The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1895-02-14
LONDON ANARCHISTS.
Habits and AmusementS of the
Russo-Jewish Type.
UNKEMPT, DIsHEvELED GoSSIPS
The Rallying Place OF Anarchist Follow
ers-The Women's Section OF This
Peculiar Organization.

Russo Jewish anarchists in East Lon {
don was until lately in Berners street. {
Recent occurrences, however, rendered
this au undesirable locality; it was too (
we'll looked after by the authorities. ]
So it was transferred to quieter and
more obscure corner, where it was less
likely to attract the notice of outsiders;
and it is now by no means easy to
find. Near the top of the New road,
which opens into Commercial road,
there is turning known as Charlotte
street, at the corner of which is an oil
mongers, and at the other tobacco.
nist's, three doors or so from the former
is a narrow archway, bricked over.
The roadway beneath is roughly paved.
and the curb is generally the seat of
some half dozen unkempt and dis
heveled gossips attended by twice as
many barefooted children. Passing
under the arch, one energies upon a
ten feet wide. There is a row of
small tenement houses ON one side, a
dirty brick wall and some stables on
the other. A few costers' barrows are
backed up against the wall, and the
uneven roadway and gutter are invari-
ably sloppy and sloshy, owing to the
grooming of horses always going on,
and the practice the residents have
adopted of emptying their waste water
from the upper windows.
At tho bottom of this thoroughfare
and on the left-hand side of it, is
small, building, half workshop, half
warehouse. with a steep. sloping roof,
the gable end facing the road. The
lower part is entirely boarded up and
tightly nailed-to. There is large
double door on the first floor the entire
width of the building. and only the
upper part of this is glazed, SO that it
is impossible to look in from without.
Nor can the edifice he seen from the
, streets at the end of the lane in which
, it stands. There are two small doors,
r but without either bell or knocker,
handle or latch to them. A couple of
y posters are stuck ON the doors, one in
, Hebrew characters reading "Arbeiter-
friend" the other in English, "Work-
|, er's Friend" thus announcing this to
4 be the official headquarters of the East
i End anarchist propaganda. Knock,
E kick, or batter at the side entry any
8 afternoon Or evening and the big door
d on the upper floor will be cautiously
b opened and you will hear a hoarse
v Khto tam?" ("Who is there Ply II
you are unknown to the speaker yor
|, will be told that no business is done
# here. If the questloner above recog
v nizes you, or you come with a friend
/. a string arrangement will open the side
"a door on the left and by means of ;
n wooden staircase you can mount tt
h the upper floor.
Il Go up any afternoon or evening ant
If yon will hear the sound, not of politica
d argument Or socialist debate, but o
ID cardboard falling upon wood, ant
- suppressed talk and laughter. TIL,
whole of the upper part form larg,
oblong room, half office. half sitting
room, with bench or two, upol
which score of young men and womel
y are generally TO be found seated. smok
II ing and chatteriDg away. while other
III are at small table playing at cards
oi AS you enter you may catch one, watch
10 ing the game, call out in unctuou
Oh Yiddish, las kortei begrubt ech'
~ C"That card will bury you')-and tn
~ card apparently does settle the player
III for he throws it down with an oat
" and a muttered schwartz mazel' "ba
D. luck'O, and losses couple of sixpenc
H. over to his companions. The youn
10 men usually present are we'll fed an
III dressed. belonging apparently to con
10 fortably-off class, and the young wome
III are altogether comedy specimens c
90 fair Israeli in East London. BIZ
the visitors here are only new adhe,
re ents. young converts. They are the id
~ drones of the anarchist hive. Tt
ng club is but rallying place for sue
OF followers, and blind for the outsit
VI public. For the workers we must loo
w elsewhere. And these will be four
IL, in the smaller circles or branche
ed which meet on Sundays in their ow
OF appointed places.
IT. One such branch, comprising a Sc
ton OF the womens' organization, h
H. its meeting place in the very heart
"a the anarchist quarter in the CONNIE
10 cial road. Two or three doors fro
ed Morgan street is narrow passage
lie the side of the large public house in ii
"a. open thoroughfare. This is Lond,
De- terrace. and leads to one of the darke
Us and most forbidding of the alleys til
&c. abound in that vicinity. There a
'ht houses on one side only, on the 9th
o wall. which effectually prevents al
ho glimmer of sunlight from reaching 4
ne tenements. So bad is the reputation
me the terrace that none but residen
Is would willingly go through it aft
'o' dusk, and even these take care to Ike
their lower window shutters Gle
ice barred and their doors locked as so
to. as twilight sets in. At the farther e
tly the wayfarer down there is as far fro
lad help and hearing, if markedly differe
the from the ordinary stock types encou
'ke tered in the East End of London. No
She of the men are over 40, and only {,
len OF them wear beards-the rest IN,
a taches and side whiskers. They ,
os- neatly and quietly dressed, and. W,
SO 1t not for their Jewish features, wor