New-York tribune., 1886-01-31
NIGHT SCENES IN THE SLUMS.
AFRAID ON THE STALE BEER DIVES.


HUMAN DEGRADATION AS IT is SEEN BY TliR
POLICEMEN or TIE SIXTH PRECINCT.
"a man must be a policeman in the Sixth
Precinct to realize tho utter degradation to which
human beings sink," remarked Police captain Johh
McCuagh Us he toasted his toes before blazing coal
hro his cosoy private room at the ElzaOehst station
No." lie continued, don't mean the Cinnamon or the
Iallans am speaking Of the stale beer nends' hyou
care twe raid the salo boeg dives snd you CAN
SEQ for Yourself"
Tho doorman was called in, and Instructed by tho
captain wake up tie reserve section and TO tell heh
10 turn out and dress III few minutes the Dig ssnal
gong rang three raps and thrty'seven salwart police
men, headed by Sergeant Colegrove aud big rouIdsman
walked out into front Tho sergeant reported
the mon ready for dnty The captain put on his over
coat md dividing the up INTO squads Of from three
eight eacb told them that tho places To DO raioed wero
Nos 35 81, &c. Al. 90. so and % MulberTyst Tie
word OF command giyon at IL o'clock. and tie men
trampod out OF the station.
"pu, afrald said tho captain, that We won't make
big haul tonight This Ia tho second raid this week
st thcre will DO enough to give you fair Idea OF what
the places are There has been chance for them to
get warning because up to tho time the neh were cae
not soul eXeep. SS9 anu ny SUI 'au any 'O'" '"A'
he policemen were evidently accustomed to tho WORK
they had hand for By the time the captain ana tho
reporter reached Mulberry and bayara sts nor poce
man was IN sight few dirty ragged men ana wOmed
stood on the sidewalk, attracted by tue poL;e' ana
waiting for the fun. 49,
Dat's Cap" said ore Ul-sne!lng leIloV 10 an
eduuly ilsmclln9 cowpanion as the captain passed.
lies going TO make another pun; LUCKY We 6oI
hcie Late. Let's wait an see De sport, o,or,o, Gam
'You would better light your cigar, remarked cap
tain McCullagh. as he stopped IN front OF No 80 90
have remarkably strong stomach You'll need , eOne %
thing TO XIII the stencil. As lie stepped down threo ot
four steps ANA walked iato narrOw passaseway
policeman saluted.
Many here I" asked the captain.
" About nifty, sir" was the reply.
the captain pushed open the irst door. sickenns
stencil that would have given points to the loinps
prison pen a busy sunday morning, issued from the
interior When the eyes became accustomed to the dm,
ha1y light aud bya couple Cf superahuatca KeIoseno
The roo was D ot over eight feet square. IN corner
was little cosot jusi abOu blk enough 70 hold man
roam aud small t-ron stove IN the centre gave out
hs heat There were noess than twenty thrco
catou. The women were as rule, frOwsy black-eyed
hAgs who could barely be distnguishet US human De-
,nc, SOiuo Of them ha undressed. There were, how
cser IL tn' Us 1MV y than their older com
panions Ine several degrees lower than the
Oato.cau tramp that may o5 seen draihins lasoT Oest
The inmates Of glared at the captain nnI his
companion ia STUPID sort OF way, but not WORD was
Hahn and no objection made the captain kicked
~ tne door Of the closet and found man and woman
wing on the nOor few feet up the hallway another
nor was opened and auO her batch OF drunken. stupid.
degradrd wretches found. Two othcr rooms were
used as beer dives III the same building In the
iast room the inmates bad not had time 10 thoroughly
tupciy themselves. and when the captain entered he
vas greeted by storm OF profanity mat would nave
brought n blush 10 The check OF "a Texas cowboy;
TIko them all TO the house as fast as
,ou can" WIS the order gwen. anu
A dark, narrow dcyway, SLIPPERY with dirt and
aud led into small courtyard. orhamented Win pies
Tnerr was light in the place when came In re.
ported tic officer pointing to door leading Into Halt
| cellar. But its our now
A sharp rap With the club brought no response and
mo otic,r gave tho door kick which sent II of rs
/ bInyrs Only two Italians and woman were foand
They added TO the procession Oh It's way 70 lle
station The next places visited showed evidences
few vri,oners were secured Tho big catch Of the night
was made at No. 90 All the hooks and cranncs on the
tower two floors OF this building are used as dlFes
Oucer John Winner tho stale beer expert OF tue SKIN
prernct knoN OF them, and under his guidance the
cautnln went UP rickety steps, down INTO foul III,
smellinE cellars and into dark rooms Hardy wOru
man. In OF the cellar rooms was an Old man, VINO
looked as though he might have been anywhere from
100 20 200 years cid. --,--
rhat" saId The captain" ia ono OF the most curious
oh arters In the precinct He Is over eighty years DID,
mud Was IN youth brS2nd IN Italy Forty years OF
his life been spent In Italian prisons ue Is alu 70
and there ia not an Italian In Mulberry-sL VINO isn't
afraid OF him despite his eighty years -
BY this time there steady stream OF prisoners on
their way the station Thoy were driven In gangs or
tour or five like geese The fresh nir had apparently
revived them little from their stup0r ana whle they
made no resistance. the cir was fairly sulphurous
pedigrees hsa Oeen taken aier fasblon sna tneJ
were al locked up In tie big lodging rooms where
aud m. scenes that werG enacted cannot be described
"I nave mndo over 5000 arrests in that block alone
In tie last eighteen months" said the captain Ihat
dosent include the IFS that we got t0-liSnl haYo
my precinct II have 10 make raid every ngnt IN the
week IL doesn't 10 much good 10 arrest these people,
however Half VI them Will be IN the he1t rald lIey
viii be taken 70 court In the morning aud sent to the
Island for ranging from ton days To turee ohns
but the Island people don't want them' ana tneJ DC
back here III two or three days.