Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-12-26
WELCOME THE SNOW real. WINTER HERE
Worth Cent a Flake to Noto-
ri0us BoWery Guild.
STIMULATION OF DISTRESS
Rich Harvest for Plingers and Flop
pers and Yeggmen in New
York Streets.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
NEW YORK, December 25.-The flop
pers and the plingers and the yeggmen-
the lords of the craft-celebrated q white
Christmas tonight In The Old Tree, Peg
Legs dump. at 20 Bowery. The wind
and the wet and the snow had made 1t
an extra fat Christmas for them be-
cause it furnished a fine. pathetic back
ground for their seeming misery and
wretchedness.
The undertaken, solemn scamp in beg
gardom. slapped the side pocket of his
disreputable overcoat and winked gloom
lily at old Mendelsohn, who sat with Dub
lin Johnny Armstrong and Denver Kitty,
a shell of beer at his right hand, his fid-
die at his left.
kid" said the undertaken. "she was
wort a cent fake
Joy Of "The Nut"
The Nut, an old second-story man, who
turned square guy after he broke an
ankle pulling off a job in Buffalo two
years ago, limped into the back room,
scattering the sawdust with a few fancy
steps. The Nut was as gay as any, for
lie knew that serving mixed ale and beer
to the panhandlers Christmas night would
be as profitable as a job in Rector's.
'I'U be wit you in a minute, said The
Nut gayly, land don't get too fresh, or
LII poke some of you dead ones right on
the conk Big Spanish is down with a
couple OF rags and buyin wine like one
of them Astors."
Old Mendelsohn laid aside his eye-patch
and blue spectacles, plinked the strings
of his fiddle until his ear told him that
1T was in perfect tune. and began to play.
very softly, THE Wearing of the Green"
The undertaken kept time to the swing of
the music, tapping the floor with his
crutch-a crutch that is worth its weight
in silver to the dismal rascal.
Denver Kitty Weeps.
The beggars and the thieves were
silent a little while, for old Mendelsohn
is a musician of real talent. but Denver
Kitty began to cry and the undertaken
brought the music to an end with a
vicious smash of his crutch.
Can it, growled the undertaken. If
you can't tear off somethin' cheerful, you
can beat to some other drum. That's
all. We amt workin tonight. C'mere,
you Nut
The Nut took the order and served beer
all around. The undertaken paid the shot
the takings of the day, heap OF small
silver and copper. Old Mendelsohn
bought and so did Denver Kitty, reach
ing into her stocing for roll OF biils.
1t has been mighty good season for
Kitty. Her graft is playing the widow
in-d.stress-maybe you've helped her
yourself, feeling sorry for the m .seraDle
looking woman in the plain black dress,
who wept and said she lost her pocket
book in the subway and just had to get
ever 1t was. or there would be terrible
time at home. Chicago Annie, who came
In later with her gentleman friend.
Seldom Seem" had been working the
good old southern home PIPE, and was as
merry as mink.
Classed as Good Lay.
It's a good lay, that old southern home
plant, and Chicago Annie's weepy story
of the old mother down in Georgia, who
had written to her daughter to come home
for Christmas, because 1t was probably
the last Christmas they would be to-
gether. had gathered in many a dollar
from good-hearted folk who don't know
the ways of the plingers.
If you had gone to The Old Tree and
got by the Nut with the word and the
whistle, you would have seen just how
merry the pannandlers made over the
white Christmas. But both the word
and the whistle were necessary. There
are reasons why the word can't be told.
but the whistle Is a double chirp. The
next time plinger sides up to you on
the street and whines for a dime. give him
the double chirp. He will back away in
a hurry, recognizing you for one of the
craft, no matter how prosperous you may
look.
AS the night went on and the Nut
made trip after trip from the bar to the
back room, balancing his sloppy tray like
a juggler, spilling more jokes than beer,
the plingers got noisier and livelier and
sometimes the jovial Nut had to warn
them to let up bit on the racket. There
was no reason. the Nut said, why they
couldn't be ladies and gents. nor why
they should start a roughhouse
Sings and Scatters Coppers.
The deaf and dumb topper OF sd street.
Dublin Johnny Armstrong = "Ireland's
Prince" they call him, because he Is a
spender when he's got the coin-threw
cents and nickels to the Black Hoods, the
evil-looking old women who live In skies
and sevens in nests on the lower West
Side and go about representing, some
times, sisters of charity. The prince sang
as he scattered the coppers, and the Black
Hoods cackled and giggled.
undertaken. He does that every Christ
mas. Them skirts has got as much coin
as Johnny, at that
Now and then old Mendelsohn. who
never moved ITOIl HIS CudlI IL the DdCk,
reached for his fiddle and played
tune that set the plingers tapping the
floor with their feet. Broken-back
Schmiddy. really cripple. sang with
good voice to old Mendelsohn's accom-
paniment, and occasionally THE 30 sum-"
who works Park Row in secondhand
navy uniform, joined in with his bass.
And through it all the Nut made trip
after trip, serving beer, for money was
plentiful, and there were few of the
plingers who were too stingy to treat.
1t was easy money, and they know
where there is lot more of it.
Liveliest in the Old Tree.
The main Christmas party was at
the Old Tree. Peg Legs. but the cele-
bration spread itself more or less all
over the Bowery and Park Row, getting
as far north as the Dead House, up in
Sd avenue. near 23d street. The gang
took in President" Flynn's dump, at
No. Bowery; Diamond Dan O'Rourke's
snare at $50 Park Row; the Goat, the
Alligator. the Harp, and other gin mills
where the beggar and the thief sit down
safely together.