The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1893-05-25

L OF TouaY.
Special Correspondence News-Democrat
New YORK, May 10, 1893.
'FOr they do such things,
And they say such things
Il In tae Bowery."
What do they do. what do they say and
1 what do they see? i determined to flud
out for myself, but several difficulties
| confronted me. In the first place, l was
solemnly warned not to 90 there unat'
tended; that IL was unsafe and that
would either be insulted or my diamonds
and pocket book snatched from me.
was told that ladies never went on the
Bowery and that would have trouble ia
finding q man willing 70 act as escort
Suffice IL to say that l overcame all
of these obstacles. A young Catholic
priest, boarding In the house, kindly
offered to go with me, and as had no
diamonds to snatch and left my pocket
book AZ home, l felt perfectly secure.
In THE EARLY DUTCH AND COLONIAL DAYS
OF New York the present Bowery was a
lane running along the farms at "Bow>
eries,n on the northern outskirts OF the
city. The lane was lined with con tinuAl
line Of county seats and was favorite
drive and walk for lovers. 1t 10 hard to
imagine that the present Bowery, where
not blade OF grass, tree or shrub can be
found from its starting point at Chatham
Square, to its termination at the Junction
OF Third and Fourth avenues, was once
I the rendezvous of romantic lovers who
wandered along the grassy, shady lane, in
the poetic ecstacy OF loves young dream.
WHAT'S IN A NAME2
The name is all that remains TO recall
the former rural character OF the location /,
and even that is lost sight of in its pres,
ent synonym for all that accompanies
dirt, poverty and crime.
A two mile walk down the Bowery
10 the most unique sight that the city
possesses and withal the most bewildering
TO the upipitisted.
The prevailing element Is decidedly
foreign and largely German judging from
the faces of pedestrians and the billing of
theatres and concert halls, invariabIysin
German.
THE DRESS PARADE FEATURES.
There are rows of cheap shops with half
of their goods displayed on the sidewalk,
numberless saloons, restaurants, concert
halls and beer gardens, fruit, peanut,
candy and soda water stands that impede
your progress at every step; venders of
every variety of articles, from neckties,
handkerchiefs, suspenders, brass jewelry,
knives, pocket books, cakes, pies, chicken
patties and shoe strings, to kittens, rabbits
and canary birds. There is every variety
of clothing stores and judge the compe>
tition is sharp. There is an agent in front
of every store urging unwilling pAsserB by
tn enter and when once he does, he will
not escape without purchasing.
ONE SIGN READ,
~. Abrams, Misfit Clothier, Goods Re,
ceived Daily From 9th Ave.n j. Abrams
himself, or near relative, judging from
his nose, stood in front of the little shop
and announced in tones loud and long:
This, ladies aud gentlemen, is Abrams;
walk in and get an elegant tit from Fifth
avenue" Whereupon he literally siezed
an unwary young man from the country
and marched him into the store. wanted
to see the outcome, but dared not mani
fest any interest.
WE WALKED ALONG RAPIDLY
as II we were in haste to reach certain
place and apparently seeing nothing. We
met large number of bare' headed
of wood on their heads and soon we
reached the place where they got their
supplies. An old house was being torn
down and the place was alive with
women and children quarreling over
sticks and carrying away bundles
as fast os they could loud I'D. Ole Ital>
ian woman, with a hard bouy face and
wild black eyes, carried six weeks old
baby under one arm and with the other
held the wood on her head. She was fol.
lowed by her five older children whom
she Bcolded at every step, and who took ad-
OF her handicapped condition, to
linRer at the corner by the gum drop man,
in the vain hope that he might turn his
head long enough for them to steal and
run.
The most pathetic vender / saw, was
a young Italian with black and ton dog
labeled,
"a DOG FOR SALE CHEAP.u
The dog was tied with a rope to his mas
ter and looked up into his face with great
eyes az IL he knew something
was wrong, No one seemed to want toe
dog cheap, and believe both master and
dog were secretly glad,
THE BANANAS SUDDENLY DISAPPEARED.
A little further down, an italian banana
peddler was pushing his cart along the
street, when a heavy truck struck it, up
setting his fruit and causing forcible
demonstration on the port OF the owner.
In fash there was not banana to be
seen, but there was for moment an IN
usual number of small boys, who denied
all knowledge of the stolen fruit.
THE CHICKEN PIE MAN
was a unique institution. His little cart
contained a gas stove and q bArket Of
buns. For five cents ne prepared a very
morsel, for his customers,
pTihciphlly ueWsDoyb: WIN a khile no
opened She bun, flied il With chicken
paste from his gas stove, clapped it
received his fee and delivered
his goods. imagine that hosts of these
little fellows are fed entirely on the street
THE "HoKBY PoKEY" MAN
was to be found at almost every corner,
with his little cart and churn of ice cream,
or "hokey pokeyn as il is called in the
The one that attracted my
special attention was a good natuTed, i'll
kept, dirty Italian, who doled out his goods
with big iron spoon on small pieces of
brown paper for "a penny SCOOP" He
seemed TO be very popular, and was sur
by troop OF bare headed chill
dren eager to invest their coveted pen.
nies. They held out their hands with the
penny on the palm. The man took the
penny and replaced IL with a paper OF
hokey pokey, which the children licked
off the paper with greedy relish.
ANOTHER OBJECT OF INTEREST
was poor little German girl, with the
traditional 9hewl over her head, standing
close 70 lamp post. She had a basket
q maltese cat nd several kit
tens, and q piece Of .pasie--board box bore
the inscription in irregular printed let
terS, "KittenB for sale. 10 cts piece"
FLOWERS ONLY FOR THE DEAD.
There was only one fioriat on the whole
street, and his window was filled with
crosses, wheat sheaves, gates star, pill
lows and other funeral designs. This win
dow display seemed to be an index to the
character of the people. Flowers, and the
beautiful In nature, and art, do not appeal
to them in life, but in death, the great
leveler OF all mankind, their loved ones
receive the same tokens of honor and afs
fection as their wealthier and better cons
ditioned neighbors.
ITALY AS TRANsPLANTED.
At Chatham Square we left the main
avenue and branched off into Mulberry
and Mott streets, the Italian and Chinese