The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1868-04-25
LETTER From NEW YORK.
Special Correspondence Of the New orls.n. Crescent.

NEW YORK, April IL. 1868.
Such wholesale slaughtering Of human beings,
as occurred upon the Erie road night before last,
has become so common in the history of all rail.
roads as not to occasion much surprise, as IL Is
well known that the care of human life is
secondary consideration 10 making money out Of
the passengers who patronize them.
Here Is q railroad company leaving no stone
unturned to obtain legislative authority to issue
$40 OO0, 900 more bonds for the purpose of build
ing extensions, while the road over which they
now run Is in such bad repair as to so far weaken
the rails that four sleeping coaches are detached
and rolled down an embankment OF seventy feet,
one of them taking fire and burning up the poor
wretches, who were so badly injured by the up
setting Of the train as to prevent them from NOV
ing. AL this, say, occurs, while the directors,
whose duty il is TO use proper means to avoid it,
sit quietly in Wall street Offices, bulling" aud
bearing" the stock, so as TO fill their pockets
with dollars, never thinking or caring about the
hundreds of human beings who are in an instant
launched into eternity through their criminal
negligence.
considered an honorable business. and Wall street
men were regarded with some mark of respect
In those days the business Of commission broker
paid-as he received One-quarter of one per
cent. upon the par value OF every share bought
and sold I; but now the commissions are cut down
20 one dollar, where it formerly was twenty five
dollars, among the street brokers, aud the first
class houses get only one-eighth Of one per cent.
upon every share. This. of course, brings more
speculation. and renders public interest sub
servieDt to private accumulation, and, as con-
sequence, total disregard Of whether rails are
sound, or sleepers are decayed, or cars are la
good repair. so long passengers pay their
fares, and good fat dividends are realized by
those who manipulate the stock.
Speaking of stock specua ion, | will here add
that things are commencing to look very shaky.
Express stocks got hard rap yesterday, for any
thing ordinarily steady they are, and fell six
per cent Since the " big " fall in Atlantic Mail,
whole list has declined. Money is yet used at
legal interest in gold, even upon Governments,
making stocks look decidedly panic like.
Captain Mills, the brave " blue coat" who
ordered the incarceration Of poor woman with
a dead child in her arms, Is standing trial before
the police Commissioners for the inhuman act.
For once Kennedy, the superintendent Of police,
has done his duty. in bringing TO trial the perpe-
traitor of this outrage. lt appears in evidence
that the woman had been TO priest to have the
child baptized before it died, and just as the ordi
nance was about TO be performed, the child ex-
pired. AS matter Of course the WOMAN was
nearly crazy, and while on her way home was
surrounded by a pack OF boys, whereupOn she
called upon policeman for protection, and he
arrested her and preferred a charge of intOxca-
ton. Withoutinquiry, the woman was condemned
TO cell, and confined all night, with her dead
infant as a companion. IL is some what surprising
that Kennedy noticed even this infamous outrage.
The much-talked-of Seventh Regiment recep.
tian came Off at the Academy last evening.
twenty-five hundred tickets, at two dollars each.
were issued, and no person not In full dress, was
allowed on the floor. The instrumental music
portion of the concert commenced at P. NJ, and
dancing about 10 o'clock. The company was
elegant aud has not been excelled this season, 10
point of refinement and msgnifcence of ladies'
costume. Everything far as concerned tie
comfort and enjoyment Of the guests was perfect,
and Mayor Hoffman, who has been quite regular
attendant upon balls the past winter, remarked
that be had not seen finer company. The floor
was occupied mostly by the younger portion of
New York society. which lent style to the occa-
sion not often witnessed at similar entertainments.
EYES AND EARS.