Waterbury evening Democrat., 1907-01-05

AT STATION HOUSE.
Various Phases of Human Nature
 10 Be Seen There. /

It IS lutcTcSCiu8 " WdISu oPph cants for lodgings drop into the po- lice station nights and modestly ap- proach the oficer at the desk and state their case. They hail from al- most every part of the United States and Canada and from the different countries of the old world and give all sorts of reasons for their hard luck. Thirty-one knights of the road spent New Years night in the hole in the ground at the police station, but the number has dwindled down right along since so that last evening not over dozen answered the roll call. Some of the lodgers are good looking fellows and claim that the worst thing that confronts stranger who aims to take up residence here is the difflculty in finding boarding house. What's the matter John, can't you strike anything here?" in Quired Sergeant Cahey of clean cut man last night, who gave his resi- dence as Boston. 'Why, yes, sir" replied the stranger. there's lots of work in the factories, but 1t is out of the question to get boarding house unless you are able to put up for a weeks board in ad- vance and a man hunting around for job isn't always fixed so that he can do that. Boarding house keep CTS get bitten SO often by oily ton gued strangers that in the end they become mistrustful of everybody and you can't blame them. I was offered a job in the big Chase rolling mill and expected to go to work there to- morrow, but l have been trying to get place to stay all day and found nobody that would take me in. If you let me sleep here tonight I'll dig out in the morning and see what l can do farther down the valley"
 "Take the first door to your right, John; go to the foot of the stairway and then open the door to your left, " said the officer, as he gave the wan derer a look of pity. By the way, the direction given the man leads to the tramps' quarters and the dog pound, both being in the same quar- ters and not even separated by par tition wall.
 The next one to show up was an umbrella man. He was f1fty-One years of age and said business was poor, "very poor, indeed, offlcer," he added, "else I should not be here. 2 The officer said he didn't look to be that age, but the man promptly re- piled that he was every day of it and could prove it by reference to records in his fathers house. Here he put his hand on the desk and paused for few moments and then continued: "I said could prove it by reference to records in fathers house, which is true, but 1t would take me some time to get there from here and besides if I were within reach of the place l don't think I'd venture in. for it would break the old folks hearts to see me-"
 The fellow appeared to have a great deal more to say, but the off, cer was getting impatient and the visitor was quick to see this and cut 1t short. He was ordered to open the door to the right and then enter the one to the left and judging by the way he did 1t he must have been there before.
 Are you da man what was here dee odder night" uttered an urchin apparently not over five years old, who glided in just as the umbrella man got out of the way. The young ster wasn't high enough to he seen from behind the railing and the off, cer had to lean over the desk to see who was talking. When he got a look at him he wanted to know what he was doing there, whereupon the little tot replied that when he was in the night before he complained that his ladder was hittin' 'em and he had called now to say that he was hittin' 'em agin."
 You go home and don't be raising Cain around the streets and youi father won't hit you. What were you doing the other night on the streets until all hours and your father look. ing for you? Go on home now right away or I'll ram you into a dark cell and leave you there." roared the ofi. cer, looking furiously at the urchir who hurried to the doorway and dis. appeared in the darkness. This wal little fellow that has been having lot of fun with the police. He makes a practice of pretending that he fl lost and when an officer escorts hin home he laughs himself tired at tho humor of 1t. Then again he appear, at the station and claims that hil father is beating him and that h, can't stay in the house. The lecture he got last night will be apt to d him world of good.
 One could write a book on wha takes place in the station in on, night, but he would have to remain there and take it in. He couldn' get any tips from the man who hold down the desk, for between answer ing calls on the telephone, keepinI tabs on the long tape that is con stantly showing where the oficer
 ring in from, writing out descrip
 tions of lodgers. sending in calls fo
 the patrol wagon and attending L
 various other things that demand hi
 attention he don't have time to bi
 you the time of night.
 One of the worst things about tn
 station is the tramps' quarters. |
 addition to being a part of the do pound it is reached by a ponderou