The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-07-12
POSSIBLY, nv THE nrzHD or nm
REV. sRkINES LAWn RUssHLL

OltAy ~ w. N~.1Neae NSAn on lib II i
and exhorted and exhorted until further exhor.
.ation was impossible; yet Coney Island IL the
snme old Consy, and the 10000 people who won't |
down there yesterday only had to follow their |
noses to the same old hAunts to get all they
wanted. to eco all they wanted. and to do all
they wanted to do. The dance went msrrily on.
and between the numbers the high-coIlared
beers and the pneumatic sandwiches came forth. |
the former TO deluge dusty threats. the latter In
the capacity OF consorts. In the concert halls
the peroxide beauties with nled voices sang OF
i~vy.twined cottages wherein the lives Of some
fallen ones began. Mother" was right in 1t.
COO. and the gaunt soubrette who wruns her
hands over her head as she sang:
Mothers the queen Of them an
Mothers the queen OF thsm all,
But you'n and every day
That mothers the queen Of than an,
won more applause than came to even tho
Wrench Brothers. who pleyfully punched
spigots into each other, and made their hnal
The girl who advised:
Do sorsts. you. easm,.s
and she who sang:
silver threads among the gold.
had their admirers. but got no such ovation a.
came to those who had hard luck stories about
mother to tell.
Somewhere in the statute book there In q law
which says that stage performances may bs
given on Sunday. but that there must be no cos
cunning Of performers, no dancing, no accessories
Of any kind. In fact, business IL cut out.
The only statute book that ever got 10 Coney
Island 10 locked up in the station house safe, and
there doesn't aeem to b much chance OF its ever
being brought out. When somebody does sue
coed IN having the law enforced. why. Conoy
Island won't be worth going to, so maybe it's
Just as weIl to let it alone and not deprive loO.-
900 people . week of the pleasure which they
manage to extract while in is din and confusion.
On Sundays, hot Sundays especially. there Is
always a string of Incidents at Coney Island
which makes It worth an observing mans while
to go down and look on Yesterday the fun
started at IA N.
Say, mister. it used ter cost t'ree dollars ter
see a scrap down here at de Athletic Club. but
smaII boy to a Sun reporter on Saturday night.
-How's that r. queried the reporter.
&c home on der trolley"
trolley. car. BE found the proper spirit for what
the BOY M had ss, predicted son ! fs r. at 1.-THE the ar a=T, 5f eLI,I lake;
thar this pond was put in by the railroad people.
30 that the crowd waiting for the cars couldn't
cars. The former never would wait for the new
Corners to get out, and there was always a free
night. Yesterday morning a crowd tried to
head Off the car before it reached the pond.
and others didn't get on at ali. One Of those who
got partly aboard, was a young woman who held
G die id IL ,S ssi bri dsstf In af the I pond oar FL TSe IN sh ssf le @i I'd
and Dropped with a splash into the water. The
p %a%a n 's sssa asSat h swo e sssf f ssd c S%s the sn sor .bs
splashed around like q harpooned whale and
s aSs aasn nth vital al a asr sa,sht; .,a Thre az soss sD;s men e.,
the water sprang in after her and looked very
much disgusred when they found that the water
only came up 70 their knees. They hauled the
spluttering woman out, however, and deposited
her on set in the car.
When the crowd was turned loose it rushed at
the car as a bulldog would at a rat. There were
n dozen men for each scat, and each one was
smuggling it rarely falls to the lot OF man to see.
The only thing 70 equal i is a New Years eve
who had earned his seat by knocking out three
men was set upon by a half dozen others. who
made ~ Dc. a s ssSSpp'nnS e o,9eE of Doi his face ;n s and c q foS SaSta
Of o similar nature were going on and when the
conductor signalled the motormant to go ahead.
fists as they landed on tender spots. the curses
OF the fighters and the shrieks Of the half dozen
up among the fighters and were no better on
than II they had been men.
When the car had gone a mile or two and the
fighting showed no signs OF abAting the con-
ductor and the motorman tried 10 restore peace.
fnaliy chucEsd bodily from their car. they made
up their minds that it was none OF their bust
ness anyway. They returned to their posts and
the car started up again. At Prospect Park
some policemen untangIed the screppers in q
m~atterof-tact way that gave rise TO the belief
made. and the motorman confirmed the re-
porter's suspicious when questioned by saying:
Wait fer de next and yer'n see the same thing"
II is hard to believe that the time was when
Russell sertou uiya Yet il is a fact that
when the Reverend Russell first swooped down
on the isle there was much trembling and
gard the Penal Code with horror and the
Statutes as spperiuous. They no longer feel
now. and he is welcomed wherever he
goes. This is because the Coney islanders think
less. They have nick-named him the Rev.
"R1ines Law" Russell. and there isn't a place
he wants TO. on sunday or any other day.
In A small room OF OF a weil-known dancing
hat is nailed 70 the wall. + ONCE 1sorTsf tie h II
n'tae Rev. M. Russell. Dut one night while ne
Vas wandering with some Iovial spirits, IT was
lifted from his head and tossed pla yfully around
dttton. Mr.. Russell borrowed a hat from tbe
proprietor says it must be a perfect ht because
NJ, Russell has never returned it.
They are telling another story on the reverend
reformer down at the island just now, L
seems that Mr.. Stauch, who keeps a dance hall,
his INVESTIGATIONS. He threw in the meals, too.
and for four weeks it never cost the refprmer a
as-oe believes in y siTtns invsSSt s ta sVso5y
~'. Ahbt 1uIuh =" JAo q ANA $500
sl's stay at stauch's he happened to
" nter into the dancing pavilion. He was
strick n with horrorlwhen he observed a waiter
Serve beer to two men without giving them
sandwiches. 1t was the only violation OF the
law that he could discover. but he rushed with
The news Of 1t TO Mr.. Stauch. saying:
"Gnless sandwiches are served at once j
shall be obliged TO report you TO the police"
MI. 5tauch made an investigation. and found
former drink.
Mr.. Russell and his hoy sleuths were in .evt
dence yesterday. They spent the entire after
noon lodging from place TO place, but how many
violations OF the law they discovered Is not
known. Mr.. Russell doesn't like to talk to any,
ooiy when he's on an investigating tour. and
nose who know this don't waste time question
Ing him.
some idea OF the important place In Coney Isl
am society that Mr.. Russell occupies can bs
EMnei from the followin quotation from the
ntrsngue OF the man who banks for the Streets
or Cairo:
step This way. ladies n gentlemen, an SCI
20 only moral show at tn beach. Here's Tn
place where the Rev. Mr.. Russell came and Wis
nel an he's lent the stamp OF his approval q
our exhibition: Step this way an, see the strictly
LhhHnl