The Sunday morning news., 1891-12-06
like A LITTLE ITALY.
But 1t Is Right Here in Old
Jersey City.
BANKS AND TELEGRAPHS.
Tn q Financial Bureaus Are Branches
of Foreign Houses-Discoyer-
les of a "News" Reporter.

- In JQe very nSdTb VI JERSEY Olby 10 AZ
Gated an Italian "vfllage."
That portion of the city walled in on
the south by the Pennsylvania Railway
on the north by Newark
avenue, and extending from Brunswick
street westward to Merseles street, ha 9
for years been known as 1.-The Village"
Today it is inhabited almost exclusively
by Italians and goats. Here the num-
bered streets, after CROSSING Newa < k ave
nue., lose their identity amid the sunken.
empty lots partially filed with cobbles
and knots of tumbling shanties and rook-
cries along Colgate and other cross
streets.
Rickety, dila pidated, worm-eaten tene-
ments with smoked herring counte nances
peering from the windows; wilderne ess
of basement junk-shops aud mountains
of rags; the broken streets filled with
ashes and tins dumped into black mtrsh-
mud and stagnant, greasy surfaced pools !;
bent and wrinkled faced women, some
with gaudy headgear and gorgeous ear
rings, others with great filthy looking
bundles balanced upon their heads !;
groups of dusky, matted haired children
holding in their arms. wide staring
brown-eyed babies in rags; hungry thin
haired dogs, knawning and licking
polished bones, and sad eyed
goats. climbing piles of cobbles
and broken flags, sleepy, grimvizsged
''Dagoes," bent beneath the weight OF
greasy sacks of bones and other refuse.
poking here and there with iron hooks.
like hogs wallowing and roofing amid
garbage dumps. Picture this conglom-
crate, Kaleidoscope mass of unclean
things IL you can, and you will even then
have only faint idea of this morass of
filth and squalor in the very heart OF the
CITY. For refuse from all other sections
are dragged hither, to be sorted and the
offal flung into the streets.
FEATHERSTONE'S GANG.
Whether it was the title Lava Beds"
that attracted the Italian colony to this
particular section know not. But it Is
certain the Italians monopOliZe 1t. Even
did not the appearance Of nine out OF
every ten you meet aud the soft, rolling,
yet at times jabbering foreign jargon
suggest "Eetaly," the signs over almos
everv shop, saloon and store and junk
shop in the vicinity would. In the major
ity of inst fauces these signs are mere
daubs on fly specked windows, but they
Thomas Sstro, Michele Fazielo, S. Clio
vanni, r. Polito, s. Archangelo, Jos.
Mastrogiovanni. and so on.
And yet, despite the prevailing idea
that these Italians who have been virtu-
ally kicked from the "boat OF Europe"
are a lazy, worthless set OF people. it Is
doubtful il there is single drove In this
hive of Italian bees. They huddle to-
gether in small roomed tenements at
night. rise early and start of in search OF
such employment as they are able to per-
form. nor do they give up the search I'M
til late in the day. That some can do
nothing but pick rags or coal is the fault
of European oppression. That the Dur-
den of raising them from the depths
should fall upon American civilization
is a question that needs more space than
brief newspaper stretch. The city
authorities may perhaps be to blam g
somewh t for the improper drainage OF
the "yillage" and the health boards for
not insisting upon proper sanitary pre-
cautions.
Even Youthful observer sent to the
office of The JERsRY CITY NEWS this
description touching upon the present
state of affairs:-
"At any time, day or night, there can
be heard the noise of water flowing down
through old pieces of gas pipe from the
top floors of the highest buildings in that
vicinity. The gas pipes lead to a grooved
box under the sidewalk and thence to the
cutters in the streets, there to remain In
a starnant condition until dried up by
the sun. A fearful odor is emitted tnere-
from, There Is also stagpaDt pool or
water over in the back lots near Newark
avenue, and other refuse vaults drain
into some of the cellars, notably those I'M
der the houses Nos. 3s3 and 1856 There Is
considerable talk about this nuisauce and
the Italians themselves are greatly moved
about it. When the cellars become filled
many of the men in the village lend a
hand In pumping the water OUT"
DENsELY POPULATED.
There must be over thousand lnhabi-
tants in the village above described.
They have their own church, but that is
located over IN Sixth street. They patron
iZe their own stores and shops. and have
even their own banks. One or these was
recently located at No. 70 Colgate street,
in a corner dumbbell tenement. Mr..
Michele Pennetti, the banker, has m owed
his safe into ro ,m nearer tue censre OF
the block, and will run beer saloon in
connection with 1t. When the writer
called there few days ago in company
with a friend the banker was absent, but
his wife, at first regarding her question
ers as probable bank robbers, refused to
talk until 1.-TWO beers" were ordered.
The writer's friend planked down ten
cents. Mrs. Pennetti drew two quart
schooners of beer aud handed back four
cents change Then the visitors grew
suspicious of the beer. Mrs. Pepnetti
was by this time willing to admit as
much ass
Yes. Somma Italians very indust,
maka som mon, an save. Putta in bank,
draw interest. somma times fiva per
cent"
Italian and American money is ex-
changed Mt the banks, and the proprietors
act as agents for various steamship COM
pauies. On the windows of the room re-
Gently vacated by Mr.. Pennetti are paint
ed the words "Banca Italio. "Italio Tele-
graphi."
This latter sign greatly amused Tommy,
a NEWS Office boy, who observed there
were no wires rnnning into the building,
but subsequently found that the bank
employed two shabbily dressed messenger
boys, whose ''rapid transit" facilities
were two pairs of indolent Italian legs.
BANK NO. Q,
Michele Mastropretro, another proprie-
tor. was behind the wire screen of his
desks when the writer dropped into the
dinQy little office with smoke begrimed
walls of the "Banca Lombarda." He
hapded the writer what appeared to be q
blank certificate of some sort with O
heading which read like this
michele Mastropietro, proprietario
Della Bauca Lombarda, 399, 401, 403. 40s
and 407 Fourth street, Jersey City,"
Beyond this but little could be learned,
as no INTERPRETER was present.
The writer talked through an in
terpreter with Giuseppe Bocchino. a shoe
cobbler at No 397 Third street. A freckled
faced maiden with wealth OF brow q
Iresses and pair of lustrous brown eyes
acted as Interpreter. Mr.. Bocchiuo was
hard work, but was willing to talk Hi:
father, a well-preserved old gentle