The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1891-04-26
SIMPLY 4 NUISANCE.
The Actual Facts Regard
Ing the PamTapo Saliva
ton Army Barracks.
SERIOUS DANGER TO YOUTH.
Many Toughs Frequent the Place
and 1t Keeps Girls Out
Late at Night.

The residents of Pamrapo are complain
ing of the Salvation Army as q nuisance.
The army has its headquarters at Forty
past eight months has been paradinc the
streets regularly every night except Sum
day, with brass bands, shouting and sing
ing, disturbing the slumbers Of the cfti-
zens. The citizens also claim that gangs
of toughs hang around the entrance to
the head quarters. I visited Pamrapo
last evening, and found that all this was
true. At Fortieth street and Avenue G
met the Salvationists, who, notwithstand-
ing that it was ten o'clock. were shouting
and singing at furious rate. as though
it was their mission TO awaken the seven
sleepers The policeman on that beat told
me that this din aud clatter had been GO
ing on for over two hours, and although
numerous complaints had been made
against them. the captain never inter-
fered.
While one company of the Salvation
lists goes ont on the road seeking sinners,
another holds meeting at the headquar-
tiers. The headquarters fs nothing but
small, dingy room, dimiy lighted by
is on Forty-sixth street.
THE AVERAGE CONGREGATION.
A crowd of toughs and q few girls
were hanging about the doorway insult
ing everyone who entered, Such remarks
as these greeted my ears when | APP
| preached the entrauee:-sS Say, are going
| ter get sa4sd9'' Free beer up dere; let's
| 90 upg' The crowd then started in to
/ sing Salvation Army hymn. A police
man appeared upon the scene before
\ they had finished singing the first verse
and the gang dispersed The bluecoat
passed on and the gang returned to re-
| peat their performance. / then climbed
| up the rickety stairs to the meeting
/ room.
| The room was filed with boys and girls,
| none of whom were over eighteen years
| of age. The meeting resembied circus
| more than anything else. The lieutenant,
girl about twenty years old, WAS play
| ing 3 banjo, an old man nearly three
| score and ten was pounding on big bass
| drum, and two feminine members Of the
| army were pounding tambourines as
though their lives depended upon their
| smashing the calfskin heads. After sing
| ing several hymns the Lieutenant an
nounced that the meeting was open for
! testimony. The first one to arise was a
| young man who Is well known in Pam
rapo as tough.
8@ THE ToUGHs TESTIMONY.
vi praise de Lawd tonight" ne began,
| "'cause I'm savei. One of me chums kim
to me last night and SEE, SEE he, say,
Dinuy, is yez goin' to org nize dat club dis
year. What's dat z says T. de Never
sweats = Yep seq he. Well SEE /. I
don't tfnk / viii, an | praise de Lawd
cause was able to say dat. We ALWAYS
rushed de GROWER when BELONGED to dat
! gang, but win turn over new Leaf
| This same young man was arrested that
same night for breaking into and enter
| ing butcher shop on Avenue G, and is
| now serving three months at Snake Hill.
| The testimony was all Of the same order
as this, and at half. past ten o'clock the
meeting was over. The Lieutenant then
asked those who wished to be saved TO
| attend the short after meeting.
| These meetings have been held regu-
| larly every night, Sundays included. for
| the last eight months, and it's officers
| have been successful Ia getting large
number of recruits. An attempt was made
| to establish headquarters in other parts
Of Bayonne, but very little encourage
ment was met with. A resident of Pam
| rapo, in speaking about the matter, said
81 have no doubt the Salvation Army
people do good, and that they are con-
scientiously carrying out their religious
| convictions, but do not think that they
| have any right to disturb the neighbour
! hood at late hour with brass bands.n
| Many of the regular attendants are
from Greenyille, and as soon as the SER
vices are over they start back home
shouting and singing. When pursued by
/ the police they hasten across the canal
bridge and thus escape. Young girls
have been known to leave their homes to
attend these meetings and stay away
until late hour. After service they
meet young men, and cases are known
| where girls have been persuaded to stay
away from home all night.