The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1886-01-21
OUR NEW YORK LETTER.
From our Regular co,resp ondent.]
New YORK, Jan. Is, 1886

O1lUS AZ VIZ Avn - -
cf glad children were awakening ever
household in the city, as they surveys
the rich treasures that Santa Claus ha'
left them, poor woman in her garrei
in one of the poorest streets was slowl
dying of starvation. She knelt down b.
her bedside on New Years Eve, 80 goe
the story, to say parting prayer as th
old year went out, but the grey light o
the 1st of January, 1886, as it brok
through that attic, found her still kneel
ing there, but dead no sign of food o
money, scant furniture, and tatteret
dress were eli that remained of her lif'
story ). yet she had been a wife and
mother. Little ones had prattled abou
her knees and nestled in her breast, ant
she had fought the battle of life as brave
" as she could; but home, husband
children and friends had drifted away
from her, one by one, till at last she
found herself alone, and she too passe:
into the great beyond. Did He who
watcheth the sparrows fall hear the las
PRAYER that she uttered and in mercy
call her away7 If SO she had Happy
New Year; happier far than the millions
she leaves behind her. And now comes
the question, is there actually any need
Z of anybody suffering for food in this
great city? On Christmas morning a
poor widow sat with her two little ones
unable to pay her rent, unable to get any
Christmas dinner. Santa Claus had
passed that poor chimney by the night
before; and no drums or trumpets glad
dened the eyes of widow Morris's babies
Tho reporter of great daily newspaper
found them out and told. their humble
story, and within twelve hours that lone
{ widow had her cupboards full of all sorts
ofsgood things, aud respectable bank
accorns beside. Thousands, Unnecessary,
would have been ready to relieve her.
But notwithstanding our proverbial char
ity and the magnificent organizations Of
which this city is full, the hard fact
stares us in the face that there is still
untold suffering, and the dreadful fact
that ttwenty-one bodies lie unclaimed in
the morgue, tells story of woe more
eloquent, and: forcible, than ever, was
uttered by human tongue or written by
mortal pen.
I was strolliug down Broadway the
other day and stopped in front of the
Hoffman. House. This you will doubt,
less remember, is the hostelry kept by
E. S. Stokes, who killed Jim Fisk. a
dapper young man stepped up to me and
placed in my hand copy of The Bar
Istepped into the Hoffman and took
look in the looking glass to see if there
was any advertisement on the end OF my
nose that entitled me to such attention,
and / assure you on my honor there was
not !; but looking over the paper 1 find il
is devoted to the beer and whiskey In
terest. Let us look this thing squarely
and honestly in the face. What are
temperance people doing? In New
York City there is at the present time
not a-single., temperance meeting or a
single temperance orator that commands
popular attention. A short time age
Naw York had Mr.. Sawyer at the Cooper
Institute where he conducted the Sab
bath meetings for years, but the devil
tripped up his heels and he fell, to the
great grief of all who knew him. In
Brooklyn, Oliver Cotter a reformed
whiskey seller, became the terror OF his
former associates, and many a one he
had fiued or sent to the penitentiary fol
violating the excise laws, but the devil
got after Oliver Cotter; he disguised
himself in a bottle of whiskey, he goi
inside of Oliver, and one very dull
moving he found himself among the
drunks- in the police court. This GER
tainly was an exceedingly bad showing
for prominent temperance apostles. But
while the prohibition champions fall by
the wayside, the whiskey interest grows
stronger and more defiant every day, and
why should it not. 1t makes our Cover.
nor, our Legislature, our Aldermen and
Supesyisors-our Shcriffs, our constables
and police. The maa who keeps the
saloon on the corner is more potent
factor in our local politics than the most
eminent clergyman in the city. Two
policemen we're tried last week, ono for
robbing man and the other for assault
with intent to kill, and the excuse oi
both was that they were drunk. The
policeman Conroy, now serving out life
sentence for clubbing an innocent pris'
oner to death, gave it as an excuse on
his trial that he was drunk. Prohibition
will not become an accomplished fact ir
New York in the present generation
and as long as the Prohibitionists rur
separate candidates, just SO long we vii
have free rum, Sunday and holiday il
this city and State. The policeman wht
feels his position in danger, if he com
plains of violation of the excise law
is going to keep his eyes and his mouth
shut, especially when he knows that ii
addition to his other advants ges,.i is tt
him free whiskey and money in hi
purse.
I dropped into the business men,
prayer meeting at the old John stree
Methodist Church, on Tuesday last. Th
services we're conducted b, Rev. Mr.
Pentecost, a Baptist, at one time sup
posed to be like Paul, the straightest o
his Sec. The meeting was we'll ATTENDED
by respectable business men, tho onl,
peculiar thing about it was that ther
appeared to be no particular need of it
as every man was christian in full fel
lowship, who had made his calling ant
o1ection sure helieye 7 was about th