The Montreal Herald 15 October 1894
RIVERFRONT DENS
-Two of them wide open on Sunday
-French Mary's described
-Girl waiters at the European
-No attempt made to keep the open defiance of the law secret
It is no secret that there are scores of places in Montreal where intoxicating liquor can be bought on Sunday. But it is done, as a rule, so quietly and the places are so well kept that, it would appear, the authorities have decided not to interfere even though it it strictly against the law.
No such excuses as these can, however, be made for the flagrant manner in which two large whiskey dives are thrown open to the public of Montreal on the Sabbath day. Week in and week out these two dives are crowded with men of all classes, young men who hold positions in business houses, men whose sole aim in life is to sit and guzzle the rot that is there sold, men whose earnings can be spent before they leave port again and worse than all, boys who are mere children but who succeed in getting 'the price' to satisfy these 'river leeches,' for such they are celled by the major portion of their patrons - the sailors.
The two places are thus designated by the city director
European Hotel, H. Hogaert (?) proprietor
Thos. Burdette Proprietor Liverpool house.
F
or several Sundays past a Herald representative has paid a visit to these places and each time the openness with which the traffic was carried on is more apparent.
Leaving the upper portions of the city of churches, whose doors had just been thrown open ad the close of a day's worship, the organs peeling forth their benediction, the Herald reporter soon reached the neighborhood of a portion of the city's disgrace- corner St. Gabriel and Commissioners. Here the two places mentioned were found wide open and doing a ''rushing business'
The Liverpool house was the first place visited. At the door ten cents each is asked and you are given a ticket good for one meal; the ticket, however, is good for anything. As brandy and soda and a glass of lager were the first things ordered, and these cost five cents, the twenty cents already paid being taken off the total amount twenty-five cents.
Then it was plain sailing.
Drinks came fast and furious and there was any number of people who appeared anxious to buy us 'the poison.' At the end of the room sat "French Mary" herself; she works hard, of that there is no doubt. For years she has presided over this den and last night was in one of her happiest moods; business was good and the coin kept rolling in as her customers gradually grew drunker.
There were probably seventy-five people there at 9 o'clock; they were sitting in crowds of five or six around small tables, and these tables were never free of glasses. The moment the drink was consumed more was ordered, except occasionally when a man took a cigar. Pipes seemed to be the favorite and the smoke was so dense that one could hardly see across the large room. In one corner is a small room frequently visited by the drunkards and from which came that stench that surely before now should have aroused the health authorities. Every now and then a glass of beer or brandy would be spilled on the sawdust covered floor and bits of fat meat were to be seen under the chairs, thrown there by those who were foolish enough to think that they must be a lunch because they paid ten cents for a ticket.
This, then, is a fair description of the place in which seventy five human beings were pouring down their throats the vilest of drinks, here they sat and cursed and laughed; here the busy waiters rushed from table to table and here "French Mary' stood with demoniacal mile on her face, as the wealth poured into her coffers.
And all this on the Sabbath.
One of the saddest signs of this is the presence of a girl who not many months ago must have been as fair as an angel now she churns with the foulest of men and spends her days in an atmosphere that is killing to both soul and body.
While the night's festivities were at their best or worst, a young sailor staggers from his eat and started for the floor. From his pocket produces a quart bottle of something, it looked like gin, and French Mary with an eagleness of eye that would shame Hallen Mostyn started after the youth. Her cries did not stop him, but she caught him near the door and in language that would shame even the worst of men, told him he was a fool, at the same time snatching at the bottle. "Don't you know you'll have me pulled and fined $20?" she screamed and he replied, "That'sh all right."
At the back of the large room are a number of smaller apartments where the better class of men sit and drink. There is no difficulty in getting into the rooms if you are dressed a little better than the average attendant' even at the street door it doesn't seem to be necessary to get the lunch ticket.
Towards twelve o'clock the dive is gradually forsaken by all but those who are not able to go of their own accord; these are unceremoniously led to the door, pushed out onto St. Gabriel Street, the key is turned and another Sabbath's work is over.
Of the European "hotel" on the opposite corner almost the same story may be told. In the daytime on Sunday its patrons are admitted by the Commissioners Street entrance. It is kept closed, but a knock brings the proprietor for his assistant to the little curtained window in the door. He assures himself that the men are all right - just how no one know- and they are admitted. But when everything comes all this is done away with. The Gt. Gabriel Street door is thrown wide open and the flaming light attracts the victims who have not already a knowledge of the place where Sunday liquor selling is winked at by those whose duty it is to carry out the law.
In an upper room of "The European" the crowd is still large. This may be accounted for by the fact that there are pretty girl waiters. A rushing business is done here in beer, ale, brandy, whiskey, gin and a five-cent sandwich which is seldom eaten. The crowd is a good natured one and spends its money freely. It goes there Sunday after Sunday and no one questions its right. The public walk to and fro- occasionally an unfortunate drunk is thrown out to them and he is safely landed behind the bars. Then the policeman's work is ended.
RIVERFRONT DENS
-Two of them wide open on Sunday
-French Mary's described
-Girl waiters at the European
-No attempt made to keep the open defiance of the law secret
It is no secret that there are scores of places in Montreal where intoxicating liquor can be bought on Sunday. But it is done, as a rule, so quietly and the places are so well kept that, it would appear, the authorities have decided not to interfere even though it it strictly against the law.
No such excuses as these can, however, be made for the flagrant manner in which two large whiskey dives are thrown open to the public of Montreal on the Sabbath day. Week in and week out these two dives are crowded with men of all classes, young men who hold positions in business houses, men whose sole aim in life is to sit and guzzle the rot that is there sold, men whose earnings can be spent before they leave port again and worse than all, boys who are mere children but who succeed in getting 'the price' to satisfy these 'river leeches,' for such they are celled by the major portion of their patrons - the sailors.
The two places are thus designated by the city director
European Hotel, H. Hogaert (?) proprietor
Thos. Burdette Proprietor Liverpool house.
For several Sundays past a Herald representative has paid a visit to these places and each time the openness with which the traffic was carried on is more apparent.
Leaving the upper portions of the city of churches, whose doors had just been thrown open ad the close of a day's worship, the organs peeling forth their benediction, the Herald reporter soon reached the neighborhood of a portion of the city's disgrace- corner St. Gabriel and Commissioners. Here the two places mentioned were found wide open and doing a ''rushing business'
The Liverpool house was the first place visited. At the door ten cents each is asked and you are given a ticket good for one meal; the ticket, however, is good for anything. As brandy and soda and a glass of lager were the first things ordered, and these cost five cents, the twenty cents already paid being taken off the total amount twenty-five cents.
Then it was plain sailing.
Drinks came fast and furious and there was any number of people who appeared anxious to buy us 'the poison.' At the end of the room sat "French Mary" herself; she works hard, of that there is no doubt. For years she has presided over this den and last night was in one of her happiest moods; business was good and the coin kept rolling in as her customers gradually grew drunker.
There were probably seventy-five people there at 9 o'clock; they were sitting in crowds of five or six around small tables, and these tables were never free of glasses. The moment the drink was consumed more was ordered, except occasionally when a man took a cigar. Pipes seemed to be the favorite and the smoke was so dense that one could hardly see across the large room. In one corner is a small room frequently visited by the drunkards and from which came that stench that surely before now should have aroused the health authorities. Every now and then a glass of beer or brandy would be spilled on the sawdust covered floor and bits of fat meat were to be seen under the chairs, thrown there by those who were foolish enough to think that they must be a lunch because they paid ten cents for a ticket.
This, then, is a fair description of the place in which seventy five human beings were pouring down their throats the vilest of drinks, here they sat and cursed and laughed; here the busy waiters rushed from table to table and here "French Mary' stood with demoniacal mile on her face, as the wealth poured into her coffers.And all this on the Sabbath.
One of the saddest signs of this is the presence of a girl who not many months ago must have been as fair as an angel now she churns with the foulest of men and spends her days in an atmosphere that is killing to both soul and body.
While the night's festivities were at their best or worst, a young sailor staggers from his eat and started for the floor. From his pocket produces a quart bottle of something, it looked like gin, and French Mary with an eagleness of eye that would shame Hallen Mostyn started after the youth. Her cries did not stop him, but she caught him near the door and in language that would shame even the worst of men, told him he was a fool, at the same time snatching at the bottle. "Don't you know you'll have me pulled and fined $20?" she screamed and he replied, "That'sh all right."
At the back of the large room are a number of smaller apartments where the better class of men sit and drink. There is no difficulty in getting into the rooms if you are dressed a little better than the average attendant' even at the street door it doesn't seem to be necessary to get the lunch ticket.
Towards twelve o'clock the dive is gradually forsaken by all but those who are not able to go of their own accord; these are unceremoniously led to the door, pushed out onto St. Gabriel Street, the key is turned and another Sabbath's work is over.
Of the European "hotel" on the opposite corner almost the same story may be told. In the daytime on Sunday its patrons are admitted by the Commissioners Street entrance. It is kept closed, but a knock brings the proprietor for his assistant to the little curtained window in the door. He assures himself that the men are all right - just how no one know- and they are admitted. But when everything comes all this is done away with. The Gt. Gabriel Street door is thrown wide open and the flaming light attracts the victims who have not already a knowledge of the place where Sunday liquor selling is winked at by those whose duty it is to carry out the law.
In an upper room of "The European" the crowd is still large. This may be accounted for by the fact that there are pretty girl waiters. A rushing business is done here in beer, ale, brandy, whiskey, gin and a five-cent sandwich which is seldom eaten. The crowd is a good natured one and spends its money freely. It goes there Sunday after Sunday and no one questions its right. The public walk to and fro- occasionally an unfortunate drunk is thrown out to them and he is safely landed behind the bars. Then the policeman's work is ended.
There's a passage near the top that insinuates that the sailors are having sex with young male prostitutes.Interesting.
ReplyDelete-Jack the Dropout
It]s hard to find a good bar in Montreal these days!
ReplyDelete