Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1914-11-20
IN >0LD-TIME LONDON
EIGHTEENTH CENTURY MANNERS
AND CUSTOMS.

City Was . Remarkable Mixture Of
Wealth and Poverty-PoIiee Pro-
lection Solely q Matter Of
individual Concern.
The scenes in Lady Betty Martin
gale. or The Adventures of a Lively
Hussy.' depict phases of life in Lon
don In 1850. That city then offered
most remarkable contrasts of wealth
and poverty, of learning and ignor-
ance and Of light-hearted gayety and
abject despair. While the men and
women Of fashion were RECALLING them
selves merrily at Vauxhall Garden,
the Turks Head or one or another of
the many places Of amusement of like
character in London, the poorer citi-
zens were enduring hardships of pow
erty and degradation such as probably
have not been known since In Lon
don even when Whitechapel was at
its worst. 1t was no uncommon thing
for jewellers returning home at day
break to see women bearing dead
children to fields outside of the city
to bury the bodies surreptitiously in
order to rave parish charges for in
terment. Streets at night were filed
with beggars and DULLES, ballad sing
ers and pickpockets. clerks and ap-
prentices ION the ran-dan"-which, In
the phrase of the day, was a very ex-
aggerated spree-watchmen who took
tips from housebreakers, and who
when not properly fed by household
ers. had revenge by calling the hours
wrongly. The streets were ill-lighted
by means Of oil street lamps and
lamps in front of houses. In the year
1876 there were only 1000 street
lamps In the whole city of London.
Persons of quality, who were out after
dark. invariably were accompanied BY
torch-bearers. and after respectable
folk were abed these torch-bearers
Increased their incomes tremendously
by escorting bibulous gentlemen to
their homes, stopping by the way to
rob the convivial persons.
Except for the watchmen-who re-
ceived no pay from the government
and whose sole remuneration came
Prom householding citizens-there
we're no policemen in London. Watch
men were first employed in 1853 and |
rom that time to a. late a. 1880 they |
we're the sole guardians Of London
streets. In that year Sir Robert Peel !
organized the FIRST London police |
from his name comes the |
slang word "peeler." There were, of |
course. in the eighteenth century. |
sheriffs. constables and bailifs In |
plenty, but these men did nothing IN
he matter Of patrolling the streets |
" of preventing crime. Indeed, for
hose fellows. the more crime the
nerrier. since every crime committed |
meant . goodly harvest Of fees and |
Ups. The scene in Newgate prison
n Lady Betty Martingale" IL said to |
present an accurate picture Of the
Ill jail itself and the customs that OBJ
aimed there. Capital punishment was.
" course, at that time by no means |
Uncommon. And a. the hanging Of q
nan was such an everyday affair, the
'mcials Of the prison. and. indeed,
he prisoners themselves, were in
lined to treat the matter rather
lightly: except. of course, the princf
val actor in the little drama him.
elf. On the night before an execu-
ion the prisoners, in order to keep
lp the spirits Of the condemned man.
ang q rollicking song which was com
'osed by prisoner in Newgate early
n the eighteenth century. This song
vasl discovered by William Furst
While he was arranging the music for
Lady Betty Martingale" and is In
in the scene.
A custom in connection with execu-
Ions at the time came about through
that was doubtless meant to be a
and kindly act on the
art Of one Robert DOVE, who, in 1705,
ave 50 pounds as q fund to have
be bell Of St. Sepulchre's church,
Thich was not far from Newgatel
rison. tolled. through the night.
furthermore the thoughtful DOVE
ave orders that the sexton of the
hurch should go to the door Of the
mans cell at midnight.
Ing q hand-bell and proceed to de-
yer an exhortation which Dove him
elf wrote.
The ''Newgate marriage" UPON
1hich the plot Of Lady Betty Martin
ale" is hinged. was . well-established
lstitution at the middle of the
lghteenth century. Many women of
lrth were married to condemned
riminals either to avoid paying their
ebts-the husband Of course, assum-
e legally the financial responsible
es Of the wife at the moment the
larriage took place-or to avoid com.
locations of Q more romantic ma
ire. The jailers did actually encour-
90 marriages, since the tips paid
? the women to the condemned man
ere, Of course. more likely than not
} find their way into the pocket Of .
rison oficial Immediately the trap
as sprung.
Too Much Style.
why did you leave your boarding