The Washington herald., 1921-11-10
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NEW YORK. Nov. s.-The last Of
the old Bowery Is disappearing.
John clapp's Bowery Inn IL soon to
be dismantled. Among streets Of the
world the Bowery has been the
veriest drab. nittIe OF Its hideous
color remains. It has its poverty,
its pawnshops, its rescue missions
and cheap shops ard army Of human
derelicts but much OF the vice that
once marked II has vanished.
Gone are The Bucket Of Blood.
Suicide Hall, Niger Mike Gala
hans, The Flea, bag, Gumbossy-s.
The Doctors, The Greasy Dish and
many more lethal dives where muir
der was the nightly diversion and no
waiter inexpert in the use Of choral
drops could hold q Job.
There are mary new characters
on the Bowery but the Potter's
Field is the resting place Of Schuy-
Ter Van Ness, the Bowery dude; Dan
the Fiddler; Ike the Knob; Slippery
Ole Jutt, who picked q mayors
pocket, and many others who -FOUR
lsned In days gone.
Sloppy Mag McUnskey, Tin Can
CushmaL4 Steve Brodie, Chuck Con-
ners-all with reporter made repu-
tations-have passed on to new
havens. Sunday writer's will say
the Bowery. Is growing good It
makes good copy but the Bowery
remains a dark. gloomy street Of
hallowed memories. In early days
1t was a section OF pleasant Dutch
farms, windins,- fiaEstoLed walks,
gardens Of old fashioned flowers,
blue eyed Dutch maidens, wide
grassy spaces and much sylvan
beauty and peace.
But that was long ago. There
remain gambling houses and boot
Logging toiLts. cellar dives, nickle
theaters. freak shows and gunman's
hangouts. 1t is not strictly speak
ing a slum anymore, however. This
Is due to sheerly economic reasons.
Merchants Of good repute have
fiocked there.
Yet the Bowery still stands for
poverty and the black despair that
comes upon men who have gnawed
the bitter fruit of/failure. In the
evening in the dim lit rs cent lodg-
ing houses one may see through the
windows faces that have lost hope,
eyes that are lustreless and brood
ing and tottering human wrecks
who await emotiorless the last
great adventure.
On Lexington avenue hangs the
following gilded sign: For Sale,
Pekingese Pups. May be seen by
appointment" And across from the
Grand Central Is a sign which reads
"All Kinds of Ice Cold Milk" Incl
dentally there are thirty-three res
taurants in the four blocks sur
rounding the station ard at least .
dozen eateries in the station.
This tragedy has come under my
personal observation. An aristo-
cratic English woman who has
spent ter years in China is in New
York enroute back to China with
her husband and Chinese maid.
Twice when have been in the
neighborhood where they are
quartered the Chinese Alma has
run screaming from the house IN
frenzy of fear. MY mistress" she
babbles beat me-" Several times
l havs seen them riding in an open
III lhC bHOpplhB IT,
The mistress became an opium
smoker. When she comes out of the
unreal world Of dreams she be-
comes maniacal.' The hell OF poppy
land is too much for frail nerves.
The maid, to her disordered mind,
represents the dark and devious
ways that led to her downfall.
1t was rather cruel of william
Collier to introduce Sir Harry
Lauder at a New York banquet as
our close friend" Lauder. seems
to have lost none OF his democratic
ways since being knighted: He has
been packing a New York theater
nightly and in the AFTERNOON his
Scotch plaid = cap and pipe are
familiar figures along the theatrical
belt.