The Sunday critic. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-19??, 1883-12-16
Philadelphia Letter.



palaces of the pitchfork artists of high
and low degree are decorated with blue,
pink and yellow inscriptions relating the
names and earthly occupations of the
inhabitants thereof Does anybody
know? fancy not. For my part, /
sincerely pray that may never be sent
there to find out.
l can imagine the mixed feelings of
horror and surprise that would arise in
the bosom of new conner into that
dark city, as he walked down the princi-
pie avenue, leading to the big cauldron,
treading lightly upon the red hot paving
stones, and beholding upon either side,
notices like these, burnt in background
of molten brass, sizzling and steaming
Cain the slayer" Balaam the
butcher; " Ananias the prevaricator
g Judas the traitor; =" and so on down
the long line of dead and buried, and
may add, cremated, liars, thieves, and
rascals.
This idea was stated in my mind in
no spirit Of disrespect for the cherished
institution of religion to which | have
referred. but was suggested by walk
down Chestnut street, which lays claim
to being one of the finest retail business
thorolghfares in the world. Philadel-
phia is one great mass of swinging signs,
themselves fair example of how q
business enterprise, excellent in modera-
ton, may gain by imperceptlole degrees
into an intolerable nuisance. Just think
of 500, 900 invested in beer signs-and
of $500, 900 spent in signs of all kinds,
little and big. but all swinging, creaking,
shrieking day and night, alike public
disgrace ard a constant source of danger
to life and limb. am glad to see that
one of the daily journals has taken up
the hue and cry, and that Councils pro-
poses to pass an ordinance which will
have the effect of bringing down about
one-half of the signs, and elevate the
remainder to place Of safety
appreciate your anxiety, Mr.. Editor,
FOR ''brief rice Epitome OF the weeks
doings,' and am highly fattered at
being classed among that Jealous band
of ''wide awake correspondents, who
will watt their weekly wrinkles" etc. etc.
but how on earth can fellow "waft the
wrinkles, when there are no wrinkles to
wait. or how can it be possible to concoct
a race epitome," when there IS no
epitome to concoct when news is as dull
and uninteresting as a bob-tail flush, as
scarce as flies at Christmas time?
However if you we're doing the proper
thing | suppose when you put those nice
promises in the alliance circulars, and we
poor scfblers will have to sweat and
grind as best we can. But during the
past week just this one week--youknow--
there has occurred nothing absolutely
nothing to make tSe reader
either smile or cry. If you don't believe
me tttale,sgh I,ll-gn1hacls n the very first
minute Of the week and repeat every
thing have read or heard since, so that
you may be convinced that what say is
true.
Well then, on Monday heard that the
Democrats are are going to renominated
Mayor Ki~g, in opposition to William
B. Smith, President of Select Council.
The would be Republican candidate for
the office. If [ know anything about
local politics, that means defeat for King.
The Committee of one hundred, who
nominated and elected his honor in the
first. place, have become heartily disguised
with his course in office. 1t is not SO much
what he has himself done, as what he
had permitted his friends and political
henchmen TO do under his very nose, and
in the shadow Of his official patronage.
He has kept in his office, private clerk
who is a confirmed inebriate, has allowed
rascally detectives to rob honest men,
and to keep thieves and gamblers out OF
the jails, which have been yawning hmm
gerily TO receive them, has failed to break
up the pool selling dens, and lots of
other things which are writ in black and
white upon the committees Judgment
book to be used against him at the pri-
maries.
All the town is laughing over the
announcement in the case of the Bavarian
Koop, who protested to confess to the
simple minded police that he had killed
Amanda Huck. The papers all jumped
at the sensation, and gave it big space
and wide circulation, until there came
buzzing along telegram from a little
town away up in Buck County, saying
that Amanda-blue eyed, light haired
Amanda Huck, was alive-had never
been killed at all. Then it was coniec-
tured by the police all of a sudden that
koop mnst be crank, and his confession
was a delusion." Now, that the woman
he said he killed, says she is not dead
and in truth she does not look like
corpse-the detectives are pulling their
brains in an attempt to fasten some other
murder on the poor half witted fellow
The newest thing in politics, is the
selection of Chicago as the place for
holding the next National Republican
Convention. Had the proper efforts
been put forth earlier, the Convention
might have been brought TO Philadelphia.
AS it was, the spectacle ct hundred or
so of local politicians, and ward wire
pullers, scuttllngdown to Washington, land
parading up Pennsylvania avenue to the
White House, and getting down upon
their knees and praying to the President
to send the Convention to Philadelphia,
appears ludicrous with extreme. The
first mistake was in not selecting men of
some political standing, and the next, in
not sending them until the proverbially