St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-11-11
THEY DRINK.

TOltZlllS Inc pllDlIC SdlUollS anu lliuulS-
ing in frequent libatioDs OF whatever
intOXicant the appetite may crave.
Strolling down Sixth avenue, the
writer dropped into palatially equipped
barroom near Fifty-third street. Passing
into the back room, he found a party of
four ladies, all engaged i'll merry bout
with the fr:sky god Of wine. Packages
of goods StreWn here and there indi-
Gated that they had been shopping and
were recuperating their exhausted ell
ergies by draughts Oh Sir John Barley
corn.
The boundary line of the paradise for
female tIpplers was reached just below
Thirty-first street and thence on to
Fourteenth. It's here that King Alco-
hol casts his nets for devotees at his Sc
ductve founts, and he catches the fe-
male shoppers in schools that appal the
most jealous Prohibitionist.
A short distance below Twenty third
street, where the current of female trade
Gibbs and flows increasingly during the
day from 10 a. m. until p. M, is a place
kept by a boniface,o unlimited capacity
for catering to the bibulous wants of his
felloW-man and sister woman.
Many ladies' who are averSe to bar
rooms as being too vulgar for their pat
ronage avail themselves of the drug
stores and take tn ir whisky and cali
saya incidentally. The drug store drink
erS among the fair seX!are very nnmer-
GUS. The proprietor OF. one of the
prosperous drug stores on the avenue
told the writer that one of the most i'm
portant items in his business was the
sale of liquor to ladies. Many of them
prefer liquors, such as brandy, whisky
and gin, to the lighter beverages, such
as beer and light wines. Those who
prefer the latter patr0niZe the restaur-
ants, where, with a modest luncheon
as an excuse, they can be served with a
bottle of beer, claret or champagne.
A popular resort for lady tipplers is at
the corner of cross street and Sixth
avenue. The proprietor is a French
man. and with a view of making his re-
sort acceptable to ladies he has ele-
gantly fitted up large back room,
which can be entered by side door on
the cross street. The handsomely pa
pered walls are adorned with artistic
etchings and finely engraved pictures,
which delight and please refined tastes.
The furniture in the rooms is of the
best manufacture, plain and substail-
tial.
Two ladies entered, and the reporter
followed, by the side door, but they had
disappeared through another door into
the inner temple of Bacchus, which
completely shut them in from the gaze
of an inquisitive world. AS aglaSs of
beer was placed before the reporter on
the bar he saw two silver fixes carried
by white-aproned waiter to the back
room, preSumab y for the two ladies
who had just entered. Out on the side
walk the reporter, from a convenient
point of observation, had all opportunity
to note the female patrons of this place.
The first one to enter was an elderly
lady of patrician appearance, who, so
far as indication of age might be taken
as criterion, was grandmother. Her
silken white hair was parted well down
over both ears in the old-fashioned
style of years ago. The venerable lady
bore every indication of belonging to
one of New York's best families. AS
she left the side door her lace hand
kerchief was drawn Suspiciously across
walk a handsomely equipped carriage
turned the corner from Seventeenth
street, into which she got and was
driven away.
Shortly after her departure the two
ladies who had entered the place came
out with flushed faces and lively man
ner. They were met on the sidewalk
by a handsome young lady of refined
appearance and beautiful attire. A
cordial greeting took place, and after a
few remarks the three entered the sa-
loon, presumably to have another
drink.
in the fifteen minutes which ensued
after their entrance to the saloon they
were followed by seventeen ladies',
ranging in age from the gray
haired matron of sixty to the pretty
blonde and brunette misses of sixteen.
There were several ladies whose APP
pearance denoted that they were wives
and mothers. They carried themselves
with dignity and circumspection. In
two or three instances care was taken
to get into the saloon without being
noticed, this precaution taking the
shape of getting behind a structure
built over the entrance and glancing
quickly up and down the street to assure
themselves that no one with whom they
were acquainted was looking. On find
the coast clear they quickly disappeared.
This resort for women tripplers is
right in the heart of the busiest shop
ping district. and SO quietly and reSpec-
tably is 1t conducted that it has become
favorite place with ladies who have
acquired place for jntoxicants. Its
success has stimulated competition, and
two saloons have opened in the neigh
borhood which are fitted up especially
with view to teach the female shop
ming trade.