Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1895-10-05
MURDERERS' ALLEY.

MUIDEREHS ALLEY.
CISCO His watch chain sports handsome
iocket given him by Henry Irving as q
souvenir Of the actors trip, and ladies of
all ranks and professions, from Mrs. Har
rison TO Amelie Rives, have been his pro-
tegees on visits TO the most picturesque
quarter of san Francisco
Frankly" said he as we made our ar
rangements, "there are lot of catohpenny
fakes in Chinatown calculated to delude
and rob the tenderfoot Guides tell the
most amazing stories, which visitors swal-
low with great gusto. l shall take pleas
ure in putting you on to some of these
fakes for the benefit Of the public"
&c. really sacrificing myself for tho bene-
fit of the great American public, which SO
loves to be humbugged, decided to en-
dure the loathsome features of Chinatown
for an evening in order to warn others.
An Individual Town. DE.
In the first place, Chinatown is really a
little city by itself, town swarming and
bristling with these weird. curious folks
who in ceaselessly running hither and
thither remind one of nothing so much as
an army of black beetles, hurrying about,
disappearing suddenly in the ground and
as suddenly bobbing up again. There are
80, 900 of these black beetles in Chinatown,
and every one OF them Is out after night
fall. You step from the crowded modern
American streets of San Francisco straight
into bit of heathendom. The transforma-
ton is SO sudden 1t feazes you for time.
Down narrow streets filled with truck
sters' shops, chicken coops, temporary pig
pens, fish stalls, wood piles, baskets and
dirt you 60, holding your nose. The fare
of burning peanut oil on little braziers IL
Eliminates the gaudy josshouses, the deafen-
ing crash of tomtoms and bang of cymbals
from the theaters torment your cars, the
mournful Celestial gibberish everywhere
resounds, dark, evil faces glare In yours
for an instant and are gone, only to be re-
placed by more dark, evil faces-this is
Chinatown. These streets center In dismal
open courts, reeking in filth and surround
ed by rooms scarcely bigger than ratholes
wherein tho black beetles burrow.
"Chinks" thrive best and huddle closest
where sunlight cannot come.
Many OF tho poor whites of San Fran
cisco come to buy their meats, poultry and
fish of the Chinese butchers. Here is an
other curious phase of life. The Chinese
sell these necessaries cheaper than they
can be bought in the city. So at night
Chinatown is thronged with poorly dressed
white people who are buying tomorrow S
meal from the almond eyed folks.
Quite Oriental.
The barber shops are never failing
sources of amusement. You stand before
them perfectly fascinated by tho perform
ances going on therein. The sign is four
legged frame, tho legs painted green with
scarlet knobs on top. Inside, tho BARRIERS
are industriously shaving with razors of
triangular shape, about two inches long, an
inch wide at one end, hollow ground and
weighing about two ounces. Other artists
are applying delicate instruments to tho
cleansing of the eyelids The refined proc
css of swabbing the cars and pulling
hairs out Of the nostrils Is also in full
blast. The walls arc decorated with false
cues. When Chinaman is sent to prison,
his cue is shaved off. OF course this Is q
terrible disgrace. When he comes out the
first thing to be dono is to get IL cue and
braid it in with the remains of his former
glory. This is the way police officers dis
cover jailbirls. In making an arrest they
grab at the cue If it comes off, they know
they have man with pasta cute way
of discovery, in fact. 1t is II mark of great
disrespect to wear the cue coiled in. tho
presence of superiors. The snartest cue
saw in Chinatown was on the head of ono
of the most notorious highbinders in the
quarter. 1t was at the entrance to Cum
Cook alley, or Murderers' row, where more
murders are committed than in any other
street in Chinatown. 'Look bohind you
quickly" whispered the detective There
Is one of the worst characters among the
highbinders. l turned and looked at
him. He was u dandy, that one-sleek,
trig, jaunty, with wicked, bold eyes, a
stare of insolent defiance and don't give
a-d--n air. He was exquisitely tidy in his
dress, and his pigtail almost touched tho
ground. He nodded to Glennon, Dyed our
party contemptuously and strutted by like
pompous young peacock
At the Theater.
The theater All, there WAS the fun
The price of admission varies with tho
time of entrance. We went in about 10
O'Clock and paid -four bits" as they say
there, or 80 cents apiece. Cinnamon go
In early in the evening for 20 cents and
later for 10 cents. If the play stops one
minute before midnight, the audience can
demand and get its money back No
women are allowed on the floor of tho
theater. They sit in the boxes, while Wis
itors go upon the stage and sit with the
players. 1t is certainly trial for ones
nerves and risibilities. There are no cur
tains no dies, no wings. The musicians
sit at the back Of the stage with their coats
of, keeping up a din with gongs, tomtoms,
fiddles and cymbals which is simply in
fernal. But fearful as it Is, it Is as nothing
to the yells of the heavy villain or the
Rhrill cpnawEc nf tho victirnizad harninn
Tho actors paint their faces in the most
frightful fashion. An Apache out for gore
would not show such variety Of colors.
The whole performance is like hideous
nightmare and funny beyond any express
sion. The Cinnamon, though, take 1t very
seriously. and tha oulv ones who lnnnhetl