The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1890-06-29
FAKE FESTIVALS.
How Saturday Night Dances
Are Gotten Up in
Summer.
THE "SPlELERs'" PARADISE.
A Prize Waltz for A Medal That
Is Returned.

On every Saturday night during the
months Of June, July and August, the
park formerly kept by Hugo Kroebe1 on
Jersey City Heights has been engaged
for picnic or summernlght's festival.
These Saturday night affairs, or, as they
are termed by the crowd who frequent
the place, raekets,n are not conducted
on the best regulated plans of decorum
OF etiquette, but are very original
As knew that very few social or politi-
cal organizations. not to mention church
societies. hold their pienics Saturday night
was at loss to learn how it WIS that
the proprietor had been fortunate enough
TO secure parties for this night. Young
women, good dancers and known to like
a good tiRe, and who are generally ouly
too willing to accept an invitation to a
picnic or excursion. If asked to attend
Saturday night picnic will as rule de-
cline They do not care to be seen or
identified with the .spielers'' and rabbie
who are always found at Saturday
night picnic. Therefore few organiza-
tions Of any respectability care to attempt
picnic on this night.
/ learned, however, how it was that
there Is always a picnic ut Kroebel's Park
on Saturday nights On nights which
have not been engaged by some organiza-
ti0n fake racket" Is run off.
Now to explain what is meant by
flake racket. There are certain young
people in this county who are termed
''spielers." They belong to q certain ele-
ment of society which might be termed
''toughtom. I" Some of the young women
are respectable, but are employed in shops
in which If they lose day they lose their
situations. OF course they cannot 60 to a
duty the following morning, and they
look forward to Saturday night picnic
with pleasure.
THREE SMART MEN.
Here is where the smart idle young men
get In their fine work. Three young fell
lows, who can always be found at pic
mic with a blue jumper and wearing no
collar. are well acquainted with the girls
They are good dancers and attend almost
every picnic. They do not work the fol-
lowing day. but sleep off the effects Of
their previous nights excitement. This
type Of young men learn that the park
has not been engaged for a certain SRtur-
day night They know that the proprietor
would like TO lease 1t. They visit MIN
and lay down their plans They are to
get the park free of charge, and if they
draw crowd who will drink enough beer
to pay the proprietor. he will further
reimburse them.
in order is TO engage the music. The
music is hired on speculation. They are
to play until certain hour when their
money IS 70 be forthcoming Everything
is now complete but the printing and de-
Gliding upon q name. 1t IS finally agreed
to call the association after one of them
selves. For instance one OF the young
felt5Wsi name is Charles z. johnson and
that Is the name of the fake organiza-
ton The Offices are filed in with the
names OF persons who will not object.
The honorary members Of the Charles E.
johnson Association is another big
fake" They include among its number
every politician Of note in the county. Il
is needless TO state that the honorary
members are not aware they are such.
Everything is now ready for the print
ing Of posters and tickets. This Is the
first time the trio have to put their hands
in their pockets. To have posters and
tickets printed requires cash, but they
manage to get IL somehow, and pretty
soon the dead walls are crowded with
flaming posters announcing the fact that
the Charles E. johnson Association viii
hold their first annual summer-night's
festival at KroebeFs park, Jersey City
etc.
FAKE TICKETS
Shopgirls on their way from work stop
to read the posters and wonder who the
Charles E. johnson Association are. They
read the names Of the officers and honor
airy members and are favorably inn
pressed The tickets for the affair are
another fake" They are in regular
form, and at the bottom is printed,
Tickets twenty-five cents, admitting
gentlemen and lady, but right beneath
IL. in nonpareil type, the following APP
pears, Payable at the gate" In some
instances this last is not printed, but the
tickets are worthless unless an admission
is paid at the gate. The young men in
duspriously circulate the fake tickets,
and the young ladies receive them with
many thanks. 1t is also announced that
during the evening a prize waltz for
gold medal, open to all, will be competed
for. This is too much for the 'spielers''
to resist, and a crowd is guaranteed. All
the young men now hope for is clear
weather.
The night Of the picnic at last arrives.
Has any one passed up Ogden avenue on
a Saturday nights The sight is rather
odd to say the least, but is especially odd
and amusing on the night of the picnic of
the Charles Z. Johnson Association
At about eight O'Clock three rather
pretty girls trips along and walk up
TO the gate where seated at a table is one
OF the young men who is working the
racket. Each Of the girls carries ticket
which has been given her to go in
Ten cents ladies, please says the
young man at the table, blocking the
way.
sWhy, Kate" chirps one Of the young
women, did not Tommy give yod these
tickets This is great razzle dazzle. but
they won't give it to US. Come on girls. y
And they pass out. But they do not go
home. They wait on the sidewalk
with feelings of disappointment They
want to dance but do not want to pay.
To make matters more disagreeable the
band strikes up -Four Leaves of Sham
rock" This is irresistible and the girls
tumble in their purses and produce the
necessary dime, and go into the picnic in
time to catch the latter part of the waltz.
The next arrivals are two young men
who, after war of words, pay the
twenty five cents demanded and mutter-
ing the words s.skin.n pass in. BY nine
o'clock the sidewalk is crowded with
young women who would like to dance
and are waiting for someone to take them
in, and the policeman has trouble keep
ing the street clear. The young women
are not admired by the policeman and
are frequently made to scatter.
ANIMATED SCENES.
In the meanwhile the scene in the park
IS an animated one. There are many Pc
culiarities attached to s'spieler'' picnic,
but the most striking one is the manner
in which the women hold aloof from
the men between the dances. The
young girls will sit at table and chew
gum and gossip, while the young men
will spend their time at the bar drink
ING and smoking had cigars IL ia q