The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-07-25
TIRE ITALIANS IN INDIANAPOLIS.
The Fruit and Confectionery Vending Bust
ness of the City Now Monopolized by Them.

GAN, all are gone, the old familiar faces" signs
the poet. The old woman, who sold apples only
and whose face was as tawny and wrinkled as one
of her winter russets is, alas. more to be seen
on the street corner at her little stand just out
side the eddy, round which swirled the hurrying
stream of travel The glib young man. with
hair strongly inclining to red but with mus
tache which art had made black as the ravens
wing who, in dulcet speech, presented the mer-
its of the Dayton ice-cream candy, has
moved on. In past days each street-corner
fruit and candy vender was a specialist. and sold
each his or her one particular commodity There
was no hating between two opinions by a Gus
toner with ive-cent piece in hand in those
simple and primitive days. No distracting and
narrowing doubt was placed before the youthful
purchaser whether he had better buy taffy or
peaches, with the subsequent remorse after the
money had left his reluctant fingers, and he had
bitten the fuzzy globe to find a vermicuar speci-
men within in f1ourishing state of health, that
he should have chosen taffy. tafsy
stand was taffy stand, pure and simple. A
peach dealer sold peaches only, and the pomol-
ogist had only apples. There was place for
everything, and everything was in its place. 1t
is to be doubted that the peanut of to-day is as
good as In that halcyon time. The dealers
were of different nationalities, though the
Irish predominated. For the most part
the sedentary departments of the business,
peaches and apples were given over to age,
while the candy. peanut aud lemonade branches
were in the hands Of the younger and more
active. Oranges and lemons were not displayed
as common things, and bananas were wholly
unknown.
To-day the entire street sale of fruits of all
kinds is in the hands of the dark-browed sons
and daughters of Italy. Not alone have they
placed before the public, in bewildering pro-
fusion, temptingly arrayed. the fruits of the
sub tropics but they have given to native fruits
an arrangement and classification, as the State
fair pomologist would say, unknown before their
coming in fruit stand adjoining. There are
nine large fruit-stands and three fruit
stores owned and managed by Ital-
ians. At most of these not only the
proprietor, but his entire family employed
When Giuseppi Pietro is otherwise engaged,
keen and black eyes of son or daughter look
after the stock and small change. They attend
strictly to business and are always ready and
polite.
There are, all told including children. about
ninety Italians in the city, and nearly all Of
them make their livelihood by the sale of fruits
and candies, the exception being half
dozen young men and boys who make their liv-
ing from music. All but nine of the ninety
are a part of the city's permanent population.
| OF the nine five are the brigandish and pictur-
! esque men who have stood along Washington
street. and whose sole stock of English. and that
| somewhat disguised, appears to be, buy banan',
| adee? e. for tan sant!' The other four are from
Cincinnati, and are creating great atmospherical
| disturbances by their weird wild shout of "Ho-
key -pokey, five cents! Want itp