Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1858-05-08


confined there, aad with whom they were accus- l
toned to have intercourse, apart from the obser-
walton Of the officers of the guard in many in |
stances, mas gradually come to be an abuse Of |
prlvilege and TO such an extent, that In several
instances Of recent occurrence persons have come
to the jail door and demanded admitrance to |
tnel5 friends as right, and when refused, par |
ticuiarly when large parties have been refused |
Ambulance, they have threatened the officers and
used insulting language towards them To stop
the recurrence Of snch scenes, the Marshal has |
caused to be posted on the Jail door the follow
ing notice, which we publish for the benefit Of
the public at large:
Nofics.-The number Of persons who attend
the public Jail Interrupts the order which ought
to prevail there, lessons the punishment which
the confinement is intended to create, and rem
ders the custody Of prisoners troublesome and
unsafe direct, therefore, that no person (ex-
cept the public officers who have business there,
the physician and immediate members of the
family of the prisoners) shall be permitted to
enter the jail or Jail yard. The Tailor and Guard
are requested to execute this order strictly.
WIN. seldom, Marshal"
In this connection, we transfer to the Stars
columns from the States Of yesterday, the follow
ing letter from Marshal Selden, which explains
the above regulation. and will meet the approba-
ton Of all interested in the well being of the Dis
uict OF Columbia. Its tenor vindicates most adj
mirably the propriety OF President uchanan's act
in selecting Col. Selden for the position of great
est responsibility among he fills, as all will
perceive
WAsHINeroN, May S, 1853.
Dear SIR: received your letter of the I'd inst,
respecting visitors to the public jail. In that
letter, yon approve my order placarded on the
prison door: You pronounce my purpose TO be
general, but admits the family of the prisoners
under proper circumstances, and the physician
and public officers having Official business about
the Jail. l never intended to exclude employed
counsel. nor spiritual advisers Of any prisoner
under sentence Of death, or extreme feebeness
Of body OF mind. All other applicants for adj
mission except in special cases, of which the
Marshal must Judge shall be constrained to
exclude.
The administration of justice was plainly de-
signed to punish offenders, and solitary contine-
ment often constitutes the sole measure Of pun
ishment. Public officers should be no respecters
Of classes. IL one order of our fellow citizens
can, at pleasure, visit the prisoners it is not easy
IL every person who believes that his visit to the
public Jail will promote the cause of humanity
and mitigate the evils Of crime is to have free in
gress and egress where wholesome privacy should
prevail the legal disposal of offenders must be-
come precarious and unsatisfactory.
You must be aware that the District of Column
bia has become rendezvous for lawless disturb
| ers of the public peace. Ruflans have become
so bold and reckless that they set all human
rights at defiance, and mock the terrors of cIiIni-
| nal justice. When tried and convicted, they 90
only to prison where they are clothed, housed
fed and doctored at the public expense And if
ladies and gentlemen visit and offer them con-
versation. countenance, and support, the condign
| punishment which the law directs and intends
| as warning example to others, will be plainly
and mischievously counter acted.
The public Jail is very insecure, and the pres
enCe Of visitors within it has sometimes presented
opportunities for escape.
No one cherishes higher respect than do for
the genuine precepts of humanity and rclig ion
honor the ministers of the Gospel, and would
gladly serve them in every proper way; bu: am
charged with highly responsible office, and the
public expects me to execute its duties for the
common good of all.
| respectfully submit, then. that the generous
ladies and pious visitors, whose habit it has been
| to visit the inmates of the public Jail, should
limit their friendly offices to supply of the Bibls
and such useful tracts az may have tendency to
| impart religious consolation to distress
The practice which has prevailed, though
charitable and well-intended, does not accoId
with any notions which have formed respecting
the objects of public policy and criminal Justice
Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
WILLIAM seldom
Geo Wood, Esq
CARusIs MAY BALL.-Yesterday, we pub.
lished brief communication from i matron of
Washington, calling the attention of all of u.s.
(now fathers and mothers, and, in not a few
| cases, grandfathers and grandmothers,) who
years ago, as lads and lasSes, made Carusi's Sa-
| loon ring with our joyous hilarity to the recur.
renee OF our old teachers annual MAY ball-or
festival, as il has come to be designated i'm these
latter times. Wcneed ha rdly say that the appeal
| of our fair correspondent touched d chord in our
breast, which, though unstrung for many years
ization, az, we doubt not in that Of hundreds of
| our fellow-citzens of both sexes, who from
ISIS to 1885, danced annually on the night of the
first of May, in brght-buttoned jackets and wh'e
trousers. or in lawn dresses, Glue sashPs and
| flowing tresses, in CaTusi's Saloon.
| As this is to be the last occasion upon which
our Old dancing master will appear in all his
glOry-and Napoleon never loomed out more CON
spicnously in his, than Carus for thirty rast in
conducting his annual May balls-we take il
FOR granted that we shall find congregated, under
his auspices, at the Assembly Rooms on Mon
| day evening next, hundreds Of familiar faces as
eagerly watching the enthusiasm OF their chill
dren and grandchildren as, twenty five or thirty
years ago, their parents and rand parents watched
theirs, as they awaited the wcll-rememhered
flourish with which Carusi gave the signal for
the music TO strike up.
Mutatis mmfandis-all the world changes, bnt
CaTusi, whose voice, cOuntenaBce, figure and
flourish on the occasion, will cause 4" brig lat
spots' to spring mp "in the waste of, the
"msmory" of hundreds, doubtless Let all his
pupils and patrons of a quarter OF a century 400
| now in Washington, attend.
SUPREME COURT Friday-No 22G The CITY
of New Orleans, plaintiff in error, as Myra Clark
Gaines. The motion to dismiss this writ was ar
gued by Mr.. Phillips in support thereof and by
Mr.: Benjamin in opposition thereto.
No. 1Oc VIM. Holcombe, plaintiff In error as
John Mckusick and others. The argument of
| this cause was continued by Messrs Gilet and
Gushing for the defendants in error, and conclu-
ded by Mr.. Bradley for plaintiff in error. Ad-
jOurned.
CRIMINAL COuRr.-rhe Court yesterday SEN
fenced Joseph Bulger, convicted of larceny, to
ID months imprisonment in the penientiary.
The case of the Devlins charged with the
murder Of Berry, was continued, on motion of
Mr.. Radcliffe to next term.
Next week will be devoted to the trial of the
balance OF the murder cases set for this term
The petit jurors were discharged till Monday
next. The Court then adourned
The RArNs.-The heavy showers which have
been so frequent during several days past, have
retarded the progress OF public and private i'm
prOvements, damaging new foundations and
Killing cellars and Easements with water AL
though it is great Inconvenience as well as ex-
pense to builders, this accumulation of water
has given employment to numerous laborino
men.
UNTIL the close Of the present session Of Con-
gress, Philbrick will sell books cheaper than
ever before offered in This citv and will ,a.,I.