The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1893-07-12
MIDNIGHT in MIDWAY.
Strange and Sporty Beings From
Every CLINE Gather There.
GRAPHIC ACCOUNT OF TIE SCENES
Which May BIO Witnessed There ANY
Night AMER the Fair Proper is
olosed-A Cosmopolitan aud HiIarI'
GUS Time-when tho Novel Carnival
is at its Height 1t May BIO Shocking
But It's Very Entertaining,

But It's Very Entertaining,
Aasits BeacAs Chicago Litter h PiilsbqiroA Tint'.
To fully appreciate what is meant by
cosmopolitan and hilarious time, one
should take in, the Midway Plalsance
between 1880 o'clock at night and say
l o'clock in the morning, The carnival
ia at its height about 1850 o'clock
Before starting on this expedition,
however, all ideas Of propriety should
be placed on file for future reference,
for such sights will be witnessed that
one who has not nerve and an eye for
the Iudlcrous, tinged, as it often hap
pens, with not little wickedness, won't
have any fun at ALL The centers are
the Vienna cafe, the Moorish palace
and the Algerian cafe, situated about
the center OF the Midway, ana the
Hungarian cafe, down near the west
end, The latter place is the most in.
dustrious place Of them all. Its band
strikes up promptly at 8 o'clock in the
morning and the lights everywhere else
arc all out before the final crash takes
place. The admission To all these
places is free and the beer Eve cents
per glass, with other prices reasonable;
hence the popularity.
In the earlier part Of an evening the
German village and old Vienna, with
their military bands, are also popular
resorts, but as an admission ia charged
at those places and the beer tarih is 10
cents, the fun doesn't get quite so fast
and furious, though away back in the
labyrinths OF old Vienna 1t not intre-
quently happens that conventionaIi'
ties, along late in the evening, are
largely lost sightof The latter places
serve, however, as printing stations for
the exposition that takes place at the
first named later on.
All the side shows, Tor such the Mid
way attractions must BIO called, close at
10 o'clock, and Immediately after the
strange beings that inhabit them rap.
idly gravitate toward the free.for.all
cafes, where they become q part oil tho
attraction, tho other principal concom-
itants being music-alleged melody In
most cases--meat and drink, and Chi
cago girls who are daring and in most
cases good looking, The programme
ofthe American fools who have money
to spend is to get on the scene early,
catch girl and then catch q heather,
and entertain both. The supply OF
heathen is usually largely in excess OF
the girls, but the surplus does not
suffer; those who fail to get both girl
and heather take the surplus heather
in tow, and sooner or later almost every
uniform down to the Jack Tars from the
battleship Illinois, who may be on
shore leave, is being cared for. Sur
prislng as it may seem, there are q good
many staid and proper people who take
in the show and apparently enjoy II.
While it has an air OF recklessness
about it, it is something the like OF
which has never been seen in this coun.
try before, and the nature OF it all
makes 1t very, very attractive.
Take for instance the scene in the
Vienna cafe last Saturday night. It
was after II o'clock and the place was
crowded. The first group to attract at
tention was composed OF two jolly
prosperous-looking men of the world
and five Bedouins, the latter wearing
their betasseled turbans, volumlnous
gowns, red boots and curved swords,
with ancient pistols and dirks thrust in
their sashes. The Americans were
teaching them to drink beer, and three
OF the sons OF the desert were ready to
graduate, but the other two made wry
faces at every gulp, and finally aban.
doned the malt and struck steady gait
on French liquors The conversation
was limited, much Of 1t being panto-
mime, and therefore all the more anus
ing for the .on.lookers. Two stalwart
men in the glittoring uniform OF tho
famed English Life Guards,
plumed helmets, steel CuirasseS
over the red coat, white trousers
and booted and spurred, together with
two men in the equally striking uni
form OF the Lancers, pulled their cigar
cites and drank in company with some
Algerians, while two stylishly dressed
and very vivacious young women COM
pleted the party. A nice, old, gray
haired scotchman was reviving recol-
lections OF his youth by buying freely
for quartette Of bare-legged Highland
soldiers, and they, fully approaching
the snap they had struck, hailed three
tall Grenadiers who CHANGED to strut
past twirling their canes and with red
pill.box skull caps stuck on over their
ears, and had them join the party A
Japanese, exquisite with red-headed
girl on one arm and q tall brunette on
the other, foated in and proceeded to
do the elegant. His native grace in
making gestures was somewhat inter.
iered wish by the attention hewas forced
to give TO q very large and muscu-
lar.iooking cigar, but all the same he
gave the girls good time. With the
exception OF this Japanese beau and
some Of the sailors aud English redcoats,
who smoked pipes, nearly everyone
smoked cigarettes. The Japanese and
his brace OF beauties were followed by
an English officer In full uniform with
single.barreled glass screwed into one
eve, and q languid.looking creature with
yellow bangs, They sat next to q table
around which we're grouped party OF
American sailors entertaining s0tne
French sailors with barred breasts and
caps with rod top.knots. With these
exceptions, all the other peculiarly.
dressed people were being cared for by
those who wore American dress.
The bookniakers aud hOrsomon from