Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1868-01-03
For the Journal.
CHRISTMAS STREET PICTURES
HIG HI COL r z D F..
BY MONONIA.

BY MoNoNIA.
Christmas morning we awoke with the
determination to spend in peace, in the
solitude of our room, the glorious heraldic
day of Christ. But the continuous din OF
Chinese crackers, the desultory firing OF
small arms, the wild screams, and wilder
shouts, the cracked sounds blown through
cracked tin horns, and the running hither
and thither of molly crowds, told us in
language palmer than written, that We
would have to forego so wise conclusion
and adopt something more corresponding
to the general eclat of the celebration. We
jumped up and took a survey of the street.
But the very first thing that met our gaze
on the pavements below was a sight that
Immediately banished the sober thought,
and brought up from the depths the in
voluntary laugh-in fact, we laughed i'm
moderately. A comical, rather quizical-
looking sable individual, wearing a high,
white battered beaver-that had been,
possibly, deposited for weeks in some ash
| hole--jauntily on one side, suit Of clothes,
perhaps picked from a rag-man's bag, and
q pair of boots, black, but winter than the
toes and shins that peered from their worn
out ends A stick crossed his shoulder, to
which was appended a bundle of the
deuce knows what. In his left hand he
carried a turkey, or some kind of the
gobbler breed, which now and again
made convulsive struggles for freedom.
It seemed, poor thing to have a fore
shadow of the block. s'Hello, Jonathan, %
cried color of his persuasion, and as he
approached, friendly: Flows you," at the
same time slapping the poor fellow on the
head and burying that cabbage" COM
pletely out of sight. A few smothered
sounds found their way out and no doubt
helped to intimidate the quasi friend from
attempting the release of the turkey
Three swarthy, gents, newly enfranchised
citizens of Wilmington, and seeming to
understand the dignity to which fortune
has raised them, staggered along the side
walk, and helped the Jonathan to get out
of his hat. The other took to his heels.
The poor fellow no sooner than tout of
that hat " grinned his thanks anu wabbled
up Princess. The worthless just mentioned
crossed to the opposite side of the street,
putting volumes from:three rotten stumps
and staggering in manner after the dance
OF &C de JUDO dis" They are met by an ac-
quaintance little further gone than them
selves, and who has captured policeman,
for he tugged crabbishly at his sleeves.
Hold Cd" he Justify shouted, "hold on"
Come on," said the Waterman. II say
hold on. rs want to speak to my friends
hf,ro /Jn Loo 4ln
ficer, and gru1nble something about inter
fering with de coler gemmen." The chap
with the ''hrick in his hat" possessed a
great deal Of strength and held the officer
III durance until at last he hiccoughed: " [
goes" and off he did go, taking a more
firm grip of his prisoner
The morning was now far advanced, as
the bells from the neighboring churches
Indicated, but which could hardly be heard
from the bnstle and confusion that was
hourly increasing. Savage whoops We're
stealing upon our ears. They draw nearer
and nearer. a burly coon /" that wears no
hair on the top oh his head where de wool
oughter grow, but who, for this improvi-
dence OF nature wore locks prOtruding
from behind rs luXuriant as any that grows
on the FOSTERING aspect of any black ram,
came Immediately under our optics. He
was johnny Cooner, q description Of whom
would puzzle the facetious in the republic
OF clowns. A troupe of imps, they were
not angels, but they We're:
BLACK spirits AMI white,
White spirits and grey"
of appreciation, accompanied with the
monotone of "Aleph," or some other IN
Ineligible expression. It reminded us
very forcibly of a scene once witnessed in
the West. It was Oh Good Friday. An
assembly Of all sexes had formed in front
of certain public edifice. The doors
were thrown open, and the ooncourse
jostled and carried itself in, drawing us
along on it's shoulders. At the upper end
of the hall was stage The curtain was
down. It moved, and forthwith burst
a most piteous wall. We tried to
find out the cause. We looked close
ly at some of the mourners. They
were Mexicans, with their heads enveloped
in rebosos I looked towards the stage
The curtain moved again; an arm was dis
played. The cries had no boundary. The
whole mass of breathing souls surged, and
wept. A silence succeeded. One or two
let solitary yelp, but we noticed that
those next to them punched them pretty
roughly in the sides, and said s'Not time
yet, not time yet" At the same moment
we saw many g "stupid old woman )" carry
her fingers from her lips to her eyelids.-
She was bound to shed tears. The time
arrived, and the outburst grew horrible
An unseemly figure of an old man was ex-
posed to them on tho stage, and they took
him up, and transported MIN on their
heads around town.
Our musings were soon again to be dis
turbed. Two could friends" met. One
accosted the other " How do ?" "Tola-
bly," Chow come on ?" "Right WE'LL"
Elbows you enioien de day ?" go, rs
enjoien it, he managed to say, and reeled
by bowling to the right, and to the LETT,
backward and forward
All eyes are now turned on great clatter-
ing of horses hoofs coming down the
streets. The sons of king terrantry have
their fling. They are white men polished,
figuring in every kind of barbarous costume
They are bound that the institution of the
old Teutonic- Christian tribes-will live
It will never die out. We would not Judge
from their exploits on horseback, and their
disorderly, very much broken line, that
they would work together united, repre-
sentatives of that most holy and adorable
knightship. It was to protect purity, to