The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1894-11-22
sHnEwp 1TALIAN TRIoK.
Organ Grinders Hire Children to ImpoS
on tho Charitable.

on tho Charitable.
Nev York Prea
How often during the summer,
especially in the evening, have mon
and women, fastening home, stopped
to admire the graceful dancing Of bare
legged, ragged children to the music Of
those piano organs played by swarthy
Italians? Invariably they selec. a busy
corner or street, drawing up in front Of
saloon or dining place. Hardly have
the first notes been played than two,
four and sometimes six little bare leg
ged girls join hands and begin to dance.
Their movements are graceful, they
keep time to perfection. and many q
professional dansuese would envy and
yet pity them, for they neither smile
nor speak.
George fsaacs, the head draughtman
OF the street improvement department
Of the board of public works, had been
detained at his office one evening re-
ceutly, aud as he stepped into Cham
bers street one OF those piano organs
began playing in front Of the saloon at
the corner OF Centre street. The ire
men OF the engine company across the
way, and many well known Sixth ward
ers stopped to see two little sad-faced,
raggediy dressed, bare legged little girls
begin to dance to the music. The side
walk on both sides of the street were
soon thronged with admiring onlookers.
"Let's give the kids a good dance"
said Isaacs, Is he have tho organ
grinders female partner dime, and
asked some friends to Join him. The
woman,s tambonrine WINS soon filled
with coin. Just then a policeman
doomed up. The organ stopped sud.
denly and was quickly wheeled away
by the Italians.
'"Thats the biggest joke yet" said the
policeman to Isaacs; "and the Society
for the Prevention OF Cruelty to Chill
dren don't amount to much for not hav-
ing caught on to It," d,
"Why, what's wrong about III" asked
Isaacs.
"Why," answered tho policeman,
CHOSE poor children are beaten and
starved almost to death until they get
to dance perfectly. It's the latest Italian
fake. Down in Little Italy, at the bend
in Mulberry street, is an Italian named
Angelo, O kind OF dancing master. He
and Ratfaelo, who hires out these piano
organs, have struck bonanza. aud the
Italians are getting rich on the charit-
able who give these organ grinders
money, believing that those children are
getting the benefit OF It No. the young
ones are rented out at so much, or so
little a day. They are herded together
in one room and fed on worse than
swill."
A reporter who was with Isaacs asked
the policeman il he could prove what
he said. swell, you can yourself, II you
wish; they are now bound for Barclay
street-if you hurry up you can catch
them and see for yourself"
Sure enough, at Broadway aud Bar
clay street the same familiar tunes were
being played on a piano organ by the
same organ grinder. aided by the same
smiling woman. There, too. were the
same little bare legged. tired looking
ragged dancers. Again the woman
passed through the crowd, receiving
haudfuls OF coin. Then the organ
grinder, doubtlessly satisfied that there
was no more money to be got, suddenly
stopped and he and the woman hurried
of. The reporter followed them into
vesey street, then Greenwich street, to
the Cosmopolitan hotel at Chambers
street and West Broadway. At every
place they stopped to play the same
children were there to start the dane
ing. Others, happy, laughing, healthy,
neatly dressed, but untutored dancers,
Joined in. But those two sad faced,
tired, beaten little ones danced on, ad-
mired by everybody.
At the Cosmopolitan hotel the woman
not only got handsful OF coin, but man
gave her glass OF beer, and sent her
out with big schooner to her husband,
as he supposed, who played so well, and
made the children happy. The two
little worn out dancers received moth
ing. 1t was pitiful to see those old
faces on young shoulders watching with
a hardened. almost cruel, look, the
other children. The two little dancers
did not have the courage to even drop
O tear.