The Arkansaw traveler. (Little Rock, Ark.) 1882-1???, 1885-03-14
THE "ssvgN piALs..
tl.oadoa Corr. Courier Journal,

Dsekeas las made the "Seven DiaIs !
famous Il t. the roost and rendezvous
at che Forty Thiesess and azores az
the most abandoned and desperate dare.
devils TO be found In the precincts OF the
wicked metropolis. Strange to say, Il Il
In the heart OF the city, and within lauI
squares OF some Of the pziHcipal streets.
ltis "a linear cut" to many important
places, II you don't get your throa, cut
on the way. As ] stated before, seven
streets radiale from It's hub, and you
dEsh into Il nom Amos, any iirsCtiou. il
gets ies name from the fact that formerly
each 81 the seven buildings that fsce
upon the square had a clock on its front
hence "The Seven Dialsn
A walk Of lev minutes brought us to
the centre OF the "Seven Diais." We
were now about to enter 10 ~e.iiss rey
sure enough, The Inspector stepped up
to the policeman on duty. and gently ex.
hshising his card and some other sor, Of
insignia, exchanged a few words soto
voce. The shtill whistle Of the police
man sounded and another uniformed
knight bobbed up sereneiy. as though
from the bowels OF the earth.
We formed a procession eight strong.
and set out down one of the dreariest
streets, followed by villalnous crowd.
who were certain that an arrest was going
to be made. a short distance and we
stopped m iront OF a dilapIdated old
building, One Of the policemen went TO
the head OF the column aud the other
orough, up the rear, while we moved on
the enemy. We CROPPED our way. Indian
file, through dark Railways, dowa n mar.
row staircase into dimly lighted cellar
room filled with tetocious and cTeS,iAilen
characters, They were OF all ages, fsem
the stxteen-year. boy to the hoaty
head. They were taking their sorry sup
pers, and our visit was surprise party.
IL was u sight shall never forget.
They were the toughest Of the tough, and
their photographs would make our
American rogues' gallery blush. II vas
a study to see the various expressions OF
the hard. hcllish, crime. stamped faces.
Seme affected an air Of indifference to
our presence, and went on munchlnE
their meals wi,hou, looking up. Others
gased at us with an assumed air Of In.
nocence. which seemed to say, You are
shocktngly rude TO even suspicion me-"
A few did NO, disguise Their displeasure
At our unannounoed call. aud corrugated
their brows and snarled aud showed their
teeth like dogs, The youngest, n boy Of
not over sixteen. rs soon as he got over
his scare, "gayed" us, and offered TO
treat to the stale bser 10 his pewter tank.
ard. His brAvado sat sadly on such
young shoulders. A man stood In front
o, the fireplace who had evidently seen
better days, His eyes were fixed on the
foor, and he nSVer once lifled them. His
clothes were seedy, bu. tribe heater
than those abou, him, and badly de.
moralfed plug hat raised him several
degrees above his surroundings. His
features were deeply iunowed by vice,
but through the hard lines you could
read u few traces Of former respectabiliiy.
An old man, whose sharp, sly, sneAking
face seems to have inherited sin as a
birthrighi, and feeding himself from q
poeketful OF uncooked vegetables, which
he had no doubt stolen from some green
grocer OF Enaske, stand.
The mos, individual character WAS a
rather young stout-built man In whose
face there was scarcely an indication Of
human being There was fearful fas-
cina,ion In his face that held you with
snakelke charm. His features we're
square, bold and British. His nose lay
IA, on his face, and his large, yell0w.sh-
gray eyes had the wide-open roll and
eageTness Of panther His expression
seemed 10 say ~ could lap blood and
deem II q dainty dish" He 80, bolt
upright, with a cap on his head, and
glared full upon Us. have never seen
Jus. such face, and am at ioss how 10
describe it. ii appeared 10 be = nature
but bit above the brute, and naeoa.
scious OF It's degradation. II vas scene
worthy Of Dickens pen or q great
painters brush. II II was not . hot.
house OF hades. am no Judge.
When we had fully surveyed the seene
the Inspector asked US. - matter Of
form, II We recognized any one" and
upon our responding In the negative We
fled out as We came 10, the police parad-
ing with presented batoDs. A lev jeess
and "guys" we're fred ut no ~ we de-
parted. The Inspector always asked ~
in these dens II I'VE recognized any
one," a. he wss supposed to be In search
OF culpIt. Had the thieves thought
otherwise, there would have been roe
=, once, ~ they are not fond Of visitors
chapescaed by hlsecoAts.
We we're told that the proprietor Of
the wretehed den va had visited was
wealthy, pulled the feins over pair, and
lived In sumpiuous style. he never SEES
the place, but collects through 10 agent.
His father, II seems, gave his personal
to similar rancho until be
got seven years fes receiving stetep gcoda
and bis Tooksry wss Tsxed 70 the grcund,
by osdsr Of the city council. Our soais
took az 10 tesemees structure down ~
alley where COO Of thess wFetches. male
and female, ore sheltered and led ~ 20
many swine. The policeman on dsty
said the guests we're nearly oil out q
that hour, and that many Of them did
not get In until after midnight We
boarded the underground railway and
had look through east London, netesi.
Gus in criminal annals. Hundreds o.
abandoned people herd togeshss IN that
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