The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-03-10

Methods and How Its Officials Carr,
on Its Work.
"You understand the danger, and tina
We cannot be responsible for what hap
pens, but if you want to see the crime
life of darkest London be on hand to.
morrow night"
Mr.. Bramwell Booth and / were sit
ting in General Booths private room
looking down upon Queen Victoria
street as we watched the tides of traf-
fic boiling up from Slaughter Corner,
the busiest spot on the earth. The chief
of staff had been telling me of the latest
departure in Salvation Army work
among the "Hooligans," or professional
thieves of the great metropolis, and OF
the adventures met with nightly by
the cap and bonnet brigade having in
charge this most bizarre and perilous
of religious enterprises. "Hooliganism
(so-called in memory of it's founder, who
was hung some time ago. is new form
of organized crime which the officials
of Scotland Yard are wrestling against
heavy odds; but where the police and
detective forces have largely failed, the
Salvation Army is winning steadily.
shoulders with such outlaws as we
might search for years without uncov-
ering, and so I borrowed some old
clothes, a disreputable looking hat,
wound dark handkerchief around my
neck, and went unshaved and froWsy
ON the expedition in company with
Commissioner Nicol of the Army, who
was dressed much the same. He is
,,rr1,Sb r
don as a gh-and-ready soldier of
the Lord, who can pray or fight equally
well, according to the momentary re-
qhirements of the situation.
eff they come at us, pick out your
man and hit him hard said my com
panion of the church militant. 1.-THE
other night I was about with a young
preacher when two "Hooligans" rushed
u.s. and after + had knocked my man
down I turned to give my partner
lift, but he was fighter, too, he was,
and had settled his party all right
Hanging upon our trail in easy dis
tance as renforcements was Adtutant
Cunningham, fresh from the burly
work in South Africa and "Scotty"
a converted thief, who is beautiful
fighter when he sails into a knuckle
debate.
1t was a dark and dismal night. A
steamy fog drifted ghostily over the
town. and it seemed as if the muddy
clouds above had sunk to the very
earth to mingle with the slime of the
streets upon which a listless rain was
falling. When we crossed Blackfriars'
bridge, the Thames showed black and
sullen down in the murky gloom, and
the shifting lights along the river only
added to the suggestion of what crimes
and human blacknesses that tawny
flood may shield. The gas lamps stand
ing down the streets were muffled in
the sodden blankets of mist smothering
down the town, and only here and there
did the tawdry light of a public drink
4pg house reinforce the street lamps to
fight back the gloom from a small cir
Gle Of light. In spite of all I could do
the night netted me in its uncanny
spell in keeping with our strange
quest We were in South London now
and heading for the darkest corners
Of Remington, passing on the way the |
hazy lights of Bedlam, where 1,500 of /
the demented, drool and Shrek away |
their lunatic lives in that world famous
asylum. We were in the sums for
sure, where night adds new vigor to
the purlieus of lowest London. The lit
tered streets are tramped by shift
ing, busy, idle, silent, noisy sober,
drunken, always changing throng, CIV
ing a new contrast for each moment |
Costers etreet stalls and hot potato
carts added the flare of their buzzing
gasoline torches to the hum of strange i
traffice as we weaved in and out among
it all. Now and again we pushed into
the hard drinking dens and slipped at
their vile ginger beer as excuse for the
intrusion. Slatternly women banded
coarse jests with maudlin men, and the
gaudy barmaids tlirted desperately
with the hullSing young fellows who
1oafed over the counters as they gulped
away at their rank ales and stout.
At 10 o'clock the Army Corps salles
forth into all this from Remington Bar
racks, with band blare and song to
drum in from the streets the predatory
"Hooligans,'' street walkers and shiver-
ing homeless ones who stink by the fits
of light along the pave. We joined the
march through the mortary streets, and
thence back to the old chapel barracks
as we sang:
Il do believe, I now believe,
That Jesus died for mel"
Open house was kept for all men and
the reiterated invitation to the tuck in
made at the various street corner {
stands magnetized large following in
our wake for the supper. AT the time
of my visit this new work had been or /
ganized little more than month, but {
as / sat with it's unique supper COM
pany is was easy to see that the efforts :
Is getting an underhold on lowest hui s
manity. BY agreement the police and S
'plain clothes men" keep out, and with 9
the assurance that they will not "be {
spotted" these midnight suppers have 6
is their guests many of the notorious I
thieves beyond the Thames Brigadier /
is at the head of the Ken '
nington Devil Drivers as this corps t
IF the army is Familiarity known in that c
region. He. carries in his heart many a
lark secrets which the police would @
ike to know, for by tact, discretion and q
good advice he has gained the conf +
ience and confession of many Il crimi- a
nal He knows the leaders .of the secret
,obber gangs, and when he mounts the j.,
platform in the barracks to announce