN the streets, and sOclaDlllty leigls supreme.
Men women and children rechne Ill ndolent attn
tudes upon the tlnlX cobllesIoles ihe Noorslebs
i'm The Az the drOning OF hive OF bees. 1t re
quires very llttie IMAGINATION ln ,nI Nlsnool
IN fancy himself among the hlSh walls ana marrow
streets OF an Italian city, with swarns OF ldle aA-
zaroui on every side. pOIcenlaD swinging MS
c'ub ana picking bis way lelsuTey among me clli-
a. - N torcible reminder, however. that the PO-
lice Headquarters OF NeW-l OIk are Dut niue more
1lan stones throw away. contrary 70 Inc neneIal
impression ii is cool III the ItalIah quarter amer sun
dawn The conformation OF the streets Is such That
the thousand little streams OF water winch HOW iron,
The narrow alleys, from unGer the dO0TsieIs, and
even trickle down the grlmy sides OF the
vooden tenemcntS, Gampcn the Sidewalks ana The
notIIeStours OF the Slleet making them cool moist
and filthy. This IS the atmosphere III wnlcn young
italy reycs ana grows fat stream OF water NJ
tle eapcr tEan the rest courses down tle gutter,
and women and children SIT on the culDing Win
then feet immersed III the cO0Ihs haSliiieSS' ING
penetrating smell OF onions 1rled an grease ana
parc-seas oned bread salutcs the nOsls from every
side. Dngy signs over Ihe doorway - ultc uaIA
n az res cOntal the announcement ~ Al Ii8cl- Jeef
q, s,4d within Il prezzo moderate EntcI one
OF these beershOps and you VIII ma perhaps %
oozru men seated around the room playing CARDS
an drinking stale beer at four cents quart III Is
sac 10 say that al midnight there VII be general
T~nt in lie barToom IN which tic stllcttO viii play
~ active part. A. the hours creep on, Tue Slee'
Goes not become deserted III Iact IL grows iHOle
uopulous for all who cannot gel oGt On tie roofs 10
fleeo seek the hand-cartS, pcticTs wagons ana
stones OF the street for cOuches. Sometimes "a
SLEEPER dro ppIng from the roof OF iOursory ehe-
Ient amongst these siuhDcIeis 10 INC Street luueIy
awakens them from Their Dreams
Yer ia the midst OF al TINS ant ana squaIOr there
is something That challenges ANIMATION. III The
hear OF great city III foreign lad theystlll pre-
serve ana prac Use Tie ancient rites ANA customs nl
that were taught them ~ ther MONIES,
rIpI Or oil OpiuI)A of on slders
shristenngs aud marriages are gaia DAYS WIN
mon n lie marIiag able age of the Italian maiden
ls thirteen years and rarely does one pass mat
uerod Without assuming the lies that olnd. Inc
rersnony Is witnessed by ali the friends and Iela-
lives of The contracting parties. A feast OF macca-
rom and VINO ItalanO" is provided, ana the
destruction VI The slippery naccaFOul IS neTsperscd
yr,th rolap,ns ga,ics After the marriage ceremony
,hc 0lests peit the briUc and groom