Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1857-10-28

- 1 lie DANk EACiAkNhAI Al 1e" >-Saee~--T .
The New Orleans Delta of the 18th inst. gives
the following graphic account Of thsrun" upon
one Of the Banks in that city I'll
The fact. that the Citizens bnnk had Sustained
| heavy run from 3 O'clock I'll darn withsno
sign of failure, caused all holders OF the paper Of
that bank to rise early yesterday morning, in or
der to have first chance at the bank-ti,e idea
being prevalent that it would speedily cave in.
The consequence was the descent Of the humble
and mixed population like. an avalanche upon
the bank yesterday morning. a similar scene
was perhaps never before witnessed in this city.
Long before the bank opened, the street in
front was crowded about half the crowd being
bill-holders, and the remainder idlers who stop
ped to see the excitement. When the door O.
pened, scene of the widest confusion followed.
The crowd acted like Bedlam broke loose
scrainbling, fighting, shouting, losing hats and
coat-tails, and densely jalnmlng the interior OF
the bank in an instant The bank officers, find
ing themselves besieged Ivy crowd of madtnen,
secured the vaults and mounted the counters to
keep tile crowd from scambling over. Others.
outside, tried to Chamber in at the windows, but
were hurled back. Intelligence Of this being
sent to the Chief of Police, that officer dispatch:
ed all his specials-Philips, Isard, Boylan and
Farrell, with two or three other officers, to the
scene. They arrived, fought their way through
the crowd to the counter, and then turned g.
gainst them. They got an iron door.bar, with
which they faced the crowd, having to fight
freely with their fists at the same time some OF
the beseigers being highly behgerent. =,
The officers of the bank aided in the work,
and by dint of the hardest pushing and lighting,
the combined forces succeeded in forcing the
crowd past the inner door into the passage. The
bar was then placed across the door, and the
police had to fight in defence of the bar. 1t be-
ing IMPOSSIBLE to open the vaults with any safe
ty, with such weak defences at the doorway,
word was sent to the Mayor for assistance. MIR.
Waterman at once sent orders to all the Recor-
ders to send all their men to the bank. In due
time force of sixty men arrived from up town
and down, headed by the Lieutenants, with
some men sworn in by the Mayor specially for
the occasion. This force getting inside the
Bank, made lungo at the crowd aud swept II
clear out into the street.
A double line of policemen was then formed
from the curb stone up to the Bank door, and q
strong posse placed inside to keep order. The
crowd was then let in, ten at o time, and the
work of redemption commenced. On coming
out the cash.carriers were sent of at one SIDE.
For several hours was the rush kept up; and
the panorama of faces-men Of all classes and
colors-women ditto-and boys-was variegat-
ed in the extreme. Anxiety, fright, grief, and
in some cases the widest despair, were visible
ia the faces which streanied into the bank; we
never witnessed such spectacle. Everybody
seemed to think be or she was inst little too
late. BY one o'clock the rush had su5sided con-
siderebly. and when the bank closed at three
having paid out about $780, 0O-the calls were
comparatively moderate, The calls, were sell
dom for large suIns-the great majority being
for sums varying from s. up to $3.50. During
the greater part Of the time Royal street in front,
and the whole vicinity, was so densely crowded
that no vehicles could get by 10 .t.i. ,,ss,.,e4