The daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1848-1851, 1848-09-12
DAILY CRESCENT.

scenes OF wee ana corruption tll2t may he Witnessed
in every city extent corresponding with lis
prosperity wealth and population Here is
extract
It is within an hour OF daylight. A Policeman
stands at the low door and seeing that we are
connected with the press. OIL RS 40 obstacle 10
our entrance. Some tine he may have a case y
which lie has been paid for Suppressrng-and then
we NAV he of use 20 him. We enter and crepe our
way with difficulty, stumbling here and there over
"A sleeping Watchman, and making slowly toward
dun and distant gmmering light. Approaching,
see a dark lantern held SO that IFS single raw
! may Illuminate the corrugated face and CHASTITY
aIeclaces OF the police magistrate, who Is doing up
the l0alers and caferesses in squads. The re"esses
OF the damp, UNIV wholesome apartment are filled With
drunken men and Women found helpless III the
street, with night-hrawlers and disturbers of the
| public peace, and with young boys and girls who
have been caught asleep cellar doors, or are Slls
peced of the horrible crime OF stealing Junk bottles
| and old iron! The very lowest and most brutal
! form OF human deprav lily may here he seen In all
its horrors-and the most horrible sight OF all Is the
! bear-eyed, drunken woman, arrested for robb!ng
! her paramOur or for quarreng with her compan-
| ions the Points and waiting her turn, among
| negro men and women, thieves and Nagab0nds, OF
! every age and quality, 10 be taken care OF N
| that tender and aectlOnaie manner Iii which so
Gle V IN the habit OF providing Tor such OF her
| children as cannot take care Of themselves Our
| magistrate has work enough to provide all these
unfortunates with comfortable quarters; either on
! BIachWell's island or III the Drunkars' Room, and
| IL is necessary that lie should begin be1meS, and
| proceed by summary measures. As each is
called the Waterman whose list Ii Is comes tor
| ward. gives wink at WCrmeaien Bible on the
desk AMI proceeds relate MS side OF the story.
This is all that the magistrate has time to listen to-
| The miserable creature who has fallen into the
! Wa,chmans clutches is at once committed and hur-
, ried away If he has money, he may manage well
! enough with tie Waterman, and make his escafa
| at But if not he must go to Quod and wait
next day for the visits Vi the slyster l&Wyers-a
SET Of turkey buZzards whose touch Is pollution.
| aud whose breath is pestllence. II the prisoner,
however, has neither money friends Justice is
rigid and uncompromlsng. No shyster dlSturbs his
drunken medltarions, and no keeper alleVIaes the
agonies of returning sobriety. Thrown bowling
and Infatuated INTO d yard filled with Wreiches like
| himself. they aid each others attempts al demon
! ism. until the whole place becomes shudderIng
| hell. The women cramned INTO long, lamp
| less corridor. and lie huddled up III their rags
againsr the bare stone walls. rave in hdeous
| fury 10 and fro until their strength is exhausted
! and they fall prone upon the floor.
! This is the mere tancy-Work Of the iOmbs.
Later in the morning. the real business OF the day
begins up stairs. The Judge, as the understrap
pers Of the Office and the reporters always take care
| 10 style him, has taken his seat, with we'll
! banked clerk on either side. And now, open the
doors OF your cages, worthy policemen. and drive
| your wild animals into the ring Here they come
| An appalling company giaring upon us with iero-
cots eyes. or iivid TIE hue OF death. Save the
! outline, not a ray trace of humanity can We
| discover in them all. Driven by remOrseless hun
| ger despair, or the goadngs of unnatural and
consuming appees. they have debauched every
| human feeling and instinct out of their very being.
Full half Of them Women and, with the excep-
ton that they charged with graver offences the
| present company. both male and female, are for
the most mere Counterparts OF the gang We saw at
,.,-lr nd of aaito .Iar tn
await their trial at the Court of Sessions. Occa-
| sionally. however. We-dressed SWlnGler who has
robbed his Employer forged his friends name. or
! a still handsome woman OF the town, may be seen
! in The public dock. BIT generally all such
able, i'll way or another. to secure eNamlna-
lion III the private room, Or as the indignant re-
| porers when they not permitted to share the
spos) term it, the = Star Chamber. In this room,
| Justice raIlsacts business upon a splendid scale.
Every thing i. acceptable, and nothing comes amlss,
from the cool thousand in veritabe mopusses 10 the
canary-bird the broadclolh cloak Of some poor
devil, hitherto 9 Respectable, but who has blum
dereh INTO unsuccessful speculation. Here too,
! the handsome and dashng Cyprians who have been
| complained Of for " touching "a country merchant.
| Il parish clergyman, or green Congressman on his
way home, receive the honors of private examln-
alton before The Judge himself. BY the way,
| our country friends, the merchant, clergyman and
Congressman aforesaid, will bear us out in the
| sertlOn that these generally terminate with
the arrest of the irall deceiNer, and the announce
ment on the part of the sympahzing officer, that
- tke money has moi been recovered" Sometimes,
! if the amount is large. and a NUS would per
haps lead 10 lnconvenient Investigations. the We
tim gets half Of it back again, cut Of which he glad
| ~ pays that = interchangeable and efficient officer A.
/ 3 =. ID. f.. F. &. Smith, five dollars for Els Nou-
| lie, and sneaks oh about his business.
! People APT to imagine that a thief, or 4 Wo-
| man who robs a rich customer makes g thriving
| business of it--bn, they do not know all Tie
| drawbacks and discounts 10 whrh poor thief is
| subjected before being permitted 10 get clear OF the
Tonl,S with his prey d very serious and rnouS
| reduction of his profits. What with the sub-rosa
| lion slice for the -. the graf lily to the Gtten-
live clerks and the open bribery It the % GERS and
reporters. lthe latter only admitted in Of re-
specabiiiIy and social pos ItIon) think, after all
| that we had rather he member Of TIE . Exterior
| Board IN Wall street than genteei iilet.
! If you would know what is the extreme of hui
man degradation and misery, visit the Tombs, and
take walk through It's various ranges OF cells and
| apartments. You may, perhaps, not be especially
shocked at the condition of the inmates of the cells
! along the aristOCraIlc corridors, where the
torgers, murderers and genfeel sWlndlers con
| fined They allowed bedlnen and books, and
may, If they choose, keep themselves clearly and
comfortable. But wait Lei Us open this great
gate ana step INTO the cattle yard, where are herd
| ed the mise rabe wr.tches who have oeen found
| guilty % drunkenness and starvation. Or. Il you
still survive. let Us 90 into the female deuartmen,
and hear the drunken. bloatsd, diseased white and
black women cursing and disappearing : Then re-
member that ali these Inonstrous creatures were
born with pure. beautiful. womanly sonls. and that
the chances are nine hundred and ninety mine IN a
! thousand that they were driven TO their present
condition by stary ation and the wIes OF some heart
less man-viaiI. and that they alone are punished,
! Willie the man goes ireland you have humanity
| before Won IN is most demonIaC aspect-Its most
revolving manifestation.
nv Among other bulls which Miss Edgewort
bring forward or leads forth by the capital
points. for the support Of her positions IS a nd'ts
compliment Of Frenchman, which, she says,
wonld have been called bull II 1t had been found
| in Ireland A gentleman was comp Imentng Mad
anne Denis on the manner in which she had just
acted lara ITO act that part, said she = per-
son must be young and handsome . All Nlad-
anne - replied the compmeE'er nn'renent, = you
IRE cnrnnlnte rrnnf Of The cnnfrnrv -