The evening light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1881-1883, 1882-09-08
THE ALAMO'S LEVEE.
Night Scenes In the Vice-Haunted Districts
of the City.
Diversions that Can Only BE Hinted at But
Not Described.

session of the ''maiSOnS dc jOic' of san AntO-
MO and ruled the inmates with an iron hand
while paying dearly for his amusement with
heaps of gold. He talked Us loud us he pleased
and discharged his revolver frequently by way
of emphasis to his remorks. 1t was not seldom
that fights occurred i'll the houses, but at that
time the loss of a cowboy, more or less a gam
bier or dissi pating circuit judge or Methodist
preacher was held in slight estimation. But
gress of civilization the women ION
the Icvee" have grown more cultured ~
class and their supporters more dccOroiS III
their department. a disturbance in a house OF
ilI-rcputc is now not often heard of. Yet there
are still dcns of vice where lit" and property il
unsafe. These are mostly in the Mexican quar-
road employees. Gigantic in everything tn,
metropolis of Texas keeps its crime and vice
on par with more noble qualities, and when the
visitor, stated with the scenes and sensations OF
other lands, sits i'm the Mcnycr or the Maverick
and tells of the Jardin Mabilc or Argyll rooms
the local listener commonly remarks:
You can see as good and as bad i'll the city
of the Alamo. Make a night Of it Old boy.
Come on the lcvee."
The next day the guest ava kens with a head
ache, an empty pocket and visions of gOr-
lered brain, but he acknowledges that San An.
tonic eXcelS every rival i'll lniquity us well IL
other things.
Phiz. bang. pop. goes Il bottle of cham
payne over Emclinc'S dress in "llU'' So much
the better for the drcssnlaker. Who's to pay:
The tall miner or the rich grocer? 1t is Iucs-
ton with Emilinc for moment. The mine,
Stoops to pick up her fan. Alas for his purse.
1t is to be he, the unlucky; he will pay for the
lreSS. What dresses they wear here some
times. POult dc sole, NalcncienncS lace, Orna-
mentcd with pearls and diamonds. And the
crowd. There is a senator, a judge. a leading
lawyer who has been retained in the ThOmp
son homicide case, diplomatists, bank
ers. merchants clerks on small salaries
gamblers, udvcnturcrS-in Il word, men
of every class who are able to buy Minnie Il
pair of silk stocking with cOuucs of gold, OF
Christine the Swiss watch she cOvcts. Any
body can enter. But how cold the rooms
to the mOneylcss man, and how warm and pleas
mt to the one with Il credit of some thousands
atkampman.s or the national bank. Such is life
here ahd elsewhere.
Cric. Aha, FanchOn, your trail is torn by tn,
clumsy foot of the drunken cattle-graZer whn
is endeavOring to step that waltz with you.
Who cares? That for the trail. Has not Fan
chOn captured the gr;lZcr! The rooms are
crowded here and the garments of the women
liffuse Il delicate perfume. On to the next
This is lOl. 1t too is known by its number.
\ piano is playing. Gaily sings u graceful
blonde:
Cupid >rntlircd out one day
Ncntured o, SO far away.
The light falls in a golden sheen on her beau
tiful hair. The scent of flowers crimes in
through the open windows. These with the
music and the SensuOuS night air cOnspire to
chain Cupid ere he has gone farther. Every
body applauds, everyday drinks, everybody
is happy. Eyes meet eyes; a kiss, kislnet. il
is over. But OH the fearful headache in the
morning: Faustine has it too, and she looks
in simple white wrapper, before the mirror in
her room. Dcnudcd of paint and powder the
gcwgaws and the many things with which she
was dccked the previous night, she feels the
phantom of her former self.
"IIcrcs to the destruction of liquor" is said
in grutf tones 10y stout young fellow with
wild eyes and haygal,i face at The Fort" OF
course they laugh-thc women. No one must
feel otherwise than gay here.
Down it goes. Another bottle, waiter.
and your best this time They all dunk
an honest man or a thief I'VE never ask use
less questionsT So they all tclyou. Perhaps
It's well.
sons, the visitor is told Some one is singing
and others are dancing. A drunken man reels
against you. Another follows cursing. Move
on witnessing II fight is not always conducive
to the health Of the spectator.
Here are numerous Others. The neighbOr-
hood contains saloons, restaurants, assignation
houses, gaming establishments cigar shops
and repositories for stolen property. Gas
glares along the thOrOughfarcs like erysipcla>
spots on Il sick mans body. Enter one of these
houses. Women with blOatcd faces, their eyes
red, their cheeks blotchcd, their hands trcm-
bling -MeXicans, negroes. French, Americans
all breathing illness and death. few men
are present. Pimps som of them are. One lies
i'm Il drunken Stuper III the corner and the hit
of a knife prOtrlldcs from his pocket.
Let that gal he guidarn yc," shouts Il pot
valiant young ''tenderfoOt" from Arkansas,
A muscular ''maShCr' StraightenS out his left
arm and the reckless lGtckenShckcr finds his
level on the floor.
"What dye do thot fur, hilt" cxcluims IL
youn9wO oman, in 4 calico dress and white slip
perS.
60 away" says Bin; "a white man amt good
huff fur you no more.
Bif. Bill receives Il blow on his head with Il
cuspidOre and joins his quondam rival on the
floor Then there is Il babel of voices, more
blows and a rush for the dOOr. In the melee !,
few of the lightcs1 fingered take advantage of
the opportunity to rifle the poe kcts of the
others. Recorder Anderson interviews most of
them the next morning and some learn the di-
mcnSDns of the city Jail.
Here is another. The women are Stat
terms, the men rufiians The rooms i
might consider them beautiful in their barbarc
splendOr. Sawdust is on the floor, u beer
counter in one corner, u piano in another. A
man sings:
Come gather we cracksmen
And ganifS SO fly,
MaceS and braces,
ShOpifterS draw nigh,
I'll MARBLE ditty
While the chorus you swell
OF the blOkGS doing time
At AlamOs bridewell
o there is darling
With sugar galore
Tie hypOthccated to
The Mexican shore;
The doodle was heavy,
Tic tripped AMI fell
Singing Moody and Slnkey
At AlamO'S bridewell.
Then there isa baby
Ills II pity he's here
He was nabbed by Il hipicr
A showing the IUCer,
His people arc mubny,
They all cut u swell;
Hos family skeleton
AT AlamOs bridcwoll.
There's Shartein our keeper,