New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1861-04-02
A POLICEMAN BADLY CUT.

The only disturbance we heard of at any of the
polls yesterday, was at the poll on Common street
near Charity Hospital. One VIM Mcdonnell a
fighting cab-drivcr Of the cutting kind, was there
without his cab, drunk or drunk enough to be full
of insult and fight. He took possession of ticket
table, jokipgsy, insulted voters who went up to
select tickets, and was twice taken away and re-
leased by the police officers stationed there, Chal-
mers, Pennel, and Russell.
When he returned and began a third good-hu-
mored disturbance he fought the officers violently,
and Chalmers was thrown into the gutter. This
tine he was arrested, and Officer John Russell
started with him to the lookup. .4s..
Russell, being a comparatively new watchmau-
and not knowing the character Of lis prisoner, ac
ceded TO his request, to allow him to step into an
alley-way for moment. Mcdonnell started into
the alley; as soon as he was out Of Rrasel's grasp
be jumped back defantly, drew knife, and then
ran at Russell, and, with desperate aim, attempt
ed to cut his throat The blade missed the jugular
vein, but opened ghasty and bloody wound in
the side Of the neck and shoulder. Upon doing
this, he ran away, and for the time escaped. Rus
sell called for help, and taken to the hospital
Officer Pennel (who was present when McDon-
nell was arrested) happened to hear that Mac was
sent off in Russell's custody and Immediately fol-
lowed, knowing the prisoner WE'LL and fearing
that he would trick Russell in some way before
getting to the lookup 80
1t happened that he followed along just a few
moments after Russell was stabbed He gave
chase and followed Mcdonnell into the house of
Charles Reeves, another cab-driver, on Gravier
street. The fugitive locked himself in ROOM and,
armed with an iron bar, defed any one to enter.
Pennel then went and got an axe, chopped the
door open, and would perhaps have chopped Nc
Donnell open, had he not simmered down" and
gone quietly along to the lookup.
FREE DlsPENsARY NO MORE.
The Free Dispensary connected with the New
Orleans School of Medicine is closed. In refer
ence to this we copy the following from one of
Sundays papers:
By an act passed at the last session of the Legis
lature, the Faculty of the School Of Medicine
released from their obligation to continue this
most effective public charity any longer The ex-
pense and labor of the institution had gotten to
be so heavy upon the Faculty, that they prayed
for relief, and it was granted.
The Free Dispensary of the New Orleans School
of Medicine was first opened on the 2Gth of Janu-
ary, 1857, and closing now, as it does, on the lst
OF April, 1861, it has been in constant operation
upwards of four years. During this period 27,4l2
appHcanoDs tor medical advice and medicines
have been supplied by the Faculty, averaging l31
week, ana G853 year.
The cash expenditure for medicines, apotheca-
ries and attendants have been about $1,000 per an.
mum.
The maintenance of this Free Dspensary for a
period OF ten years, was one of the three condi
tions upon which the Legislature made an appro-
praton of $4,000 to the School of Medicine in
March, 1857 During its existence it has probably
saved the State ten or twelve thousand dollars, by
the number Of patients it has kept out of the
Charity Hospital, and If it had been continued in
the same way, for the balance of the term, the
State would have probably made q clear profit of
at least ten thousand dollars by the operation.
The State could well afford to extend its patron
age to laudabe patriotic institutions such as these
No other city of the same size of New Orleans
could be found either in Europe or America, with
oHt free public Dispensary for the relief of the
afflicted poor, and it would be shame upon US if
we should allow so laudahle an institution to be
abolished.
The State annually appropriates immense sums of
money for the maintenance of the Charity Hos
pital, which is crowded with patients from every
part of the world, whilst many poor sick women
and children of the city denied its benefits be-
cause they cannot bear to be separated The
working of this Dispensary shows that thousands
only want medical advice and little medicine
without staying away from their homes. But no
provision is made for such cheap and genuine char
ty as this. There are none to plead their cause in
the halls Of the Legislature or the City Council
where deeds of charity are bazoned before the
world
The thanks Of the Faculty are cheerfuly accord
ed to the city papers for their gratuitous pubca-
ton of the weekly report of the Dispeusary