New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1853-08-13
Daltiinofe Letter.
THE NEw. ORLEANS MATL-FoRT cARRoLI.--AN TX.
EcuTIoN. ETC.
eur.rsrnnnPuee nj ibs q

THE NEws ORLEANS MAIL-FoRT CARRoLL--AN EX-
EcuTIoN, ETC.
eor.tspaHrrnts Of ibs Grrsrtat.
BArTIMoUE, August B.
1t has been such q enlightened time since any
thing in the shape Of a New Orleans paper
reached here that | have almost foregone the
idea Of writing to you, as there seemed little
hope that my epistles would reach you What
have we done-what has New Orleans done
what has any body done - that Uncle Sam
should treat us in this way -Four successive
DAYS have now gone by, and while the papers
from every little out-ofthe-way place come to
hand with provoking regularity, the great
Southern mail is nowhere, and New Orleans
| place entirely cut off from postal communica-
ton with Baltimore and the rest of mankind
| 1t is enough to provoke one to ALTERATION and
make him complain that Uncle Sans mail fa.
cilities are certainly uncertain, aud this certain
uncertainties is not in accordance with the
modern progress of this steam age, and certainly
not to be borne Why don't the press from
Maine to Georgia, (for they are all interested.
do something Why don't they speak out and
give Mr.. Postmaster Campbell such very par
ticular jessy that the equanimity of his temper
may be discomposed, and some Of the overboii.
ings of his wrath fall on the contractors ami
produce reformation of this monstrors abuse
Heally, but the weather's hot and | won't pur.
sue the subject; besides, postmasters are net
postmasters any longer they are only poll,
iicians and not supposed TO be responsible for
their acts.
4 fishing frolic down the Bay recently gave
me an opportunity to examine the massive works
which the Government is erecting for the pro
lection Of Baltimore harbor, and which at their
present rate Of progression may expect to be
iidished any time after the next half century
say 2010 refer to Fort Carroll, named so in
honor of Carroll of Carrolton, one of the sign
ers Of the Declaration of independence. The
Fort is to be built more than mile distant
from the shore, upon a shoal called Sollers
Flats, and commanding the entire river channel
from North Point up to the city. 1t will occupy
several acres in extent, over the most of which
the water has heretofore flowed from II to Is
feet in depth. The foundation has been formed
by driving immense piles into the sandy bottom
These are cut off below the water line, and on
them are laid immense and pondeTous slabs of
Vermont granite, the top of the piling being
groyed so as to prevent the slipping of the slabs
after they are once placed. The interstices be
tween the slabs and piles are filled up with loose
sand and gravel, and the substructure thus
formed is rs solid as an island Of rcak could be
immediately from the deep water of the river.
and will show from their summit the open
mouths of guns sufficiently heavy to make one
discharge etfectual in sinking disabling any
vessel that may dare their power The works
will, throughout, be Of the first class, and, in
connection with the singular position the Fort
occupies, will be one of the wonders Of modern
mechanical achievement But, as said before
with the present extraordinary penuriousness
ayh ind in htrG
is no knowing when it will be done.
The execution to-day in our Jail yard Of the
youthful convict Thomas O'Connor, for the
murder of Capt. Hutchinson, had in an extra
dash of the horrible by the breaking Of the
rope by which he was suspended The boy, un-
der the mnistrations Of the Catholic priest who
had faithfully attended him, had become recon
ciled to his doom, penitent, and apparently
ready for the leap into eternity to which his
crime and the finding Of the law had adiudged
him, At the appointed hour this morning, he
walked firmly to the place Of execution, mount
ed the scafold, and after receiving the extreme
rites of his Church was left standing alone On
the fatal plank. The bolt was drawn, the tran
fell, aud the criminal shot rapidly through the
narrow opening. But a culpable careles.ness
had selected an unfit rope-it broke under the
powerful strain, and the poor fellow was pre-
cipitated some twenty feet to the ground He
fell on his knees and forward, but almost in
stantly his consciousness and exclaimed " am
not guilty of murder in the first degree; this |
ought TO satisfy you" He then continued in |
partially incoLerent sentences 70 utter appeals |
to the Virgin Mary and to his Savior for inter. |
cession and mercy, and to bewail his fate, &C. |
casionally breaking out into EXPLANATIONS that |
be had seen his Saviors fac, and asking to |
go up there pointing tothe scatfold) s.again /
The scene was an affecting and horrible one |
such as it is hoped may never be allowed to oc- |
cur again at public execution After half an |
hours delay another rope was adjusted, the |
prisoner mounted the scaffold and was again |
swung off, and this time the laws fiat was sue. |
cessfully executed. Some eight or ten thousand |
persons witnessed the execution, the gallows be-
ing so erected as to show above the walls of lie |
Jail The prisoners in the Penitentiary nd |
Joining were among the spectators, blackening |
the roofs of their dormitories and work SHOPS |
IN the effort to obtain good view
Many are of opinion that the breaking Of the
rope was matter of management on the part
Of the Sheriff, who thus hoped to Obtain Il re-
prieye or pardon for the halt-strangled prisoner,
when 1t was known he was exceedingly un-
willing TO execute. Immediately On the brenk- |
ing Of the rope he dispatched an express to the |
Governor, but that gentleman had left the city,
and the execution therefore had to go on.
OBSERVER