The record-union., 1893-01-17
SLAUGHTER'S SHANTIEO.
Their Presence Denounced by lndig-
nant Citizens.
Capitol Avenue DIsgraced by a Col
lection of Huts That Should be
Condemned Officially.

| Yesterdays session of the City Trustees
was enlivened by the presentation of
petition from outraged owners of prop
erty in the vicinity Of Sixth and NJ streets,
which locality has been disgraced by
half block of old and tumble-down rook-
cries placed there by Jesse Slaughter,
who holds a lease of the ground.
! The place has been an eyesore in that
| part of the city for two years or more,
and would be disgrace to the nanny
| goat district in the suburbs of New York,
where people live like pigs. The petition
presented to the board reads:
40 the Honorable the Board of TruS-
! tees Of Sacramento: The undersigned
! property-owners and residents in the
vicinity of Sixth and NJ streets Of Sacra-
mento respectfully call your attention to
the condition Of lots 3 and in the block
| bounded by Fifth and Sixth, NJ and n
streets, and the alleged improvements
| thereon. Said improvements consist
of the Riding Academy, of which we do
not complain, and some twelve or fifteen
old rooleries, denominated residences,
| but which are totally unfit for human
| habitation. These so-called houses have
! been moved on to this property from
other localities, where they have been
! condemned and abandoned by the owners
as no longer fit to be maintained.
''They are crowded thici1ly together on
this ground, and the spaces between them
are filled with old, dry and worthless
lumber. Most of the houses have no
| chimneys or flueS, but the smoke from
fires therein is carried off through COM
mon stovepipe poked out of a window
or let through hole cut in the roof The
| whole presents a constant menace of fire,
/ threatening the surrounding property,
and, in fact, the entire city with a con-
| migration.
These so-called houses have no proper
plumbing or proper sanitation-the out
| houses are not provided with vaults, cess
pools, overflow pipes, drainage, sewerage
or vent-pipes, but are merely small
wooden structures set over an open
| TRENCH and this entire property is in
such condition as to be standing menace
TO the health of the neighborhood and of
the city, and to constitute a public nui-
sance of the worst description, endanger-
! ing the health and lives of the citizens
and the destruction of their property.
I'VE therefore respectfully request
your honorable board to exercise in our
behalf the powers given you by the city
charter-declare this property to be
| public nuisance, and cause such nuisance
to be abated and removed"
Almost the entire property on NJ street
from Fifth to Seventh, as well as the
cross streets, was represented on the
petition.
A. Johnson appeared for the petitioners,
and described the situation to the board,
giving them very clear statement of the
magnitude of the nuisance complained
of. The complaint did not refer to one
house, but to the whole bunch of houses
Slaughter had moved in, as well on Sixth
street as on NJ.
sLAUGHTER's DEFENSE.
r. M. Clarken appeared as attorney for
Jesse Slaughter, and claimed that the lat
ter had not violated any law; ne simply
wished to get little rent out of his prop
erty. Poor folks could not afford to live
in as fine houses as the rich. The plumb
ing was as good as was necessary.
on motion of Trustee Conklin, the
matter was referred to the Street Com
missioner, with direction to confer with
the Chief Engineer of the Fire Depart
ment and the Board of Health, with the
request that prompt action be taken.