The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-12-30
HE INTERVIEWS NEIGHBORS

Craps Game-Baker and Horse
 shoer Know Not Joan of Arc
 or Followers. From the New York Sun.
 That East Side rent strike Is a shine or Morris is less skilful in defining eco- homie conditions in his neghborhood than he Is at playing craps. As to his skill at craps, well, that creeps into this story, so let 1t come in it's proper place.
 The very red center of the strike given by the strike extras is the tenement at 216-21S Cherry street. If you want to get there you naturally depend upon your / knowledge of Cherry Hill and start from that historic grade heading northerly and continuing on your way. looking at house numbers, you suddenly conclude that the very numbers are myth, because Cherry street seems to end just the mounting numbers suggest that you are getting warm. You are stopped, indeed, by the mighty granite anchor of a new East Side bridge, but upon discovering that it is pierced by a majestic arch which will | admit Cherry street one day you make detour.
 Going around the anchor by way of Monroe street to Pike street. you turn down toward the river until Pike street becomes Pike Slip, and there Cherry street is found to continue on its way. picturesque neighborhood. Toward the river you see the giant steel piers of the new bridge sprlnging skyward and are delighted to encounter an intelligent workman who proudly assures you that COCO of steel plates and girders are going into these towers on the Manhattan side and as much more into the Brooklyn side One makes a note of this against the main story not banning out as well as might be expected.
 Cherry street resumes itself with stables, vast brick stables for housing of many horses of waterfront habits, and 1 between two stables on the west side of ' the street looms the sx-story tenement running from 216 to 222. It is a modern | tenement, built only last year, and looks | all the more modern because many of the buildings in the neighborhood are l comparatively ancient. There Is the solid old-fashioned stable l next door, north of the new tenement. 1 That was occupied as stable by Luke | Fay, as an inscribed stone in its front l informs, in 1873, and by Fay Bros. in 1875. i But the Pays no longer haunt that neck | of woods; Isaac Rosenstein, so tin sign | informs, keeps the stable, and his vet. 1 erinary surgeon Is none other than Dr. | Rosenthal.
  calls. Two bright boys are seen fur l lively descending into the very midst of | the tenement by steep stairway leading | down from the sidewalk to an under | ground alley. The reporter after a little 1 deliberation followed. The underground alley opened into 1t paved court Only black cat there. Another alley led to yet another court a shady, retired ce- ment paved court, where the two bright | boys were discovered playing craps. | They were Morris and Jakey last names unreveaed and they played for 1 pennies, but used picture cards for mark CTS Early in the game Morris showed doubts as to those pennies. | Have you any money Jakey?" he asked, shaking his dice loaded hand. Sure. Three cents.' l Morris threw.
 How about the tenement rent striker | asked the reporter.
 Its a shine,' said Morris. watching his throw eagerly
 | How shine?'
 All from the papers," responded Nor ris. 'Jakey, let me see those pennies' But Sarah Hellman, tsthe new Joan | d Arc, isn't she going to lead 30,00O of you in a striker"
 She's a shine, too,' said Morris. She gets her picture from the papers, from | the Yiddish paper, from the English pa pers. Jakey, if l see those pennies 1 know you got them."
 The black cat loafed into the court and after regarding the reporter with | no great favor sat in a corner and made her toilet. A whiskered baker came out of the basement bakeshop and watched the craps chooting with listless interest.
 Are you going on rent striker the | reporter asked the baker. | Sure" he said quickly, and then he asked after pause, Where is it?'' | Here, in this tenement"
 What for?' asked the baker.
 ITO pay less rent
 ''Weli,' said the baker after longer 1 pause that is a good thing. If l hear l about it may go too, perhaps | Morris had won all the counters and | now demanded cash. Jakey tearfully parted with three coppers. The baker | spat at the cat and retired to his shop.
 
 made race at the reporter and jumped | over the wall to the next court. Out on the street there were still no | more sign of 5000 no rent strikers than | there were in the court. Two anclen. | whiskered Hebrews met on thes idewaik | One had on his shoulders three coats, /, three vests and three pairs of trousers. 1 The stock of the other itemed the same, | except that it was shy one pair of l trousers. The old clo' men stood stock still and eloquently eyed each other for 1 as much as d minute before the one who | was shy on trousers advanced, took from 1 the others shoulders the garment he 1 needed to fill his stock and began critical | ly to examine its seams. The other watched him with feverisn | eagerness.
 The wouid-be buyer made an offer. The other heard 1t with d look of horror. 1 extended his hands to heaven and volubly addressed that distant bourne for the space of minute and then made coun- ! ter offer. This caused the trousers shy one to appeal to heaven with loud lament | ing cries.