The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1885-02-15
Visit to the Rendezvous of
LOndon's Desperados.
SWINE OF A TENEMENT HOUSE.
The Toughest OF the Tough, as Seen in
the English Capital-A Brute's
Pace-An Interesting item

of the Forty Thieves" and scores of
the most abandoned and desperate dare
devils to be found in the precinctssof the
wicked metropolis. Strange to say, it is
in the heart of the city and within
few squares Of some or the principal
streets. 1t is ''near cut" to many i'm
portant places, if you don't get your
throat cut on the way. AS 1 stated be-
lore, seven streets radiate from its hub,
and you drift into it from almost any
direction. 1t gets its name from the
fact that formerly each of the seven
buildings that faceupon the square had
clock on its front-hence THE Seven
Dials."
| A walk % few minutes brought US
to the center of the Seven Dials." We
were now about to enter in medias res
sure enough. The inspector stepped up
to the policeman on duty, and gently ex-
| hibiting his card and some other sort of
insignia, exchanged a few words soto
voce. The shrill whistle of the police
man sounded and another uniformed
knight bobbed up serenely as though
from the bowels of the earth.
We formed procession eight strong
and set out down enc of the dreariest
streets followed by a villainous crowd,
who were certain that an arrest was 60
ing to be made. A short distance and
we stopped in front Of dilapidated oil d
building. One of the policemen went to
the head of the column and the other
brought up the rear, while we moved on
the enemy. We CROPPED eur way, Indian
file, through dark Railways down a
narrow staircase into dimly-lighted
cellar-rQom filled with ferocious and
crestfallen characters. There they were
of all ages, from the 16-year old boy to
the hoary head. They were taking their
sorry suppers, and, our visit was sur
prise party.
1t was sight shall never forget
They were the toughest of the tough,
and their photographs would make our
American rogues' gallery blush. 1t was
a study to see the various expressions of
the hard, hellish, crime-stamped faces.
Some affected an air of Indifference to
our presence, and went on munchine
their meals without looking up: Others
gaZed at US with an assumed eye of in
. nocenee, which seemed to say, "You are
shockingly rude to even suspicion me;'
and few did not disguise their dis
pleasure at our announced call. and
corrugated their brows and snarled and
showed their teeth like dogs. The
youngest, boy of not over sixteen, as
soon as he got over his scare, ''guyed'
us, and offered to treat to the stale beer
in his pewter tankard. His bravado sal
sadly on such young shoulders. A mar
stood in front of the fireplace who had
evidently seen better DAYS. His eyes
were fixed on the floor, andhe never once
lifted them. His clothing was seedy
but trifie neater than those about him
and badly demoralized plug hat raised
him several degrees above his surrounds
: ings. His features were deeply furrow-
ed by vice, but through the hard lines
you could read a few traces of former
. responsibility. An old man, whose
sharp, sly, sneaking face seems to have
inherited sin as birth-right, was feed
ing himself from pocketful of uncook.
ed vegetables, which he had, no doubt
: stolen from some green, grocer, OIL
market stand.
; The most individual character was a
rather young, stout built man in whose
) face there was scarcely an indication Of
a human being. There was fearful
fascination in his features that held you
: with a snakelike charm. His features were
! square, bold and British. His nose Law
fat on his face and his large, yellowish-
gray eyes had the wide-open roll an6
eagerness of panther. His expression
seemed to say, 81 could lap blood an6
deem it dainty DISH He sat bold
upright, with a cap on his head, anG
giared full upon US. / have never seer
Just such face, and am at loss how
Ii -
. nature but bit above the brute. ano
t unconscious of its degradation. 1t was
, a scene worthy of Dickens pen or a
great painters brush. IF it was not q
hot house of Hades am no Judge
When we had fully surveyed the scene
the inspector asked US, as n matter Of
form, it I'VE recognized amp one" and
upon our responding in the negative We
filed out as we came in, the police parad
ing with presented batons. A few jeer:
z aud "guys" were fired at US as we de
parted The inspector always asked u
f in these dens # I'VE recognized any
: one, as he was supposed to be in search
! of culprit. Had the thieves though
, otherwise, there would have been row
: at once, as they are not fond of visitor,
r chaperoned by blue coats.
oil We were told that the proprietor Of
r Tue WTeuCneO O6u we Dau YlSlLeG wa.
; wealthy. pulled the reins over pair
e and lived in sumptuous style He neYe
i sees the place, but collects through al
i agent. His father, it seems, gave hi
!. personal supervision to a similar ranch,
I until he got seven years for receiving
!. stolen goods, and his rookery was race
!. to the ground by order of the city coun
!, Gil. Our route took US to tenemen
il structure down an alley where 600 o
these wretches, male and female, ar
e sheltered and fed as so many swine
V The policeman on duty said the guest
! were nearly all out at that hour, ant
that many of them did not get in unit
after midnight. We boarded the un
derground railway and had a loo
through east London, notorious il
criminal annals Hundreds Q
abandoned people herd together in tina
7, district, where they are fed and house
> by wholesale at small figure. A ma
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