The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1897-01-30
THE SHADY SIDE OF LIFE
Many Strange Scenes Witnessed
i'm Police Stations.
THE PATHETIC AND THE GAY
The station on Twelfth Street q
Good Place to Study Human Ma
ture-A Drunken Father and His
Little GirIs-A Befuddled Swell.
A Poor Woman Given Supplies.

can be seen in a police station during the
candle-light hours, and there is not
station in the city where the panorama OF
humanity is more varied and quick chang
ing than that on Twelfth street, within a
stones throw of Pennsylvania avenue.
Several little dramas were enacted there
last night, although the blotter showed
that but few prisoners had been taken III
and locked up for violating the laws III
addition to the dramas there were also
comedy or two showing the ludicrots
side of human nature.
The first of the dramas had drunken
father, two wee tots of girls, his daughters,
and a couple of staltwart policemen in the
cast 1t was about 1880 O'Clock, when
"whirr-r-r'' went the signal from the
box at Thirteenth nd-a- half and ID streets,
in the most wicked section of Washington.
Come up here and get drunken father
and his two babies" was the queer mes
sage Patrolman Carlson sent In. IL did
not take Wagon office LOTUS and sam
Cook, the driver, long to climb into the
patrol wagon and dash off to the fox.
There they found tail man, apparently in
prosperous circumstances, so drunk that
several times, and cut great cash on
the bridge of his nose. With him were two
cute, pretty little girls, clad in costly gar
ments, but badly chilled from exposure
in the icy atmosphere, and covered with
the blood which was flowing from their
fathers wounds received during his falls.
The little ones were crying with cold
The man had brought his children from
their home, nearly two miles from the
place they were found. They were re-
moved to the station in the patrol wagon,
and kept In the warm squad room until the
wife and mother could be sent for. Be
fore the cunning tots left for home with
mamma, they each gave Acting Lieut..
Shilling hearty kiss as payment for his
trouble and kindness TO them.
The next act had as its star a busting
little woman in deep black, who might
have been a widow She rushed into the
station like tornado, and gave her name
as Mrs Watkins, of Twelfth street. She
talked necessarily to station-keeper Everly,
who is said to be a modern Job, so far as
patience goes. The little lady in black
wanted the entire police force to be turned
out on the streets to earch for a ''black
scamp" who had robbed her OF crisp
So bill
"a negro huckster came to my house."
she said, land 1 bought % cents worth
of vegetables from him. Not having the
change gave him the five dollars to get
changed, but he never came back. I
hope there is law enough in this District
to have the rascal caught and punished"
She went over the matter several times,
and left when Mr. EVERY informed her that
the police would leave no stone unturned
to Capture the thief and recover her money.
After leaving the Twelfth street station
Mrs. Watkins went to precinct No 2, and
police headquarters, and reported the mat
ter in detail at each.
Hardly had she passed out of No. when
a comedy was on the boards. A tall in
dividual, wearing a high silk hat and black
evening dress, almost fell in through the
front door 1t was plain to be seen that
be had been to some merry making, where
be had partaken too freely of the wine As
a result, he was in dazed condition.
Il wantsCh know, "he stammered, where
lives at. lin losht wusS than ship at
sbee? She? If polishe cann't tell me
where I'm at. whoinmischief cansh?"
The station keeper said be was credited
with having several accomplishments, but
no one bad ever yet accused him of being
a mind reader.
While the man in dress suit and beaver
hat was trying to splitter out something
about "Sbixteensh sthreet," two OF his
friends came in, and with the remark:
Come on, Harry" locked arms with
the drunken swell and escorted him up
Twelfth street to the nighttime hack
stand where he entered a vehicle, and
were driven toward the fashionable West
End.
From the ludicrous to the sadl Soon after
the tangled swell departed with his friends,
a poor woman from the other half came
slowly into the station. She appeared TO be
weak from hunger and chilled by the bleak
night air. she said she was hungry, and
that there was no food or fuel in her hum
BILE abode, for herself and children. In
the squad-room were piles of bread, pack
ackes of beans, meat and meal The poor
creature was given an armful of supplies
by Lieut.. Shilling, and feebly took her
departure for her destitute home to prepare
the food for her half-famished little ones.