Evening journal., 1889-08-20

ABOUT teu houses on Ine flEht nanu SIDE /
make up this thoroughfare, but it has /
given the police three times as much |
trouble as its size would indi- |
cate The officer and his compan-
ion crossed Lombard street and |
made few steps TO the north before |
reaching another street, by name Me-
chanic. 1t is half square long and ex
tends from Lombard parallel with Sew
enth. A gutter in the centre drains the |
surface water into two alleys running to |
Sixth street. Mechenic street was at
one time the rendezvous for gang of |
policy sharks. now cleaned out. Colored |
persons were sitting on the front steps
enjoying the perfumed air from the gut
ter and eating watermelons. The
officer covered the character Of
the street. by saying, "You don't
know what might be going on
inside those houses; it is hard to find
ont. " They had reached high fence.
and the reporter began TO retrace his
steps, thinking there was no outlet, but
the policeman told him to follow At
the extreme end Of the street was an
opening three feet wide and through il
they went. II was dark, foul smelling
and damp. The policeman led the way
and although his companion could not
see for the darkness, he could hear
the splashing OF the officer as he tramped
through the surface water They
breathed freer when they reached Sixth
street again.
"Now wen go back to Walnut street
and take peep at the National Hail.
said the officer As they walked up the
street he pointed out the notorious house
of ill-fame above Eighth street, over a
pool room. This place has been raided
/ several times in the past months, but
still continues its nefarious practices.
| At the National Hall fair was in pro
! gress on the second floor. A hundred
colored persons stood on the pavement
outside and managed to make
noise. A woman sold peaches
and cantaloupes from little stand near
the entrance, to the hungry takers
Inside band furnished loud music and
the dusky bellies and beaux seemed to be
having a very lively time. group of
boys on the opposite side of the street
dispersed very rapidly at the approach of
the officer at midnight the party broke
up amid great racket, and several scraps"
but the presence of two officers kept the
crowd quiet. A sick person at Eighth
and Walnut streets made increased Wig
lance necessary on their part, to deter
the Jolly fair goers from loud talking in
that vicinity.
At H. 10 the reporters met the officers
at Sixth and Church streets by appoint
ment and covered that once tough vicin
: ity. They went up Lord street to
Spruce and thence to Fifth, which has a
bad reputation below Church street.
trip along the dark railroad front
brought them again to Lord street. At
Eighth aud Church streets crowd was
holding forth at John McHughs soloon
and was about to have fight An office
stopped to take action and the mel
cooled off.
cone yea ago you could not have
come along here alone without being at
tackled, said one of the policemen. 1T
is very quiet here now, but then it wal
one Of the hardest places in the city
There used to be about fifty men around
here who did nothing but loaf and gel
into fights. We kept arresting them
until now there isn't much trouble"
The reporters and one officer continued
down Eighth street to the railroad and
out the branch to the "Hoodle" The
2 famous "Hoodle. known in the annals Of
the police court for years, is bounded BY
/ Buttonwood and Decatur street on tn,
r west and south, and by the Brandywin,
creek. It contains 500 persons, 400 o
i whom are black and one is white Tn,
''Hoodle" was sleeping quietly and peace
e fully, but its bad place to be alone in.
S On Locust street, the Nonesuch boy
= used to live They claimed to be half
Creek Indians, and had many of the fea
/ lures of Indians although many doubte'
them. Fred Nonesuch was set upon b,
, a crowd at Timothy Quilts saloon a
e Eighth and Church streets one night
Q and almost killed Church street nea
: Ninth is more lawful neighborhoo
b than when the present police force begai
e work There are still law breakers, bu
j. they keep in the shade. There are man
persons in the vicinity who teach thei
I children to steal, always remaining i
D the background themselves. The Dirt
. Dozen lived here once, and althoug
S broken up, some Of its spirit remains an
e is constantly cropping out.
, The policemen explained that the Wa
y nut street places were comparativel
''tlat, because recent excursion ha
e taken all the surplus cash of the colore
I residents. Last night the brickyar
S laborers were paid off and they starte
d their pay into circulation by spending
a for liquor. All the dens were going an
J. the crowd was disorderly
n At midnight on Saturday night th
d reporters paid the second visit to th
e coast The patrolmen reported that ther
!. had been less excitement than on an
!. Saturday night since they bad been O
q the force. A drunken man who SCENE
o to be trying to get run over by train
e was taken to the hall. A sneak thief ha,
It stolen two valises from the Jewis
f friend previously referred to, and wa
d locked up. There had been brick fgh
IS at Third and Tatnall streets, but no on
e was hurt. Two young men best the res
n taurant keeper at Water aud Marke
/, streets out of two suppers, and h
v almost identified enc of the reporters a
" an accessory.
e Slowly and with great difsoult
II drunken men staggered to desolate home
9 and more desolate families. while th
d faithful patrolmen continued ON the
le BEATS
Q "Wait till get lantern, and I'll tai
-e you around, said an officer, as he got
lantern from the keeper of the MarkS
4 street gate and led the way around til
B. g. o. station.
e It was a thrilling experience. III
it lantern was poked into dark corners, b.
l. meath freight cars, around the cattle pc
what fort For sleeEing drunken mel
70 Having become intoxicated and penn
ID less, many men are ashamed to go hcm'
II and they adopt this method to sleep O
l. the effects of the liquor. What bewi
" dered feeling a man must have when