Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-12-22

-MIHTrSo WITH AN APPIIcANr-A wARN well
CONE MISREPRESENTATION AND corr
FORTS.
For the love Of God show me some place
where can sleep tonight
The passionate appeal was addressed to q
police officer on Pennsylvania avenue q couple
OF nights ago, and the man who uttered 1t was
shivering in the cold night-wind He was a
middle-aged man, and despite his worn cloth
ing and haggard countenance, there was that
indescribable something in his appearance
which stamped him as one who had seen better
days.
what are you doing around here, anyhow"
asked the professionally suspicious officer.
Looking for some kind Of shelter" was
the reply. 'Im tired out and almost starved {"
Out OF work." continued the policeman.
''Out OF everything" was the somewhat i'm
patient response, land" he added. I'm be out
OF my body soon if things don't improve"
''You look like pretty decent fellow" criti-
cally remarked the officer, land YOU certainly
ought to have bed. Dye know where the
18th street station-house is?"
No., chartered the shivering wretch; II
haven't been in the city but day."
We'll, come along with me, and If you can
pass muster you'll probably get bed at the
night clearinghouse"
A STAR reporter, who was conversing with
the officer when the stranger interrupted, went
along with the couple to the corner of 18th
street and the avenue, and there the police
man stopped
'You see that gas-light sign?" said he. point
Ing south. well, you go there. pull the bell
and tell the man who answers the door that
you want bed"
Muttering few words of thanks the outcast
shuffled down 18th street to the place indicated,
the reporter following him closely.
Clang! sounded the gong that answered the
vigorous pull of the bell knob and few sec
onds later the door swung open and revealed a
colored man Of gigantic mould. He did not
ask the visitor what his business was; he sim
ply said: Walk in" The man stepped into
room on the left of the hallway. and the re-
porter followed. Seated at large table and
toasting his shins in the warmth which emma
ted from latrobe was spare-built, stern fea-
tnred man: That was Superintendent
Plumsll. the man who has charge
Of the night lodging-house. In less than
minute the superintendent had extracted from
the would-be guest replies to a string of ques-
tions that would have satisfied census-ta ker.
and the abbreviated result of the inquiry was
written down in the book which serves for
register in the Hotel de Plumsill.
William ~ shouted the superintendent and
the woolly head Of that coiored son of Anak
appeared almost instantly. Take him up.
stairs." and William obeyed.
What will William do with him when he
gets him upstairs?" asked the reporter.
Turn him over to one of the attendants for
examination" replied Mr.. Plumsill. I'VE are
willing and ready to supply sleeping quarters
Tor humanity, but we don't propose to give
five minutes shelter to any apparent quantity
OF insect life. If it ever got foothold here
we would never get it out; therefore. when the
inspector gets hold Of some old rounder who is
nothing but peripatetic nest of vermin he re-
ports the case back to me and the gentleman
yrh n an ruvn e1x-; IoL; I'll L..
shelter in the police-station or some where
else; he can't stay here. 1 have had to reject
as many as thirty men in one night for that
cause alone"
FURTHER PROCEEDINGS.
While the superintendent was talking the
latest arrival was taking a bath, he having
passed the necessary examination. Every one
OF the men who comes in must indulge in a
bath. While he is engaged an attendant
takes his clothes and hangs them on a num-
bered peg in room which is not accessible
save to him who has the key. In place of his
suit the ledger is given a long white night
shirt. and in this he courts the drowsy god.
He does not, however, go ito bed hungry for
the cook supplies him with plentiful ration
OF soup-gOod soup-so that the unfortunate
mortal who Is, in Bowery slang, generally ''in
the SOUP" now reverses the condition of affairs
and puts the soup in him. A liberal supply Of
bread accompanies the SOUP and when the
simple meal is done the ledger goes to bed
Bed means an iron bedstead. on which is q
straw bed a mattress two clean white sheets
and double blanket. OF these beds there are
forty and they are for white men. The col
ored contingent is provided with twelve pal
lets, or .'shake-downs," on the floor. These
hfty-two beds are in six rooms.
FEMALE LoDaERs.
But the night lodging house is not alone for
men. Many of the applicants are women. and
for their use there are twelve beds in four
rooms. The unfortunate representatives of
the gentler sex who ask for nights shelter
have many privileges, but suffer from dis
advantages which are quite as numerous
The inspection which the men have to undergo
cannot be applied to women. because there is
no matron in the place, and as there is but one
bathroom In the entire establishment they
escape the compulsory cleansing. Their cloth
ing IL not taken away from them as it is in the
case of the males, and they are left largely to
their own devices. To protect them, however
they are locked in their rooms until morning
IN THE MORNING.
At a. m. the attendants wake the dodgers
Up. and give the men their clothes. Then
comes breakfast, which consists of bread and
coffee, and by 7 o'clock the house is empty of
all save the attendants. and they are hard at
work cleaning the sleeping rooms and making
everything ready for the crowd which will GER
tainly be there that evening. No lodger can
be admitted through the day. The door is
opened at $50 p. M, and it is closed for the
night at 10 O'Clock. As rule there are ten or a
dozen applicants hanging around on the out
side for an hour or more before the door opens
and on cold wintry nights the early corners
will sometimes number as many as twenty five
or thirty. The house opened this season on
December g. and during the first week it ac-
commodoted l42 persons, while in the
week following 192 homeless unfortunates
were given food and shelter. This
Is far in excess of any previous
record Of the institution. The rules of the
house provide that no person shall be given
more than three successive nights lodging,
and the only exception to this rule can be made
by one of the directors Of the institution. on
whose order man or woman may be sheltered
and fed for three nights more. II. however,
the last of the three dayssshould chance to be
Saturday, then the rules will give the ledger
one night more, because it could not be sup
posed that any one could secure employment
o n q Sunday.
CHARACTER OF APPLICANTS.
The student who believes that ''the proper
study of mankind is man. will find ample ma
terial for extensive research if he will sit in
Superintendent Plumsills Office through an
evening and there watch the applicants as they
mir Of hun ra1