The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-06-24

IN The SLUMS Of PARIS.
Where Vice ID Indeed ! Monster Of
Mien the Most Hldsous
Imaginable
! Places That Arc Very Often Mon
toned, but Very Seldom
Seen.
4 visit That Ksvsslsd > 0osd IdsA Of the
Crininal side Of Submerged
Life.

Crininal Side Of Submerged
Life.
lsmay bs rsmsmbsrsd that not long ago
two young Russian grand dukes made = SOM
under Tho guidanes Of N. Rosaignol ShyouRh
some typical haunts 81 vios, crime ana de-
stitution In Paris These places are often
mentioned, but seldom seen. IL visit them
alone would b. Z hazardous proceeding.
and the privilege Of being taken round by
ths police 10 not granted 10 svsrv ens. Pari-
sian lowest life offers plenty Of scenes that
need no embellishments from the imaRina-
ton 10 make thsm interesting. Much there
10 which eannst bs NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. known
only to the police and TO outoasts; but =
visit TO certain thieves kitchens and doss-
houses will give some idea Of the criminal
side Of submerged life.
We will begin with . dancing saloon In
the Rue do ID Montague 81. Gsnevisve. fire.
quentsd BY those who are beginning 2 Ca
rser Of ~dspravity. You enter through =
small liqusE shop whsfs . number of rough
loafers are lounRinR and drinking q the
bar, and pass into . large inner room. some
forty feet by twenty-five feet. II - Al
fairly clean and in good preservaticn; the
place evidently does veil. The band, con-
sisting Of . ccrnst, . clarinet and = horn.
may mention, by the bye, that detectives
disruised 40 mnsicians have on occasion
m0de use Of this convenience TO watch sns-
pscted persons. Tables are arranged along
Inc wall, a. which ! good many rsopl 70 st
drinking elaret, and At the center some
Atty or sixty couplss are dancisg vigorously.
USl s-t~. -naklw ~Annn tho man Ali ADUtA-
neurs dc has stage, the women their com
panions; and it q here that . great many
young girls nrst enter upon ths downward
career.
All are sobsr, deosntly-drssssd. and dance
In ! very buainsss.liks way viii perfect pro.
most dear 10 tho Frenchwoman's heart. and
these women are bent on getting their
money'a worth. Payment ia managed in q
peculiar way by what 70 called the dsmi-
danse. Each dance 10 divided into y by
. short interval, during which dancing ~
and takes two sous from every man on tho
floor. Everything il very. quiet and Or
derly. which MAY perhaps be accounted for
by the inspector's presence, though his visit
ID unofficial. But the company, although
bent ON pleasure, exhibits . general and
be said OF the people in every one OF these
syen disnal-no body Of Englishnsn ever
took their pleasures more sadly.
From this place it il not far to the notori-
GUS cabaret Eau Pere Lunette." The a :
r%angement 10 much the same, an outer and
an inner room, except that the lattor 10 very
small, not holding moro than thirty people.
II ID pretty full now, and We squeeze in with
some difficulty. Only men are present, and
they sit on wooden benches ut the bare
wooden tsbles-arinking, playing cards, or
doing nothing. II the dancers were serious.
these are almost sullen; nothing could be
quiotsr than their demsanor. yet only the
week before. at this very place. there was a
murdsrous aHrAyin which knives were drawn
and the proprietor severely stabbed. The
pride OF the "Pers Lunette" i tbs frescoes
which run round the room. They were ex-
scuted by some former froquenter OF the
establishment, and represent HoRarthlar
scenes from Paris life, painted with consid-
cradle power and quite Rembrandtesque
coloring. Presently . picturesque rut1ian
stands up aRainst the wall, and drumming
a guitar, sings some couplets descriptive o.
the paintings.
He is followed by another who favors us
with the inevitable ~"monologue," dealing
with the same theme in greater detail
These performances are obviously mean
for our benefit. as the habitues exhibit very
little interest IN them. Meanwhile . light.
ming oartoonist has seated himself opposite
and dashed off a couple of chalk drawing
misrepressnting two Of the party. Art, thu
art Of tho pavement, appears to be th'
speciality of this particular den. There ar
Others which possess . whole museum @
ingenious horrors and practical jokes; bn'
such efforts to entertain do not go TO-
much. The habitual criminal is By nj
means = merry fellow. even in Paris, ant
/, needs 4 great deal Of divsrting. This be
comes moro apparent AZ We &c lower in tn
scale. The ''Salle Octobre" and the 'Per'
Lunetts" are not precisely exhilarating, bu
What are 70 to say of the ''Ohateau RouRsr'
Tho "Chatsnu Rouge il the most csie
bratsd thieves kitchen in Paris, and merit
4, particular attention. You enter from tn
Rue Galande. by = wide but very dark arch
way. Inside, you can just make out, on tn
left hand, an antique and handsome doubl
building il ancient. and once housed Ga
brielle d'Estrees. The present doorway .
the establishment is further on, and lead
at once into = large room with a bar At tn
far end. Beyond this il another large roon
at right angles to the first, and both ar
pretty full. The company 10 Of the ver,
dregs. and includes the lowest Of trampt
thieves and night wanderers; the air
fetid with them. Some are sitting at til
bare tables. others standing listlessly about
but hardly any are drinkinR-probably the
have NO money. Many are in rags, an
pE9Bo0t q WIObO0OA 6ppO0I0AVOs Ou0 ~
man standing upright in his black and sod
don rags. md staring vasantly ut nothing
with . dsathly- white face, il = particularly
dreadful object.
Formidable rufaans are gathered her,
who would stick At nothing il excited, an
this suggests the question II It'll not dan
N Rerous 70 penetrate into these places. Tha
entirely depends on the mood tho eompan
10 in; il . disturbance arose il u%ndoubtsdl
would be very dangerous, n at no tim
would IL DO prudent for . w~ell-dresss
stranger to show himself here alone. Blu
they are all like lambs with the inspeoto,
who handles them beautifully. One side Q
the inner room gives upon q kind of dee
recess, which II pitch dark and apparentl
empty, but = turn of the gas:rsveals q Rrue
soms sight-six or seven ragged wrstohs
stretched motionless upon the table,
benches and upon tho floor. They dc nc
stir or give any sign of life and might
supposed dead, but they are only dss
drunk. This horrible place 10 appropriated
called the chambre dss norts. When the,
s. -