New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1852-04-10
The Astor Place Riots.

CONFESSION OF ANDREW STEyENs.-The NewYork Police
Gazette of last week contains the long promised state
ment of stepcns the jeweler whose name in
nection with that OF the FORESTS has been the last
three years freely used by the press the public and the
lawyers engaged in the mutpcous ltgaions that have
of these affairs The statement occupies three
columns of the Gazette and copyrighted though the
press will be at liberty to publish it after to-day The
Express furnishes the following the substance OF the
statement:
We do not think state the matter too broadly when
say that in the article before us which us author
heads Secret History of the Aston Place Riot with
Gmpses at the Forrest Divorce Case by Andrew
the writer comedies that he active agent IN bring
the month Of May 1S49 One expression to this effect il
in these words. 1T is well known my being devoted
and sincere friend of Forrest during the riots and during
those trials also He than merely nsnuates where
money used for the purpose of packing the house on
the nights of the riots which he said he had and used
came from Mr. +. throughout he represents as being
exceedingly exacerbated against Mr. Macready.
He goes into the details of the preparations for driving
Mr. NJ. from the stage-a preliminary meeting Of athe
wherea 1t found impossible to get up the requisite
enthusasm-en the publication and circulation of parts
of Mr. Macreadys speech the stage referring to par
ties and neutrality-suspicious. against him of surring
the democratic party "-purchasing tickets providing
money, (which plentifully supplied, -preparing
lnfanmatory banners to be used in the theatre and
supposed to be fond Of perfume it provided Literally
in the shape of three four dozen bottles of new kind
then goes to show what instructions were given to the
predetermnate dturbers of the on the rst night
to kick up such that nothing could be heard but
to violence The throwing OF the chairs at MI.
Macreadys head Mr. Stevens represents as not having
been contemplated by him his assistants in getting
that demonstration
To the issuing of the Cardn signed by some of Mr.
friends asking him to re-appear Mr. Stevens attr
the whole of what followed the fatal 10th May
1t taken up he says. by certain set as defiance
by the upper ten and English interests combined
and he significantly adds all sorts of rumors raised
and ndustrousy circulated purposey to keep up that
impression" The flame thus kndled, and kept alive,
gathered strength hourly to the night Of
fomance when burst out in violence and wrath Mean
time however Mr. Stevens says he importuned to
induce Mr. Forrest to out in Card appealing to
his friends to push the thing no farther and thus to pre-
vent the consequences that all saw were impending Mr.
Forrest not for the moment in the city, but some
three Of his fiends being consulted deemed
it unadvsable that he should do so On Capt Rynders
rest the writer of the " Secret History says:
~ told him (Rynders) was satisfied it would be no
use ask him ) to do any thing of the kind knowing
the bitter hatred he bora Macready and his resentment
at the signcrs the card of invitation but would
him notwithstanding did go to the theatre he had
Just returned from the country; my message was dev
cred the result as anticipated He was niexiblc
If half the city to have been sacrificed the
pose at his heart think, would not have been changed
came back with heavy heart and thought most Sc
rously whether it best at all hazards to issue
card in his If turned out well. it would be
glorious move, which he in his cooler moments might
sanction he might repudiate it, weak invention
of the enemy | believe it would have been done, haG
there time and could printer have been then pro
cured who could have been trusted with such move
ment 1t was not dome and the bloody and disastrou
result is continually before me- when think that posi-
bly, all those lives might have been spared If it
been done the proper time, it would have saved MI
from many sad reflection, that however remotely wa
possibly instrument in the sacrifice OF so many limo
cent people for the qualification Of bitter persona
| feud -
Mr. stevenss remarks upon his leaving town to avoid
subpoena in the Forrest Divorce Case-the pur
sued towards him in connection with the affair, by tn
counsel the defendant-his statement relative to tn
money transactions between him and Mr. Forrest out
which the reports against Mr. Stevenss integr
arose. concerning all of which transactions be goes int
an exculpatory detal-and his personal commentarie
upon Mr. Forests character and conduct occupy lar
portion of this remarkable statement.
AS to Mr. Stevens's own position in this matter. W
must say that We do not how the authorities wit
these statements before them very gracefully avoi
taking the requisite steps to have them duly authent
Gated the basis of such action shall tend to the VII
dication Of the laws. grossly fatally outraged.