Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1855-12-06
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A Scene In New Orleans in 1899.

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One Christmas night in the yes
) 1880, a masked ball was given In
large brick house, which then stoo
: in the Rue Rampant, not far from th
: corner Of Toulouse, and consequent
ly in the French division Of the city
The occasion promised to be gran
lone; anG to furnish the most varies
amusements, hand bills. announciu:
the fact, had been in circulation fol
weeks. among the vessels in harbor
and had been nailed up in all th,
). drinking saloons, aad in the mos
conspicuous places at the tayerns, not
I withstanding it was well known tha'
the ladies intending to be present
would be more distinguished for beau
ity than modest department. Al
1 length the time, SO anxieusly looked
! for arrived, and at an early hour
crowds commenced pouring into the
vast halls, which had been brilliantly
lighted and adoraed gorgeously with
festoons Of natural and artificial flow.
ers, intermingled with the emerald
evergreens of that sweet CLINE of eter-
nal summer and the sun. And there,
since the happy day bad tainted and
died in the west in all its glory OF
crimson and gold, a chosen band of
musicians had been sounding their
instruments in many soft or start
ling melody, devoted to love or war,
as preparation and prelude to the
coming entertainment. ~
At precisely eleven o'clock, two
menmight have been seen walking up
the Rue Rampant, whose appearance,
as revealed by the eloudless radiance
Of the full moon, would have attract
ed attention among any people of the
world. One was a person of the
most powerful make, muscular and
agile as Hercules, with fearless force
il every football, as it cracked loud
and leiiantly on the pavement. His
large blue eyes, glowing cheeks, and
countenancA betokened
mirthiulRess, benevolence, magma
nimity, and ,unconqaerable courage,
without, however, tineture of mall
ice or reysnges He Was richly and
even elegantly dressed, and wore the
heavy gold chain almost-inseparable
from tue officers Of vessels on the
river. as he was generally acquaint-
ed with the citizens of New Orleans,
may as well name him ut once
This was Captain Dye, the command
er Of d steamboat in the st. Louis.
trade, and he had landed but a few /
hours before at the leyee. .aB
Ills companion, who had come
down as a passenger with him from
on a first visit to the Cres- /
cent City, presented very different
physical qualities. He was tall, -bo-
ny, with long, awkward looking limbs,
that seemed to have been thrown to !
gether at random. Nothing could
be detected ia his ungainly figure to
call Tor particular attention. But a
single glance at his face was suffi-
cient to elicit from every beholder
the remark, This can be no ordina
ry man" His features, it is true,
could not be called handsome--they
were not even regular-but they
wore that dark and almost dread ex-
preston Of intense power in passion,
and self control and GOODNESS in'the
day Of danger, which we may read
with so much facility in the portraits
Of Cromwell His jaw, especially,
was massive as that Of a red tiger,
and it appeared even more SO by con-
trast With the firm, yet thin lips, that
looked iahexible as if they had been
cut out of strips of sheet iron. 1t
was, however, the small grey eye
that uncovered most the deepest Sc
crets Of his soul This was 6ery,
restless, piercing, and had the strange
habit, of glancing alternately first
over the right shoulder aud then over
the left, as if forever watching a
gainst surprise from some unseen
enemy. His countensnee altogether
Indicated the multilorm characters
ties of the antique hero, the great
hearted savage, and something, per-
baps. Of the lallen' angel, and inIthat
shadow of immeasurabie 9 sadness
whicl, hung alwaysin ianbroksn gloom
upon bis brow; ol.''G gao i'sssl
His clothing and equipments were
very remarkable. His entire exte-