The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1868-05-16

4
| Toned until the tune was over. Meanwhile Mr.
| Peseay, who was possessed of valuable gold
| watch attached to what is known as q Japanese
| chain, Lad the prudence of keeping his hand on
| his $50 ticker but the music having ceased, he
relaxed his hold TO slap his friend on the shoulder
| 20 bid him 90 along be had not made three steps
before watch and chain had disappeared, taken by
some expert pckpocket who Is yet 70 be known
| ApTopos. we have heard 1t stated that knowing
Ohes on the police force assert that there is but
one man now Known 10 be Ia tie city who is able
| 10 commit such q dexterous>piece of rascality,
while other members of the force tell us that the
city is full of such experts, a fact which seems
| evident from the number Of thefts OF that nature
which are daily committed. Why IL not the only
Individual referred to by the knowing ones moIs
| closely dOggedF
| TUE EsPLANADx STREET POLICE SrArTos.-As
| many inquiries have been recently addressed to
concerning the cause of delay in not establish
ing this station, foT the maintenance of which the
| city council made, about two months ago, O
monthly Appropriated Of twenty-five dollars, we
| have tried TO ascertain the cause by applying to
Mayor Heath and Major Williamson, chef Of po-
lice. The chief of police informs US that he has
ling since made the necessary details of police 10
patrol that section of the city, but yet has been
unable TO obtain the money appropriated for the
rental and maintenance OF the station or learn
therefore. whenever any arrests are made in the
nsighborheod, have to take their prisoners to the
| Third District lookup distance of nearly II not
quite two miles. In our conversation with Mayor
| Heath we did not ascertain anything definite, be.
yoDd that there still existed some conflict Of au
| thority between the military and himself which
| prevented final action in the matter. Meanwhile
the inhabitants near the lie Breton Market are the
| sufferers by this dilatoriness. week or so ago
| the house of Mr.. Vredenburgh was again entered
| by burglars and robbed OF nearly two hundred
dollars worth of silver-plated ware and other
articles.
A CLAM AND COUNTER CLAIM.-A Mr. Gallo
way, claiming to have permit from the United
States government 10 recover, for his wn use all
the iron lost or left by the United States in the
| Red River, lays claim to one hundred and fifty
eight bars of railroad iron, just arrived on the ST.
! Nicholas; while on the other hand a gentleman
named Johnson, says the iron is his own, that it
| never belonged to the government, that il was
| lost by some railroad company, and that he
| (JohDson) recovered 1t. General Buchanan has
ordered the captain OF the st. Nicholas to hold
the iron until the dispute as to ownership shall
have been decided in court.
FIRST DISTRICT CoURr-Jtldge Holce, May l5.-
Mr.. Alfred BOurges, secretary of the Board of
Assistant Aldermen, was tried on the information
filed against him about month ago, charging him
with forging an order for the delivery Of goods,
| and uttering the order.
| In December last, Mr.. s. G. Brewer the deputy
| controller OF the city, made requistion for q
| quantity of lumber for the use of the Workbouse.
| The order was upon Hsssan & Pooley. In the
! course of time a bill was paid for tls4, for the
! lumber, and sn order signed by Mr.. Brewer upon
one John Steward, was appendedto to the bill which,
with that order appended, was indorsed as ap-
| proved by the chairman of the committee on Work
house and prisons, (Mr. Straight Of the Assistant
| Board) and Aldermen Guache and Clay, chairmen
| OF the finance committee. The lumber had been
| supplied by Messrs. Hassan & Pooley. When
they came 10 get an account settled, the Steward
bill was examiLed and II was found that their
| bad been erased from the order by the use of
acid so strong that the paper has been eaten
through by it, and the name Of Steward was sub
siiiuted. Accompanying the documents was an
| authorization from Steward TO 7. j. Cunningham,
a youth seventeen years of age. who at the time
| was employed as deputy clerk by Mr.. Mcneil.
the assistant secretary of the Board of Assistant
| Aldermen, to collect the bill and any other moneys
| due him, the said Steward.
Under this authorization the money had been
| paid to Cunningham, and as the forgery
| was discovered he was arrested and taken to the
| Office OF the chief of police. He denied any
knowledge of the affair but being given twenty
! four hours Of liberty with an admouition TO state
| all he knew about It, when next interrogated, on
the following day, he made statements which led
| TO the arrest and prosecution of Mr.. BOurges.
| His statement was to this effect: That the pa
| pers were forged by him under the direction OF
| Mr.. Bourges that the name OF Steward was icti-
| tlous, and that be (Cunningham) at hrst denied
any knowledge of the Affair." in obedience to in
structions previously given to him by Mr.. Bourges
and these Instructions his father Mr.. ]. B. Cum
| nngham, formerly a member of the Board of
! Assistant Aldermen, admonished him to disre-
| gard, in an interview they had during tho
! twenty.four hours he was on parole. He said
that the bill of items was made out by his father
/ 81 Dis lnslhICe. upon npureS iurDlsneQ Dy MT.
| Bourges thft Mr.. Bourges obitsrated the name
| Of the firm Of Hsssan & Pooley that he (young
! Cunningham inserted 10 the blank the name Of
| Steward that he forged the name of Mr.. Noble,
! chief warden OF the Workhouse, approving the
bill thathe wrote the authority to himself to re-
| coive money for Steward. and that Mr.. Bourges.
| subscribed the name Of Steward to that paper.
This was the substance of his testimony before
| the court yesterday. For the defense two ex-
| perts, who had not seen much Of his writing, de-
clared their belief that the signature of Steward
! to the authorization TO receive money, as well
the body of the instrument in the hand writing
! Of young Cunningham. Ia the course of his ex-
animation he said that he never saw the requisi-
tion upon Hassan Pooley, until Mr.. Bourges
| handed it TO him, on the second Monday of Janu-
| sTy last. The defense showed by the books of
| the finn that be had acknowledged the receipt of
the requistion In December.
Messrs. J. NJ. Lapeyre. Gabriel De Feret, Geo.
Pandely and Eugene Staes were called to the
| stand to testify as TO the character of the ac-
| cused and also as to his intelligence, In view OF
the buDgliDg manner in which the forgery had
been perpetrated, certain as II was TO be discov-
cred, ard to show the improbabity of such a
man placing his honor and liberty at the mercy Of
| Cunningham. All the witnesses testified to
The high character Of the prisoner. who had
been secretary and treasurer Of the Pontchartrain
| Railroad Company, and superintendent Of public
schools in the Third District; that he had dis
charged the duties Of those Offices faithfully, hon
orably and to the satisfaction Of all parties con-
cerned, and that he was man Of capacity and
gOOd educeuOn.
The case was argued by District Attorney
Luzenberg for the State, and Mr.. Casteanos aud
Judge Alexander Walker for the defense.
Judge Howe instructed the jury in the law ap-
plicsble TO the case, and impressed upon them that
they should not convict party accused upon the
unsupported statement Of an sccomplice, and that
although evidence as to good character should
have but little weight when proof was positive
against an accused, when Il was circumstantial or
weak, good character should come TO the rescue
The Jury we're out but a few minutes when
they returned with verdict Of not guilty, and the
pri ontr was discharged.
| RECORDER GAsTINEL's g CoURT.-The police made
descent upon the houses OF III fame on Barracks
and Gallatin streets, on Thursday night, and ar
rested forty-eght men and women, exactly two
dozen Of each, who were brought before Recorder
Gastine yesterday. The men were all Of the
working classes. and were discharged with ad-
monition 10 avoid such places in future, bat the
women, except three, who seemed TO have been
the victims of a. mistake the part of the police,