New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-07-05
AUST TELL ZEN DAT YOU SAW Me-"
MOCKING REFRAIN OF EAST SIDE URCHiNS
TO "COPPERs" ON THE RIVER FRONT

MocKING REFRAIN OF EAST SIDE URcHiNs
TO "cOPPERs" ON THE RIVER FRONT
The trials OF the Metropolitan policemen are many
and various and perhaps the men whose iot ~ cas'
IN the most troubled places those whose posts
az. along tho river front There they are harassed
nv al sorts OF people and things Many OF the IRE
o,enters OF the docks and piers neither the most
enlightened the most peaceable OF the c'y III
habitants and thefts and brawls and drunken quar-
rels and a host Of other troubles are by no means
few far between.
But the troubles OF the policemen whose duties take
them TO such places not confined TO the gro"hup
portion OF the population. Sailors and longsEore-
men and other restless individuals who are wont TO
Iinger along the river front not the only ones 10
try the patience of the municipal guardsmen mere
are others. and they are not things OF beauty nor
joys forever. They agile however ana seem aDie
to scent danger from afar. and when their natural
enemy. 'the cop" Is able to lay hands upon one
OF them he has good cause to congratulate himself
These natural enemies OF the policeman are the
ramins or street Arabs. who can always be found
I'm the neighborhood OF the river on any warm Gay
in summer. This Is more particularly true IN the
parts OF the city where there are tenement houses
and where the gamins consequently swarm IN large
numbers They do not like to be alone. There Is
fun In that, and fun is ABOUT the OILY 'i'"s ''
the gamin lives for.
Forty eyes for instance more capable In espy-
ing that dreaded foe the cop. than two and forty
hands and a score Of heads all eager for miSchiei'
are much more competent to make run IMAM t"o
hands and one head could possibly be. unless the
proud possessor happened to be an unusua genius
In his line
Saturday afternoon a hot one. The streets OF
rha city were burning and the boys in the neigh5or-
hood OF East Twenty-eighth-st. have no swell sum-
mer homes to go TO, where they can be famed by
ocean brcezes or have an opportunity 10 ENJOY 'he
cool mountain air The East River Is the only boon
OF this kind that is open TO them, and on no AFTER
Moons and mornings. too. for that matter they Try
10 make the most Of 1t. One youngster. with TWO
fingers in the air and his lungs in lusty operation -
usually cutie enough 70 a stampede for the
river md swim. But the great trouble With swim
ming In the East River Is that the IN" says thi'
bathing suits Of some sort must be worn. and bath
ing suits are only quite unknown. but are
laughed to scorn by the majority Of the street
bows Of New-York To go in without them ana mus
run good chance Of tilt with the cop lends
added zest and excitement 10 the sport
On this particular afternoon there were about nfty
youngsters all the way from seven TO sixteen years
old gathered on the pier a; East Twcrfy -eighth-s
And they were In ali stages of undress. WIN num-
Der Of them wearing only the clothes with which they
we're born Some OF them running about the
dock and others splashing and swimming IN
the question: ble-looking waters OF the river
few wore looking the boys In the water every now
and then g.ancing furtiveiy up the street The old
United states ship New-Hampshire les Mt one side o.
the pier and the heavy chains that fasten her TO
the dock make excellent ladders by which to ascend
from the water on which 10 hang when little
tired with the exercise.
The boys were all having a jolly time Splash.
and some fresh member o. the gang had Joined the
throng in the water. Shouts and laughter and an
occasional oath and lots Of slang rent the air. and
the heat utterly forgotten. Suddenly there was
a commotion in the crowd the pier. 'Dere he
comes" Il seen him turn de corner Skate under
de dock and tell i'm to go fly a kite. III watch de
cos" Such expressions could be heard on every
hand. There was sudden scamper Bundles Oh
to places of safety. and for few moments there
was hardly soul in sight except the piue-c9aten
policeman who was walking hu,r.edly down
twenty in the direction Of the river ,,o,
crowd who already had their clothes on returned
the most innocent looks but their eyes all twnkling
in Of fun The W Sn
oil OF the raked urchins were once more in me con.
genial Mt But on OoHng aoT looked nS' into the
river. while worried look spread over his coune-
nance ard he turned his attention to the Arabs IN
HarTy qg all all Of cS ySa a Gs' t 2
boys reluctantly started in the direction Of the city
The policeman rounded them up IKE ocx o, s f
bnn,a the pier the words made resonant and hol
low by the like structure. came;
The worried look on the face Of the peeler deep
ened one of the urchins tried 10 get out OF me
cowd and back TO the end Of the pier only TO receive
a reminder of his duty from the officers club ana
slowly the procession wended It's way down Ine
rfer with frequent and fervd eXecra tons ana cat
ralls and iecrs from the boys in the water and nli-
nerous glances the BY the boys In the crowd
In aholr fifteen minutes al. was qu.et again Slowly
the heads Of the youths began 10 appear above the
dock Clothes We're hurredly put on and their own.
ers went away to hunt up the gang and repeat
the performance. and the dock was left wrapped IN
the blazing sunlight and an almost utter silence
Pint such state Of affairs could not last long.