The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-05-26

stances, and the business is likely to
I grow"
WHERE STOLEN METALS ARE
MELTED.
| A few moments later we stood in one
Of Whitechapers busiest streets. Imag-
! inc the smoke and glare, the crowds
I and cheap excitement OF lower Vesey
street New York. about Christmas
/ time, and you will have a faint idea OF
what this street looks like every night
in the year, Sundays included. Bust
ness is all done on the sidewalks, and
| goods of all descriptions, from stale
and too clamorous fish, to secondhand
clothing, are displayed in the stalls
and on the carts. The whole thing Is
lighted garishly by torches and tempo
rary gas fixtures. which flare and
smoke, fitfully lighting up and anon
leaving in darkness the strange scene.
a heavy fog hung over the city this
right, and was so slightly penetrated
by these lights that the atmosphere
above the street seemed as solid as the
buildings on the sides. Business was
apparently done in tunnel whose
roof and sides advanced and receded.
receded and advanced. with the nasn-
ing and waning of the irregular light
Men, women and children packed every
irch of space not already occupied py
the carts and stalls, and the noise OF
the salesmen's shouting and the Gus
monium.
About the middle of this street my
guide paused before dingy little snop'
whose shutters were closely locked,
and which was apparently without lie
of any sort.
These are the places which pho
tographers cannot BATTLE" said he. as
he knocked heavily on the closed door
with his stick Three weeks ago this
place was raided, and the police found
that it had been in constant operation
for something like a quarter of GEN.
fury"
The door was opened by a Waterman
placed there by the police, and we en-
tered a small shop with shelves ana
boxes fitted for a business in second
hand clothing. Back of that was one
room, apparently a living apartment
for the shopkeeper. From this room
the stairway descended TO the cellar,
and down il we went. Candles Instant
ly revealed the character of the place.
No attempt at concealment was made
in the cellar. Three small furnaces
were neatly built into the stone walls
and three well-constructed crucibles
were above them. In little racks hung
tiny ladies, little tongs, pair or pei
lows and other paraphernalla or tine
melter of precious metals. The police
raid was caused by the discovery that
for full % years this cellar, with its
blind shop above, had been the place
of business of a man who, when re-
ceivers took stolen jewelry or plate 70
him, could in few hours convert II
into bullion. Thus. all chance of iden-
LITIGATION was instantly lost, and the
thiefs security doubled, while the val
ue of the haul was but slightly de-
creased.
After we left the cellar we strolled
into another lodging house-this time
one in which men only were permitted
to sleep. The eX-detective was greeted
on all sides by surly little mods and the
touching of caps. This was one or the
places frequented almost exclusively
by the criminal class. We finally seat
ed ourselves on one of the long benches
and the detective called some OF the
loungers to him.
How long have you been out,
Peteyp" he inquired of one.
"Only 10 days, Mr.. Thick" respond
ed the Misunderstanding youth.
What were you in for?
Touching a gaffer. Mr.. Thick"
How much did you touch him for?''
low. e was a daisy, e was. e only
'ad six bob CS1.50). an you'd thought
ed been touched fer 'undred. II
gave me six months, e did, directly.
Within an hour we had talked to
more than a dozen professional thieves.
They made no bones of their business
or their records with my guide. He
knew them too well.
As we walked out of the district
about > in the morning all the shops
We're closed; all the public houses were
closed; all business except that for
which Whitechapel has achieved
worldwide reputation-the street traf-
fic-had ceased. That alone was still
in full and uninterrupted swing.
EDWARD MARSHALL.