Tombstone epitaph., 1891-01-18
THE COSTERMONGER.
. ROUGH AND READY CHARACTER | OF THE BRITISH METROPOLIS.

Tondnsss for Street Brawls-How the
 Costermonger Settles Disputes with
 His Femals.The Overworked Pony-
 Idle swarms in the Streets.
 The London costermonger generally wears fixed kind of dress. His hat is always black derby, rusty from rain and weather. His coat is generally a rusty black frock. He rarely wears waistcoat His trousers may be corduroy or any kind of the cheaper woolen patterns His shoes are thick soled and hobnailed. He always wears colored handkerchief tied around his neck in place of a collar. These hand' kerchiefs are always dirty, except upon rare Sunday and holiday occasions, when new ties are donned. These handkerchiefs are always of fanciful color, light blue and rcd being the favorites. They are worn high up on the neck, leaving couple of inches of dirty neck showing between the handkerchief and the greasy collar ot the shambling frock coat. The handker- chief is really the badge of the order. This handkerchief about the neck designates the character and standing of man in England as completely and thoroughly as if he wore uniform prescribed by act of parliament. The costermongers are men engaged in street traffic of all kinds. They are generally dealers in vegetables They begin with push carts. and If they are prosperous and reach the climax of their ambition they become the owners of small two wheeled wagons, drawn by little dor- keys or ponies. The strength and endur- ance of these small animals are phenome- nal. have seen from six to eight grown people on @ costermonger's cart being drawn at Q furious pace by a pony not much larger than Newfoundland dog.
 The costermonger never gives his pony any rest. He works him during the week in his business and uses the wretched lit tie animal on Sunday to give his friends treat in the shape of ride to some cock aey resort in the suburbs. The coster- tnongers live in the street. They are never indoors except for eating and sleep ing. A very severe, driving storm will Sometimes force them into the house, but they generally take refuge under an avn. ing or some gateway. They are hardy, tough, coarse fbered people. They are noisy, and have perfect passion for scenes of uprOar and excitement. You tarely hear of costermongers murdering any of their associates or of their using knives or pistols in their quarrels. They have Q way of pounding and kicking each other when engaged in disputes, but are rarely arrested, as they never seem to carry malice, and their fights generally end up in a good natured way. The costermonger and his female are often the chief actors in street brawl. When once costermOnger has begun to Ike ep company with 8 costermonger fem ale then she is considered his property. She speaks of him as her man and she is spoken of as his ''gal.''
 It was Sunday morning. The two ad startet. out evidently for holiday. He was in his best. He was a surly, he, " 5awed fellow, with black eyes, s. ort nose and brawny, hairy fists. He we a little black derby hat about three size. too small for his great, round head. His handkerchief was the hghtest of sky blues. She was buxom, burly, of edi- um height, dressed in true costermol yer style. Their dispute grew out of if- ference of opinion as to where t ey should spend the day. She insisted on going one way and he the other. T. ey disputed for half moment and then he turned around and deliberately gave her a kick which lifted her about six incl es from the sidewalk, to convince her u at his way was the best. She turned quicl ly and began kicking him in return. I he way she brought her number ten bot ts around against his shins very soon e h. vinced him that she was as strong ut u at kind of argument as he. They kicked at each other for about five minutes, 'dne center of delighted and cheering crow d, and then the costermonger female by CT skill in kicking carried the day. In h. 0. ment or two more he gave up, grim ed good naturedly and the two walked of together for happy Sabbath.
 The way domestic brawls are carried on in the streets of London cannot be matched, I am certain, in any other city in the world. The common people whc walk the streets regard these quarrels as their own private theatricals and sternly resent any Interference of the police. As @ general thing the police do not touch the brawlers unless they make too much of disturbance and block up the streets. The police then simply order them tc move on, and make arrests only where the disturbing party resists. During my stay in London have seen more street fights than I had ever seen before in my life. The actors in these street fights Ol domestic brawls appear to take grea, pride in the parts which they are called upon to play. They are stimulated by the cheers and roars of approval from the au dience and do their best to maintain theiI reputation for courage, ferocity and skill in retort.
 The women are especially eycitable and active in a street fight. The man gener ally looks sulky and sheepish when en gagged in a fight with his female in public But the women never give them Q chanc. to back out. They are much more win dictive and active than the men. After the man has been kicked three or foul times and has had his face scratched uI to & proper state of rawness, he be comes excited and then strikes out brutally and cruelty, unless police man happens to be too near. The womel are generally the victors in these stree
 fights. The fighting women general! have babies in their arms. I have seen {
 number Of costermonger viragos bound
 ing from the ground like hyenas, rushins
 up and down with great leaps, bowling
 insults and epithets, then sweeping dowI
 toward the hated object of their wratl
 for blow or kick, and when the maI strikes out the baby never seems to be re
 garded as anything more than buffer
 The costermonger female uses her bab.
 As shield. The poor, wretched baby i
 generally philosopher and rarely, if ever
 hOwls or cries. l have never heard ,
 ccstermonger baby even peep during thu
 most exciting phases of street fight