The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1907-07-14
Probation Officers Make Tour
of Negro Quarters.
GRATIFIED OVER CONDITIONS
Rev. DIR. zed II. Copp. Mrs. Jessie ID.
AcISert, and Mrs. Gertrude II. Dar-
win Make Sociological Expedition.
Inspect Alleys Rarely TrOd by
White Man Other than Police.

where a part of WashlngtOns c0lored IN
| habltants make their home. was inspected
/ last night by a representative OF the gov
eminent and two probation officers of the
I District The various courts and alleys,
all of which are off the principal thor
oughfares, and practically unknown to
/ the average citizen. were gone through
during the Summing trip. and the resi-
dents engaged in conversation as to their
mode OF living.
! Policeman ". II. Fugett. of the Eighth
/ precinct police station who has been pa
trolling the district fer twelve years. and
! knows nearly every person in the places.
acted as the pilot for the party DR.. Zed
H. Copp, chief probation officer, and pas
/ tor Of Bethany Chapel. the man who re-
Gently said that hell was situated In the
sun" was the organizer of the sociological
tour He was accompanied by Mrs. Jessie
/ B. Ackert, who is gathering juvenile sta
/ tistics for the Bureau of Commerce and
Labor; Mrs Gertrude B. Darwin. the
woman probation officer, and several
newspaper men.
The object Of DR.. Cops pilgrimage was
to visit the colored people after dark, see
4 how they live. and 10 gain an insight into
! the homes of the children with whom he
| and Mrs. Darwin are brought into con-
tact during the course OF duty nearly
every day IN the year. Ordinarily, the Of
! fcers see the homes in daylight. when the
men are at work and not all of the women
folk are in their respective quarters.
/ Even the heart of Helrs Bottom, the
neighborhood in the vicinity Of Eleventh
and Q streets, was visited, as were all OF
/ the other negro settlements in that par;
Of the city. The result was most crafty
! Ing 20 the officials, not only Of the Dis
! trlct government, but TO Mrs. Ackert as
well The conditions in general were clean
/ and sanitary. and the people found 10 be
quiet and orderly. and living as respect
able as could be expected under the cir
! cumstances.
Several Families in One House.
Families were found living in one and
two room apartments. Others occupied
/ homes Of four OF five rooms. In many of
the houses one family occupies the ground
/ floor and another family lives upstairs
/ The houses. on an average. rent from $40
/ to So a month Considering the surround
ings and the conditions the people have
10 contend with. the prices are considered
eX0Tbitant In some cases the occupants
pay as low as s. a month for quarters.
The first place inspected was Huttons
court, which is practically an alley be-
tween L and V streets and Tenth street
and Vermont avenue. Here the colored
people were living as only negroes can.
There was the typical colored mummy"
smoking the proverbial pipe; the old
uncle with bent back and cane, the
barefooted boy with nothing on but trous-
eTs and a smile, and one after the other
Of Uncle Toms Topsy, with her grin and
hair put up in true Southern fashion
HuttOns court IS considered one of the
Cleanest and most orderly cOlOred r,si-
dent places In HelTs Bottom.
In most of the districts stores are
operated, but not by colored people.
Years ago the Italian had a monopciy
of the court and alley business. but he
has been evidently engaged In some
thing else and his place has been taken
by jews. Owing 10 this fact, there viii
be families of this nativity living in the
midst of hundreds Of colored people. and
the only white family in the block, OF
that part Of it devoted TO shacks.
The Jews. ii is said, can keep their
accounts up to the letter better and get
on more agreeably with the negro than
any other nationality that has ever at
tempted the adventure of conducting a
small-usualiy one room for goods. with
household furniture in the Sear-generaI
store .r7orr- tho r1oforad r-ara
Resting After Days Work.
Valley street. between Twelfth and
Thirteenth and and T streets. was gone
through and the women with their babes
in arms were on nearly every doorstep.
IN the front room, or out in the middle
Of the street. 1t was nearly dark when DR.. |
Copp and his companions started and he
found the inhabitants at their ease-rest-
ing. enjoying themselves after a days
work. Another fact that attracted the
attention of the officers was the absence
of men in nearly every neighborhood /
Making inquiries, it was found that in |
most cases the man OF the house had not /
returned from his days labors, and that, |
owing TO the fact that it was pay day, /
he was probably lingering on the way.
DR.. COpp and Mrs. Darwin, together !
with Mrs Ackert, went among the par
ents whose children they had had dealings |
with from time to time. and made in
quiries as to the welfare Of those who /
are now out on probation. In some in
stances the boys, or the girls. were found /
at home, and DR.. Copp inquisitively asked I
them Of their past and OF their behavior 1
The reports we're all up to the 100 mark /
and amused the officers. as well as en- /
couraged them in their work.
Wandering negro minstrels-boys with 4
guitars and ether musical Instruments I
were encountered and gave selections for I
the stunning party. Professional crap
shooters and every other type Of the col /
ored man and woman were encountered, /
and told Of their habits and their YOca- /
tons TO the representatives of the two
governments.
DIR. COpp GrntIfied.
"The trip has been most gratifying in
every way" said DR.. Copp, after he had /
completed the circuit The people are /
improving their living quarters" he said /
There is no doubt about this AS a rule. /
the homes are clean and the people APP
parently happy I am glad TO have seen
some of the places where the parents live |
whose children We are often required TO
take under the guardianship of the law"
The principal fora of industry in the
courts and alleys is washing. Many Of
the women had been at the task all day
and would continue far into the night be-
fore the work was completed. Then the
clothes would have TO be carried home.
One woman, in the rear of Eleventh near
@ street, said that her earnings from
taking in washing averaged about $3.50
a week. OF this amount s. was spent for
f-,ol anarn aud starnh laa ,-ir,,-