Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-12-19
THE PETS OF ODE GANG"
A New Discovery in the Animal
kingdom.

NEW YORK, Dec. 1S.-"Bring up the
chippy; who is the complainant" These
were the words of the gateman in one of
our police courts the other day. In re-
Spouse to them young girl Of very Pc
cuiiar appearance was put in the prison
er's dock. she had little leather-com-
pleXioned face, with tiny black Sits in 1t
for eyes. with a mat OF black hair of the
texture ola horse's name over her fore
head, and with clothes of good material
but amazing shape and 8ashy colors. Her
dress was red and seemed to swing
about Independently OF her body like
compass IN it's box. 1t did not reach
quite to her shoe tops. Her jacket was
of soiled white corduroy, with buttons 10
big as butter dishes. Her hat would nave
hidden the stage to all the couples di-
rectly behind it il worn in q theatre. Ii
set out in field in New Jersey it might
have been taken for barn, it was so big
and red.
''StrucK her mother, eh p said Justice
Duffy, the most thorough Of our magis-
trates. sis it possible that you raised
your hand to your mother, young
womanr'
eyes, did, y'r honor" said the Girl,
with a swag ger and pert air. 'tShe was
| sassy to ide ana 1 gave her a iicklng.'
This interesting miss was promptly
sentenced and led away. Her head was
held erect ana her face wreathed in
smiles as she went out of court. She
waved hand to some desperate looking
youths, mere lads, on the benches and
whispered to the nearest one: "Pll be
with Maggie on de island to-morrer. III
give her de best love OF de gang"
Thus she spoke Of going to jail. A few
years ago she would have been classified
IN that same court as ''piv0ter," but to-
day she comes under the term "a chippy."
PlVOter meant q girl addicted to plcnlcs,
excursions and other affairs at which
there was great deal of pivoing. or
| Waiting, and chippy means a young
thing. Both terms apply to the same class
of wayward girls in short dresses. You
get an idea of the size OF this town when
you realize that there are enough mis-
guided children OF one sex to add to our
language a word for common use The
police estimate that there are 10000 of
these juvenile girl-arabs in this CITY aud
at least as many more in Brooklyn, Jer-
sey City and Newark combined.
They are the feminine cOunterparts and
consorts of the "gangs" for which we are
notorious. They are the products of our
tenement house system, in which hui
mainly is so crowded that the children
have TO grow u p in the streets for want
of room indoors, The sample chippy is a
revelation TO humanity. She is feminine
in nothing except dress. Other girls are
led to err, but she was born astray. She
boasts that she was never known to cry.
She fights like boy and would as lief
fight with boy as not. She smokes,
drinks, swears, picks pockets, pliers and
sometimes chews tobacco. She haunts
theatre galleries, picnics, skating Kinks,
and EAST side ball rooms. She ia jndiffar.
emit whether she sleeps at home or in a
box wagon laid up in a side street over
night. She terrOriZes her parents and !,
joining with other chippies every morn
ing, descends on the avenues where goods
are exposed on the sidewalks, and they
are as ii a scourge was upon them.
JULIAN RALPH