From the November 27, 1899 edition of the New York Sun:

There was a small insurrection yesterday outside of the Newsboys’ Lodging House in Duane street, caused, as it appears, by fresh paint. Robert Gibson, 15 years old, called at The Sun office last night and gave out this official statement on behalf of the insurgents:

“Every Sunday they open the doors at 1 o’clock in the afternoon and let us in so that we can use the gymnasium and get out of the cold. To-day we were froze out. They didn’t open the door at 1 o’clock but kept us out ll day. The dudes that pay 10 cents a night got in. We only pay five cents. There’s only a few dudes. We got bunk to-night. Every Sunday night they have a meeting and ladies come to hear us sing. To-night we all stayed out and wouldn’t come in when they opened the doors and there was only about six of the dudes at meeting. There were sixty of us who stayed out.”

Supt. Heig said last night that the boys were kept out of the lodging house during the day because the walls of the stairways had been freshly painted and a number of the boys when they left the place yesterday morning had amused themselves by rubbing their hands on the new paint and then making figures with the paint on the windows and doors.

“There were only about twenty of those who revolted,” said Mr. Heig. “The boys will receive all their former privileges as soon as the paint dries.”