The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-01-01
DECATUR STREET, ATLANTA.
PICTURESQUE THoRoUGHFARE RE
VEAJING NEGRO TRAITS OF TO-DAY.

Busiest-Grnnt the Georgia Cracker
Has Work to DO Then-The Gambling
Drinking, Buying. Selling and Fighting
There is In Atlanta a dingy. tawdry stree
that illustrates the vice. the humor. the su
perstition and the evolution OF the Southern
negro in a greater variety Of ways than an
other one place in the world. II is a mile an,
a half long and as thick with negroes as
hive Is with bees. It is as characteristic o
the negro OF to-day In the South as a nativ,
village is characteristic of his ruder kinsmen
It is stamped all over with his presence and hi
racial individuality. 1t presents by far TIT
most picturesque part Of atlanta. There the
negro buys. sells. drinks. outs. works. loiters
loves, deceives. dances. sings. mourns, shoot,
his craps and his rivals and is arrested. There
the race question stalks by night and by day
and the big policeman settles IL. and although
this street-Decatur street-holds more ne.
groes OF a Saturday night than there are alto.
Rether in Wilmington. N. c.. II has yet to have
its first race war.
Saturday night sees Decatur street in lie
glory. Then II Is choked with happy blacks
and bristles from one end to the other with
policemen. On Saturday the shops and the
cotton congresses pay of. Just about dusk
Of that day. regularly every week. there is a
wonderful. access OF life on the street. From
every alley and byway pour the buoyant black
faces. 1t is for them the crisis OF the week.
II is as though all the city's black population
had suddenly assembled on the street. They
overflow from the sidewalks. surround the
fakir's stands and market wagons. flock into
the cheap bars where corn whiskey is sold at
nVe cents a drink and into the haring shops.
or gather In noisy Knots on the corners and
push. shove. laugh and fight.
Inc capital OF Decatur street. as the negroes
call 1t, Is the big central police station. For
convenience sake. the City Council placed II
~ "ay oo'meeh ~ ehus Oh Cnis .horouRh-
fare five or six years ago. The blacks appre-
than dim,n I, tho ,u aney increased rather
man u uini,isheo 1he NUMBER OF their dives
from on V ths s sntISef an o,ve ,use across the street
ed Regularly about onca ovory ton H., a..
round-nn t,rn Jo Nv e.efy Ueh uays. tne
treatment other divas ill., =. hIaannmo Wv
me cheap whiskey saloons also gained a new
prosperity. Five got a footing on the same
block with the police station. As a browning
feature they made the police station block
the wiGkedest in town.
noOts ~ ono sme piaeks re1lred 70 quieter
pos's nearly every policeman on the force until
who had onoa hoo, n sho.,I -
OH oo,rtr Vi niuule "eor-
81" .ouh'S' was sent 10 patrol the beat. he
ally He had Ia bruiso r,n, 49,
Iots - W olu'1e many heaus ana waste
understood. Now there is a saving On tho
street that he hea rs n cbarmod H. s"o
is Grant t" and nd the the onl y"t tarrep , ,ba HIS has name
tne v is this mild -mannered Crackers name
On Saturday nights Grants bIoct eats w..
from him. Time has been when six big off,
GERS have been too few to- quell the turbulence
ore IT, on %Hii ! s she hai lac dozen zen BLOCKS on either side
Il f Is he IS st a mGae ennieb 19T 6e, t9r , saturday |, night;
streets IN h tbba c En t n hiRnI man all the other
Tbe yiew NE f rrSy c4 ON
through which De reserve squad watches sO tRe
street ITbe S RPasa Is typical OF the whole
The air is full Of noisy iisVs sounds s1Lse Of t nIIlksilny o ~
n Tneef BY. p't Tbe a Saloons faIs'i are 1 snefin in 4 the , dives ives
p mig Sot b%hsii ines Is their greatest night. II
i ElPe f2 pr q ii r yie Il through The swinging door
the Sidewalk eWd and au e are nn iney tumble upon
iuiiing themselves apart they rush together
SS"ndinn hitiine T W.. OF maaness. ella wing.
The clint Of afI sometb bne p whit OF rms and fists,
hhE Err dhe NIL Raehering OF q crowd and the
III 1n;al anptthaahts Oh Two pig pollcemen are
note aecuratelvi bS nt o eyes 81 81 tb ane Wateher can
eSI G Roiding are a h sef = p55Hi eedingg b 81 ss% SisSe.
a us IN Nv WIN nerce nate and raving with
n; nrs ~ Tb oleck prisoners present 2 stirring
lney uisuppear Dehlnd the great
uoor OF the ponce station amid the jeering and
~ Th nionEh NJ vi cue crowd.
! 10 peta.ur stIeet parade was at its thick
eso oae oaCuIuaS nIght when 70 the gaze OF. the
cro%o was presented the Spectacle, OF two wild
eseb nnetSSeepp "TThh an suddenly springing upon
oIuei, dhey went AT IL like wild anil
mas; spinnluE dTound Ior a moment then
cI nI Coseunsr LOT a furious struggle. They
Wnlrieu arounu lot moment.. neither making
q squnu. SuuuenLy WIN a piercing yell one
tnen went 70 the pavement all IN a heap, as
Lnough a khite nad been driven through her
i hear f;end iisS Eth Ser PAUSED aUiie1 t3r ora moment. gloat-
nose Or car, then, breaking through the
crowu. sne ran; 4 poIlcenAan coming mp at
LnaI momsht iiIed the PROSTATE woman to
ieeI; Dloou was pouring over her cheeks
anu. horr0rs. ner ear. almost bitten on. hung
~ 3ut 2 shreddi a .b,.
saI Means uiu thls. SAID the officer instant
" Tins nhI 5, y H sal te Maan ear sott,od ,r,., Goethe
riTHL.
Ine Diack tnf9nR on the street seems to be
Towing. SuaGehIy q black figure darts
through the GROVE into the open street running
IKE q deer. A limping Jew yelling Thief
ihialI cones me alter me neeing man as fast as