The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1883-11-25
A LONDON KIP"
Forfeiture OF the Demoralizine
Features of an English City
Lodging House


When a man has sunk from the position OF
a householder, he has two courses ooento him
II his employment be still sufficiently remun-
%erative, he mny inhabit one of the dens
known as furnished lodgings. These are
rooms let singly and furnished with a ccuple
Of chairs, a flap doing duty for a table, and a
blackenod sack stuffed with straw on an old
and shnky four-post bedstead. For these ad-
yantages he Is charged the nightly sum of
e~ightpence, which a long experience has
taught the intelligent landlord to exact be-
forehand. Eightpenco is a large sum and
cannot be afforded, so the next alternative is
the common lodging-house. or ''kip," which,
for the moderate sum Of fourpence, supplies
the applicant with a bed, use Of lavatories,
kitchen and kitchen fire, for the space OF
twenty-foUr hours at tho most. Tho "kip' is
under the unwinking eye of the law, which
is supposed TO insure cleanliness-L G., clean
sheets once a fortnight; decsncy-L e., the
P9paTation of the dorinitories of the two sexes,
and sanitation, which means something
almost as indefinite as common sense" The
older Inhabitants of the "Iip" relate most
narrowing details about these places before
this supervision and registration took place,
which it lisa pity even to evoke from oblivion.
Suffice 1t TO say that any one might start a
lodging-house, and over-crowding was uni
versal-w which, of course, Is sometimes the
case now only sub rosa, and In not moro
than evory other house in poor dist cs.
The better "kip" is frequented by men only,
and many ar old soldier or pensioner lives
permanently in them. But the majority Of
the houses are open 50 persons of all ages and
sexes and all degrees Of social status The
prominent feature of oil ''lipsn is the kitchen.
This Is at once dining-room, drawing-room,
smoking and card compartments, as well as
kitchen. AT one end is the swing door. which
leads to the long sawdust-aoored room, sur
rounded with benches, or perhaps divided
into compartments like a restaurant A hugs
hre, be the weather what it may outside,
serves to cook the viands of the inhabitants
and to supply the heat which an insuficiency
OF clothing renders grateful in the colder
weather. A number of tin vessels, supplied
by the house, serve for teapots or missiles as
the case may be, both uses being frequent.
Tn first impression Of a 'fkipn Is that of u
SAVIOR of death unto death, with variations
and permutations. The men, following affair
of Sir Walter Raleigh, perpetrate a con-
sumption of the rankest shag. The fair sex
contributea rasping favor of so-called tea
Both eat cheese OF decided strength, or her
rings Of questionable age. Most OF the faces
are such as to strike one with utter hopeless
ness. The brutal gin-swollen counteuances
of the elder women, the hard, dogge1 faces
of the men and the children furrowed and
NoiONViht II bdDle5 WnO newer KICK anu
crow, but are sucked on alcohol and curses,
are pictures which are full of grim horror.
Here sits the lad who has left his home at the
age of 10 and set up for himself; next to him
is a reprobate parson, who, in his sober mo-
ments, writes discourses for some of his more
fortunate but less gifted brethren to inhict
upon their congregations. Many ranks and
callings contribute their quota to the mass of
human wreckage, the sole qualification being
the payment of the nights fourpence. None
is rejected or elected, unless violently or OBJ
trusively ''boozed."
There are whole streets of these places,
some making up nightly $50 beds. That the
worst are not to be found In the east end is
the general report. 1t is said that Noting
hill has this unenviable supremacy, but this
may be disputed very plausibly. Upstairs
there are dormitories, with rows of camp
beds bought from the barrack sales, every
article of which Is marked in large letters
'Stolen from -" The double beds nave
little wooden partitions between them, with
doors and latches upon the same The dormi-
tories, as a rule, have no washing conven-
fences, still less any chests or cupboards.
Those Of the inhabitants who possess a change
of raiment or any other portable property
keep the same at my %uncle's," from which
Sunday suits are weekly redeemed In order to
keep holy the Sabbath day, and again re-
signed to the pledger on the Monday by the
owner, who is well acquainted with the ways
of his fellow dodgers.