The Savannah morning news., 1901-07-15

audience and whisper in giggles to each
other singer, man or woman, comes
on ands GsTes a coon song or a senti-
mental ballad. You feel like crying at
the comic song; the tawdry sentiment OF
the other makes you laugh. Now and
then the beauties arise and march around
the stage or take part in a dance.
At stated hours the audience are told
that there is to be an intermission. That
means that you are 20 get out and let a
thirstier crowd come in.
And that is all that the casual visitor
sees or hears at a Coney Island music
hall. If you have been in one fthem
you have practically been in all
My guide said Now. let us take a
look al the little odds and ends of Bowery
life"
The street is about forty feet wide and
a board walk covers it, 1t is for foot pas
sengers only. 1t is near a half mile long
and lined with buildings, the doors of
which are wide open.
You see Salvation Army lassies selling
their papers-a redeeming touch, where
there is so much to be redeemd. Every
other place holds a bar All manner of
attractions are held out to win you with
In Here negro, hoarse and perspring,
gives a laughing accompaniment to a
banging piano. He was laughing when
we went by at IL: he was laughing whens
We went by at Ii; he was still laughing
when we came back at /. A little worn
but still In the ring
oh, those banging pianos. Most of the
players were girls, who began to look worn
and haggard before morning. There is a
constant cry of Here's your hot Frank
furters, two for cents! Hot! Hot!
HotI'
In one place they show two-headed
baby. The barker cries, THE only two
headed babe in the world. You go in
without paying. If it's a fake you don't
pay at air.
1T 1t alive" asked my guide.
The barker" looked at him stolidly.
"You go in without paying If you
don't find what l tell you, you needn't
payw
We went in, of course 1t was surely
two-headed child, preserved In alcohol.
We laid down two nickels as we came
out.
This incident is given because 1t is so
characteristic of the genius of Coney.
They don't know much in this Kingdom
of Fafiirs about geology or theology, but
they do know human nature
Ten men will go in and come out and
pay. on bluff like that, where one would
be interested through a straight business
deal
mere Is a lOW-celleu mall, WneTe white
man and woman, blackened up, are doing
cakewalk. Back and forth they go,
the whole night long. merely that some
one may be attracted and come in buy
beer.
A real colored man and woman come
along. They gaze for few startled mo-
ments at the performance. Then scorn of
an Astounding nature takes possession OF
them both.
'Huhr' cries the woman when she can
stand 1t no longer. do you call dat
cakewalk? Use got a rocking chair that
can do better than you. Lord, look at her.
For 10 cents I goes in and does 1t my
self"
For less than 10 cents you comes along
with me-" and the man took her by the
arm and dragged her away.
The wooden man and the putty woman
still wriggled away Up the room, and
down again; back and front again; and
the boy pounded on the piano for dear
life. But, oh, how tired the three OF
them looked.
Here are four horses in an arena. You
pay cents, and have a gallop around the
ring. There are thousands of penny-in-
tne-slot machines; you see rows and rows
of them wherever you look. In each one
you can see one picture free. IL you
want to follow up the series. you drop
in your penny. On one row Is a legend
that suggests more than it declares: 'Es-
pecially selected for women and chill
dren." There is place filed with burn
ing candles. You pay cent and puff
into the box, to see how many you can
blow out. One man despoiled the whole
sixteen.
Gosh" said the keeper, you have lots
of wind"
Yes, was the answer, with a superior
smile, Il am the auctioneer."
At the western terminus of the Bowery
there is large inclosed space part OF
which is covered with buildings. II Is
new and 1t is an experiment at Coney.
1t is clean, decent, irreproachable i'm all
respects. Fun, amusement, toys for peo-
pie of larger growth. That is all there
is to it. Yes, might add one more fact
1t seems to be a success.
No liquors of any sort are sold there.
Even a minister who can imagine himself
a boy again can run its gamut OF foolish
ness without harm to his self-respect.
Please let me show you through so
that you may see how harmless and how
silly II 1t. But graver men than we are
go there and laugh until their sides are
sore.
You pay 10 cents to go In. If you take
a steeplechase gallop on one of the iron
steeds you pay 10 cents more. That Is all
it costs you to see all there is.
OF course, you take the ride. Nothing
could keep you from II. You walk up a
mysterious stairway that throws you back
one step for each one you take forward.
The secret is mastered In a little time
and you reach an elevated platform. A big
iron horse IS brought up and you mount
him. As you fix your feet In the stirrups
you notice that he slides along on an
iron rail, to which he is securely attach
ed.
Hang on to your hatw yells the groom
of this iron steed, and he gives 1t a push.
Down a steep declivity it punges: up
q short hill and down a long one; out into
the dark and into the light again. 1t
gains speed as It goes. You wonder
whether the rail will hold and where you
will land II it don't.
You have two ways of getting down to
the lower floor. There is an inclined plane
to slide down OF a pair Of stairs to walk
on. II you take the latter your hat sud
denly blows off. AS you grab that the
floor begins to heave up under your feet.
Then 1t rocks from side to side-and the
crowd who are watching you from be-
low laugh until their sides ache.
You reach for a cup TO get drink of
water, and get an electric shock. Go 70
sit down on a bench and the seat drops
under you. There is a cave where you see
skeletons and dead men glaring at you.
There are convex and concave mirrors
that turn you into impossible shapes.
You come at last to the thing that you