The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-04-05
CIGAR VS. IN CHATHAM SQUIRE.
American Girls and Punches Come In for
the CHIEF Trade Nowadays.

a disconsolate wooden son OF L.o, painted in
faded red. stands in front Of a Chatham square
tobacco shop. For fifty years he has seen the
ebb and flow of life al the beginning OF the
Bowery. and, to judge from his bored express
sion. he has found little in II to delight him.
He is chiefly familiar with Bowery night-hawk
cabmen, small p%eddIers, and the fotsam and
jetsam of humanity in that always lively quar-
ter. Slow. %piodding Cinnamon gaze at the
Indian IN passing as II IL were a joss. The shop
over which the Indian stands guard is largely
patronized by the jewellers in Chinatown. 1t is
"A long, low room. where cigars of all grades are
made and sold. The walls are blnckened with
smoke and age, and the fixtures Of the shop
have II diuGy appearance.
Ranged along one side Of the room are a row
of cigar signs- wooden images, standing on
square pedestals. and exhibiting in their decora-
tions all the colors of the spectrum and many
exceeding brightness and freshness Of The newly
painted images are in striking contrast to the
dim interior Of the place. It was because Of
stopped and questioned the ancient genius of
the cigar counter. lie was n garrulous gentle
showing II trace of the Celtic. which degener-
ated now and then into Bowery slang. After
answering. n few general inquiries the cigar
man launched forth into an open sea OF thought.
fact, history, and reminiscence.
Its many a year since we begin sellin' thin
always been gittin' thin from the same party.
Thin cigar signs was made BY a man in VIII
As he said this he paused to gaze with a low
INF eye r. the long line OF s]tatuaIy. from the
self-conscious American girl at the other.
Then he went on:
Ills name IL Brooks. and it was likewise the
name of his father before i'm. He's heen
maxim these here wooden images for thirty
year. of and. on. The father began by maxim
hgger heads fur ships, and when business was
slack he TUX to cuttin' these things. When he
kicked the bucket his son TUX up the trade,
there Indian maiden. She's as good n shape ms
hall these here girls what dances In the bally,
shSp she i, hal All the her advantage , Of thin, thin, s @Cr fur th hSr
some of them can say. I'm told. But you can't
pad a wooden Indians legs, sor.
Brooks cuts these figures you see here out o.
soft pine wood. IT'S an easy wood to carve. and
after its painted IL lasts purity well. Though
nowadays as it used to. / dunno why that is.
rightly, but they don't hang on the way that
but they gets dull and cracked and rain soaked
S Sint so t rHod. 'G Es,,G gssd th ,Si i Nay b6 e9 .se ,s wS S%s
outen won piece of wood; and the extry arms
that reaches out is carved separate and tined
they used and drops or quick. But then nuthin'
amt like II used To he.
all the hey w r%"s up. IN FIAT fhLire t az sh iit Tay I fTGm nw EfrI,
she's fifteen dollar. ,T,other one wild the red
,tS III, T4ss tS " fhiy dGlIaT, and arr ehGSG a.
girls with green legs, they're forty.two dollars.
things, sor. Others come high. Now. a dudes
mighty expensive, and a Champagne Char
ley's upward OF nifty dollar. We don't keep no
Champagne Chnrleys II, stock no more now.
They amt so popular, Five years back every
body was looking for Champagne Charleys.
Now they're only made TO order. The most pop
ular things now IS punches. and American girls
punches because they're funny, and American
girls because OF this here British and Cuban
talk. You see, scr, the American girl has a
SLars-an'-StrlDes hRngin' down ner back like
the hair on the woman In the song.
All! It's a great thing, that american flag,
SCR. One night n dude kim in here parAly2ed,
He and two frens and a couple OF l~adlfrens had
been goin' round pell street and they WAS loaded
but he seen the American girl we had here and
nOthin' would do him but he must buy her, lie
had a kerridge and he made his frens help him.
They carried her out and stood her in the kerr
ridge, screwin' the top back so as she could
stand mp straight. The last seen OF them, they
was a-driyin' up the Bowery and the American
girl was standin' up straight In tho ~kerridge
and the hull gang cheerin' the hag, Oh! the