The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-09-23

most luxu iantly New York was full OF
such dives as his, conducted, however, on
less rigid basis. They reached their
glory in the war time, when the town was
populous with diSsolute aud looSe-living
men, with abundant money to waste. Aft
er the war they decl ined again; and what
with the interference of the police aud the
negligence of the public which had com
menced to outgrow its brutal social stage,
they DISAPPEARED one by one.
1t was a Gaze of the extinction of the I'M
fittest. While his rivals passed away and
were forgotten, Hills grew and flourished
like a sturdy weed upon the city's dung
heap. From the single dancing hall over a
bar-room. in which guise | first knew 1T, 1T
expanded into quite spacious establish
ment, occupying several houses on street
corner. Originally given over TO the dance,
and to the dance of such character as the
dancers of the slums are addicted to, 1t
eventually secured a theatrical attachment.
On little stage in one corner of the dan
cling hall more or less vulgar performances
were given, with variations of pugilistic
character, to defray tho expenses of which
it was the custom of the fstic heroes to
circulate the hat among the audience.
Drink was sold throughout the place, being
served at tables by women; and in the in
tervals of the stage performance portion
OF the floor was given over to any OF the
buNiGtlGc bUdb HiSll6u W budhO Aco hOplos
AS look back on this dingy hall, thick
with smoke, with its knots and clusters of
evil-visaged men and tawdry women, with
its clatter of glasses and the turmoil OF
lively drinking place, have curious re-
miniscence of several players who would not
thank me for mentioning their names in
this connection, and who made their debut
on its squalid stage. There is a
star of quite considerable magnitude
traxy tho road who
out of a tenement house to play
at Harry Hills, and another, who,
believe, began life as a sweeper in the
dirty bar down stairs, and graduated into
serio comic singer, and eventually, an
actor-save the mark
How well | remember one Christmas
eve, when this poor wretch, in almost
squalid rags came on the stage to do his
turn, and did it so cleverly and merrily in
spite of all his misery. that he SO touched
the hearts of gang of rollicking colegians
who had possession of the gallery reserved
for genteeler guests, that they Showered
hands full of silver or him until he gath
cred together more money than he ever
owned in his life before | believed this
terminated his engagement at Harry Hills,
for when | next heard of him he was Civ
ing his performances in variety house on
the Bowery with q name taken from the
New York Ledger, and a wood cut from
the Police Gazette job Print, representing
him as a cross between the Apollo Belvi-
dere and Buffalo Bill.
There are other men who have achieved
less consideration in the same line, who,
also began life as he did, but l never heard
that any of the female stars at Harry HIPS
attained fame What fat and greasy lot
of vulgar harridaus they were, with voices
that poured out of threats of brass, and
compilations from which the paint cracked
like whitewash from an old wall! at
gives one bad taste in ones mouth to
look at them u said one of the sight-seers,
one night. and he summed the fact up well.
Harry Hill made great deal of money
and saved it, He waxed portly and ran to
jewelry. He wore a big masonic emblem
III his shirt front and SO many diamond
rings upon his fingers that he did not re-
quire the assistance of brass knuckles when
arguing with an obstreperous customer
Within twenty years after he came to this
country, Appendices English stable-boy, he
had become a comparatively rich man.
In the barbaric society in which be cut
such figure, he was man of the foremost
importance. No prize-dght was complete
without the presence of Harry Hill. In
deed, on many an occasion, when the police
interviewed to prevent some widely adver-
tised encounter between champions of the
ring, the lawn on Harry Hills country
place on Long Island provided them with a
battle ground.
The immunity that he enjoyed from po-
lice interference lasted until a couple of
years ago. Then he made the mistake of
his life. He quarreled with the police
According to his own story, he refused to
pay the tribute which he alleged, and which
most intelligent people believe that the po-
lice exacted from all whose business or
trade bring them at all within the surveil-
lance and favor of the force and in contact
with the law, and they marked him for
ruin. Probably he would have been pro-
| tected until now but for this 1t was a re-
| form year, and the police had been receiv-
| ing some hard knocks from the press. So
| Harry Hills doom was written.
AS no establishment like his can be run
without gross and constant violation of
| the excise laws, it was an easy matter
| for the police to find excuses for annoying
him when it no longer paid them to leave
him alone. His bar-tenders were arrested
again and again. His waiter girls were
! arrested again and again. He was arrested
| himself. Then renewal of his license was
| refused him, He endeavored to run his
| establishment on temperance basis, but
| milk and soda water have no charms for
such customers as his and viciousness I'M
| baptized by fire has no SAVIOR. Finally, he
was completely frozen out and vanished
from the scenes of his protracted and pros
porous useleSsneSS.
p 90