The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-11-12
GOTHAM'S ITALIAN COLONY,
cenes of Squalor and IgnOrance-The
Huckster AristOcracy.

Scenes of Squalor and Ignorance-The
Huckster Aristocracy.
New York Letter IN Troy Times.
Nowhere else in the cosmopolitan life of New
York city can such grotesque realities and pic
turesque, if sometimes sorrowful incidents be
observed as those which exist in the Italian col
any 1t embraces the district bounded by Worth,
Spring, Mott and Mulberry streets The colony
comprises only the most ignorant and poorest of
the children of Italy and within the territory
named there not two dozen families of other
nationaities. 1t is a fat hful reproduction Of
uncutivated, uncultured Italian life The peo-
pie live within themselves, revel in their peculiar
and riotous fun, breathe the uncloistered atnos-
phere of friendly fellowship. and earn a living
peculiar to the Italian. The women of the col
ony fantastic and diverse; fantastic as to
dress, diverse as to their habits and modes of
living Some are slatterns, coarse in their
LONELINESS and clownish in their rusticity.
Others avoid the ground-swell of vice, are
clearly in their habits, even if ignorant,
and improve themselves each hour
that passes in the graduation and continuity of
their lives But all are picturesque. Exery
man wears iewelry, Long pieces of gold of an
tique make hang from their ears. Some have
bands of gold or silver on their wrists and here
and there may be seen glittering carcanet
around the neck. The upper portion of their
costumes is worn mantilla- wise over their heads,
and their dress is always garnished with some
fmsy gewgaw. Nearly every woman over six
teen carries baby, but never seems to be con
SclOuS Oh It's existence. Inc rest Oh In6 brood
toddle along jas best they may.
The male population must be from the very
dregs of Italian civilization. All are inelegant;
some are disfgured, others grizzly and many
cadaverous. Every one of them a stiff
Derby hat; this is the only article of dress in
which they are alike. Their habits are not
Clearly and to wash their faces once q week is
the greatest punctilio the majority of them OBJ
serve When not working or engaged in games
they stand in groups and jabber. Each one car
ries hook that aids him to dive into barrels
and ash heaps for things of no value to any but
an Italian. Some are intensely jealous. few
are good-humored but the great majority are
naturally churlish.
The most familiar feature of the many to be
observed in the colony are fine sidewalk huck-
sters. Behind their booths their women and
children are ensconced, but rarely the men. They
sell everything that may be needed in the every
day life of the colony, but the traffic is mostly
confined to articles of food dear to the palate of
thejItaliah They live simply, and find on
the curbstone stands the food that com
prises their daily meas-stale bread, decayed
fruit, beans and old vegetables OF every variety.
The beans are the only commodity sold That is
sound The bread is several days old, and pur-
chased for a mere pittance from the bakers, the
oranges unripe and the bananas decayed The
cabbages are rotten, and the potatoes worm
eaten. The hucksters buy their wares for
almost nothing, and all day long peddlo
them to their compatriots. A loaf or two
of this bread rancid orange, two bananas
and a gill of beans can be purchased for
cents and a whole family can subsist 10
cents worth. If the Italian has made a lucky
strike, or feels jubant, he repairs to one of the
four restaurants of the colony and feasts from
this bill Of fare: Coffee two cents, with bread
three beef steak and potatoes, FIVE; mutton-chop