The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1856-04-09

t Orleans, on charge Of having, on Good Fri
: day, sWindled an aged Texan, named VIM. {
i Caruthers, out of s625, by the California ball
, game. The charge was satisfactorily proven
t and he was committed for trial before the Is
district court under bonds Of 81 500. Relativ
to the affair, the countryman testified befor
: the recorder to the following story: He hat
arrived in the city from north Texa
for the purpose Of buying goods, and was stop
, ping at the Commercial hotel, on New Leye'
street. Having completed his purchases, OF
Good Friday he concluded to go home, and 81
went down the levee to find steamboat
, Tired with his long walk, he sat down on corr
!, sack, when he was accosted by a stranger
! Gelphi,) who, by making some commonplace
remark about the weather, lead the way to /
conversation, in the course of which he learned
Caruther's business, whereupon he Informed
him that he also was going up the Red River
/ and suggested that they should 60 to the ageu
of the steamer Caddo together, and engage
passage. They accordingly went off to a room
at the corner of Girod and Carondelet streets
which the stranger represented as being the
agents Office, and while waiting for the alleg.
ed agent, in came tall, seedy -looking individ,
Eual, who inquired for COL Williams, one fthe
heroes, he said, who fought with Scott in the
Mexican crusade. Col. Williams was not in
The newcomer wished to show him wonder
full invention of his, small metallic bomb, and
to get his distinguished patronage for the same.
He went out in search of the fictitious colonel,
and during his absence the ingenious Gelphi
managed to open by a secret spring the metal
lie bomb-otherwse known as the "Californa
ball. or "Litle Joker'-and found some pa
pers inside. Taking them out and closing the
globe, he tipped our country friend the wink
and assured him they would have some fine
sport when the owner should return. On the
return of the aforementioned seedy individual,
he was interrogated as to the contents of the
ball, and replied that there was some notes in
/ it. '.Ill bet you a thousand dollars there is
nothing in it, said Mr.. Gelphi. The bet was
accepted. Gelphi then discovered that he had
but $685. and requested the countryman, as
he was betting on a certainty, to lend him $685.,
which Caruthers did, receiving as surety for
the payment acheck for 81, 800 on the Louisa
ma bank. while this transaction was going on,
the holder ofthe ball had dexterously changed
it for another.) The ball was opened, when
/ 10! the papers were found inside, much to the
chagrin Of Gelphi and the astonishment of his
unsuspeeting country friend. All hands took
drink, and then parted; and the next day
Caruthers presented the check at the bank, and
learned that the check was worthless, and that
he had been taken in. The man who got pos
sion of the money has not been arrested. Bee.
| LIFE IN New YoRK.-A special committee
OF the legislature are investigating the construc-
ton OF the tenant houses, SO called, in the city
| of New York. From a report of their first
| days investigation we make the the following
extract:
The company then proceeded to inspect No.
21 Cherry street. This building was not erected
for tenement house, but may be SO called, its
being very large and capable of accommoda-
ing large number of families. The house
was in very filthy condition, the yard being
crowded with old sheds and heaps Of dirt and
ashes, varying from three to FIVE feet in height;
the stoop and hall lay half under the same,
and the odor from the sIops and garbage
thrown out by the tenants is sickening. From
this building the committee proceeded to Nos.
SO and 38 Cherry street, (rear, known as East
and West Gotham courts. These buildings
extend back from the street some ESQ feet, and
are five stories in height The alley way is
about eight feet wide, and beneath it are the
water-closets, which are lighted by iron graf
ings extending along the court. In several
parts of this under-cellar--for SO it may be
called-we noticed water from one to two feet
deep, and the effect of the fetid exhalations
that arise therefrom is almost suffocating to a
person unused to such atmosphere.
The halls are about six feet square with mar
row winding stairways two feet three inches in
width, ascending circular wise. The occupants
OF these houses have each two small rooms, one
IA by IA, with a bedroom attached, I by IA,
and from the narrowness of the alley, and the
great height of the building, the rooms are
very dark. In these courts over / 100 persons
reside; there are ESQ families and over sixty
persons in each division; there are in one room
13 persons. The rent asked for these apart
ments varies from SIS SO to S6 per month";
The owner Of the building is silas Wood, who
derives an income from their rent of $4,000
per annum. In the case of fire the loss Of life |
would be awful, for il would be impossible for
more than one-quarter of the occupants to es-
cape. They complain Of its being very sickly
in these courts, and one of the tenants who has
resided in the building fronting on Cherry street
says that in summer there is not less than one
a week carried to his last resting place from
within these walls
Sir John Bowring, the eminent English lit |
erateur now residing in China, sends to the
London Athenaum some interesting details of
bis observations and experience in China. In
ser ALA we have the following:
The Chinese again, have no prejudice what
aver as regards food. They eat anything and ev-
erything from which they can derive nutrition.
Dogs, especially puppies, are habitually sold
or food; and | have seen in the butchers shops
arge dogs skinned, and hanging with their vis-
era By the side Of pigs and goats. Even to
ats and mice the Chinese have no objection,
neither to the flesh of monkeys and snakes; the
ea-slug is an aristocratical and costly delicacy,
yhich is never wanting, any more than the
dible BIRDS nests, at feast where honor is
Intended to be done to the guests. Unmatched
ucks and chickens are favorite dish. Nor
10 the early stages of putrefaction create any
isgust; rotten eggs are by no means condemn
d to perdtion; fish is the more acceptable
7hen it has a strong fragrance and flavor, to
Is 10 L Il