Smyrna times., 1884-01-16
For he Smyrna Times.
A Ramble Round the " Coast. +"

The coast" is a certain distric
ABOUT the centre of PHILADELPHIA. MOI
far from Market street, where Sunda,
IS scarcely known, and never observed
reader, if you have no objection to
iollow me few squares, we will paw a
VlSlt TO two or three thriving establish.
ments; but as it is Sunday, and 1. not
oelng thoroughly acquainted about the
coast" will call on English Charley.
VINO Is well acquainted about the local.
ity III question, and will aid me in
gaining admittance wherever wish to
take you. Suppose yourself in an
auto seven feet by ten; still it is the
nome of my guide and the home of six
or seven others, for my friend Charley
keeps Doarders, or rather dodgers.
VINO payhim per night more than he pavs
per month, furniture and other utensils
included, which consists of a small
round stove, an old straw mattress
rolled up in corner, coffee NOT
minus the lid, which boy about three
years of age is using for seat: n frv-
ing pan without the handle, three fin
cups, and a tin kettle for holding
water, but is kept in general use fetch
ing beer and whiskey, and a packing
oox which does duty as chair or table,
English Charley, the head of this cs-
adjustment, previous to this, kent n
rum mill, but his place was raided 50
often, and having to pay fine each
time and whiskey bills falling due
and nothing to pay them with. he was
sold out, and forced to take the kew of
the street. Such being the case. he
rented this attic, with the above men
uoned furniture, and another mans
wife and two children and started
house keeping. The most of the
dodgers belonged to the softer sex but
looked hard enough. Some of them
are young, but old in sin, and would
not hesitate to commit any crime for
whiskey. The others were hoarv
headed wretches; one of them. the
mother of two of the younger ones
whom she had educated to follow
her own course of crime and de-
oauchery. l replenished the tin kettle
TWO or three times, which kept them
IN good humor. One ofthem struck una
hymn, in which they all Joined. the
singing being very good, and would
nave done honor to a more resnectable
cholr. L questioned Charley as to
where they had learned to sink hvmns
TO which he replied that all of them.
young and old, spent more than half
their time in the House of Correction
where they had to attend church and
assist in the singing. My next ques-
tion, how do they sustain them
selves" he answered as follows: the
Old ones go to certain houses begpino
or telling fortunes TO the servant girls
and you would be surprised how well |
they make out; for instance the food
Ihey receive is sold to the proprietors
of cheap eating houses, and the clothes |
'hey receive both for themselves and
heir bogus husbands and naked chill
iren are sold to the secondhand cloth.
ng stores, the proceeds of which 90
or whiskey. The younger members
IRE IN bad fix; few days ago they
'ot on a spree and pawned their
clothes, but they have found out a
lew industry, which consists in buvinp
ags from the rag merchants for two
'ents per pound, which they cut into
TRIPS, stitch the ends together, roll
hem into balls and sell them to to the
arpet weavers for seven cents per
'ound, but they spend at night for
what they earn through the
lay. The entrance of q well-dressed
interrupted our conversa-
ion. From what occurred | learned
hat he was the husband of the woman
hat was living with English Charley,
nd the father of the children, the old
st, boy about ten, whom he wanted
have, but the mother would not
onsent. She had once been handsome
nd had been the belle of a certain
own in New Jersey, and had been
mat is called highly accomplished,
nat is, she could dance well, and dis
purse music on the piano, but now? :
he was filthy, unkempt, snuf-eat- !,
lg slattern, with not clothes enough
dust fiddle. So much for whiskey.
Charley IS very anxious to show nae
'me of the fashionable resorts of the .
coast" so with your permission, gen
e reader, we will enter this respect q
Die looking house with press brick
ont, and dark green trimmings. I
eng Sunday, we are obliged to enter
the side door in the ally. Reader,
low me the pleasure of introducing I
ou to the proprietor of this thriving ;
tablishment, and about twenty of his
gular customers. That sleek, we'll Z
q, well-dressed man sitting by yon- p
er desk is the proprietor, Mr.. Mike c
II. L am sorry that it is utterly L
lposslble to introduce you to any of y
70 Others in particular, as they are all +
lxiously bent on getting a "hum- C
er" Il. e.) a tumbler of whiskey. ST
"o bar-tenders can't serve it out fast P
lough to meet the demand of that 0
otley crowd; men and women, black l
ID white, and all of the lowest dregs IL
society-bloated, blear-eyed wretches, a
cir rags scarcely covering their o
'kedness. You ask, where do thew a
t money to squander for whiskev: p
ten, gentle reader: that crowd is a
ostly composed of fraudulent street N
ggars' who get themselves up for the
Iierent parts they play off ON the
Some of them walk ON cC
ltches and play off the old soldier is
at lost leg in the late war, others pi
blind and one of the gang leads as
N from door to door. 1 know some X
them that have doctors certificates ci
prove that they are blind, yet thew &C