The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-04-22
HELL'S KITCHEN PASrIMES.
sATURDAY SIGBT JoYs IN THhT
MIIED-ALE NEIGHBORHOOD

Ftue Practice Tor the Police.
Every part Of this city has its own particular
and popular form Of amusement. Down in
Chinatown they play fan-tan. The east side
amuses itself with pinochle. skat. and bowling.
Up In Little Italy you can shoot craps II you
don't mind the police. and the negro colony
will offer plenty OF opportunity for losing
money at policy. In a dozen other sections
you may play casino. or poker. or morro or
baccarat all in peaceful and quiet way. but II
you go looking for amusement up in the Helrs
Kitchen region you've got to fight This lie not
because the people there will resent your
seeking pastime among them II Ia simply be-
cause fighting is their chief form Of diversion.
In the vast tenement region west Of Ninth
avenue on the streets above Thirtieth street
there 10 probably more fighting to the square
inch than In any other part OF the city. not ex-
ceptinG Cherry Hill. The blotter at the West
Thirty-seventh street station will show this In
the astonishing number OF names with AS
sault" marked opposite them. These repre-
sent only very small part OF the lows, for It is
only the more serious ones that come to the
notice Of the police. As long as the scrap
pers" keep within doors and stop short Of
murder the guardians OF the peace refrain
from interfering with their innocent amuse-
ments. Occasionally the fight goes out into
the street. friends OF the performers take
hand in. and by the time the affair has reached
the proportions OF n riot tho police reserves
arrive. and on the following morning Jeffer-
son Mark ct Police Court is full Of prisoners
from the West Thirty-seventh street station.
1t is an inexperienced policeman who UNDER
takes to participate in q Helrs Kitchen street
row slngle-handed. Usually the reserve squad
finds it's hands full in handling such q combat.
for the rulo Of the Donnybrook Fair holds good
here: Wherever you see head. hit It."
1t doesn't take very much to start one OF
these impromptu riots. The festive Hells
Kitchener. always ready for what he mildly
terms fun will start fight on the least provo
cation or on no provocation at all. and having
once started in 10 will not stop while he can
stand and see. The women folk are rather
worse than the men. and 1t 10 q very young
child indeed in Helps Kitchen who IL not big
enough to twirl small club or throw a half a
brick. A policeman OF that precinct once made
out this recipe for Hells Kitchen riot:
Take half = dozen Irish and as many Germans and
mix IN good MEASURE Of clubs aud ali the hoasenod
sPnHc o. Mfg S sca nd Shs HSen and
add more Irish and Germans, with n smatt-rirR OF
calls stretchers and cool in the cooler
As matter OF fact: national differences,
while not the cause OF these homemade tour
neys. determine usually tho parties to the
% teno%sns u 'P 81 fsh d ia t%s sS Sistat
hut the lighting would not be between two
distinct parties and would o. necessity be
hal, full Of Germans with Irish occupying the
Cor battle, murder, and sudher death are ap-
ment populations are made up In about that
Proportion vine Ths police ol9,ter will show
little events that lead up to a riot and which
are In general way very similar. II must be
tat every ns r day % mig
have to con emit themselves during the week
with unimportant little arguments. in which
only half a dozen people at the most are con-
cerned. without even one ambulance call as a
wind-up But on Saturday night something Is
head IL will S lie. EverytRing is ripe for % row
then; The women have done thei. work. tho
ch .h are aoTn me BLOCK tnf2%lHe stones
family ia through with his weeks work and
flush with his weeks wages, The tenement:
mixed ale on Saturday evening.
This is early in thu evening, As the hours
had it TSsSe "p for them begin to lods Tor e "
element Atatoui this time Mrs Murphy on
Mrs. SSr on mai IN" second oeT
emptied pan OF dishwater out OF the window
upon Jimmy Murphy. who was PLAYING in the
demonstrated with the other the German frau
called her oHt Of her name Ihereup99n Mrs
schwaTzts.Rer responded in tho same strain.
All this Mrs. Murphy reports to Mr., Murphy
ought ne be es Sd 10 81 IT,
lie does son ething. He sends out for more
mixed ale and considers the case, Then he
Yez gaw down I, her n call her down. I'll
be right ahfter yez"
down stairs to see Mrs. Schwarzh-cker. Mr..
MURPHY, watches over the 6anlstsrs with a
none too gently performed calls Mrs, schwarz.
becker TO her door. That lady appears with
barred arms and general expression OF de-
Vat you want here1" she demands,
wash water dc down onto v me childefs'" IS"
Wy you don'd take your kinder away. hey
drop = stove poker yet once on dem" w.
will not, Yez will take a dIop yerselL yer
Dutch mug, Git away before 1 git me temper
You sew luton on me. helm You va.
better sew button your own self on. You hat
nS sSi yUu call
1. to in. mate that she & not nsntsliy sound.
nest effort 70 push them in. The German
Schwarz beekers arrive and inject themselves
into the fray. and Mr.. Murphy with howl
r.. sSP IRON on "ofES m sbo y1f
and his family hear 1t and come down In u
hurry lust as Herr IIlsener and his wife come
haas and Schemmlchers. the MeGrims and
kohlen blooms. the Dooleys and Engelhausens,
the kellys and kaisers meet at the scene and
add their mum bers and such movable articles
as they can reach to the hight.
When the halls get ehoked with struggling
humanity the mass some way rolls down stairs
aud out into the street. where every body In
sight promptly Joins In on one side or the
other. Every tenement in the block ,pours out
its quota and a shower of small but heavy
articles falls from the windows, shouts and
yells and curses MI the air Presumably the
two women are still In the centre OF the night
although for all that can be- seen from the out
side they may have been left at the stairs when
the bowling cataract came down. But that
don't know what they are nRhting about now.
and don't want TO know. They are simply hit.
ting at everything that comes their way. and
guarding thsIns selves as we'll as they can, and
getting lots Of good exercise and bad bruises
and having most enjoyable time.
They would go on indefinitely but for sud
der roar and rattle. \ combined rush Of uni
formed men, . strik king right and left with
clubs that make an i'm OPPRESSION even on Helrs
Kitchen heads. and a ealization that the po-
lice reserves are upon them. When every
policeman has prisoner in each hand the fun
10 over except for desultoTy duels In corners
By contestants who have stopped nghtiug Tor
principle and have found personal interest IN
irving a "dOuD - sOm0 particular antagonist.