The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1899-01-04
NEWEST DINNER PARTY.
New York's jelly Meals In "The
jolly Dungeon"
BEEFsTEAK EATEN BEHIND BARS

Chains and Prison CARRIED Walters
Whet society's Jaded Appetite.
Women and Men In Evening Dress
Eat Meat From Their Fingers.
Think of dinner party in dungeon
the menu served with such accom-
paniments as clanking chains on ponder
Gus doors, great iron barred windows,
and swarthy, low browed attendants in
prison garb stalking in and out with
the steaming viandsl It makes you
shudder, doesn't it? Yet just such din
ners as these promise to be quite the
Jolliest of the winter season, if the few
in which society has already INDUCED
may be accepted as eriteria.
1.-The jolly Dungeon'-for thus sne
scene of these grewsome festivities is
designated-has been known to New
York for only few weeks. 1t is quite
the novelty of the hour. For weirdness
it equals anything in the old world.
Just now it affords lot of fun to the
man who enjoys springing surprises on
his friends. He asks a score or more to
dine with him at the Waldorf, may
hap, and when they come he bundles
them, one and all, into a rickety stage
coach and whisks them away to the
dungeon. Arrived at Twenty fourth
street, on the sunset side of Fifth ave-
nue., they are led through long, dingy
passageway toward Pickering light,
which is seen on coming nearer to be
set back in a recess, half hidden by
cobwebs. The air is musty. The dull,
half deadened echo of footballs makes
the flesh creep.
The men wonder what is to come
next, and their feminine companions
are nearly frightened out of their wits.
Then the host fetohes forth a monstrous
key and coolly fits it into a paddock the
like of which was meier seen before,
when clang, the great iron door swings
back, and he solemnly bows his guests
in. There is more rafting of chains,
and the monstrous key has locked the
door behind them. A series of "Ohsp'
from the ladies intermingle with
"Great Scottish from the men.
Each one wonders what next. They
would be in total darkness except for
two straight shoots of light from bulls
eyes opposite and faint green CLEAN
through a Crevice in one corner. At the
farthest end great iron bars loom dimIy,
and in the red light from beyond are
glimpses of dusky figures in convict
stripes walking to and fro. Low, weird
music, as Of muffled voices. sepulchral
in their dirgelike chant seems to come
1IOH unuergrOunu, A mOmenG for all
this, Then an electric switch is touch
ed and the place is flooded with light.
Such connection In one breath the
ladies declare they are frightened to
death and in the next that it is "per.
fectly jolly"
But what on earth is it?" they ask.
"A real, true dungeon? Ny, but those
bars make me shudderp'
We can't have dinner in such a
place, " says another "Why, there are
no tables and ohairsl"
What is that wire thing over there
IN the oorner?' third wants to know,
Some man explains that it is rat
trap, and every body shrieks accordingly
and from that moment bedlam reigns.
Opera wraps and topooats are got
rid Of, and every one enters into the
spirit of the occasion. It's jolly lark,
and they like it immensely. Butchers
aprons are passed around, and there is
lot of fun in helping one another get
into them. Then the beefsteaks come on.
and the colored attendants in convict
garb whisk to and fro. First they bring
In tray Of cocktails of the old fashion
ed kind. The beefsteaks are then served
on thin, square pieces Of bread, and are
taken directly in the fingers, for there
are neither plates nor forks to be had.
This is shocking" the feminine
novioes in bohemianism declare, "but
1t is also deliciousl" And they are serv-
ed again and again. The guests are seat
ed on benches built into the wall. A
Tlokety wooden box stands in front of
each, and on it are a stone mug and q
clay dish filled with salt. In the center of
the room an old soap box supports the
huge clay celery bowl, and call hands
help themselves"
The kitchen is separated from the
jewellers by formidable looking door of
iron bars-the same through which the
red light had cleaned upon their en-
trance. Ale flows like water from a
oask imbedded in the wall, and a great
part of the fun lies in the drawing of it.
A toast to The Jolly Dungeon'' a
pretty woman laughs, and it is drunk
with hearty good will. "a toast to our
fair companions'' some masculine voice
proposes, and it is given again and
again There is piano over in one cor.
ner, and some one nIavs a roIIiobi,o,