Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1883-12-23
A MIDNIGHT SCENE.
How the Great City Of Chicago Ap.
pears
AFTER THE CURTAINS OF NIGHT
Have Been Completely 0rawn-Ihe Curious
Who Abound After the Midnight Peal
and their Pecuiarities-Birds
Of the Night.
speeiol orrespona,,ce Of the Register.

Special Correspondence Of the Register.
CHICAGO, December 2l.-1f the street 8
ola great city present favorable oppor-
tunities for the study Of human nature
during the busy hours of the day, how
much more favorable are the oppor-
tunities offered, and how much more
interesting are the characters common
ly seen at night. If the picture shown
in the kaleidoscope of city life from
dawn to midnight has positive inter-
est, that revealed by the same kaledi-
oscope labeled from midnight to
dawn" has equsllya certain fascination.
While the ole may be traced in bright
er colors, the other loses none of its
effectiveness from the sombre tinge it
bears. The peculiarities of those whose
interests call them out during the day
are sufficiently familiar. But the &C.
tions of the might gang" as those who
work at night are won't to call them
selves, are not so well known.
The great city can hardly be said to
have retired before midnight, and il, up
to that hour, the streets are not filled
with the usual number of passers-by,
the general aspect of the thoroIghtares
Is at least the same as seen during the
day. 1t is alter II O'Clock that the
typical might gangs" emerge from
somewhere and take possession of the
streets, giving to them a different
aspect. One especially distinguishing
mark OF those whose labor or whose in.
terest calls them out at night is the ab-
seuce of that haste and worry which is
20 prominently connected with day
pedestrians. II would seem that with
the advent of the shades OF night the
passions of men had cooled with the
quiet evening, and the mad rush for
position had settled down into gentle
sumter. Perhaps
Che HaIEDeserted Streets
suggest the absence of competitors and
make the iostling hurry of the day APP
pear foolish. However, it may be that
the man who labors after nghtfall is
less hurried in his movements than his
brother laborer in the light Of day.
Leaving out the purely disreputable
classes. the number OF those whose
w,rk keeps them from their beds until
after midnight is probably not less than
twenty thousand or a little over one
tenth of the entire male population of
Chicago.
From l. o'clock to the streets are
fairly thI0nged with belated individuals
hurryIng homeward. The theaters and
evening entertainments have been long
dismissed, and all but those who have
been lingering fondly over marble.
topped tables disposing of "smsll bot
ties" have already found their abiding
places. The great blocks of business
houses loom up dark and silent against
the moonlit sky, and save now and
then the flashing of the private watch
mans duli's eye, there is little indica-
ton of the lie that filled the buildings
few hours earlier. in othar blocks
equally dark, save for the dimly burn
ing light upon the stairs, the woman of
the streets, with that gliding, listless
walk, peculiar to her class, moves to
her room, belated huntress. Down
the street, arm in arm, the friends who
had been absorbed in the ''small bottle"
come Keeling good. naturally along,
sidewalk.
In theresident portions ofthc city the
thUrOughfIres have quoted down, and
gu: Tor here and there brlliant-lighted
house front which comes loudly on the
silent air the sounds of rcvelry, all is as
quiet as in Goldsmith's deserted village.
Now and then the curious passer-by, by
watching closely the outer doors of
those tail houses, may sec upon the
brDwn-stOne landing
Tle FOND Adieus of Youthful Lovers
loarh TO part. I'm spring and summer,
especially, when the chill blasts have
not with rude emphasis forbade this
lettering upon what in New England
would lie called the "stoop," the even
irg sauntcrer may catch many glimpses
into the tender rOmances young hearts
are weaving in absence Of the too real
lstic daylight. The parental eye, ever
watchful, is now closed in sleep, and
what if lie does remain little longer,
no one will ever know. So she stills
her conscience, and so he fingers on,
feeling that it is too, too much TO part
and lost his inamorata for a whole day.
But on these winter evenings the pc.
destrian hurrying along the icy streets,
with head drawn deep into coat collar.
>,es only tie bending of the taller head
over the shorter, swift caress, cut
shorter by the slipping OF his feet on the
CLASSY steps as down he goes to the bot
ON. The icy steep seems too formula.
be to climb again, aud with a graceful
adieu waved from tie sidewalk the
youth departs with longing in his heart
and rent in his trousers. Along the
opposite side of the street come half a
dozen fast.steppiDg young men, whose
footsteps give forth CHEEKY sound on
The creasing snow, keeping time to the
old college song that wakes the echoes
They have been simply "having good
time" that is all, and the crusty police
nan, reused from bis nap by the racket,
calls out with feeling of comradeship:
Not so loud, gentlemen; not quite so
Loud"
Down town the scene presented is one
OF more active life. The ali-night ga
looms and restaurants are always filed
with
An Eyer-shHngtpg Crowd
which emerges from somewhere, gu,ps
down a meal or drink, and vanishes
again into the outer darkness. The
hacKmen on the corners, between pulls
from stumpy pipes, tell and retell an
Gent narratives, or boast of fabulous
fees collected from uusophisticated vic.
tins. Even the iufrequent policeman
comes to tie surface ard looms up
through the mist, his star flashing for u
moment in the darkness as he lounges
on. A few trsmps and Migrants haunt
the warm corners of saloons, but these
are few indeed, as the order to "move
on" comes with alarming frequency at
night. The dago shops along the prin-
cipal streets, State, Randolph, Clark,
and Van Buren,, are fairly well patroni.
zed by that element that seems to find
its affinity there. The dim!y lit "par-
Tor" back of the bar, redolent Of poor
tobacco, worse whisky, stale beer, aud
cooking oysters, serves for a few mo-
ments as an abiding place for halfin-
tni i,l