The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1885-10-24
FIGURES IN INDIA INK.


BE Indelibly Marked.
A favorite rendezvous for sailors.
'longshOremen, and others connected
with the seafaring life. is at a corner in
front of a brick building at the lower
part of South street At almost any
time of the day crowd of from a dozen
to twenty men is found here. standing
about in an aimleSs manner or seated
on the steps Of a narrow stairway tell
ing yarns. 70 scarcely sailor of the
city is the spot unknown and the reason
for this was ascertained by a reporter to
be the fact that the building contains
the rooms of Pro" Thomas. who for
many years has been the favorite tat
looing man" of New York sailors. The
professor" a middle-aged man, was
found in scantily-furnished room on
the third floor. On a chair without
back at his side were several we'll
handled books containing ghly-colored
pictures of GOddesseS of Liberty, an
chors, etc, two small china cups, one
full of red paint and the other with
liquid India ink, and a small, single
bladed knife.
"DO many women have these marks
and designs put upon themselves"
asked the reporter.
more than you would suppose, was
the reply. 81 have marked more than
one thousand women in this way since
have been in the business, and there
are9 icfTedS of women in This city VINO,
if they had the money, would come
here and give me all the work I could
do. The work is by no means confined
to sailors, as most people suppose In
fact, | have more landsmen than sailors
among my customers nowadays; it
seems to be a mania of the human race
to be marked in this way"
care there many tattooed women in
the country"
Il know of only six, two of whom I
marked"
do YOU put many religious designs
on people?"
Yes, a great many on both men and
women. A man in here from New
burgh the other day had four religious
pieces put on him. He was a very
religious man. Many of the women
whom [ mark first send me 4 posta}
card. and | 90 to their homes and mark
them. But have frequently had fine
| ladies in front of my place here in thciI
coaches to have private marks, initials,
or names nut on their arms or necLs
While in CHICAGO recently tattooino 2
person, the girls there got the idea in
their heads that little India ink spot
on the side of the chin was fine fashion
and I BEGAN to think if was ooinr to he
a mania with them. Whv marked
over fifty oirIs in this wav wbila 7 vos
there. They called if .beautv snot :
II was 4 dot of bIue. in fine confer Of
which was fine least specl of red Only
these two coIors are nsad in tho work
They are Chinese vcrm lion and bIue
India ink. They are never noisonous
and Won could actually eat them with
out iniurv.n
'Do not people brine in their own
desionsP"
Yes very often. and they freouentIv
refer ia late Generals. For instance
soon after Grants death one man had
a desiUn marked on himself of Grant
beinp crowned bv ANGELS. and I have
put on the chest and back of several
persons pictures of Grant Now there
| is berinnino to be a call for pictures Of
the statue of Liberty. but haven't oot
a good design for it vet ALTHOUGH ]
have had q dozen customers call
for it. A curious part of the business
is the number of persons who want
names marked on their arms WHY.
not a week passes in which | do moi
have twenty or thirty sucb customers,
/ Sailors and others have the names Of
sweetheart or wife besides often tbei,
own initials The chief idea seems to
be identity after death, At the time OF
/ Charlie Ross disappearance. GREAT
numbers of women were here every
dav. brincino their children to he
marked with their names Since then
markino children in this wav has been
very general IFS q GOOD thinp too
for there are cases every dav Of bodies
BEING identified by means of these
marks. remember case in CaIifor.
mia where the body Of a man was found