The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-03-08
'||l'l[INALS OF PARIS.
Ugly Route de Ia Revolte,
Is French Whitechapel.
InaopsckERs AND MuRDeRERs.


zss Hk14Ds teDs A3.-tSpoCl8l CofroSp0n-
Il Srco. lin one of my letters alluded to
- uioute de Ia Revolte, where the rag
B = "A bob-tail Of Paris commonly has it,
~ II the name of this suburban
d puuehfare is an ugly one, the place It.
81 ~ 3 ugiier still. The road extends.
Ez1pnffht and fat, i'll paved, as muddy IN
Esl1ln11r = Il 10 dusty and shadeless in sum-
|i1ot. ~ the way from Neuilly to st. Denis.
NJ ~ city surveyors maps it figures As
e5ood No. II, J" and is now an avenue, now
Ii l6aloyard; but its real name from end
4 p IA y the one given to it by every born
\ 1ojou, If not officially recognized
q = ~ municipality. How often the
6vppapers have occasion to speak
81 Not . day goes BY but
- nocturnal attack, some crime or
80 occurs in one of the villages It
peses. Its tumble-down, ramshackle
11nanenu today shelter all the rogues and
ntonds escaped from the Cour des Mir
n, q well as the Bohemians from
s1s13Ie Poland" And yet, partly from
6ional duty, partly from artistic
ficsity, / have often been led to visit its
6n1Uoof by-lanes and corners ct all hours
> = ~ day and night.
1ksxtsnds, a. have said, from Neuilly
Is Denis. Nothing abnormal signal
~ approach on the Neuilly side.
S116o Buffalo Bill had his magnificent
y ) short while ago. It looks like any
penue in that quarter of broad and
thoroughfares. Yet It recalls q
6S1 catastrophe from the outset.
= July 1, 1912, at the early age Of
80 Duke of Orleans was killed. The
~ Paris in the forenoon in light
= ea1iage, with position, intend
5otnke leave Of the royal family at
and then proceed to the camp at
Orr. As he approached the Porte
Jc6IIlot, one of the entrance gates to the
~ e Boulogne, the horses took fright.
8 opostilion seeming to lose his COM
I u6n1 over them, the duke called ont, fare
n master Of your horses?' '.Sir, they
n obey the reins, y was the reply. After
) m seconds the duke again said, 81 am
1foid you cannot hold Them" The answer
~, Il cannot, sir" The duke then en-
f6osured to get out of the carriage, but
~ 1eet becoming entangled in his cloak,
Is was thrown to the ground and his
Nd WAS dreadfully fractured. He was
ooaveyed to the house Of NJ. Ilecordier,
= grocer, where, ct ten minutes past
eelock Of the same afternoon, the duke
5 tllothed his last, unconscious of the grief
~ surrounded him and apparently with
Z ~ oin. With the exception of the queen
q - Belgians, the Prince De Joinville,
~ nt Naples, and the Duchess of Or
& 80 Who was at Plombieres, the royal
l1ily were witnesses Of this heart-rend-
Seene A monum ent commemorating
11ovent was afterwards erected on the
~ the grocer's house where the young
- expired. It is still to be seen off on
lfght.
~ road extends through Neuilly and
0tas the Paris zone, where it assumes the
ne Of Boulevard Cyr,
- Of the new external thoroughfares. It
nefely skirts the capital, and swerves on
o9ain on nearing Levallois- Perrett, by the
We soon reach the Rue de Courcelles, at
he corner of which street is sorrylook-
oh9 shanty, with canvas awning and
Wooden benches in the open air. called the
4tslGurdnt des Pieds- Humides
II the damp feet-where cooking of a
|oeird order and petit noir (black extract of
7Aicory) is concocted for its grim custom
-. / am not squeamish; have eaten
horse, mule, donkey. dog, cat, rat and
1ieee of Paris. but the bare idea of the Gag
nag served up at this wayside hosiery is
nmcient to take away even hungry
NEXT door is ssFather Alexander reg
Mar Paris character. OF Jewish extrac-
ION and trader by birth, Pere Alexander
vsnt into business almost as soon as he
could toddle alone. He sells all manner
4 things, from broken glass, rabbit skins
md old scrap iron to valuable oil paintings
tought up by him after the death of their
esners at the public auction rooms in the
h Dlouot His bazaar is real museum;
I'd q for his warehouse. none could be
blAdto draw up an inventory Of its con-
oe1& Pere Alexandra has. it is alleged,
euetived to put by few thousand francs
= the French funds. "He has money"
~ his neighbors.
Wenext come upon the Route d Asnieres
eallek Touzelain, de l'Ecole, Trebert. and
eaintC Charles, which lead from the Route
& d Revolte to the Rue des Gallon. where,
= the name implies, tiint and pebbles
ebound. These lanes are lined with small
novels wherein rag pickers are chiefly to
b found. From at night until 5 in the
morning, crowd of men carrying basket
On their backs and a lantern in their hands
z noticeable. The constant flicker of the
lights as the poor devils go and come - .
eurious sight. 1t suggests . procession of
The men sleep in the daytime or sort their
rubbish. Compared with other places
along the road, this spot is .
scent one The rag pickers who live
mere operate in the richer quarters OF
paris-the Madeleine, Opera. Rue Royale,
md Faubourg st. Honore. They have q
secret understanding with the domestic
!eivants and concierges, and carry the
euat bins to the scavenger's cart when it
zones round. In that way they rummage
q nceptacles which often afford good
pickings.
nlhey are thus able to earn . decent live
~. Some have a small cart, drawn
little donkey or broken-winded
SW. They empty into it the contents
tAeir baskets three or four times in the
Il OF the night. and bring home more
eafnul supply with less fatigue. Tn
" s3sttunately they swill off SO many glasses
case poitrinc brandy and gros bleu wine
tneir nightly rambles that they dissi-
tFo6ts.
& olde by side with the rag pickers are to
~ found ambulant musicians, both vocal
IL instrumental, chair-menders and q
farisian workmen attracted by the
eapness of the house rent. Their health,
wever, and that of their family, pays
Sariy for such ill-advised economy. In
Soee narrow. badly-ventilated alleys,
snlch are seldom, if ever, cleaned, and
mere the efiluvia from the rags and bones
sntaminate the air, typhoid fever and
sa'monary complaints await the new
omef. As IN the colonies. person must
USED to the climate in order to live
4 assuming our walk along the Route de
= ISevote, We must now pass under the
vtaQuct of the Wesfer raiiwava dapoer