Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1886-02-26
ODD OCCUPATIONS.
HOW SOME PEOPLE LIVE IN THE
GREAT METROPOLIS.
The Cat-Meat Man-Second-Hand
Dinners-The Butt-Picker ~
Artists in Soap - Making
Wooden Shoes.

chandise is stored which the rodent finds
particularly toothsome there is generally
kept a perfect battalion of cats. OF
course the rats, though numerous, are not
always attainable by Pussy, and other
provender must be served her; and in
doing this several men are now engaged
who make fair livelihood. Their trans
actions, in some instances, are carried on
on scale large enough to warrant their
bringing their edibles about in cart.
And when some of these catmeat men APP
pear in big commission warehouse one
would fancy that the "Pied Piper of
Hamelin" had come out of the mountain
again and was atoning to the rats he be-
guiled to destruction by serving their
ancient enemies the same trick. A swarm
of cats troop after him from every corner,
and amid such mewing and purring as
can hardly be conceived the diet of the
day is served out to them. 1t is generally
cheap beef Or horsefesh, and although
inferior in quality to the toothsome NOR
sells that regale the favored pussies of
many household, it is said to be far
better than the fare which is dealt out by
the "catmeatn man. of London, who is a
regular and familiar parsonage of the
English metropolis.
There is another character in some
neighborhoods of whom the community
at large knows nothing. He rejoices in
the name of "the morning caller, " and is
generally needy old man, although in
both age and condition he varies. The
''morning caller is a sort of human
alarm clock and his services are generally
engaged by bartenders, grocery clerks
and men who have to ''open early" From
the "wee sma' hours" he is abroad, Slip
ping from house to house and from room
to room, tapping upon doors and halloo-
ing in Railways. He has all kinds of
weather to face and is often very i'll pro-
vided for his journey. But he generally
staggers about his route faithfully; for,
poor creature, he knows that neglect of
his duties means the imperiling of his
customers positions and the loss of the
few dimes on which he depends for ex-
istence. Some morning callers" live
with their families in the poorer districts
and depend upon their own wakefulness
or the care of watchful spouses to insure
certainty in the discharge of their duties.
But many of them prefer to spend the
late hours of the night and the early ones
of the morning in some of the 'all night"
bar-rooms, whence they feel positive
they will be despatched on their mission
at timely hour, although frequently in
condition i'll adapted to insure full
tilment af their duties
The immense business of the big
hotels and the amount of refuse turned
out of them have been the cause of the
institution of a new trade. 1t is that of
''broken food collector" There is a
shorter and more pointed term applied to
the class by those who deal with them.
But this appellation best expresses their
business. 1t may not be generally known,
nor may it be appetizing to persons who
live at some of the very cheap restaurants
about town, that part of the provender
served has already made its appearance in
far more delectable quarters. But such
is the case. Chops and steaks and even
other edibles which have occupied the
plates of diners in high toned hotels and
have only been nibbled are turned out
among the refuse of the kitchen and
bought up by big dealers who find all of
it available for some purpose, and who
make profits of many thousands of dol
lars at the business; and, first of all,
these find market among the
"broken food collectors" Still shapely
steaks and cuts, embarrassed chops ald
joints that retain their fibre and juices,
are gathered by the collector and by him
retailed among the cheap restaurants,
where they are served up anew to GUS
toners less fastidious or unaware of the
"chestnut character of their meal. Of
course, this practice has been generally
kept under cover by restaurateurs in
Difference to the feelings of their more
captious patrons. But of late few of
them-notably one on the extreme east
side, little off Grand street, have
boldly put themselves forward as
champions of the secondhand
dinner and announce themselves as
such. What is more. there seems to
have been no falling off in their custom.
In fact, it has increased. And doubtless
the philosophy that sends man to a
dealer in misfts or second hand clothing
with an expectation of finding raiment of
superior texture and cut at very low rates
has led the patrons of these restaurants
to willingly expend small sum for
savory viands which they think but little
discounted by having lain on some less
hungry but more wealthy beings dish.
The "butt-picker," while not general
ly visible in fashionable haunts, is be-
ing who infests the whole community,
and who has been heard of by nearly every
one, even if his authenticity be some
times doubted. AT one time there was a
large number engaged in the business,
but the work of the society for the pre-
vention of crime has done much to de-
crease it by their scrutiny of the Italian
populations ways and means of living.
The "butt-picker" was generally provid-
ed with bag or basket. He dived into
saloons, infested the fronts of hotels, and
generally travelled from place to place
along the curb stone with an eye on the
gutter and another on the walk. What
he was in quest of was cigar stumps.
Their quality he did not heed, and
whether they had come from the lips
of millionaires Or beggars did not
concern him. And once he had reached
some obscure hutch of a place in a
Crosby or Baxter street alley his bag or
basket was emptied and its contents
added to that of his little colleagues in
the work The stamps were then sorted
and sold. They went to big cigarette
and cigar factories, where they were re-
sorted, unstripped or ground and came
out anew in handsomely labelled boxes to
be disposed of to the confding commu-
nifty. The "butt picker" is not extinct
Ru No uoaano