Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1900-12-13

Sir Walter Besant on East London's Typi-
cal Young Roughs.

Sir Walter Besant on East London's Typi-
cal Young Roughs.
In East End Types" in the Gen.
fury, Sir Walter Besant describes,
among other typical East Lnndoners,
the young roughs known collectively as
the "Hooligans.
The blood is restless at II; it wants
exercise ia reality. not Greteace. This
restlessness is the cause Of the bands
organized originally for local fights.
The boys Of one street unto Ia small
regiment; they arm themselves with
clubs, small iron bars, leather belts
with buckles, knotted handkerchiefs
with stones tied up in them. with
slings and stones, with knives, even
with revovers OF the "toy" kind; and
they go forth to fight the lads Of
another street. 1t IS a real fight; the
field is strewn with the wounded; the
police have trouble in putting stop
to the combat. With broken heads,
black eyes, and bandaged arms the
leaders appear next day before the
magistrate. But the local regiment
cannot always be meeting It's enemy on
the field Of glory; the step, theI efore,
tosshustling the people in the street is
natural. The boys gather together and
hold the street. II any one ventures to
pass through it, they rush upon him,
knock him down, and kick him savagely
about the head; they rob him as we'll.
In the autumn of 1898 an inotfensive
elderly gentleman was knocked down
by such a gang. robbed, kicked about
| the head, and taken up insensible. He
was carried home and died the neat
| day. These gangs are called "nooli-
| CANS" South London is more fire..
quently favored with their achieves
ments than East London. They are
dithcult to deal with, because they
meet, fight and disperse with such
rapidity that it is next to impossible 10
get no d of them. 1t is q bad fashion
OF the time, and will probably disap-
pear before long. Meantime, the boys
regard these holdings of the street with
pride; their captain IS hero, as much
rs the captain Of the eleven at public
school.
Sometimes they devise other modes Of
achieving greatness. A year or two
ago half dozen OF them thought that
it would be good thing If they were
to attend EPSON races on the Derby
day, the great race Of the year. One
can go to EPSON by road or rail; the
latter is the cheaper and the easier
way, but the more glorious way is tc
go by road, as the swells 60. Theil
method is to hire q carriage and pair,
to get a luncheon hamper from {
caterers, to drive down, and to pay
for stand on the hillHhich commands
view of the race. The thing can h,
done In style for about f25. Thes
boys Thought to emulate the swels
they would drive 10 style to EPSON
They, therefore, helped themselves {,
bakers horse and light cart in tn
gray of the morning, and drove glori
ously all the way to the race course
Arrived there, they sold the horse ant
cart to Gypsy for 93, and spent th
day in Watching the races, In bettinI
i on the events, AID in feasting. Whel
, the glorious day was over and thei
money all gone, they found an outhous
near the common, and there lay dow
, to sleep, intending to walk nome In th
, morning. Now, the baker. on discover
ing his loss, had gone to the police
and the police srsrecting the truth
/ for the lads thirst for sport was vel
! known, telegraphed TO EPSON. TIL
horse and cart were recovered, and !
a the middle of the night the hoys wer
4 found. They did return to town in th
morning, but not as they left. 1t wa
!, in the roomy vehicle commonly Gale
. "Black Maria" that they were take
to the police court, and from the cour
il. to the reformatory.