Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1885-02-01
THE "SEVEN DIALS."
vSiY TO THE RENDEZVOUS or LON.
poNs DEsPERAooa
The Toughest Of the Tough - Seen in ~
knghsh Capital-A Bruts's Fsso-
swine OF . Tenement
House,
london Cor. Courisr-Journai r

| london Cor. Courisr-Journai.f
Dickens has made tn, ssevan nf.ls.
famous 1t il the roost and rendezvous of
the Forty Thieves" and scores Of the mos,
abandoned and desperate dars-dsvils to b
found In tho precincts Vt the wicked mstrop-
Oils. Strange to say 1t il in the heart Of ths
city, and within few squares Of some Of the
principal streets. 1t is NEAR cut 10 many
important places. If you don't set your
throas cus on the way. As stated before.
seven streets radiats from It's hub, and you
drift into it from almost any direction. II
| gets its name from the fact that formerly
each of the seven buildings that face upon
the square bad a clock on its front-hsno,
The Seven Dials."
A walk OF a few minutes brought us to tn
| csnter OF the Seven Dialss We were now
| about to enter in medias rs sure enough
The inspector stepped up TO the policeman on
duty, and gently exhibiting his card and
some other sort Of insignia, exchanged few
words soto voce. The shril whistle Of tho
policeman 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 one Of the dreariest streets fol-
lowed by a villainous crowd, who were csr.
tain that an arrest was going to BE- made. A
short distance and we stopped in front of q
dilapidated old building. One of the police
men went TO the head of the column and ths
other brought up the rear, while we moved
on the enemy. We groped our way, Indian
hle, through dark Railways down a narrow
staircase into dimly-lighted cellar-room
TILED with ferocious and crestfallen charac-
ters. There they were Of all ages, from the
ID year old boy to the hoary head They
were taking their sorry suppers, and our
visit was a surprise party.
1t was q sight l shall never forget Thsv
were the toughest Of the tough, and their
photographs would make our American
rogues' gallery blush. 1t was study to sec
the various expressions Of the hard, hellish.
crims-stamped faces Some affected an air
OF ndinerencs to our presence, and went On
munching their meals without looking up;
others gassd at Us with an assumed eye Of
innocence, which seemed to say. ~You ars
shockingly rude to even suspicion me;r q
fow did not disguise their dspleasure at our
unannounced call, and corrugated their
orows and snarled and showed their teeth
Ike dogs The youngest, boy Of not over
ID, As soon a. he got over his scare, 1guyeds
Us. and offered to treat to the stale beer In
his pewter tankard His bravado sat sadly
on such young shoulders A man stcod s,
front of tho fireplace who had evidently sesn
better days His eyes were fixed the foor
and be never once lifted than His cloth.
ing was seedJ, but trife neater than thoss
about him, And a badly demoralized plug
hat raised him several degrees above his sur
round;ngS His features we're daenlv.fnr.
Fowsd by vice, but through the hard lines
you could read few traces Of former r.
spectability. An old man wbo.e sba,n .Iv
snesking faos seems TO have inherited .in =.
Q birth-risht, and feeding himself from .
pocketful Of uncooked yeSetabIss. which h.
had no doubt stolen from some green pro,s,
or market stand.
Tho most individual eh.r..ts,
ratb.r vo,,,ov 60. -. 80 ~
there was scarcely an Indication of a bum,,
being Thers vasa fearful f.scin.t;o, 4.
his features that held Won with . sn.talit.
charm. His features were sonar. hold and
British. His nose Law fat on his face And nj,
large, yeIlowish-Qray ewes had the v;de-op.n
roll and eagerness of a nantber III. -
preston seemed to saw. II could Ian blocd
and deem 1t a dainty dishn Ha sat bold
upright. with a can on his be.d and ol,-.T
full upon Us. Ihaye never seem inst snch i.
face, and am at q loss how to describe II n
appeared oo be a nature but a hit .hov. tn.
brute, and unconscious of its deor,dat;o,
1t was a scene worthy Of Dickens nsn on !.
grrat painters brush. lit vas not /. no..
house of Hsdes am no fudge.
When we had fully surveyed tho scara th.
Inspector asked Us, as a matter of form ~
We recognised any ons,n and mon our n
spending in the negative we filsd ont ~ W
came In, the police paradinx with presentad
bstons. A few jeers and -guysn were fred
at US as we departed. The inspector alv.v.
asked US in these dens II I'VE recognised anv
one," as he was supposed to Be in search Of :
r1lprit Had the Thieves tbonoh& oth.--
here would have been q row at once, as they
are not fond Of visitors chaperoned by blus.
soat&
We were told that the proprietor of III.
wretched den we had visited was wealthy.
pulled the reins over a pair. and lived IN
Iumptuous styla He never sees the placa,
but collects through an agent. His father
It seems, gave his personal supervision to 4
imilar rancho until he got seven years foe
'eceivins stolen goods and his rookerv VA