The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1855-10-22

Monday Morning, October 22, s55.
LIFE IN NEW YORK.
Arrest Of the sDiscipIes of Free Lave.,


| Last night there was great excitement in the
| rooms of tho freeIovers at No. 55J Broadway,
which will long be remembered by all the disciples
| OF this brotherhood. The rooms were as crowded
AZ the best friends of this society could wish, and
the treasurers box was well filed with initiation
fees.
The gratuitous advertisements which have been
given TO these "free1overs" In some of the public
papers had the effect of calling an immense crowd
TO the rooms last night aud truly every class was
| represented These advertisements gave the pub
lie the idea that this society was particularly char
acterized by great bcnevolence, virtue aud morali-
~ both on the part of women and men, and the in
itiatcd went there last night for their usual enter
! taininent, and the curious went there
| For flirting, dancing, masking &c.
Long before the hour of opening the door the
whole sidewalk in front of the entrance to the CO.
veted chambers up FIVE flights of stairs was janmed
| with vs:ters waiting for the door TO open
| The crowd gradually increased until it extended
into the street. across the street and on the other
| sidewalk, numbering two three thousand citi
| zeilS, VINO mad all OF n sudden been taken with
passional attraction for the free lovers entertain
| nent. The consequence was that soon as the
| doors were opened there was great rush up
| stairs Mounting higher and higher, till tho anx-
ous visitors were at last lodged into the myster
| ous apartment.
| This apartment is about one hundred feet long
| and twenty wide, and will comfortably hold about
| one hundred persons, and allow room enough to
dance and join in other amuscments. Last even
ing, however, within few moments after the doors
| were opened, the room jammed to its utmost
| capacity, and as might have been naturally ex.
| pected in such crowd there were a great many
unruly members. There were at one time not less
| perhaps than one thousand people in this ROOM
| each man of this company having paid his fifty
cents initiation tee at the door excepting of
| the dead heads and owners of this concern. The
crowd was too great to admit of any dancing
| other sort OF sport In this company every creed
| class and occupation represented. Here was
the dandy and the rough the Fifth avenue aristo
| crat and the Five Point thief, the lawyer and the
doctor, aud the office holder, the thmble rigger and
| the pocketbook dropper-we know this because
| we heard one man complain of losing his pocket
| book-thc horse jockey and the fast man, 1--WE say
| horse jockey because we heard one man calling
Tor the appearance OF the colts, and said that he
would bet on the bob tail nag'O and all other rep
| resentatives of society, showing that after ALL
One touch OF nature makes the whole world akin
| There were in the company about fifty women
"a smaller number, we understand, than was usu
| ally present, which was accounted for by a men,
| ber (or a gentleman who said he was such) in
| the following words" Most a marjority of tho
| ladies who spirituaze assemblagcS by their
virtues and example, are absent tonight, fearing
| a great rush here from outsiders who drawn
here from mere curiosity and with the expectation
OF gratifying some worldly desire" This appeared
to be reasonable apology, for it certainly seemed
no place for ladies to be in but, notwithstanding
there were 8 few present-about fifty as we have
stated-who, in the excitement, sought protection
| az best they could, behind body guard of the
| faithful and spiritualized brotherhood
| There being no appearance of a dance any
| room for one, the crowd began calling for a
speech" speech Andrews brisbane"
| Greeley" Mrs. Nichols" brigham Young" &c
| Laughing, jeering pushing, hauling believing,
punning, disappearing, joking. quarrel ing, &c,
made up the programme of action for about half an
hour, when
About a quarter past eight, short, wiry man
with red whskers, named Henry Clapp, stepped
upon a chair with his foot on table and proceed
| Cd tn atd he q a.
been organized by Steph. T. Andrews lat his private
| house among his personal friends, for the purpose
| of providing some cheap amusemcnts for the peo-
pie in the formation of q social society. As it grew
in popularity they had been obliged to take larger
| rooms. which they now occupied. But a vile and
| vicious press had peercd around, ar usua eager
and hungry for something to sacrifice 1t had pen
etrated through their chimney tops, into their win
dows and private houses, and had proved its dis
position to be to crawl upon its face and lick the
filth and mirc of scandal, TO vomit forth to the
world for gold.
Such was the character of tho press of this city
1t had villfed, slandcred and abused the society
traduced the reputation of its innocent female
members-all for what purpose Simply to bring
to the club rooms 4 class of men expecting GER
tain kind of enjoyment which they would not
ceiye, and who, when they went away disappont
cd, might turn upon that press and more especially
that diabOical triumyirate the HERALD, Tribune
and Times and blame them alone for exciting de-
sires which could not be gratifed, and making
them simply como to the club pay their twenty-five
cents each, to get nothing in return but very bad
speech He hoped, in conclusion that Albert Bris
bano, Esq, who was present, would favor the COM
p3ny with some remarks
Mr. Brisbane, being yociferously called for took
the 5tsnt and after stating that he requested to
attend that evening by Mr.. Andrews, who was
sick, proceeded 10 give statement of the rise and
progress OF the club. He said that of its pur-
poses was the discussion of any of the great ques-
tion5 of the day for the remedyng OF any abuses
of society at present existing There was no sub
ect too holy for discussion, from God himself down
to the smallest incidents of life. Among the abuses
| OF society was the institution of marriage. He
conCnded that to that institution was to be atri-
buted the depravity of New York its Mercer street
| Church street, Five Points and Cow Bay He de
nounced the press of New York and New York So
ciety at large. He characterized the city of New
York as but little better than great brothel and
thought it very hard indeed that the innocent free
love reformer could not be permitted to carry out
their benevolent designs without the annoyances
and Interruptions OF hypOcrtes and slanderers.
When Mr.. Brisbane concluded there were
cries for others, and one man attempted to speak
but was soon choked off. This state of things
continued till O'Clock, when some of the police
suddenly appeared in the arena, under the follow
ing circumstances
Mr.. Cockefair, the Deputy Coroner was at the
head Of the crowd pushing his way up stairs, when
at the foot of one OF the starways man who stood
about six feet in his stockings, stopped hia and
asked for twenty-five cents admission fee. Mr..
Cockefair, supposing this all right paid his
fee, and passed on, with the crowd after him.
When Mr. Cockefair reached the head of the same
stairway, another man, with official air, stopped
Mr.. Cockefair in the happy progress which he sup
posed he was making, and demanded another TWEEN
ty-five cents
Here Mr.. Cockefair ventured, in surprise, to look
moment or twosat this interrogation, who in return
looked at him, and it seemed that for these few
ments Mr.. Cockefar was on the fence between dc
Gliding whether TO pay this license fee or not But
IS the crowd came pushing on, and as fifty cents
for the first admission into privileges which in ciyi
lzcd lands was only guaranteed to Turks and
, Mormons, seemed reasonable charge, Mr. Cooke
fair nobly decided not TO stand for trifes, and i'll
generous impulse pulled out the extra twenty iy,
I cents and pushed on.
4; Mr.. Cockefar was mounting the last fight o
stairs and about to enter the apartment whcl
: he sought, when another demand was made upoi
him for entrance toe Of fifty cents Now il turn,
ed out that this last demand was the real entranc
!. fee and was demanded by the genuine treasurer o
the concern, and the two previous charges ha
y been made by impostors, and Mr. Cockefair ha
been sold but Mr.. Cockefair did not know this t
: be true, and naturally supposing he had pai
? enough for entrance, demanded the privilege 9
Y passing without paying any more To this dt
, | mand Mr.. Thomas Harland, the treasurer, demurl