Smyrna times. [volume] (Smyrna, Del.) 1854-1987, 1883-09-19
Saturday Night Disorders.

smyrna Is not alone III It's saturday |
night infractiOns of the peace. The |
MiddletoWn Transcript of last week
says:
About all the young negro field hands |
who come to Middletown to shop of even
ings carry pistols. a good many of them
stay in town late, especially of Saturday
nights, and when they STAR home they
almost habitually fire off their pistols just
before they leave the town. Sometimes
twenty shots are fired not thirty yards from
the centre of the town, and the firing Of
pistols ha; come to be a regular thing in
Broad and Main streets near the town linn
its every Saturday evening. 1t is Il stand
| ing shame on the reputation of MlddlctOwn
that the Town Commissioners do not at
| tempt to put a stop to this thing
This is only part Of the ;:i.',ur} our
contemporary draws, but il is sufficient
to show that strong likeness exists
between that town and this 1t would
seem that almost the whole laboring
population, including IL large number
Of the farmers who could come ut other
times flock to town on Saturday night,
to which is to be added our own people
of business and labor who almost ell
mass swell the throng. Many of them
haY>' real bushes, calls, bus "a large
number have nothing besides Il few
purchases that could be dispatched in
half an hour. But ten o'clock, eleven
o'clock, twelve o'clock comes and still
there are crowds in the streets and
about the public places. The spirit to
do something "Ornery" possessed by
one or two boon fellows is frequently
transmitted to a whole crowd. The
animal predOminates,-th would
fight under imaginary provocatiOns,
but that would more surely than any
other means lead 10 arrest: they can
crafty the animal by warming his
blood and so they resort to whisky. a
dry goods merchant tells us that on
, Saturday evening near midnight he
saw fifteen young white men in a gang
parading Main street, drunk or strongly
under the influence of liquor. The
. same is the case with the darkeys, but
they keep in the main in moro secluded
places. While drinking habits are on
, the increase with all, it is especially sc
e with the latter class.
; After the breaking up of the illicit
5 whisky shops four or five years age
they were for some time improved il
9 habits for want of drinking facilities
: but since places undergraduates have
) been provided in the legalized estab
lishments for getting all the drink they
7. want, the Generalization among GU
II negroes has been greater than eve
:. before. When people of these habit,
do make up their minds to go home
IS which is not usually until every plac,
is shut against them, they frequentl.
$ awake the quiet folks in the town witt
rs disgusting profanity to which is addet
= on the outskirts, pistol shooting whel
~ y, they feel they are beyond the eye O
: the policemen. Many men who com
to buy provisions for their familie;
er turn the money all down their throat
$, and 90 home with empty baskets, an
IN with most of them, Sunday is spen
with no more regard for the sacrednes
~ of the day than docs the pig in tn
stye. These are not counted by isola
eli ed cases, but by dozens and by WACO
loads.
ny 1t is fearful picture to draw, bu
rs; we may not pass it by however niue
III we would like to, because it is Il matte
% (outside of its news aspect as a publ
r. happening) that should intensely il
terest every man that has sons an
m, daughters, or has a spark of interest
t.V tne peace or prosperity OF the comml
IN IN nifty. The people who live in the bus
1n ness part of the town have learned
bear the tumult, sick or well, as be
ZEN they can. 1t is hardly worth attemp
nd ing to rest they tell us until Sundi
or morning, and then they are liable to
rd, disturbed for an hour or two. SUE
IN disturbances of the peace and quiet
ad society from any other cause would IL
rec be tolerated for an hour, but the de
her ference that is paid to whisky is one
ON the marvels of our Christian civiliz
re- ton.