The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-10-25
ENGLISH ANARCHISTS.
of Clubs Hnving Headquar-
ters in the British Capital.

The London Spectator.
The club and rallying place of the Russo
until lately in Berners street. Recent occur
rences. however, rendered this an undesir-
able ocality; 1t was too well looked after
by the authorities. So IL was transferred
to a quieter and more obscure corner, where
ii was less likely to attract the notice of
outsiders; and it is now by no means easy
to find. Near the top OF the New road,
which opens into Commercial road, there
is a turning known as Charlotte street, at
one corner OF which is an oil monger's and
at the other a tobacconistis. Three doors
or so from the former is a narrow arch
way, bricked over. The roadway beneath is
roughly paved, and the curb is generally
the seat Of some half dozen unkempt and
disheveled gossips attended by twice as
many barefooted children. Passing under
the arch, one energies upon a lane or alley
not more than nine or ten feet wide. There
is a row of small tenement houses on one
side, a dirty brick wall and some stables
on the other. A few costers' barrows are
backed up against the wall, and the I'M
even roadway and gutter are invariably
sloppy and sloshy, owing to the grooming
OF horses always going on. and the prac-
tice the residents have adopted of emptying
their waste water from the upper windows.
AT the bottom of this thorouShfare. and
on the left hand side of 1t, is a snail build
ing, half workshop, half warehouse, with a
steep sloping roof, the gable end facing the
road. The lower part is entirely boarded
up and tightly nailed to. There is a large
double door on the frst floor and the en-
tire width of the building. and only the
upper part of this is glazed, so that il is
impossible TO look In from without. Nor
can the edifice be seen from the streets at
the end of the lane in which il stands.
There are two small doors, but without
either bell or knocker, halsdle or hitch TO
the doors, one in Hebrew characters. read
ing Arbeiter-freund the other in English,
Workers Friend" thus announcing this
70 be the official headquarters of the East
End Anarchist propaganda. Knock, kick,
or batter at the side entry any afternoon
or evening, and the big door on the upper
floor will De cautiously opened, and you will
hear a hoarse khtetam? csWho is thereT)
If you are unknown to the speaker, you. will
be told that no business is done there. II
the questioner above recognize you, or YOU
come with a friend, a string arrangement
will open the side door on the left, and by
means OF a wooden staircase you can mount
TO the upper floor.
Go up any afternoon or evening and YOU
will hear the sound, not of political argu-
ment or socialist debate. but of cardboard
falling upon wood and suppressed talk and
laughter The whole of the uoDer part
forms a large oblohg ROOM, half Office, half
sitting room, with a bench or two. upon
which a score OF young mer and women
are generally TO be found seated, smoking
and chattering away, while others are at a
small table playing at cards As You enter
you may catch one watching the game call
out in unctuous Yiddish. "Das ko-tel be-
grubt ech' Chat card will bury YOU, and
the card apparently does settle the payer.
for he throws IL down with ar oath and
a nQttfICb elH&lN IL id< fbdu luChb
and losses a couple Of sixpences over TO
his companions. The young men usually
present are we'll fed and dressed, belonging
apparently to a comfortably off class. and
the young women are altogether comely
specimens OF flair Israer' in East Londoa.
But the visitors here are only new adj
herents, young converts. They are the idle
crones of the Anarchist hive. The club is
but a rallying place for such followers and
a blind for the outside public. For the
workers we must look elsewhere. And these
will be found in the smaller circles or
branches which meet on Sundays in their
own appointed places.
One such branch. comprising a section OF
the women's organization, has its meeting
place I'm the very heart OF the Anarchist
quarter in the Commercial road Two or
three doors from Morgan street Is a D.
row passage by the side OF the large a.
lie house in the open t~horoughfare. This
darkest and most forbidding OF the alleys
that abound in the vicinity. There are
houses on ore side ONLY, on the other a
wall, which effectually prevents any glim-
mer of SUNLIGHT from reaching the tene-
ments. So bed is the reputation of the
terrace that none but residents would will
ingly go through it after dusk. and even
these take care TO keep their lower win
dow shutters close barred and their doors
locked as soon as twilight sets in. At the
further end the wayfarer down there Is as
far from help and hearing If attacked or
mOlested as though he were a hundred
miles instead OF q hundred PAGES away
from one of the busiest ~thoroughfares in
London. Half way along the passage we
enter en Omen doorway and are ushered
down a short flight of stairs by an as
ISOLATE, 10 whom we have letters or intro
ductiOn. then across a yard communicating
seemingly. with the block OF houses facing