New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-12-23
NOTES FROM LONDON.
BEGGARS AND THIEVES-ANERIOA ABROAD
MIR. SANDERSON'S BINDlNGS-PER-
A 7
IRON THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUEE]
Iondon December IL

MR. SANDERSON'S BINDlNGS-PER-
SONALITIES.
IRON TIE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE rRIBUEEJ
London. December IL.
The condition of the West End Of London is
once more a topic. and letters about beggars and
thieves appear in the papers. If the writer's Will
but carry their memories back TO February III
1886, they will see that things are better now
than then, not worse. The West End covers
great deal OF ground and l can speak only OF
the streets I walk through. The rough from the
East End who found his way to the West End
nearly three years ago has never, think. for
gotten his few hours Of triumph. He slouchcd
back again to Whitechapel, but Mayfair and
Kensington, Begravia and Bayswater. have ever
since attracted him. and he comes now and then
to what the chances are for another procession
and another hour of loot Being person Of
practical mind. he does what business lies ready
TO his hand during these visits.
The tramp from the country, too, has appeared
on the pavements. The rough and the tramp have
the same plan of campaign. They operate, for
choice, on women who alone, beginning with
request for aims and ending, if nobody inter
feres, with highway robbery. One lady describes
her experience. Two men asked her for money,
followed her when refused. threatened her. and
made a rush for her purse She fed up the steps
Of the nearest house and rang. The rufans
bolted. The footman who opened the door told
this lady that she was the third whose ring he
had answered on the same Grand These IN
teresting REPRESENTATIVES Of the masses do not yet
attack nlen unless they are gang but the police
have notion that they are beginning to collect
into groups, with view TO street robbery by
violence. The winter favors them. Evening sets
in early and the fog we have with us at all
hours of day and night. An old man, or a weak
1 49,. L. &c .evr
victim.
They are clearly growing holder since Mr..
Matthews turned Sir Charles Warren out of his
Chief Commissionership Of Police. Mr.. Monro may
prove good successor, but he is experiment.
and Sir Charles fact. He had established
his character The mob knew he would stand no
nonsense. They had tried their best with him,
and had totally failed. They had made their
attack with the collaboration of agitators and
anarchists and fanatics Of various sorts They
had started out for booty, flying the flag Of free
speech They had pretended to be for the right
Of public meeting, when what they wanted was
public plumber Beaten in Trafalgar Square and
held in check in Hyde Park, with its unequalled
opportunities for organizing disorder, they gave
in and SUNK home. They have gathered fresh
courage from Sir Charles Warrens dismissal
Whether they Will attempt riot on a large
scale, with view to sacdng the West End shops
and houses, nobody knows. The police think 1t
unlikely unless in unusually favorable circum-
stances riot by large number Of men con-
centrating in particular district can be speedily
and firmly dealt with. Gangs of thieves who
spread all over a great quarter of the town, and
work independently of each other offer a more
! difficult problem.
There is no panic. No well-informed man con-
siders the mob likely to get the upper hand. But
the Duke of Wellington's ideas have not died out
He believed a day would come when nothing but
troops, well handled and firing ball cartridge,
would save London from sack. A mob is like
a wild beast which does not know it's own
strength Should a leader appear there might be
a pretty struggle between order and disorder.
1t was this which decided the question of re-
building the barracks in Hyde Park. There is
always cavalry enough in London TO ride over any
body Of the criminal classes who can be got to-
gether Rut time IS Of the essence of the question
The safety Of whole quarter Of London may de-
pend on a matter of fifteen minutes; on whether
the troops do or do not arrive within that time.
The Hyde Park barracks are, in fact, the military
centre of the metropolis.
ANY one who is Obliged to read the London
papers must have noticed of late an increase in
the amount Of space they devote to American
topics One Of the Sunday sheets publishes a
mongrel column of items concerning the United
States, part of which by cable part by mail
The proportion of cable 10 mail is FalstaT's ha'
penworth of bread 10 an intolerable deal of sack
A Conservative evening paper, very hostile 20
things American, devotes to and thea a
column Of odds and ends Most surprising Ct all
is the case of that morning paper which CONTINUES
TO placard London, and | believe all Eigland
with the entirely erroneous assertion tlDt IT has
the largest circulation in the world heretofore
il has seemed hardly aware Of the existence of a
Republic across the Atlantic. Now its raiders are re-
called with weekly column column and half
entitled Americans at Home" Tbs. too, is by
bid production. The mouldy jes from the back
woods is freshcned up by the htest scandal hot
from the Fifth Avenue. Perbips your enterpris-
ing contemporary which has Paris edition is laid
under contribution / do rot know L used TO
subscribe for the enterprsing contemporary. IL
had in the beginning a daily column by cable
from New-York which we'll worth the prlce
charged But it grew less enterprsing the steam
ship too often superseded the telegraph; my sub
scrption ran out; did not renew it, and do not
know whether, except for that brilliant Presi-
Dental squirt in London, ii has resumed the use OF
| the cable
Mr.. CobdeD-Sandersons recent lecture on book
binding at the New Gallery has had the effect Of