The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1867-02-20
Skating Extraordinary.


The Cedar Hill skating park was crowded
with the elite and beauty Of the city on Sat
urday afternoon, the cause of the gathering
being the skating match for the championship
of the city, announced to take place at four
o'clock. At the time appointed the contest
ants for the championship entered their names.
They were ten in number
A double railing had been made lengthwise
across the park, leaving an avenue about so
feet wide-and in this the contestants were to
exhibit their skill-the premium to be awarded
to the individual who could skate with the
greatest rapidity and grace, and cut the most
gyrations. Five judges were appointed to
award the premiums and certificates. At four
o'clock exactly, the trial of skill began, and
each one of the youth went through his per-
formances with great and remarkable dexter
ity. One of them wrote the alphabet on the
ice with his skates almost as fast as person
could recite it. Another wrote verse from
the Bible; third drew a likeness of Butler ;
a fourth marked out " the path to prosperity; "
a fifth drew picture of a blind man leading
a dog; but the sixth capped the climax. He
drew glistening ,promlssory note for $40,
and marked out the place for the revenue
stamp to be stuck on it; he then wrote out an
affidavit that he was entitled TO the premium
and wbirling quickly dropped on lis base on
the ice on the affidavit, but rose to his feet at
once, leaving on the meltable document a
stamp asnear like a notary pubHc's stamp as
could be- After these exploits the Judges put
their heads together and awarded the premium
to F. Lammott. Certificates were awarded to
Henry Price, L. G. Robinson, and j. e. Speed.
The awards of the premiums and certificates
were very justly made, and the assembled
crowd testified their appreciation by continued
applause. It then commenced sleeting and
the crowd dispersed, the Fourth street cars
being crowded with the tbrong returning 10
the city.
TERRIBLE SCENE IN FRENCH PEN1rENr1ARY.
An account of the revolt in the French Juve-
nile Penitentiary of St. Anne has already
been given, but all the horrors Of the scene
were not told. The prison contained on the
28 of September last 28s prisoners, who plot
ted revolt, and accomplished it on the Cd OF
October. They drove out the turkeys, re-
leased those who were in durance for bad be-
havor, pillaged, and drank. and INDUCED IN
the usual saturnalia. Then they wanted some
thing else to do, and the ringleader, Condu-
rier, proposed that they should shut up in the
storehouse those who would be likely to be-
tray them. and then set the building on fire;
and further to make things secure, that one OF
the worst of the reyolters, who happened to be
drunk, should stand guard opposite the deor
of the storehouse while it was burning, with
knife in hand, to stab any who attempted to
escape.
This was Immediately agreed to, and the
victims, fourteen in number, having been in
duced to enter, a pile of papers was heaped
up, saturated with petroleum, and sci on fire.
The room was soon in a blaze, but all the
doors and windows being strongly barred,
there was no possibility of egress except by
the one door, at which the boy Allard stood
with his knife. One poor little fellow, named
Garibaldi, made a desperate attempt to pass
the flaming portal, but was stabbed three times
and hurried back bleeding into the fire: a
watchHlan, who heard the screams OF the
victims ran TO their assistance, was set upon
I by the young demons who presided over the
auto de-fe, and fqnginto trench. OF course
the building was burned to the ground, and
when assistance came, two days afterWard,
the bodies Of the twelve or fourteen victims
had been-reduced to ashes. For this horrible
crime four of the accused have been condemn
ed to the galleys for life
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