New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1853-07-25
TWO TRUTHFUL PICTURES,
Look on this picture and on that

By II. TIMsS sICNARF.


One afternoon in the summer Of i8-,a large
concourse of persons assembled at the Union
| Course, L.. L., to witness trottng match be-
tween two horses unknown to the world, owned
by private gentlemen who, during dispute
| concerning the relative merits of their nags
had agreed to settle the matter by making a
match between them for one thousand dollars
aside. At opposite ends of the Grand Stand
amid the miscellaneous gathering usually mark
ing such occasions, might have been seen the
owners of the contending horses, surrounded
| by their respective hackers, who were clamor-
GUS for bets, and were willing to lay out their
money to any extent upon their favorites As
one OF the owners aforesaid is to be the promi-
nent figure in this picture, it may not be out Of
place to give short description of his person
| lie was, then, young man about twenty three
years of age, Of medium height, well formed,
and decidedly, as the phrase goes, good looking
that is, there could be no fault found with
his face, taken as whole-hs features were
we'll formed and regular, and his complexion
fresh and ruddy but there was, to close OBJ
server, look Of insincerity in his large dark
eye and tone of mockery in his half affected
laugh. Ills dress, too, was against lim-it
partook largely Of that style characterizing
what are termed at the present day g fast young
men his legs We're encased in pair of fine
cashmere pantaloons, checked with broad
stripes; he wore blue coat with bright buttons
each containing sporting device his vest was
of decidedly tashy cut, and from one of the
button-holes thereof depended very heavy
gold chain, with bunch of charms attached,
prominent among which might have been no.
tced miniature deaths head and cross bones
Such was Charles Oakley-or or at least the per-
son whom We shall call Charles Oakley man
who, through the influence of powerful friends,
had been placed in position which even thus
early in life enabled him to live as though the
wealth of Cr9sus were at his command
Fetch up your horses - was shouted from
the Judges stand, and shortly thereafter the
rival drivers jumped into their respective sui
kics and made their appearance upon the track
Then commenced the hubbub which usually
precedes the word Coz when the ' knowing
ones - were better able to judge of the condition
of their tavorite, from witnessing his prelimi
nary exercises.
"A hundred to eighty on Oakley's mare "
shouted an individual with sinister aspect and
hand full Of bank notes
"Pll take that" answered a sharp featured
specimen of the genus homo, and the money was
accordingly posted.
ed like to lay out about fifty to forty on the
mare observed an ill-looking man, whose face
was covered with carbuncles, and who was
dressed in the height of sporting fashion. His
wager having been accepted, he continued-s.
don't bet so much on the mare as do on her
owners luck though I've no doubt she's got
the foot of the Lorse-for who ever knew Char
ley Oakley to lose q race Well, he oughter
win, for fast man ought to own a fast horse !;
and if he amt a fast man you kin shoot me-
Hes the finest fellow that ever jumped-hes
one of 'em y
1t is not my intention to give description OF
the trot, for anybody curious in such matters
can witness the reality at almost any time, by
taking his way to one of the Long Island courses
My object in giving the conversation above is to
show the estimation in which Charles Oakley is
held by certain class, and | wish now TO ex-
plain in what consisted his claims to such q
title as the q finest fellow that ever jumped"
Oakley won--he generally dd--and after the
race was g all over but the shouting" !" he and his
particular friends took their wsy to a we'll
known sporting house, upon the road, where,
for long time, congratulatory remarks greeted
!, him upon every side, and the corks from
champagne bottles flew in every direction
Oakley did not care for money; he valued it no
' more than the dust beneath his feet, for he had
! never felt the want of it. lie had never known
| what it was to stand i'll need of food or clothing,
or a house to shelter him; nor had the untold
miseries that the poor are forced to endure ever
entered his mind He had but a sorry notion
of right and wrong. If in the excess of his
mirthfulness when heated by wine, he took it
into his head to break few decanters, or floor
an NJ P, or {" -four a nigger, or ill-treat an
unfortunate courtezan, he found that money
was never failing salye for the wounds he in
hcted, and in such cases he used it lavishly If
he succeeded, no matter by what means, in Sc
duciug poor mans daughter, the idea that
money would not make amends for all had never
entered his head; for, although he had never suf-
, fered from poverty, he was aware that his vic
Tins had-he could not appreciate their feelings
under such privations to be sure but as he had
never experienced want which money could
not supply, he imagined that the case must be
the same with them, and accordingly he did not
| stop at Misrepresentation, falsehood or perfdy
to triumph over virtuous poverty. In private
life, he moved in the first circles; for, besides
being man of polished education, his family
as Of the highest respectability, and with arls-
tocrate young ladies in the fashionable world,
his little tOibles, as they were charltahly dis
posed to term them, only served to put the fin
ishng touch to his graces. With them Mr.
Oakley was g a love Of man he was g 81
affable; so courteous, and so dtstingue-wh'
could help liking him" Oakley, viewed in th
circle in which he moved, Twas, as the man witt
the carbuncled face had asserted, " one Of 'em,
but he was only known to one half the world
Let us follow him from the race course to hi
i home magnificent building in Upper Ten
q dom" Here he will consult his wardrobe, fo
his sporting" dress is not his drawing g-rooi
+ dress His toilette complete, let us aceompan
g him to that fashionable sOiret, an invitation
which he has received and there, TO compet
| the picture, let us leave him surrounded b
g beauty and fashion,, wealth and luxury, Il
- observed uf all Observers Turn we now