Wichita eagle., 1886-12-05
THE LARRIKIN OF LONDON.
Fatless. Capless and Tireless, He Give
Chase to the Four-Wheeler.


Chase to the Four Wheeler.
The several societies and the many amateur
philanthropists who have made the fate of the
small boy the object Of their care have nearly
cleared the great London streets of the gamin
and canine. They are still to be seen in the
sluIns fighting in their rags for rotten apple
or dancing in their tatters around a hurly-
gurdy, but they have been killed, philan-
thropized and solicited off the thoroughfares
''Poor Jo' is thing of the past, and the
! places be occupied are filed by the bootblack
brigade, the newsboys and tho organized
street cleaners. There is one youth, however,
! that neither the policeman, the philanthropist
nor the novel writer has been able to sup
press, and that is the larrikin.
l had an experience with him when less
! than two hours il London, and after that
studied the habits Of the beast with much in
terest. We were mailing for a quiet lodging
house in Ellington, ourselves inside and cur
baggage Oh top of u "growler,' and were
about six or seven streets from the place
| when / saw the slinmest OF youths dart
around a corner and give chase to the four
wheeler. FatleSs, capless and tirelesS he kept
up n run along the sidewalk, lodging his
way among the passers-by as though he were
creased, watching each turn of the hack with
a keen eye and darling down whichever
street tho cabby steered his ricl,ety horse.
When the house was reached there at the
area gate stood the skeleton youth. When
the horse was pulled up, with all four feet
stuck out like the legs Of chair, the feet
lad rang the bell By the time we had
alighted be had our trunks on the pavement,
and by the time our identity had been estab-
lished with the landlady he had carried our
trunks upstairs to our apartments.
Then came the explanation. He was not a
messenger attached to the lodging house as
convenience for guests; neither was he the
hack drivers son. He was larrikin, a gaunt
hunter Of baggage-laden strangers. He had
marked US for his prey, had chased down the
quarry and his price was sixpence. After that
/ saw him often-that is, those of his kind.
His favorits hunting grounds were the great
lodging districts-kensington, Camberwell.
Bri1ton, Stoke Ncwington. Camden Town,
eta, and four wheeler with trunks on the
roof and people looking curiously out of the
windows was = sure sign OF fair game. His
distinctive conduct was the precipitancy with
which he did everything. No matter how
long tho run might have been, he would dart
at the impedimenta and haul them off as
though fresh from a lounge. Old ladies were
a great catch for him, and he would SO fly
around" aid bang things about that they
would deliver up backsheesh before they
thoroughly knew what they were doing.
Sometimes they would chase down the same
prize and SO bewilder tho victim with sham
quarreliaG that they would be paid for the
sake Of peace. 10 attempt seems to be made
to abolish these Bedouirs OF the London des-
ert, yet they are as truly plunderers Us their
brethren Of Arabia. The city Arabs, the
gaminS used TO be called, were not nearly Us
knavish as these fellows, for what the one
begged these extoIt.-London Cor San Fran
cisco Chronicle