The evening times., 1896-03-16
POORLY LIGHTED PARKS
Public Reservations Afford Ref
uge TO Criminals.
SCENES OF TRAGIC CRIMES
The Smithsonian Grounds, In Particu-
lar, Are Dangerous ThOrOughfares
After Dark-Few Gaslights Placed
Therein-Pedestrian Are Afraid to
Traverse It's Paths After NIghtfall.

Washingtons beautiful parks are her
crowning glory in the da ytime, but a night
| these parks are the refuge for thieves, and
| the scenes of many hold ups" and evenmore
| tragic crimes.
On the darkest of nights there is not enough
| light in them to enable one to distinguish
| a park bench from the grass, and more
| than half the time the city government de-
| pends upon the moon TO illuminate them.
| Fully one-siXth of the area within the
| city limits is made up OF public reserva-
| tions, and in the greater part of these it is
| considered unsafe to venture after night,
| beca use of the almost total absence of lamps.
The favorite place for beggars and high
| waymen land thu place most dreaded by even
| the boldest pedestrians after nightfall, is
the Smithsonian Park, extending from Sew
| enth street on the east To Twelfth street on
| the west, and bounded by streets north
| and south. In the daytime il is the great
| thoroughfare TO South Washington, and it
| would be so for convenience al night, were it
| even rea sonably well lighted.
But in its present state, with the prospect
| of walking through six or seven squares OF
| Stygian bla ckness every night, the ma jority
| of residents of South Washington prefer to
| take street car or go many blocks out OF
| their way in order to walk along q we'll
lighted street.
LIGHTS FAR APART.
Just now, when the moon is not down on
the street lighting schedule to shine, the
park is supposed to be Illuminated nightly
| by the government, and q trip from the
corner of Seventh and B streets north west
% Twelfth and B streets southwest will
show how effectively it is done. But the
experience is fraught with danger. If one
| is not held up by a footpad he is more than
likely to fall over park beDc or stra from
the roadway and run into tree. Walking
slowly, with hands outstretched in front OF
them, is the way those proceed, who are
reckless enough to go through after night
fall.
| Leaving the bright glare of the electric
| light at the northeast corner of the park
one is almost Immediately plunged into inky
| darkness. Even now the thickness of the
| trees prevents the light from the street
from penetrating more than very little
way. and later in the season. when the trees
| are thick with foliage, the conditions are
| worse.
| The path from the Seventh street corner
| intersects the broad road running through
| from the Tenth street entrance, almost at
the center OF the park, and there a gas-lamp
is placed. As one walks along the path a
little distance the light comes within his
range of vision, but its feeble, Pickering
glare only serves TO intensity the darkness
that surrounds it. One more lamp is lighted
between that and the Smithsonian building,
and another between that and the corner
r.f lee II
the Smithsonian park ends.
The darkest and gloomiest paths through
| the park, though, and the ones most fire.
| quented by pedestrians for convenience
| sake, are those that haveentrancef from Ninth
and Tenth streets northwest, with outlets
| behind the Smithsonian and National
Museum on the south. The Ninth street en-
trance is for pedestrians only, and opens
from street, Just back of the Center
| Market, through a gateless breach in the
fence.
SHADOWS NEVER PEN NETRATED.
winding footpath, utterly devoid
| OF lamps and as black as the proverbial
| ace OF spades, at night, runs along for
about hundred yards before it intersects
with the main road. A short distance on
! stands gas lamp, and two more spring
from among the trees with glow-worm
suddenDess before the museum is reached.
There, OF course, couple of gas lamps are
| lighted, but their rays are not far reaching
| enough to make them OF any real valUe.
| There are shadows around the building,
| and within Il few yards of them, that are
| never penetrated, South of the build
ing the lights from b street furnish that
potion of tie park all the Illumination
it gets.
From the Tenth street entrance, which
| is a roadway for vehicles. there is but one
light between there and the Smithsonian
building, where the light before spoken of
! stands. That is at the west end of the
building, and furnishes light for the south
side of the park at that quarter. These
last two paths are the most convenient
! ones for pedestrians desiring to reach
South Washington, and are the most FREE
guent causes of complaint
In the Agricultural grounds the condi-
tions are not SO bad. There is but one
thoroughfare through the park-the one
running from Thirteenth and B streets
northwest to the Agricultural building,
and around it to B street south, and it
is comparatively well lighted But that
portion of the mall Is the least Travelled
at night, and there is no apparent reason
why it should be better Illuminated than
the Travelled section.
IT is AN OUTRAGE.
81 have never gone through the Smith
sonian Park at night in the twenty years
1 have lived In South Washington without
being armed" said an official of the
judicial branch of the city government to
Times reporter, land under no circum-
stances would I do SO. I think it would
be foolhardy.'
ut is an outrage that in spite of the
many crimes committed and accidents that
have happened in the Mall, under cover
OF darkness, such conditions are allowed to
exist.
"why, there are a number of my neigh
bors who never 60 through the park after
nightfall; won't step inside of it, It is
disgrace to the city, and hope The Times
agitation of the matter will hasten a rem
edy."
IT was nearly killed driving through the
Smithsonian grounds one night" said Chief
Paris of the fire department. IAN alarm
had been turned in from Twelfth and Water
streets southwest, and to get there in a
hurry cut through the park. There wasn't
sign OF light, and my horse, galloping
alonD ran lam int0 n mark h4nch Horse