Iuka reporter. (Iuka, Miss.) 1888-1894, 1890-02-20
A DIMES WORTH.
A NIGHTS EXPERIENCES TN a
CHEAP CHICAGO HosTEI,Ry

Two Meals and a Nights LODGING
for Ten Cents-The Rooms ana
Beds.
Much has been said and written about
the cheap hotels of France and England
put chicago can discount both of those
ancient countries in respect to low-priced
lodgings. The 10-cent lodging house is
continually satirized in the newspapers
ana IN the comic songs of the day. but
very iittle seems to be really known about
thcse economical hotels after all. Ac-
cordlngly News man set out one dark
ana 1oggy night to ascertain the facts for
himself. He was determined to learn tbe
truth of the blood-curdlng tales SO often
told OF dodgers packed sixty-four to the
room and arranged in tiers like sardines
and all the other horrors of the dime
sleeping place
Down ON Canal street, close to the
Union Depot, is dingy building. Above
the entrance to dark stairway hangs an
Illuminated sign which announces that
peds can be had for 10 cents and Is cents
night. UP the dark stairway the ex-
plorer stumbled A fair-sized room. fur
nlshed with three chairs, a long bench
and red, little stove, opened off from
the hall. Several brawny fellows in blue
glngham shirts and rusty trousers were
gathered around the fire. From the cen
treo the group advanced grizzled veto
ran who seemed a living image of the
ancient mariner" He surveyed the re-
porter, who had attired himself for the
occasion, very critically. Therefore the
scrutiny proved satisfactory to the old
Roman.
Want a bed?" he asked.
The reporter did.
''Had your soup yet?"
The reporter hadn't.
The ancient mariner led the way to a
banquet hall wherein was long table
and cook stove A huge turecn was on
the stove. The visitor was given a quart
of the contents of the tureen and three
slices OF bread. The table equipments
were not precisely such as the Palmer
house offers its guests. The soup bowls
were heavy and yellow; the spoons were
.ron-clad ladies. The soup itself was
not bad. Its composition was dark
mystery, and is yet. The soup was of
consistency about that of river water
But 1t had no trace of dirt and did not
taste unlike ordinary restaurant bouillon
In large, interpreted room upstairs
were half dozen shake down. beds
The room was well ventilated and the
beds were quite comfortable in appear
ance. Another room across the hall was
similarly fitted up. These were the
quarters of the 10-cent dodgers.
The landlord informed his latest boarder
that for Is cents he could have an entire
room to himself Accordingly the re-
porter selected room so located that its
occupant could hear everything occurring
IN the house, and could, by peering
through hole in the door, see the greater
part OF the adjacent rooms.
The room selected, like all the rest, was
unexpected; dimensions, 8 feet by 5.
The bed was the same in appearance as
those assigned to the 10-cent dodgers, the
extra cents merely affording greater
privacy to the aflluent boarder
The bedding was ample in quantity
husk mattress, two sheets, two blankets,
and huge red quilt The sheets were
dingy and ripped in places, but, all in
oil, it was comfortable bed. A curtain
hung at the window, from which good
view could be obtained of the Madison
street bridge. The host handed his guest
key and asked at what time he desired
to be called with the average courtesy of
o downtown hotel clerk.
Hardly was the reporter locked into
his room when a number of dodgers ar
cived Seating themselves around the
stove in the adjoining room they listened
with rapt attention while one of their
number--a brawny coal-heaver whose
brogue had not long been absent from
the. banks of Killarney-read a romance
of the plains aloud The reading lasted
about two hours, and the reader was not
once disturbed or interrupted by his au-
dience. Finally the story was ended and
the dodgers sought their couches. Then
came number of thumps on the floor as
sach man kicked off his shoes. Then
dead silence.
Presently some one stumbled upstairs, |
and in a loud voice commenced to detail |
the woes of Mr. McGinty, the perfume of
us DTtdtn Ill VIC Iutiliiliitc l'ohN'i"thS
the reporters nostrils. A chorus of
''Shut up!n rang out vigorously. Then
was heard a bang as somebody hurled
shoe at the singer. Silence again.
About IL o'clock gentleman with q
can of beer entered and managed to spill
about pint Of the beverage on the red
quilt of one of the dodgers. The latter
promptly arose and ran the amateur
tsanymede out of the room and down the
stairs. His can was hurled after him and
went banging and changing down the
steps to the street.
Five minutes later the landlord dlscoy-
cred a 10-cent boardcr smoking in bed.
sPut out de snipe!" quoth the ancient
mariner The smoker requested his host
10 retire to warmer cline.
A short scuille ensued, which terml,.
mated in the expulsion Of the devotee OF
the weed.
For the next hour no sound, except an
occasional snore and the putting Of loco
motive across the street, disturbed the
renose Of the guests. The reporter had
begun to dozc, when something rubbed
Ills ear and he awokc to conflict with a
powerful sscimcx lectularins. The I'M
yelcome visitor was soon dispatched,
n a n