The broad ax., 1896-03-14

81 ale; great jar of tobacco and do-ans
., sons-stemmed church warden pines:
al cnis walled in with tuns and hogs
hseos OF wine, casks and barrels a,
oeandy and whisky, TASKS of rare old
coroials, and over all the dust of dec-
aaes and cleaning skulls neerin1
o'wn rom odd places through the
oask which the fiiekering candle light
only served to make more CHASTITY. saws
the New York World.
Thn Is not a picture from degenerate
Paris, but an actual scene in old New
YORK. 1t is one OF the monthly meetings
OF the Gnomes-a drinking club of old
Nlnth Warders, and held in the SUBJ
cellar OF a famous-time drinking place
II the corner Of Fourth and Charles
streets.
IL Ii not a new institution-this
gatnerfng Of sub-surface jewellers. with
their ghoulish tastes. For upward of
nfty years the Ahrens, father and son.
nave Kept drinking place in the little
Ola dutch red brick building, and dur
ing that time it has been a favorite re-
sort for the politicians and men-about-
town OF the old Ninth ward and old
Greenwich village.
This place is now kept by Henry
Ahrens-"H Handsome Harry" they call
MIN. 1t consists of large barroom,
with a sitting-room in the rear. The
oarroom is itself unique. 1t is a low
ceilinged room with oaken floor,
which is kept as clean as scrubbing-
brushes can make it. Half a dozen
handsome rugs cover the floor. A
quantity carved old English settee and
three or four comfortable rocking
chairs and a Turkish stool add to the
unsaloon-like aspect of the place.
Two groups of life sized statuary-one
Faith. Hope and Charity, and the
other a Venus-occupy prominent
places in the room. They are surround
ed by potted plants and tropical ever
greens.
The inside room is a museum Of
curious, incongruous, yet artistic treas
ures, some Of them rarely interesting.
The chief interest in the place, how
ever, lies in the old cobwebby cellar,
or rather in the banquet room Of the
cellar This is little room, not more
than fourteen feet square, walled in
with barrels and casks grimy with dust
and cobwebs. Thick, black webs hang
from the weather-stained rafters, and
where the spiders have failed to string
their nets artificial webs have been
made of pack thread to which papier-
mache spiders as big and ugly as horned
toads cling and wink their glass bead
eyes with looks Of devilish ferocity.
Two bats live in the cellar and occa-
sionaily stir up the dust with their
skinny wings, and skulls grin every
where.
Ono thing that is always pointed
out 70 q visitor is a cask OF Madeira
wine which it is claimed is forty years
old. 1t is so old, or rather the cask is,
that the hoops look as If they were fall
ing OF. The cask is never tapped ex-
cent on the occasion of a marriage or
birth In the family, and upon the oc-
casion of the five-ysar unions which the
old BOOSTERS hold Another old cask
of LIQUOR is Otard Dupuy brandy, which
has been in stock since 1850. This is
never touched except for medicinal
purposes, and upon physicians pre-
scription.
An enormous coffin, in which is pa
pier mache skeleton, and the worm
eaten bier are the principal articles OF
furniture. The coffin is the sideboard
of the club.
A similar apartment-but little more
than a niche in the walls Of barrels and
casks and hogsheads, holds the ancient
and rusty cook stove where the BAN
ouets of the midnight jewellers are pre-
pared. There are no chairs or STOOLS.
The guests sit around on beer kegs
and rough planks. The first thing
TO meet the eye of the visitor, when MS
eyesight gets used to the dark, Is a huge
blackboard, reaching from ceiling 70
f,oor. upon which is hideously drawn
skeleton.