Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-08-31
NEW YoRK's OLD LAWS.
Interesting Records Cleaned from the
Statute BoOks-Mrs. ParnelPs Posi-
ton in Politics-PrOfits of the Under


YORK;" which are still nominally the
laws New Workers are required to obey.
Let me give you samples of some enact
ments of the better part OF a century ago
which are still printed in the ordinance
book as the laws of the city. Here for in
stance is a seasonable statute embodying
a superstition which still has believers:
No person shall bring into the city of New
York or have in his, her or their possession, in
the said city, any oysters between the first
day of May and the first day of September, in
any year, under the penalty OF 50 for any
quantity not exceeding 100, and the further
penalty of 81 for each additional 100.
This ordinance is practically obsolete,
for oysters are sold openly throughout the
summer, not only at restaurants, but on
street stands under the very noses of
passing policemen. Why, therefore, is it
still among the laws of the city? A
previous ordinance, by the way, fOrbids
the existence of the very stands at which
oysters are openly sold.
Article vi. of the chapter, devoted to
miscellaneous ordinances, contains pro-
visions which may remind old-fashioned
people of an almost obsolete industry. 1t
treats of chimney sweepers and grants
licenses to ''pefsons of good moral charac-
ter'' to employ chimney sweepers for the
employ any boy under the age of II years
as chimney sweep, or shall omit or ne
glect to feed or clothe any of the BOYS, APP
prentices or servants in his employ under
the penalty of So and forfeiture of license
for each otfense.
The chapter on frewOod forbids the
slowing of "crooked wood" in a cart load
under penalty of 81 fine. An ordinance
which must date from those good old
colony days when we lived under the
King prohibits washing garments in the
street.
Here is a noteworthy enactment:
No grocer, inn keeper, tavern keeper or
any other person, shall have on his her or
their premises, or shall let, hire or use for
public amusement, any flying horse or horses,
or whirligig or roundabout, or other similar
machinery or device, by whatever name it
may be called, under the penalty of $50 for
each Offense.
tits notexplained what ''fying horse"
or whirligig is. This seems somewhat
unconstitutional:
No person shall be concerned or instrument
tai in collecting or promoting any assemblage
of persons under the pretence of, or for, pub
lie worship, or exhOrtation, in the Park or
Battery, or in any Of the markets or streets,
or any place IN the city of New York laid out
and appointed for the common use of citizens.
under the penalty of $25 for each offense.
A subsequent section sets forth, how
| ever, that clergyman of any den0mina-
tion may preach in the open AIR ii he first
obtains permission of the powers that be.
One particular denomination is excepted
by name from the provisions of the above
as follows:
This article shall not be construed to pre-
| vent any ministers or people of any church
usually called Baptist from assembling in
| proper places in the city of New York for the
| purpose of performing the rites of baptism ac-
| cording to the ceremonies of such church.
= 80
IN POLITICS
recalls a story told in New York about
| her, and which is said to be better found
ed than such stories usually are. Ac-
| c0rdlng to this Choice bit of social gossip,
Mrs. Stewart, Mrs. Parnelps maternal
! parent, Was one of those matchmaking
mothers usually only found in novels.
| Although the widow of an officer of high
/ rank in the navy, she descended to the
| lowest devices to get her daughter we'll
married, and fairly threw her at the head
of every eligible pdrti to be met with. De.
spite the girls natural unwillingness she
| was hawked about as if she had been q
piece of merchandise. At every place
where men were apt to cOngregate were
Mrs. Stewart and her daughter to be
found. Not watering place in the coun
try but they visited In turn, Mrs. Stewar
never ceasing to hope that the prey which
ever eluded them would at last be Sc
cured.
But she was continually disappointed
and she herself was the cause of hel
daughters failure to secure a husband
Although her face was her only fortune
men would have been glad to marry Miss
Stewart had it not been for her mother
The old lady's persistent angling for {
husband for her daughter was notorious
and nobody wanted such a mother for {
m0ther-in-law.
At last when even Mrs. Stewart hersel
began almost to despair of her daughter
matrimonial prospects, an English Lord
whose name it is not necessary to men
ton; in fact, l have forgotten it, came tt
this country accompanied by MIR. Parnell
the father of the Irish agitator. Mrs
Stewart at once set her cap, or rather
her daughters, for the noble Lord, anC
she laid siege to his heart in behalf of the
unfortunate daughter with more effron
terry than she had shown in all her pre-
viOus efforts to obtain a son-in-law, un
blushing as some had been.
Her conduct became so outrageous thai
Miss Stewart finally was driven to appeal
ing to Mr.. Parnell to induce his friend t.
put the ocean between himself and Mrs
Stewart. Her reasons for making this
appeal had, Of course, to be given, and, as
she Weepingly told of the degradation tt
which her mother had subjected her, hel
tears added to her beauty in her hearers
eyes.
'And she's doing all this to get yor
married, is she? Faith! l will marry
you myselfto put an end to your persecu
ton. VIII you have meY said the warm
hearted Irishman.
Gratitude constrained Miss Stewart tC
accept an offer dictated by pity, and she
willingly agreed to Mr.. Parnel's ultima
tum that his future mOther-in-law should
never live with them. The trOusseau was
quickly prepared with the aid of the
friends of the bride, and the pair were
married and on their way to Europe g
fortnight from the time Mr.. Parnell made
his impulsiVe offer. The marriage was
gratitude proving as near akin to love as
pity.
| SOMEBODY WHO KNEW WHAT HE WAS
TALKING ABOUT.
gave me an inkling yesterday as to the
profits of New York undertakers. Drug
gists should hide their diminished pockets
when their respective emoluments are
compared. Here are the figures of a sin.
gle funeral: eXpenses-casket $50, hearse
hire, 81, cost of two coaches IS, ice, can.
dies etc, $5-tOtal $50. For what thus
cost him but $50, the undertaken was
paid $40! Out of this, however, he paid
the man who got him the job $40, so that
his profits were only $40. The premiums
| undertakers are willing to pay to those
who furnish them with funerals are a
proof Of their profits. Ten per cent. will
| always be paid to any one who gives an
undertaken the ''tip'' by which he will
secure business, and frequently more, as
in the above case. One funeral a week is
considered good trade for the average
undertaken, who contrives to keep his
rent low by only occupying small prem
ises. An undertaken in Elizabeth street
reduces his rent to nothing by permitting
a policy shop to be kept in his establish
ment, the policy man paying the rent OF
! the entire concern. Undertakes gener-
ally have a branch of trade peculiarly
their own. A firm in Mott street for in
stance, buries all the Cinnamon, and
another in Worth street makes a speciality
| of Italians. As an offset to his large
| gains an undertaken is often "beat'' out
of his money, and many are the devices
| by which he endeavors to get his bills
| paid. A favorite one is to take deed of
the grave, and thus prevent another inter-
ment being made until his claims are sat
isfied. A single grave often contains, it
| should be explained, several bodies in our
crowded cemeteries.
DURING ONE OF THE HOT NIGHTS OF
LAST WEEK,
| when crossing from jersey City to
| Twenty-third street, met with evidence
/ of the shifts moor neODIe are nIIt tn fO