The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1866-03-21
NEW ORLEANS CORRESPONDENCE.
New ORLEANS, March 18th, 1866.

| y EDIroR DEAocRAT:-The chief topic Of
interest in the city at this moment is with
regard to- the candidates just elected to
municipal Offices. Governor Wells, Mayor
Kennedy and the Police will make every
effort to retain their hold upon the spoils,
and the poor old city is likely to, groan I'M.
der the existing dynasty until some dilato-
ry Court shall give decision upon the
eligibility of the newly elected.
The City and State authorities have en-
acted laws which were presumed to fill
every loop hdle through which Al police
abuse could creep: policemen were sworn
to exercise no influence in elections; they
were forbidden to vote, to electioneer, to
have any voice in preliminary conventinss
Bitlin the vefy teethsof theimost stringent
municipal regulations, the police, on the
| daysof the last; electiOn, were even more
prominent in the canvas than the candi-
dates themselves. ItA lH8t ,;>s.R 4
The Friday night preceding the election
one Of the best and trnestt men in the State
was wantonly murdered for his open oppo-
sition to the men in power, and the cu1prits
upon whom q Coroner's jury charged the
guilt Of the assassination are policemen
| It was most cruel and dastardly murder.
Fred Gruber must have been we'll known
! nsAexandria, Eas he was the Quaftern1as.
ter, for o year preceding Che breakup, of
General Harry Hays in Western Louisiana,
with his Office in your city. Knowing the
man intimately can venture to say that
all who came in contact with him in Alex.
| andria esteemed and admired him. ,Amore
charitable, generous, chiyalrous spirit new.
or inhabited d human frame; genial, witty
and humane, he would forgive his worst
enemy on the slightest advance towards a
reconciliation. But poor Fred. was singled
out because he was fearless in his denun-
Citations Of the cabal which controls the
city, and the coffee house he kept at the
corner of Common street and Theatre alley
was the acknowledge headquarters Of the
Democratic party of New Orleans-the
clubs and conventions sitting in the rooms
overhead. He went around to Sans Sa'
/ loon on st. Charles street, the night he was
stabbed, to see some individual about q
private matter; ct the moment he entered
\ the Saloon m not ut the Theatre opposite
and ct the Academy had just got Through
and the thirsty crowd poured IN to get q
drink. Taking advantage Of the crowd, q
man rushed over to Gruber, saying :" you
called ME d d. Irish son OF 70 b." term
which probably never escaped Gruber's
lips. Notwithstanding hiseMphatic denial
the man and his coadJntors Knocked him
down and kicked and stamped him, whilst
another, thinking this brutality insufficient
stabbed him In the abdomen, causing his
|untimely death. This act was INTRODUCED
|ry to the programme which had been mark
ed out for Monday, the election day; but
the demonstration at the funeral, the fol
lowing evening, struck terror into the
hearts of the blood-thirsty devils, and they
were awed into quiet, because they knew
another outrage would be the signal fol
their indiscriminate destruction. Never
since the funeral Of the lamented Charley
Dreux, has there been a funeral in New
Orleans so respectable, so solemn or SO nu
merous. The procession was over q mile
long; General Hays, Colonel Penn and
the other officers and privates surviving
from the old Brigade were in the Ine
I What do you honest people in the coun
try think Of the election Of man for Re
cordpr Of the 4th District of this city, who
not more than eight months ago was forced
to resign his place Of Recorder for the Isl
District, under we'll proven, undeniablt
charges of gross corruption and malfeas
ance3 speak Of Recorder H. T. Vennard
The charges against him were preferred BY
the chief Of police and other officials; TIN
charges were that cotton which had beer
taken from cotton thieves, sugar and othe
goods, all stolen property, which were pu
into the receptacle for such articles, ant
the offenders sent before the Crimina
Court, had been distracted clandestinely
and sent to Mr.. vennard's store on Poydra
street, aud there sold for his own persona
profit. Ispeak no anonymous or hearsa,
scandal. The papers were full Of tli
affair at the time It was exposed, and tn
sworn documents are Of record in the Cit,
Hall. It ia proper for me to state that MI
YennaM Yves candidate on the Nati0na
Union ticket. Why he was not arrested
and tried like any other felon is not for M
Ito say-sufflce it that he was requested t,
resign, which he did, and the matter reste'
there. -a~.--s
Mr.. vennaM will be allowed to assum,
his functions without nlolestation-he q
Aliates with the Wells party But MI
Monroe, o man Of excellent character, pc
cause he was elected by the democrats, vii
find every obstacle, which 1t Is possible 70
1.-THE most ingenious and INSCRIPTIONS nlint
Ito suggest. thrown In his way. si,.,,.i
Il l suppose your readers have learned tho
tthe dishnguished jarist and gentleman. tn
Hon Ezra Hiestsnd, has been called +,
,da ka kaak fax Mai