The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1885-11-05
OUR NEW YORK LETTER.
From our Regular CO'rcspondent.]

stood looking on the other night watch.
ing the arrival and departure of the
trains, I could not help asking myself if
the Old Commodore would recognize the
Grand Depot, Of which he felt so proud,
that he asked no other monument. 1t
seemed as if the whole neighborhood
was quickened by new and a wonder
full life. The old time gloom had gone
the interior was as bright as day, there
was hardly part Of the vast structure
that you could not have picked up a pin
upon the floor. 1t was not the magnifi-'
cent electric lights alone-electricity was
everywhere-there was no bawling or
OF noise; everything seemed to
move with the absolute certainty of fate.
Electric calls summoned poiters and
navvies to their work solemn sounding
gongs warned the departing trains. The
instant the hand was on the dial the
train began to o'moye, and almost
apparently without warning it dashed
into the gloom Of the night. Even the
hackman of 1885 is different animal
from the hackdriver Of fl845. In forty.
Eve he took you by the lapel Of your
coat and dragged you into his carriage,
and if YOU made any resistance he
punched your head and taught you bet.
ter manners. Now, Jehu stands at the
gate cap in hand, and asks you respect
fully, if your honor wants a carriage. A
wholesome dread Of poiceuan's club,
or perhaps the forfeiture of his license,
has made him, if not a more civilized
being, at least more tolerable.
I thought some few years since that
the craze for fats was over; instead of
which, they are going, up at such 8 rate
that in g very few years the old fashioned
home will be but thing of the past,
unless rapid transit shall solve the pro-
blem by carrying our wage workers for
nominal rate out into the country where
land is cheap. See what thousands are
doing in New York to-day. All of our
great manufacturing houses are down
town; $4,000 Of their operatives use the
elevated roads. From Harlem to the
lower part of the city is seven miles;
nearly thirty thousand of the down town
workers live in Harlem and Porkville.
It costs them ten cents day to make
tho trip of twelve or fourteen miles, and
the sixty cents for railroad fare is a heavy
tax on girls making three or four dollar
q week. Perhaps electricity may yet
help to solve the problem. Already we
have 8 successful electric motor on one
uptown railroad, and if they can only
now reduce the cost Of the power, we
may consider ourselves on tho threshold
of the Golden Age. Many Of our streets
are blaze of glory at night. One side
of Grant Street is illuminated with the
electric light for half mile, and all
through the Bowery night is. turned into
day (; the same may be said of Fourteenth
Street, and many of the Avenues; it
seems to be general verdict that gas
must 20, and if that long hoped for day
shall ever come there will be great re.
joicing. a,
The most dramatic episode of the week
has been the meeting in court of the
Arch Thief Ward and his victim or &C.
compIce, James d. Fish. With all his
sins, 8 man must have had heart of
stone who could have listened to Fish's
answer to the question: Your name,
age. occupation and place of residence
Around him we're the bankers and rich
men who had sat at his board and drank
his wine; who had ridden in his carriage
to his costly box at the opera; who had
been associated with him in business for
over thirty years. The old man stood
up With scarcely quaver in his voice,
looked sternly toward his late associate
and answered, my name is james D..
Fish, my age is 81, my occupation con.
yict, and my home is States Prison.
The terrible answer must have fallen on
Wards ears like doom. He never
raised his head, but those who watched
him closely saw tremor pass over him,
and when at last he did raise his head,
the blood was gone from his face; and it
was the first time since the commence
mert of his trial that he has shown the
slightest emotion. The circles are clos.
ing around him. The man who by his
innate devilish villainy caused 80 much
SORROW and disaster, it is now hoped will
soon be inside the walls of State Prison.
Now rises the question, will We be able,
by legal process to reach the villains who
secured the plunder prominent among
them is Warner, who on the night when
the wretch Ward sunk crushed under
the weight Of his enormous guilt, rushed
into his home at midnight, and secured
what remained of Wards i'll gotten
wealth. Will Mayor Grace hand over
to the receiver the $4,000 he received
as interest and profit on Wards nefari.
ous deals and contracts. It will be an
evil day for New York, if any of the
guilty ones escape; hunt them down big
and little. The conviction of Ward
gives us hope of better day; we breathe
freer, feeling that if the mills of God
grind slowly they grind exceeding fine.
For the present politics rule the hour;
street bummers, tramps and vagabonds
assume their annual Importance, for
they become important factors in the
of our State and City. All
the low lodging houses are full, as many
as hundred being registered in one
dirty tenement in Fatty Welsh's district
in the Sixth ward. For thirty days
preceding the election these vagabonds
are fed and housed in these dirty hives
at the expense of the candidate, and
after election are turned adrift to starve
or steal as best they may.
AS an evidence Of the admirable man.
ner in which this city is policed: for
which protection, by the way, we pay
the snug little sum Of four millions Of
dollars annually. Gu Tuesday afternoon
in broad daylight on the most public
in the city, two ladies were
attacked, one had her satchel snatched
put of her hand and the thief made off
with his plunder; and another lady had
! gold chain torn from her neck. but the
thief was pursued by crowd, and even
tually captured with loaded bulldog III
bis pocket, all ready for murder, If
necessary.
Signor Salvini is back With ns, and
although he does not speak word OF
English in his plays, and very little out
,ide of them, he is giving US represen
,stion of the classic drama which brings
back the golden age of the stage. For
'wenty five years the American stage has
been drifting backwards. 1t seemed to
l. 4 "a Ia L..