Weekly Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1853-1861, 1855-03-08
Correspondence Of the Louisville Dem"er~''l r.
Rattle of the lasses-Sailors are


Trumps.
NEW ORLEANS, Feb. 10, 1855.
There has been no little amusement and Sc
rious discussion lately in reference to the Is,
capade of a party of sailors, who have VISITED
The st Charles on several occasions, armed
with nautical telescopes, to the great scandal
and depreciation of opera glasses, which are
nIentifully used here The first time they
appeared. it was applauded as a good
ioke-even the opera glasses laughed
The second time, the thing was voted stale
and Kissed. The Pieayt'ae and Delta then
took itup, and made party question oil tt
The sailors having hssl as,lGi b Es 1900
and finding their telescopes back,d up by the
Delta (Which offers standing bet that 1t has
the largest circulation, made arrangements
for pitched battle with the opera glasses !;
and the battle came off last Saturday night, on
the occasion of Gabriel RavePs benefit. 1t
was a little the drollest scene ever witnessed
in a Theatre.
The tars-who Were all mates, second
mates and boatswains of ships IN port-ap-
peored in the dress circle, twenty strong, all
dressed in the height of fashion Their hair
was highly creased and cureld, their collars
stood proudly, gold chains gistened on their
white vests, and white opera kids concealed
their rough weather beaten hands. Their
department and appearance during all the
performance was that of some ambassadorial
suite. or a group of ministers at a conference /;
and no one supposed them to be otherwise,
until the curtain fell after the first act. Then,
ten of the same party were seen to draw their
instruments gracefully from beneath their
coats-a shout arose-the whole army of short
glasses looked to see what was the matter,
but were shot down instantly by sweep of
the telescopes. The uproar was tremendous !;
the dress circle and parquette groaned, Kissed
and shouted. "put 'em out " while the sec
ond tier and gallery, it being Saturday night
whistled, shrieked, and screamed, don't go
lis a free country ~ Many ladies and
gentlemen got up and left, and the telescopes
where triumphant. Whether the thing was
right or not, it was admirable to see those ten
telescopes drawn out and raised, rifle like, the
very instant the opera glasses dared look in
that. direction the sailors all the time being
as grave as preachers and as silent as num-
mics, and never raising their instruments only
when short glass was leveled at them
Finally, wag appeared in a dark part of the
Dit, with brace of porter bottles, which the
telescopes discovered and charged furiously,
until they discovered their mistake.
The whole house applauded the bottles,
and the telescopes had good humoredly ac-
knowledged themselves whipped, when The
Manager appeared before the curtain in
towering passion, and wound up heated
harangue by asking the opera glasses to put
the telescopes out. The sailors were a stall
wart body of men occupying the end and
corner of the dress circle next the stage, and
when the parquette rose in body to attack
them they remained perfectly cool. The
ladies, and many Of the men, gave way to
panic, and began to rush for the doors. The
house being crowded, many persons must
have been crushed or trampl6 to death had
a collision taken place. This was fortunately
prevented by one of the sailors, John s.
Dickinson, mate of the ship Africa, who rose,
and leaning gracefully on his telescope, sawed
the air with his white gloved hand till he got
a hearing. He was Kissed and groaned down
six times, but the minute the uproar would
abate up he would jump again. At last the
house concluded to hear him. He asserted,
in a perfectly cool and deliberate manner, that
he and his party had behaved like gentlemen,
which they claimed to be; they were sea-
faring men, and owned telescopes, which they
believed they had as good right to use in a
Theatre as other people had to use opera glas-
ses the only difference being in the length
of the glasses. The GOODNESS of the speech
disarmed the rage excited by the Managers
incorporate appeal-the audience got in a
good humor-tKe Manager went behind the
curtain-the sailors shut up their telescopes
for good, and the play went on.
The next day the Manager made complaint
IL II, De- fhaff ffrnt he
turned. without their instruments, and apollo |
gised heartily for their conduct, stating they
had few notions of city etiquette, and believ-
ed. by the support of the Delta, that they had
a perfect right to use telescopes in opposition
to opera glasses. The manager, who is not a
bad fellow accepted the apology, and next
morning went to withdraw his charge; but
the Recorder, who has box and short glasses
at the opera, would not permit it. By
Thursday, seven of the telescope men had |
been identified by the police and arrested. |
They were taken before the Recorder, and |
sundry persons having rather reluctantly tes-
tilted that the disturbance was owing to the |
use Of the telescopes, the jolly tars were lee
tured on good manners, held to bail in 500
each to keePthe peace as long as they remain
in port, and fined SIS each. They paid their
fines good humoredly, and have reinstated
themselves in public favor by visiting the
theater, each armed with short glass |
believe they are good, jolly set of fellows,
who were led into their last excess by the
applause of part of the audience, and the
blind enthusiasm of the Delta. The thing
ms been widely discussed, and is by many
considered unsettled yet Religious people,
and others who don't like theaters or French
fashions, take fiat footed ground for the tele-
scopes.
The Tooth Business.
Some men thrive on the infirmities of 9TH
Il 4 n u