Days and Nights in London; Or, Studies in Black and GrayRitchie, J. Ewing (James Ewing)
History
Days and Nights in London; Or, Studies in Black and Gray
Ritchie, J. Ewing (James Ewing)
London (England) -- Social conditions; London (England) -- Social life and customs
“Yes, to go to the Alexandra Palace. We left my place about a quarter to
three o’clock, and just had time for a drink at the public-house next
door to where I am living. We had two half-quarterns of whisky neat. I
there changed a sovereign. We then walked up the Holloway Road, and I
called on my father-in-law. He asked me to stop to tea, but I said I was
engaged to go to the Palace. Deceased and I then got as far as The Manor
House, where we had two glasses of bitter beer. We went on farther to
The Queen’s Head, which is the next public-house, and had some more
drink. From there we went to Hornsey, stopped at a public-house, and had
some whisky. We stopped again at The Nightingale, and had
half-a-quartern of whisky each. We could see the Palace from where we
then were, but did not know how to get there. We inquired the way, and
as we were going along we met the deceased’s younger brother, with a lot
of other boys, and we said a few words to them. Afterwards we went into
a public-house just opposite the Palace gates, and had either some brandy
or whisky, I don’t know which. We got chaffing with the man at the
pay-office, saying that he ought to let us in at half-price, as it was so
late, but he did not do so. We paid one shilling each to go in. We went
into the building and strolled about, looking at different things, and
had three pints of bitter ale at one of the stands. We then walked about
again, and afterwards had some brandy. We then began to get rather
stupefied, and after waiting about a little longer we had some more
brandy. I know we stopped at almost every buffet there was in the
Palace, and had something to drink at each of them. The lights were
being put out as we left the Palace. Deceased had hold of my arm, and we
went up to one of the buffets for the purpose of getting some cakes, or
something to eat, but the barmaid refused to serve us. Deceased said to
me, ‘I feel rather tidy, Joe,’ so I took hold of his arm, but in moving
away we both fell over some chairs. We left the Palace, and deceased
said to me, ‘Have you got any money?’ I said, ‘Yes; what I have got you
are welcome to.’ I then gave him a two-shilling piece, out of my purse,
which he put with the money he already had of his own. It must have been
very late then. We lost our way, but I think I said to the deceased,
‘This is the way we came in.’ Then we both fell down again. I don’t
remember getting away from there, or how I left deceased. I remember
nothing else that took place. I don’t know how we got on the steps of
the Grand Stand. I cannot remember seeing the boy Braybrook, nor how I
got out of the grounds, or to my own home.”
“You say that you were drunk?”
“Yes, we were both drunk, almost before we got to the Palace.”
“You say that the deceased was also drunk?”
“Yes.”
“You don’t remember leaving the deceased upon the ground?”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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