The Washington herald., 1918-08-10

New York, Aug. 9.-The Little
Stock Exchange" on the Bowery is
closed on account of the war. 1t has
been the resort for a quarter century
or more for street beggars. bunco
men, light-fingered gentry, broken
down fiddlers and other takers.
Behind the dirty panes of a dirtier
shop more suits of clothes have been
sold at the little exchange for 80 cents
and 81 than in any other spot in the
country. The clothes were especially
patched to meet the needs of the
hours donned the castofs and went
uptown with crutches or smoked
glasses to lure sympathetic pennies
into their tin cups
II was at the little exchange" that
the police began their round up under
, the work-or-fight regulations. The
disposition of the uptown public to
patronize smoked glasses that pass for
blindness. or the crippled whose cff-
leg is tied to his back has also dwin-
died and the Bowery colony has sur
rendered to the horrors of toll
Back rooms on the Bowery are de-
serted. "One Legged Louie" has un-
tied his hidden leg. and was march
ed off to Jail to work or fight. Dago
Joe has parted from his hand organ
that invariably played Sweet Marie"
! and Kohn Dalmas. legal adviser of
the exchange, who borrowed his sur
name from a lawyer Of prominence.
has been busy advising. for the price
of cigar or no fee at all, what con-
stitues a legal occupation.
In the scattering of the clan no one
noticed the passing of a character of
long standing. "Tennyson of the
| Bowery," reported to be a graduate of
an English university. whose poetic
improvisations kept him alive at tho
expense Of Summers for many years.
The little exchange" was the most
celebrated haunt of takers in the
world. At night, after the days beg
ging had been finished. the patrons
sat around in a poorly lighted back
room and gossIped. They joked over
! the way they fooled gullible public.
One OF the last persons seen at the
exchange was Dan the Sore" the re-
pulsive appellation by which he was
| known. He used a chemical solution
on his arm that kept it red and raw
all the time. He told pitifully on
Broadway how he was the victim Of
an explosion and for those who doubt
ed he lifted up the bandages to re-
veal the unsightly arm.
The colorfuI war classic. anent the
| ebony recruit who spurned the
cavalry because a horse would inn
pede his retreat. has been prolific OF
sequel in New York.
Following his refusal to mount a
horse. a recruiting officer suggested
| aviation to the applicant. Initial
delight, followed by profound gloom
and the following remark:
This we're av-yation might be aw-
| right but not fo' me. boss. 'Spose I'm
UP in a aereyoplane and engine stops.
I can hear white man say:
'Niggah, you get out and crank
up this machine"
If a certain actor had accompanied
party of round the
other night he would have been either
thrilled or embarrassed. After the
theater the party went to the Wal
dorf roof and saw one OF the actor 8
former wives the center OF a gay,
laughing party. The next stop was at
the Astor roof where there was an
| other former wife OF the same actor
dining with handsome young gal
liant who danced divinely and at the
last stop on the Majestic roof was
the third former wife giving a dinner
to several women and two French
army officers. 1t was hard to tell
which was the most beautiful. They
all seemed happy. 1t is remindful
of another actor who went TO another
theater than his own to see a play.
He was seated next to a former wife
and her husband. They all chatted
pleasantly together and later supped
together. A strange town-this New
York.