New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1860-05-10
Neh 0rIeans 4aiIp Gresttnf,
4ofaI anttlIiasrIff.
THURSDAY MORNING. MAY ID 1sso.

1 ACHASGEfTInere were clouds on Tuesday, and
rain at night and yesterday morning The re-
mainder Of yesterday was dry enough, but dark
and cool, even unto chilliness. The sun peeped
out merrily several times toward evening. The
| rain was needed.
CONTRACTS ADJUDIcATED.-Nr. Comptroller Du-
plessis sold contracts as follows:
For paving Orleans street, on both sides of
IRENE Market, with square granite blocks, to John
| Coleman Co., at "a so per superficial yard for
the square block paving, 65 cents per superficial
foot OF curbstones, 40 cents per running foot of
curbstone taken up and relaid, 81 25 per running
foot Of tagging and bricking Of sidewalks taken
up and relaid, and $3.50 per iron bridge top COM
plete. The previous sale Of this contract to the
same parties, was rejected by Council. This time,
the only difference in the figures was the bid "a so
on the square blocking the bid before having been
81 80.
i For lighting the oil lamps of the First, Second
and Third Districts for three years. to Philip Will
man, at $l9 rs per lamp per year in the First Dis
tret $40 per lamp in the Second District, and $40
per lamp in the Third District. This contract had
been previously sold to the same party at lower
figures, but was rejected by the Council.
There were no bids on the contract to lay brick
sidewalks and wooden cutters on Lafayette avenue,
the contract being previously sold to E. D. White,
but rejected by the Council.
PooR OLD JAcK!-W have already mentioned
the fact of the removal of John McDonogh's body
from the tomb at Algiers, for transportation and
reinterment at Baltimore-the body being taken
| up and brought over the river on last Tuesday
! | week.
The McDonogh burying ground was established
| .Id Toh, -
fifty years ago. merely for the burial of his slaves
and his faithful darkey Jack was honored with the
honorary post Of sexton. AS the years rolled by
the bodies of poor white people were taken there
for interment, and in good time it became a regu-
lar graveyard for all the dead whose friends felt
like burying them there. Of late years the place
has become popnlous and somewhat stylish but
throughout the whole half century Jack has been
the one and only sexton, being always provided
with receipts for graves signed by his master, and
collecting the money and attending to the business
generally in the most correct and busness-like
manner.
In his little old solitary hut in the swamp, neal
T the graveyard, Young Jack (though not SO very
) young when installed) gradually changed into Ok
Jack; his only companion being cruci6x and {
bottle of whisky. and his only memory of the pas
an interminable repetition of burying poor whit
y people and his masters negroes, and night.
repetition of the twirl of the frog hoo of the owl
chrp Of the cricket and shrll serenade of the katy
did, which nightly lulled him to his solitary res
through the long years they rolled away, still
leaving the graveyard and the swamp as dark AM
dismal as ever.
:. According to the business account kept b.
N McDonogh with all his slaves,) noting and ratin
y tba;r do;Jy labor bis bonls hv oripina
mathematical plan of his own, emaneipating then
as soon as the books showed they had little NOR
s. than paid for themselves, expenses and interes
included,) Old Jack was presented with his fre
" papers some years before his master died. H
still remained the sexton of the McDonogh Gene
terry; and some eight or ten years ago it fell to hi
lot to see his old friend and former master burie
8 in the enclosure which he had guarded SO long
Since McDonogh's death Jack has stuck to his ol
post attending to burias and collecting the ea
penses, the same as in former years.
Since McDonogh's death, old Jacks hut has bee
:. several times visited by robbers who expected t
find considerable sum Of money there. Onl
,g two years ago, the old darkey was intrnded upo
and nearly murdered by some scoundrels VIII
were after his money. 1t is said that of late year
Jacks cruciix and whisky bottle have never d.
~ serted him; and that, when troubled or excite
{ about anything, he kisses his crucfx crosses hin
self and takes good swig from his bottle as a
earthly support to his heavenly resignation. It
= currently believed in Algers that Jack is abor
hundred years old, though he is still hearty an
Nv strong and bids fair to live many years longer.
But what we started out to tell is this Whel
"a "a on Tuesday week, a crowd of men invaded til
73 cemetery and took old Johns remains from Ii
,er tomb old Jack was ignored-they never asked b
les permission Jack was on hand, though, and aftt
= seeing his old masters body taken up, demande
ed twenty five dollars.
No attention was paid to his demand. He pc
sisted, and finally stated that Massa Johns orde
. to him. ever since he had been sexton, were not
let any one take body out of the graveyard wit
out paying $25 dollars The body being taken u
by order of the Commissioners of the McDonoe
81 estate, none of the resurrectionsts paid any atte
OF ton to old Jacks demand, further than to laus
y at it.
sR Would YOU believe it.? The bowed-down o
R Rap negro, believed to be nearly centenarian, ft
lowed the wagon containing the coffin, insistil
the upon his money! followed it to the ferry and fl
of lowed it over to this city. How he came out in Il
NV prosecution of his claim we have not yet learne
i. But it was odd, extremely odd, to see the o
negro attempting to enforce the early orders
his master when living; in his old age and imb
cility forgetting how absurd it was, that after
IL. master had set him free living, he should not
mt the old man leave him. dead for less than twent
y five dollars!
= Committed FOR TRIAL.--George Weyman w
na .a, Yesterday examined before Recorder Summers
the charge of Misunderstanding and killing Dan
Cunningham on the night of the 2sth ut.,
Cooks grocery, at the corner of Annunciaton a
. st, Thomas streets. We have already publish
the circumstances of the affair, and the testimo
taken before the Coroner, showing that
shooting resulted from dispute about d
my Heenan and sayers tight; also the fact Of w
mans escape at the time, and his subsequt
appearance and voluntary surrender to the Oh
of Police. The testimony before the Recort
being about the same as that before the Coron
Weyman was remanded to prison to await his II
@ for murder in the First District Court.
Harman spehring was committed for trial
,sr., the same Recorder, for cutting Henry hlnss
intent to KILL on the night of the 18th ult., in
= own house, at the corner Of Rampant and Grav
streets-stabbing him in the breast with q kn
-. and laying him up for some days. He gave bal
,era $500 to appear for trial.
ias q Alexander Mcdonald, John Gallagher. and
L r.. A. Esna4n ns1f