The evening times., 1900-03-10
, New York Cotton Market.
BOWERY ELOQuENCE.
The ''NayOr of Chinatown" in the
Role of the Good Samaritan.
from The Chicago Times llerald)

The "HaSOr of Chinatown" in tho
Role of the Good Samaritan.
From the Chicago Times Ilerald)
In New York the other night / had the
pleasure of hearing two highly dramatic
appeals for charity. Both were we'll done
but what a contrast there was between
them. At the Garden Theatre Mrs. Lang
/ try recited Kipling's Absent Minded Beg
gar" with all the theatrical aids which II
was thought might touch the American
4 pocket. There was a great waving OF
/ American and British flags, band played
martial airs a bugler sounded a series OF
| calls between the stanzas and the Lily
no longer a lily of the valley or Gala,
but a Tiger lily-wore a khaki gown by
Worth. There was a great deal of APP
plause: but not one cent went across the
footlights TO help the cause championei
by English beauty.
Afterward / accompanied a party OF
friends to a meeting of a private Bohemian
club downtown composed of artists. ac-
| tors. actresses. musicians, poets newspa-
per men, politicians. and men about town.
A fine vaudeville programme was render
ed. In the midst of ii there was an inter
ruption-the door opened and queer. un-
calmly young fellow came in hurriedly and
strode into the middle of the room My
nearest neighbor nudged me and volua-
teered the information that the newcomer
was Chuck Connors, the Mayor Of China
town" Ii may be necessary to introduce
Mr. Connors TO Chicago readers; hut in
New York everybody knows him. In APP
pearance he is the toughest" tough that
American slum life ever produced. In
comparison with him Steve Brodie the
! bridge jumper is a Fifth Avenue swell.
lie IL was who served as a model for +.
w Townsend's matchless "Chimmie Fad
den sketches. Imagine, II you can. a
closely-cropped. bullet-headed chap with
the outward characteristics of the tramp
and the degenerate who punctuates every
sentence with wonderfully made oaths and
chatters glibly in sIum patois which at
times it is difficult to translate into En-
glsh There you have Chuck COnnors-
the man whose word is law throughout the
whole Bowery district. and whose heart
most woefully bellies his appearance.
1t appears that a Bowery woman known
as The Rummager." who picked up a pre-
carious living by rummaging in ash bar
rels and garbage boxes, had just died, and
Connors had started out TO raise enough
money TO save her from the
potters field. Somebody suggested
that perhaps he could get some
money by passing about the hat, -
and he had bolted into the Bohemian Club
for that purpose. At the moment he en-
tered pretty English actress had the floor
and was giving clever cockney limitations.
Connors gave her single glance. Hey,
dere," he shouted. Cheese i'll will ye?'
The young woman subsided and the May
or of Chinatown" addressed the audience.
Say. youse blolles.' he cried. I've got
a spiel comm [ me, and il won't eat up
more'n a minute. Do | get it?"
No one said him nay and he continued:
Il amt feelin none too much [ de good
tnight and | wants L tell ye how de
games a-runnin' wild me. See? De Rum
mager' s croaked and its up [ me I plant
'er. She's goin' under de turf an she's got
t 20 under right I've got L make good
now. Understand? Its me fer it. Wot
tell else could | do? De woman wuz good
L me. She wuz white-clear trough she
wuz Many a time she's staked me when
/ wuz agin it, good and hard. and she d al
ways split 'er last nickel wild ye il We
needed a lift. Maybe some O yoUse guys
never knowed De Rummager.' I've knowei
'er ever since she blew in. When she first
struck de Bow ~ she wuz as pretty d peach
as ever tumbled of a dago's cart-dats
right. 1t wuz de same old ting wild 'er as
il is wid EN- all-sCmeb body over in Eng
land done 'er dirt er friends trun 'er
down, er folks give 'er de run and she slid
across de pond where no one couldn't rub
ber Den she began [ hit de booze Bimeby
she begins t. cry aud NOPE, and when she
thinks of what she left behind er she goes
again de bottle harder'n ever-and dat's dc
finish fer a woman. every time.
We'll. now. she's quit Let's give 'er
big buryin' | says t de bloke what's got
'er: 'Bucky. youse fix 'er and youse fix er
right. and I'll stand fer il. See? Now it's
up t me-Tve got [ stand de gaff. clear
from de icebox to Calvary. ] went down
de line and | touched de bunch for twelve
and I'm still fifteen dollars e de bad. IN
derstand? De gangs busted Ye couldn't
shake de price of a match outen my clothes
and dats why I'm singin' dis song to youse
blokes. I'm goin' { git dat fifteen if l has
L go out on de street, kick some silk bon
net dude in de shins and take it away from
him OATS me, De Rummager got t go
under right.
1T don't cost nothin L live; but it takes
coin { croak. We've got L have bunch O.
posies. / don't go much on posies but De
Rummager' liked EN- and she's a-goin' [
have EN-. Den we'll need a couple O. pref
ties and rattle (two hansoms and a cab
t chase out t Calvary wild. Terry, de
duck what runs de gospel mill at de Bend,
says he'll have all de glims Qights) lit.
and youse can git yer lamps on er (see herr
once more if youse wants L. Wot tell
youse guys settin' still fer now? We's all
got { play out de same game De Rum
mager's' finished Ye can't chase up an
alley and dodge Tits a cinch Dig up.
Wot are ye good for? Drop yer dough in
me bonnet"
When his battered hat came back to him
there was $21 in it, and the face of Chuck
Connors was as radiant as the dawn of
pay day.