The Literary echo, and Pawcatuck advertiser. [volume] (Westerly, R.I.) 1851-1854, 1851-09-11
New York Correspondence.
New York. Sept 8, 1851.

Nc" i"'"' p'Pt', i0'i'
To the Editors of the Literary Echo:-
The great local topic of excitement, last
week, was the consignment of John Bolden,
by Commissioner Nelson, of this city, to a
life of scrvitude under the lash cf q South
ern taskmaster. IF q negro once comes
within the jurisdiction OF commissioner
in this city, he may as well consider his
case as settled for his chance Of escape is
but little better than is that of q tenant of
a slave hut con the banks of the old
Pedcc." There is no other Northern city
with such decided Southern predictions
as New York. 1t is cmphatically a
Northern city with Southern principles :;
or perhaps more properly no principles at
all save those cnsendcred by interest; and
therefore for fear Of injuring her CONNER
cial relations with the South her authori-
ties have very little hcsitancy in consigning
fellow being to the horrors Of life III
South Carolina cotton field
Broadway begins to look like itself again.
The fashionable and business world are
returning from their summer haunts with
renewed energies for winters campai IN
of folly and fiippcry. The exquisite,
bearded like a pard," and "perfumod
like q millincr'-thc slender dcmoisellc,
with pcndulous swing, and trailing skirt
drawn Just far enough to show the mouse
like feet playing at hidc-and-seek beneath
the stately dowager, with fuller bust and
broader swoep-may now be seen of II
pleasant afternoon taking their accustomed
promenade, ogling one another and turning
up their dainty noses at the vulgar caaailIs
which may happen to cross their track.
Never, before, within the memory of
the " Oldest inhabitant," has there been so
large number of capital cases for trial
before the courts of this city in the same
length Of time, as there is for this present
month. There arc seven persons, Of both
sexes, to be arraigncd before tho Court of
Oyer s. Tcrmincr, during the present month
for murder and manslaughter. All of these
crimes have been committed within the
three months last past There are now in
tho Tombs' four persons who have been
committed of murder, and will in very
short time cXpiatc their offences On the
gallows. There is something startling in
these facts. What can be the cause of so
much crime and what the remedy /:
These are questions which the advocates
and opposcrs of capital punishment have
long been discussing, but without having
as yet arrived at satisfactory conclusion
1t certainly does seem as if crime was
epidemic. Sometimes in this city we have
long exemption from murder and again
We are almost daily startled by the recital
of some narrowing tale of blood-shed
During the past six months, there has
probably been twice Or thrice the average
number of wilful homicides committed in
this city. But it is to be hoped that this
is not proof that tho city is lapsing into
state of total dcpravity. Some three
or four years of ago there was one of these
spells of crinc which continued for some
six months; but after the storm there
came calm, and for three or four months
there was not cease" in the city, and
the pcnny-a-liners were almost in dispair
for shocking murder" Or Il "horriblc
bloodshcd," of which to make an /" "itcm."
OF course, as the population of the city
Increases it is not to be wondered at that
crime increases; especially when it is
taken into consideration that much of the
increase is by the influx of foreigners,
many of whom arc the ofl5courings of the
country whence they came and dcspcradocs
who left their country for their country's
good.