St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-10-06
A PEEP AT WHITECHAPEL.
What st. Paul Girl Says Of The NOta
BILE Locality.
LONDoN'S CURIOUS SIGHTS.
Wretchedness Of the Wicked Girls.
Little Children Lost to In
noCenCe.

4, ONDON. vast and
NM IA B. wide, quaint and an
1TMTZ %l1E;icient. lay stretched
1bs1SLZ<5 before me. | had
WI, WbI9.IS iAFiihc m bed the many
= YshhH AEfe'1N" steps of st. Paul'S ca
b PF'TSYfu ~ thedral, peered eau
Nt3T>sAt iously into the gloomy
of the Tow
-, of London, wan
dered among the gar
dens of Hampton Court, visited Victoria
at WindsOr-in short, had ransacked all
London sights. had seen everything but
one thing, and that was Whitechapel,
which has been made famous on both
sides of the Atlantic as being the scene
OF the most brutal murders pen had
ever pictured or eye seen. Perhaps L
shall have to plead guilty to the charge
of being of morbid tendency: at any
rate it seemed quite foolish TO go back
to st. Paul and leave Whitecbapel uu-
seen. Ny last day in London had come
and was resolved 1 should accomplish
my desire. So, having dlned. was sue
cessful in alluring courageous friend
to take ride on the tram.
The London twilight lay softly over
the city, like dim gray cloud hiding
its defects. and lending TO il SOftening
touch that enhances its beauties.
Needless to say, i was happy. perched
quite high on top of the tram. Having
inquired of the driver in charge where
we were bound and receiving the very
gratifying answer, TO Wbitechapel,"
on we went, past Regent street, with its
great crowd of theater-goers, bent on a
pleasant evening; past Oxford street,
with its closed shops and drawn blinds:
CT orfls int a0rt of hn
city | had never seen. The
streets begin to lose their air of pros
perity anu the people have an air of
poverty clinging TO their very actions.
Finally a turn, and then turn again,
and we were in the heart of White
chapel. After all, it did not look so very
terrible.
A wide, broad street lined with stores
which advertise their goods by tempt
ing display in the windows. A number
of butchers seemed to thrive by the
brilliant appearance of their shops.
Everything was more than dirty. Ali
pretensiOns to cleanliness had vanished
long ago. Streets, people and shops
all possessed that w-etched look. and
one would almost doubt their claims to
humanity.
The faring gas lamps lit up their
MltlCucuIltSS L
seemed to be out for an evening walk.
Girls ranging from four years upwards,
decked out I'm gaudy finery, bright and
glittering, sauntered along. From their
actions one could plainly see to what
class they beiOnged-poOr, miserable
souls. How my heart ached for them,
living among such vice and misery.
Even the very children playing in filthy
cutters seemed to have lost that inno-
cence that is so distinctive as child's
most winning attraction.
They, poor little souls, were breath
ing the air of wretchedneSs. What
wonder if, in years 20 come, they closed
their career with some murderOuS act
that would startle the world and make
honesty wonder how vice can thrive so
well? At one corner an OTgan-grinder
was playing quadrille and four coup
les were gaily dancing through the fig
ures.
They knew no better ballroom than
the dirty pavement. no more able must
clan than the poor old man who played
quite willingly for their modest cop
pers. ! should have liked to have got
down and seen the places more closely,
but my friend and the driver seemed to
think such proceeding would be
fraught with much danger, l resisted
the temptation and peered down upon
them from my lofty height.
A number of gloomy alleys are the
places where these people live. Moth
ing can be imagined more uninviting,
hardly wide enough to allow one to pass,
and so dark scarce a breath of pure air
ever reSches them. IT'S in these alleys
where the murder-fend meets his vic
tim and, free from observation, does
his butcheTy.
The driver seemed to be well ac-
quainted with the locality and stopped
the bus moment that / might peer
into the mysteries of Shoreditch street
and PetticOat lane. the scene of the last
murder ] shall never forget as long as
/ liye-that hour spent In Whitechapel.
Such wretcbedness and misery is hard
to contemplate without asking Gods
pity and blessing OH those poor wretched
! mOrtalS who may be the victims of Jack
the Ripper, when next he pays an I'M
desired visit.
IT'S needless to say was more tnan
! glad to emerge once more into other
thOroughfares and breathe somewhat
purer air. But whenever i think of my
twilight visit heartfelt prayer goes
from my heart for the poor woman who
has been brought to shame by hand
she loved, an Illustration of what a
woman may become without the shelter
of a home, NJ, NJ, y,