New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1866-08-14
Anew Phase in Boarding House keeping
"No aoNa, 10 guPrER. !,

There was a gathering upon CLARK street yester.
day evening of angry individuals, says the Chicago
Times of the 18th inst. With the lowering of the
weather there was lowering brows and threa
Jennings and muttering deep and strong from
crowd of hungry and disappointed men. IT,
when you touch a mans pocket, you touch his
soul 8 who can fancy the result when his pocket
and stomach are both affected at the same time
Such was precisely the case with the crowd to
which reference is made in this article And the
cause was this: Mrs. G. D. Hatch was the pro-
pretress of boarding house or dining hall in the
the institution nearly six months ago, and has
since that time done furnishing business.
Custom has flown in upon her, the table has
been lavishly spread, and applicants for seats at
her boantifnliy supplied board have increased
until the number literally dependent upon her for
daily bread, counted the goodly-sized family of
40. On Friday last Mrs. Hatch pretended to have
received from sister in Ohio a Geographic dis
patch bearing tidngs of that loved sisters severe
illness and nigh approach unto death, and begging
her to come at once, that she might soothe her
dying pillow, and make pleasant BY her presence
her pathway othe grave. First in order to com
ply with the message, Mrs. Hatch collected from
"a boarders the sum Of $IS each, being the amount
for the board of each one month in advance and
making an aggregate of S4S6 In addition to this
by reason OF the necessity which she represented
as surrounding her, she succeeded in borrowing
sundTy sums from other individuals, and with tile
money departed
Now it seems that when Mrs Hatch was thus
suddenly called away, she was indebted to various
parties in sums Of greater or less Importance, in
Guiding S200 to the baker, $50 to the landlord $50
to the gas company, and to her servants The
dining hall was as we'll patronized as eyer but
failing to receive remuneration, the creditors cut
oh the supplies. Then it began to be whispered
about that Mrs Hatch had decamped and iid not
insd to return. First her landlord had enter.
tansd suspicious to that effect; then the boarders
wondered what she could want with SO much
money to visit sick sister in Ohio; and lastly
the servant girls remembered that they had heard
the lady express strong desire to visit California
and doubtless the dying sister was a myth and
the telegram a humbugs
Suspicion stronger and stronger grew, until at
last anything became preferable to suspense and
the door OF the lady's apartment was broken
open, and found to be devoid of furniture and
emptied of every article possessed by her. Now
came conviction in the minds of those who before
entertained only suspicion. The landlord yester-
day afternoon closed the establishment, and the
creditors seized upon such funds as were in the
hands Of the clerk. II was unsparingly charged
That the propretress had left Chicago not to
z9tiiFn again.
LAST scene Of all came the hungry boarders to
~ The doors were barred - the windows |
nsed No juicy steaks. luscious rolls, and fra |
-raGt tea or aromatic coffee greeted them. None /
sere there save the disoonsolate maid servants |
iln stood upon the doOr-steps lamenting the loss
IL q mistress and their wages. There was excite
cnt and crashing of teeth in vain. There were
gaises and imprecations, but all to no purpose.
There was much profanity, but no supper. And |
there were not few who had not the means to
aeooure a meal elsewhere. Having paid their
1sOprietress their board in advance they had |
aindly intrusted to her integrity and her dinners,
and werenoueyless. For like many another fast |
young man, the remainder Of their salaries m cited
IKE snow of dyke, ana the rest or the
,veek until next Saturday they must trust to for
tune or manage to get trusted themselves
The scene at the entrance of the dinuer-hall |
8st evening was amusing indeed. The crowd Of |
inngry boarders continued to gather until s |
o'clock, But certain il is that the hall is cleared |
sirs. Hatch absent, and also $500 in cash and the
responsibility for an equal amount Of Indebted |
ness,