The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1894-04-20
A SUMMING EXPERIENCE.
The Minister Who HID Gone Through 1t
Determined tn Chnngc Ills Plans.

The Minister Who HID Gone Through 1t
Determined to Chnngc Ills Plans.
With Il view to finding out what slum-
ming III the toughest regions is like the
reporter went to headquarters and asked
one OF Byrncs' oldest and most trusted
detectives to tell him somo of his expo
riences i'll taking Summing parties
about i'll the region east of tho Bowery.
cts Il good while now since Two
done any of that business, " said the de-
tective, land there's very few that we
take around Cherry hill and it's alleys
It's too tough for ladies and for most
men. One of the last parties that took
through there was three young men who
were going to do missionary work. They
were ministers, and they wanted to see
what life was like where it's least worth
living, so took them down to Double
alley. That's 10 foot wido street about
200 feet long and hedged i'll by eight
story tenemonts. 1t runs off Cherry
street, and it furnishes moro crime and
violence to the square inch than any
other place i'll New York, with the DOS
sible exception of Single alley, which is
near by.
OF course we attracted attention
there The urchins yelled at us, the loaf
ers scowled at us, and unkempt hays
stuck thoir heads out of windows over
head and made unpleasant comments.
We paid no attention. One can't afford
to be squealnish in Double alley. The
young ministers however, began to look
rather uncomfortable, and 1 reckoned
they were getting scared and wished
they'd staid at home. That wasn't
their kind, though, us I found out pretty
quickly. When we got pretty near to the
end of the place, we heard a terrific
bowling and yelling i'll one of the houses.
There were cries of 'MurClcrr and Hclpr
mingled with curses and groans. 1t was
a characteristic Cherry Hill mixed alo
row from all indications. In minute
out staggered IL drunken woman her
forehead bleeding profuscly from cash
made by some sharp instrument. Close
after her came big, burly longshorc-
man brandishing bottle He reached
the woman and brought the bottle down
on her head with terrific force stretch
ing her to the pavement. Then he began
kicking her. | started for him, but one
of the young men was before me. He
hit the longshoreman just once, and that
was enough. The man went down like
log.
Then there was the devil to pay.
Half dozen big ruffians poured out of
the doorway and mado for the minister.
Elo knocked the first one off his feet, but
the second ran i'll and grappled with
him BY this time I and the other two
were taking IL hand i'll it. There was
nothing scared about those fellows then.
1 afterward found out that they had all
been football players i'll college. They
fought like devils, and with the odds
against us we cleaned out the gang in
about half minute. A couple of DO
lice came running i'll, and three of the
roughs were arrested. The woman went
to the hospital, where 1t was found that
she was only slightly injured. Skulls
are thick i'll Double alley. Our party
was little the worse for wear My hat
was lost in the scuffle. One of the min
listers had his coat torn half off, another
lost his spectaclcs and the temporary use
Of one eye, while tho chap that had
waded i'll first was wiping the blood
from his face and nursing spralncd
thumb. When he said good night to me,
he remarked:
This experience has been n lesson to
me. was going to China as mission
ary, but if I can judge by what I've seen
tonight there is plenty of room for mis-
sion work right here in this city, and l
think I'll stay here. That man has been
doing good work among the poor of this
city since then, and China has lost a
good missionary and man of nerve. -
New York World.