Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1891-06-05
NESTS OF CRIME.
INSPECTOR BYRNES ON CHEAP
LODGING HOUSES.
Many Of Them the Haunts of New
York's Criminal Classes-Cases
Where Criminals Have Been
Caught in Them.

of investigation to ascertain, bcyon d a
doubt, the nests which breed crime and
reek with immortality. The figures re-
yealed by the Health Department in
spectors presented the startling fact tina.
there are in this city now about three
hundred and fifty cheap lodging houses
which in one year furnished 4, 649, go
lodgings, grand total of sleepers equal
to three times the Federal allowance Of a
census 70. the metropolis.
These cheap room and bunk houses
differ in grade and carefulness according
to location, from the one cent floor
space in the Mulberry and Mott street
Italian quarters to the ten aud twenty
cent establishments in all sections Of the
city. No questions are asked concern
ing respectabiity or previous condition
and surroundings by the clerk on duty,
his sole duty being to exact and receive
money in advance or turn the penniless
victim over to the tender mercies of the
blc-bodied "bouncer," who poses as
porter or night watchman.
Many hapless fellow has been found
on the sidewalk in front of Bowery or
Chatham street lodging house with
broken limb or split skull, thrown
down stairs or pushed toward the gutter
by cruel employee of cheap lodging
house.
A night in a typical Bowery lodging
house reveals terrible picture of the
dark side Of human life in a big city.
Clustered about tables beneath a dim
and Pickering light, scores of young fell
lows are reading or playing games, gen.
orally cards, or are engaged in an earnest
but quiet conversation. Many, perhaps
the most, of the inmates OF the long room
have retired for the night.
And what a place to court sleep. In
a big and cherries loft, packed closely
together on cots, with not only a sparsity
of covers, but these look as if water had
not touched them for long time. A
fouler atmosphere can scarcely be imag-
ined, impregnated as it is with the vile
fumes of drpnkards' breaths while their
rawlings and snorings drive sleep from
other cots. Unable to sleep, men in
couples and trios dress and seek the hard
benches of the parks, where at least there
is a pure atmosphere, and more than
likely pocket to be picked or watch
to be stolen.
"Cheap lodging-houses, say ysInspector
Byrnes, "are a rendezvous of crime, and
they exert an ulwholesome moral in
luence over every person of previous
good reputation who, from motives of
economy, is forced to seek shelter there.
In nine cases out of ten the man who
makes these places his home becomes a
thief or burglar-if, indeed, he does
not sooner or later develop into a MUIR
derer Hundreds of such instances occur
each year in the cheap lodging houses of
New York City. The cheapest places
arc the resort OF drunkards and people
of the lowest type, and all Of them are
infested with thieves, iders and loafers.
More than one man has been made thief
in these places to my certain knowedge.
"Foreign thieves, of whom we have
no record, reach here by the way of the
steerage, generally with an assumed
name. They seek cheap lodgings and
fall in with native criminals who hatch
crimes, select the locations for robbery,
and start the newly arrived stranger to
do the job. Recently arrested young
man who had been engaged in the rob-
berry of private houses uptown. In tell
ing the story of his life-for you know
these people have way of confding in
mc-he told me that he was sent to this
country after being detected in thieving
operations 'on the other side His pas-
sage was paid, but his pockets were
empty, and when he left Castle Garden
he had only few shillings.
ale sought house which the strict
est economy born of dire necessity sug-
gested, and brought up in cheap lodg
ing-housc. He fell in with a crowd of
men of low instincts, most of whom
were thieves. They invited him on a
trip to see the city, measured him up,
and finally set him to stealing from up
town fats, and he became q regular thief,
dividing the spoils with the men who
planned the jobs. This is not an isolated |
case by any means. Visit one of these !
establishments at night and from an OBJ
scure corner make a careful observation |
Of the surroundings, and you will be |
startled at the sight, for any quick eye
may detect thief aud his newly arrived
victim, who is trained to commit the
overt act, with the really guilty one in
the background.
The remedy for this evil in this city,
suggested by Inspector Byrnes, is the
enactment Of strong law to govern
lodging houses. lie would have them
placed under police control, compel re-
cords and books to be kept, open at all
times to the inspection Of the police au-
tlIorites. Another law he suggests is
that only person of gool moral charac-
er should be permitted 10 own or con-