The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-08-15
DANGER IN THE CLUB.
A NEW FIELD NOW SUGGESTED
FOR DIR. PARKHURsT.

New York Dangerous Plaeo to Live
The Story of a Preacher and a MUIR
derous Crank-Advica to Unaccom-
panied Women.
From the PittsburG Post.
New YORK, Aug. Sit will soon be time
to ask ourselves whether there be not some
malign influence about club life that tends
to develop suicidal mania among its men,
bers. A few months ago a young son of a
prominent merchant was found dead in his
bed at q leading athletic clue The gas was
turned on full head. A few years ago an
army officer cut his throat at the United
Service Club. Now Lieut.. Sidney II. May
| in the same club sends bullet crashing
through mis- brain. II all bad things, like
all good things, are three, then this ill
starred club will await with fear and
trembling for its third member to commit
| happy dispatch upon himself. When
| DR.. Parkhurst has finished his pres
emit crusade it may be wise for him to secure
an introduction to several Of our leading
| clubs and make report from his pulpit on
| what he sees there. Club life in New York
| is taking on gigantic proportions in the
strict sense of the word. No sooner is one
huge building completed than others still
| larger, still more attractive, still more de-
moralizing are projected. The city has
absolutely gone club mad. AT these palatial
| homes you meet the merest lads smoking
and drinking in the cafe, or eating wine
suppers In the dining room. In one
| instance which came TO my notice
a wealthy Broad street Banker, thinking
to keep his son of 90 ont Of greater mis-
| chief had him elected to one of these clubs,
and informed the officers that they might
honor the boy's orders up to $50 a month
| for luncheons, billiards aud 80 on. Imagine
| the fathers disgust upon looking over the
! first months stubs to discover that the
whole $50 had been spent for liquor. IL
was really IAN intolerable deal of sack" for
q mere lad to consume, but, no doubt, he
| had help.
DR.. Parkhurst might spend an evening In
the card rooms Of some of our fashionable
| clubs and tell the wives and mothers on
! Sunday morning what he saw there. Wives
often wonder why they may not have
new dress but it comes hard to pay for new
| dresses when a man Is losing heavily at
| poker, or when he is spending several
| hundred dollars month giving wine sup
pers. Not month goes by that some young
| club man is not denied admission to the
| house because his accounts are not paid.
| The fact is that his governor indignant
at the size OF the bill, repudiates it, and
there is nothing left for the gilded youth
| but resign or be suspended. In the end the
governor" usually relents and the farce
begins anew.
II was the last boat from Bay Ridge and
the trains had poured into il rather
| boisterous crowd Of pleasure seekers on their
way back to the great city after an evening
at Manhattan Beach. They had spent
their money lavishly, and with light
| purses and light hearts the Chollies, Jacks
nd EI1aoiaG rilOfa1 THAR fair
| ions across the gang plank. The women
looked mussed, crumpled and weary. They
had not taken their pleasure wisely. They
| had eaten too much, drank too much,
laughed too much and they were now limp
| and languid. Their painted faces could
only draw faint sickly smile as their es-
corts exercised their wits ON every oonceiv-
able object.
Jacks loaded" cried one; "he ought to
pay double fare"
"What yer givin US" replied Jack "these
fellers ought to pay me for acting as bal
last"
"Get onto his grandfather's hat" ex-
claimed Gus, pointing at a tall white hat
! worn by quiet. gentlemanly person APP
parantly from the country. leading child
| by the hand.
"How are you, Baby McKee?" cried Jack.
| There was q burst of laughter. And. as
the merry crowd made its way upstairs,
suddenly one OF the young women turning
half around whispered: SSH boys; there's
sick lady lying there"
Sure enough, there lay a young woman
| stretched at full length on the cushioned
seat, the cushion of which had been rolled
! up at one end to furnish a pillow. Her
small, shapely feet. dressed in handsome
| Russian leather shoes, projected from be-
| meath her skirts and her white banded sailor
| hat lay over her face, completely hiding
| it, On camp stool beside her sat horsey-
looking man. Neither spoke to the other,
and the woman might have been dead, so
straight ana motionless she lay there. The
| crowd ceased its noisy chaff and
banter as it filed past the re-
cumbent tigure-so shapely, SO richly
| dressed, so motionless-and went out
| on deck. l determined to watch the
''sick lady" so, taking up my position op-
| posite, l waited patiently for the boat TO
| make her slip. Again the noisy crowd,
hushed by the sight OF the 'sick lady" filed
on its way to the street. After the last one
| had disappeared l pretended to be asleep
| The man raised sailor bat and disclosed as
sweet face as had ever looked upon.
Come. Kate; for heavens SAKE" he said
brace up. We're in the slip. We must
get out Of this"
The woman started up and attempted to
stand on her feet, but gave lurch and
must have fallen If her companion hadn't
caught her. The ''slck lady" was very
| drunk! A.
New York Is q dangerous place to live
| In" said au old detective TO me as we walked
no Broadway together; "a very dangerous
place, be continued thoughtfuIly; lin fact,
it's more dangerous than in the far west
among the cowboys. horse thieves and grub
| stakers."
What do you mean" inquired.
why, out west" he resumed, among
the so-calied dangerous classes, you know
exactly what to expect A shooting iron
is the only source OF danger. II man gets
the drop on you you hold up hands and
apologize. But not 80 in this town. Here
danger to human life takes a thousand
forms. 1t may be the polished barrel of a
revolver pointed at your head, or the glitter
OF a murderous blade flashing in your face.
1t may be the silent blow
OF the sandbsg, or the deadly
stroke of the bludgeon. 1t may be the iron
grip of the criminals bouy fingers on your
throat, or the soft and panther-like tread
OF the midnight assassin with the chloro-
form saturated sponge in his hand. 1t may
be poisoned wine or drugged beer, or it may
be the noiseless step Of tue hotel burglar
who secretes himself under your bed and
awaits your first heavy sleep. Nor are
those deadly contrivances to take human