Evening journal., 1895-03-15

A Scene of Filth, squalor aud Misery
which Can Scarcely Be Describsd-The
Inmates OF Some Of the Houses Brought
In-Ths Dives Must Go.
The frequency with which the dens on
East Water street, between King and
French streets. have furnished cases for
the police, led Chief Dolan TO make raid
on some Of them yesterday afternoon
The health department also had
grievance against the places, and Secre-
tary Colquhoun organized an auxiliary
corps to accompany the officers The
party consisted of Chief Dolan, Agent
Frank Stout, on the lookout for the chill
dren, Secretary Colquhoun. Sergeant
Welsh, Officers Lucas and Finn. Health
OficerMcYey and five reporters. Their ap
pearance on Water street created consld-
erable excitement and many Of the
inmates of the places, fearing raid, fsd
incontinently to other and safer quarters
The stunning party began at No 100,
which is notorious rs place where crime
dehes law. and where men are nightly
robbed 1t Is perfect labyrinth. Dark,
close, blind rooms foul-smelling
railways, closets filed with ashes, dlrs
and filth, rotten. shaky and broken
stalrways, greasy floors, dirt to the right
and left, above and below; such is the
make up of the place.
1t is owned by the P, W. & B R. B.,
as is especially filthy and dirty 1t is
four stories high and contains fourteen
rooms The first or ground floor Is
unoccupied and Is literally indescribable.
The garbage contractor would have lob
TO remove the filthy matter piled in
every corner A chicken which had
evidently escaped from the colored
residents of the house and lost its way Ia
the maze, was discovered lying dead In
one Of the deserted halls. The party
passed the body with closed noses, out
OF Difference to the remains.
A colored citizen aud voter, who had
attached himself to the party was heard
to remark. "Foh de Law sake Oars one
chicken done got away. Oats a dead
suah waste of g cd material
On the second floor the first room was
found to be occupied by Lydia Johns and
her two children, one sixteen months
old, the other six years She doesn't live
there but Is simply keeping house" for
her sister Annie. who is in New Castle
for playfully basting another Jap maiden
Ia the nose with brick The room was
hlthy, but the children seemed happy
Agent Stout will corral them.
In another room was found Nellie
Myers, and Annie Irons. who share it
with Nellieis brother, Walter, who is
employed in the post Office Nellie was
arrested not iong Ago for assault on
another Jap. and Annie narrowly ped
being sent over for robbing two track
walkers from Claymont. She was the
mistress OF Charles Stevens.
Annie Morris lives In another room, but
she was away from home. Mary Hender-
son was in, however. She lives with Jack
Sanders, and her room was one Of the
best In the dive
Mary, alias Becky" Moore. lives in
room No 8, in which Roxy Cammomile
had her row with Nellie Morris. She was
out visiting In N ,. 105, but was scooped
In just the same All the inmates OF
this house were sent In for keeping
places of sssignation.
No. Ill was next visited This place
was known as far back as the sixties as
the 'singed cat" and has always savored
OF the tenderloin. The stairways were
dark, dirty and foul smelling, but the
rooms were q trifie better, so far as
cleanliness and odor were concerned
Mary Briggs and her man, Henry Thomas
had the room under the roof and Mary
Lizzie Harris. nursing two dscolored
eyes the result Of former melee, was
her guest Mary Lizzie was caring for
Eliza Green's room. who lives with
Charles Shields. Susie Morris occupies
another room here, but she lives out ut
service at Fifth and West streets.
William J. Fisher is the agent for these
properties
No. 107 is owned by Mrs Jsnney, and
occupied by Mrs Hattie Lutf as q cigsr
store, pool room and house Of III fame.
It has one redeeming feature and that is
It'll clean. Hattie and her sister Mary,
Lizzie VanDsrn and Mary Ssgars, were
the inmates.
No. 105 was the next visited and was
by far the worst Of the lot. This place is
owned by Philip Plunkett and rented BY
Annie Wright, who, In turn sublets it
She keeps barber shop on the ground
floor. The place is the old National
Theatre and the rear still holds the
semblance Of stage.
Nellie Woodburne occupies one OF the
rooms with Henry Dickerson. There was
but one chair and q stove in the room
and to Chief Dolan's question as to where
they slept, the woman smiliDgly
answered, ION the floor" There wasn't
even carpet on the filthy boards. Mary
Moore was visiting her and she was
scooped.
Most of the rooms in this house we're
vacant, but piles of rags in corners
showed that they were filled at night
At NO. 1O1 a bad state OF affairs was
developed, and at No 3ll Walnut street
the yard was found in bad condition
The police and health officers are bound
to break up these dens and pestilence
breeding holes, and will do It despite the
protests of the owners, who get more
from them than do the owners of
property on Delaware avenue.
Time-worn Brick sfdewalka