Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1894-10-22

sees fit to go into them he does SO on
afternoon in Chinatown and with no
accident whatever. No Chinaman
accosted me unless / addressed him
first. The only ones who proved
themselves the least offensive were
members of those unfortunate classes
| of prostitutes, Americans by birth,
who had lowered themselves down in
| TO the wretched dens Of the Chinese
| quarters; and even that class would
not have been met with if [ had not
gone in to inspect some of the back
| alleys and side streets.
| 1t is easy to designate Chinese
street by the many peculiar decora-
| tions hung upon the outer walls. Cor
geous lanterns, fans, streamers, and
all kinds of queer shaped articles are
seen on every hand. Many Of the
Cinnamon are ingenious mechanics,
and on one street several of the front
rooms were devoted to jewelry, and
workers of the fine metal. I looked
into one Of the windows and saw them
beating the plates of gold into brace
lets, and carving jade into other orna-
ment. One of the jewelry stores was
raided by robbers while I was in the
city, and a large quantity of the gold
plate was stolen. The raid took place
in broad daylight and yet all Of the
robbers escaped. Strange as it may
seem I was not even accused Of the
theft. Purchasing few candies for a
novelty returned to the hotel and
waited for my interesting visit to
Chinatown by night.
Chinatown a midnight.
Five Of us in charge of a guide stole
out of the hotel at midnight and down
into the dirty confines of Kearney
street-Kearney street on the north
end. The electric lights cleaned but
dimly through sheets of dismal fog.
| Crack ed voiced comets blared forth
discordant notes in gaudy- decked sa-
looms. Men and women-I call them
women, although it is a reproach
upon the name-were in them-drink-
ing Sounds of ribald laughter,
snatches of songs, oaths, bowls and
excavations fell upon our ears. A fight
was in full progress III front of one Of
the doors. Where were the police?
We didn't see any. Members Of a
Salvation Army doomed up out of the
fog. n mob surrounded them. The
drums beat, the horns footed, and the
torchlights hared. When the speak
err exhorted, some listened, others
threw orange peels and other missiles,
afew blasphemed, and the majority
yelled A little beyond them as if
running opposition to the first was
another crowd. In the center Of it,
elevated upon a dry goods box,
stood so-calIed musician who
squeaked upon a half-tuned fiddle,
while in front of him band of ragged
skirt dancers danced. Passing this
crowd we encountered another show.
A stalwart Irish woman was dragging
her pigmy- sized and drunken husband
along, the walk. If he resisted her
brawpy right hand would crack
him upon one cheek, and then "crack"
it would go upon the other. The
crowd behind her hooted and jeered
aud she jeered at the crowd. At last she
shouldered her burden, as yoI would
shoulder a barrel of flour, and disap-
pcared with him down a side street.
n tFcc:t Of u the highway lead up
steep hill and the houses on each side
, Of it were Old and shaky. 1t seemed
to bs an Irish quarter OF the city. AS
we climbed the walk, with the shadows
deepening around US as we advanced,
bands Of prostitutes swarmed around
us like bees around hive. We were
compelled to fight our way through
them, with coats buttoned up tight to
save our pockets, and turned at last
into side alley where Zimmerman
| darkness and silence reigned. We
passed through that, keeping close to
the guide, and Chinatown was reach
ed at last.
TO BE CONTINUED.
MR. REEDS NEW YORK SPEECH.