The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1885-01-24
THE RUNNERS REST.


A Liquor Saloon Where Drink and a
Nights Lodging are Had for Five
Cents.
On Chatham street, near the Bowery,
is a dingy looking little saloon which
by day is almost deserted, but at a
late hour of the night, when the busy
throng OF toilers that pass and repass it
on heir way to and from work have
long since gone to their homes and the
street is given up principally to the
drunkard and the reveller, assumes an
air of activity and enjoys its busiest
season.
Even then its appearance from the
outside is orc of dilapidation and
neglect In front of half broken
down door, whose murky windows are
covered with dirty yellow shades, dim
light burns ieebly in a red glass lamp.
The name of the proprietor is painted
over the transom in scarcely legible
letters, one or two of which, grown
tired of long service, have disappeared
altogether.
r Every now and again customer,
with unsteady tread and trembling
hand, approaches the place, and after
fumbling at the door knob, turns it and
passes in. He is succeeded by another
of the same kind. and as the hours
slip by, the number who have entered
can be counted by the dozen. But while
so many of them go in none of them
seem to 90 out.
Following one of these liduor-soaked
specimens of humanity through the
creaking door of the saloon, a reporter
of the Herald found himself in long,
low room, at one end of which a red
hot stove gave forth an overpowering
heat. The bar was crowded with men
in various stages of intoxication, who
all seemed to be drinking on the Phil
adelphia plan, or each one treating HIM
self. There were evidently very few
mild connections made up by the rough
looking youth who tended the bar, for
all of the drinkers had his hot OF cold
toddy. Beer and other light beverages
were at discount.
Back of tn S room was a lattice work
dividing another apartment. Looking
behind this partition the reporter saw a
curious sight. Along either side of this
room there was a row of chairs, and in
every one of them there was a man
asleep. None of them had removed
any of his clothing, except his hat.
They were in all positions; some with
their heads back against the wall and
their mouths wide OPEN others with
their chins resting on their breasts, and
others again with their legs gathered up
under them and used as pillow for
their he DIS.
1t was the Bummers' resort, and each
of these customers, by paying five or
ten cents for drink, had become emit
tied to his chair and nights lodging.
Those at the bar were late corners who
had unluckily delayed dropping in
until all the chairs had been taken by
their equally b bulous but more thought
full companions.
Here was the tramp who had failed to
get enough money by begging to entitle
him to bed in the poorest lodging
house. There was the hummer that the
wayfarer meets as he hurries homeward
and is cursed or bles ed, accordingly
as he refuses or grants the request for
few pennies to pay for nights lodging.
The poor wretch, who sleeps in the
pains WINCH IIlt NcdlIlcI IS Inc enough,
is also met with here when the frost is
OF the ground and the bitter cold drives
him to less exposed resting places.
And so night after night does this
dingy, wretched looking saloon make
its money out of its miserable custom
crs,and for the pittance they are able to
pay does it serve them with its vile con-
coctions and afford them chair to drop
in and sleep off their drunken stupor.-
N. Y. Herald