davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1870-02-05
Curious Criminal Statistics.

The annual report of the metropolitan
police commissioners of the city of New
York makes an exhibit of criminal often
ses and violations of law and order
which, without exaggeration, may BE
pronounced gigantic. Can any thing in
the statistics of lawlessness be more anna
zing than that, in the last ten years, al
most as many persons have been arres.
ted in New York as there We're inhabi-
tants of the city at the last census ? Even
during the last year alone the total num-
Der of arrests was 72 9S4, Of whom ST..
446 were males and 1883 females. The
decade of age from twenty to thirty fur
nishcd the largest number of offenders;
but the most numerous arrests of females
were above thirty. Matrimony would
seem to breed less crime than celibacy,
from the fact that while only 29,249.
p rsons arrested were married, 43,735
were single. Nearly siA-sevenths Of all
the arrests vtra of individuals that could
read and w~ite, but as nearly every
body reads and writes at this day, and
there is much vicious reading aAoat, We
do not consider that there is anything
adverse in this to the idea that education
tends generally to promotethe wcll.being
of mankind. Moreover, the widespread
decentralization of the day is fearfully in.
dicated by the statement that among those
arrested we've one hundred and twenty
three physicians, twenty-three United
States officers, ninety-one city officers,
fifty druggists, thirty policemen, nine
teen editors, forty three reporters, (be it
remarked, in pareniheses, that it is not
an intrequent practice OF Involuntary
visitors at the station.house to declare
themselves in some way mysteriously
connected with the press ,weuty-three
telegraph operators, two hundred and
twenty-eight brokers, alas for Wall
street, and, in fns, representatives OF al
most all the respectable" classes in So
ciety. The most astounding figures OF
the report are these which reveal that
during the last ten years 270,461 ma
tives of the United States, 466,1S5 ma
tives of Ireland, 91,9s6 natives of Ger
many, aud 10 s57 natives OF other coun-
t,ies-making grand total of SeS,3S9
persons-have been arrested in New
York; Baltimore Sun.
The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1870-02-05
Hs.rru.fg ration Statistics.

The following report Of passengers ar
riv;ng IN lie United States from foreign
.Itor the quarter ending Sep.
tembsr 80, has been rseeived from ali
the customs districts. The total arr ga's
were lls.s7l persons, Of whom lol '342
we're permanent emigrants, ll,9oO citi-
zens Of the United States returning from
abroad, and 3,039 foreigners not intend
inc 90 remain. OF the iinmigranr 6O
s5s we're males, 20. .a6s fsmales; %, ,2si
were under fifteen years ofage. 65,OI0
between fifteen and forty, 1881 up
wards of forty; 70.9S6 arrived at the
port Of New York, 1O.62l at Port Hu-
ron, I0,2s8 at Bsston, s.39s at San
Francisco, 1.44l at Detroit. III
The rsrna aiming arrivals were 1t Phiia.
dslphia, Portland, Nsw0 Orleans and Key
West. A usual oflafs the German els-
ment prsdominates. although the immi-
grants froGa the Scandinavian countries
are increasing The Chinese arriving u
San Francisco numbered Al04, showing
i slight decrease from last quarter, Raih.
or d larger portion than usual of the Inn
nierants is made up Of professional msn.
txa lennon aid skilled mechanics.
The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1870-02-05

THE Losr SHEEP.-A preacher Of the
Methodist persuasion was travelling in
one Of the back settlements. and stopped
at cabin where the old lady received
him kindly. After setting provisions
before him she began to question him
'.t" "Stranger, where mought you be
come from 2" " ."'t0''"" ""
Madam, | reside in Shelby county,
Kentucky" ...o-.0.,,.. ,.a.
"Wa'al, stranger, no offence, but
what mought you. be, doing Up here 7"
Madam. ! am, searching for the
lost sheep of the tribe Of Israel"
"John !! John y shouted the old
lady. come rite hero this minute ;
here's stranger all the way from Shell
by county, Kentucky, a hunting stock,
and III Just bet my life that tangled
haired old black ram, that's been in our
lot all last week is one Of his'n.''
The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1870-02-05
The Negro Exodus from siF"
..s gisRia.

Commodore Maury,in letter to Col'
Ellis of The Immigration Society OF ms
Sta e, gives many facts of great interest
to our people, not the least of which is
that reiatingt to depopulation by the ez''
dus Of negroes now going South. we agree
with Commodore Maury that it is not
quite. such a blessing as some people
suppose, for it is generally the strong
and hearty, the energetic aid projecting
who go whilst it is the vicious, the prot
hgate and the lazy who are left. Unless
the places Of the departing are rapidly
filled, the State receives a heavy loss III
The way of productive capital.
1t is stated by the press that there
are now in Virginia two agents. one
calling for five thousand, the other fo'
fifteen thousand able-bodied negroes to
20 South. Let us suppose that these
twenty thousand able7bodied men go
and probably larger number in the as
gregate than this will 60, for there are
andoubtedly, numerous agents at WORK
| sending them off. Accepting this as true
Commodore Maury In his comments
says :ss.e y.s# Ill 49, -@.. ,,,,
.5 rThe lifelong services of an able-bod
led negro man were before the war val
ned at from $1,000 to sl,40o--let u
call it $1,000" With the exodus o
these 10000 laborers the State loses
$40, 900, 900 of its industrial capital: be
fore the war such an exodus would have
left 500. .OOO,OO in its stead. Now th'
loss is total and complete. Nothing Ii
| left but the old, the feeble and the intirm
who we're dependent upon these able bod
| led men, and whom those who remain
have to care for. .s- ...a.
| "Yes,y they left something more be
hind; they left the lands they have beef
cultivating to be tnrned out into 'ol'
| fields to become waste and to grow ul
4 with pide, briars and scrub. aud thus
4 BY increasing the area Ct uncultlvate'
| lands. diminish the marketable value q
real estate in Virginia. .
i Ii is unquestionably. therefore' q maj
ter touching the public veal, that psomE
and effective measures be taken to n
store the loss OF this material strength b
Introducing immigrants from abroad, q
we'll as by holding, out Inducements !
: those now living in less favored climate
in the. West and North, 90 that the
sha,l sneadily settle aud restore the equ
Ilibriura Of bone and nsusee.-t Vargsa'
Herald. -, t' ..zs s4#s "
The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1870-02-05
Reconstru ruction Why fs 1t De"
..t. Iayed? 81 a. ..

It is now nearly FIVE years since the
Confederate armies surrendered; and du-
rim this long period not a bayonet has
been lifted up against the Fedora Gov
ernmeut in all the late insurgent States.
There have been some riots and too ma
nv murders. and a good deal of beart-
burning in the bosoms of rebels who d'd
not take kindly to the humlliatlons to
which they were necessarily subjected
after their terrible overthrow. But, eve
ry student of history and human nature
must admit, that there have been fewer
Of these untoward manifestations than
might have been expected
Thus far Congress has ruled the IN
surgents with a strong hand. We do
not say that this has not been necessa-
ry; but we think the great body of far
sighted men in the North believe that
the time has come when the mailed arm
Of military power should be withdrawn
from the South, ard her people begin to
be trusted as we'll as governed.
Virginia, for example, hasscomplled
with every essential requirement imp"-
sed upon her by the Reconstruction acts
as conditions precedent to her restora-
ton to the Union. Does the Senate
propose to keep her out for fear thai at
some indefinite period in the future she
NAV 90 backward upon some Of these
&C : and undo something she has done !
Then it may keep her out forever. Vlr-
ginia has adopted State constitution
superior to that of New York; she has
ratified the Thirteenth, Fourteenth. and
Fifteenth Amendments of the Federal
Constitution; she has sent Senators and
Representatives to Washington who can
lake the iron-clad oath. 1t such State
cannot be trusted, what State can?
| But it may be said, that Virginia, and
her wayward sisters, after they are ad
mitted. may repudiats some of the pro-
visions of these amendments. The an
swer to this is obvious and conclusive
Each of these amendments closes with
the declaration, tina. Congress may, by
appropriate legislation, enforce the pro
visions Of this article" Is Congress
afraid to trust itself + j. asg Hns
The Republican party cannot attore
| to BE- vindictive, and is powerful enough
| to be generous. The people are getting
rather tired of reconstruction, and wan
to see it finished 4 We urge the Repub
| licans in Congress to let the outstanding
| States into the Union the very momen
they comply with existing conditions
| This is right, aud the Republicans ough
to scorn to do wrong. As the Democra
| cy have well nigh ruined their party b.
resisting the progress OF restoration, vi
warn the Republicans not to ruin their
Eby nssdiessIy delaying the compilation 0
the work.-Chrisiian Uaion, Henry War
Bsechsr's Paper .s,.s>. a
The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1870-02-05

A son Of the Emerald Isle, who had
shipped as cahin-boy on small vessel,
ran to the captain one-dsy, exelaining,
I" Phase, sir. an is thing lost when
ye know whefs it is 7" / 49,, ~
Why, no, you blockhead," was the
prompt and gruf rejoindsr. .siJ-u;~
"Thin, be jabers," said Paddy who
had just met with an accident while
cleaning up after breakfast, "the only
tag kettle on boards at tie bottom Of
Tie sag r .,.. =" ..,.a a,.. a @ T." ,'r, -
This reminds as of the Irishman
who. having stayed too long in a re-
freshment saloon, ran after the train,
which had just left the depot, and shout.
ed, to the great amusement OF the BY
ISLANDERS, +" Howld on, Mr.. Conductor !
howld ou. ye'ue left a passenger aboard
behiad."' sa.rs. ".#. a..t
OF dryer and more practical vein
was the humor' of the Irishmen who
found himself cleaning windows on a
bitter cold morning IN Scotland. The
head of the house had given him about
half cup ful Of whiskey, and enjoined
him to rub it with a small cloth on the
Epanes previous to polishing them, Co.
ipg out shortly afterwards, he noticed
that the cup was empty, and that the
man was working with will. How's
this sir ?" said the master. angrily,
whats become of the whiskey?"
Sure, an I drank it, yer honor" I"
said the exile cheefully; "good health
to We this cold mornin'-.but blow my
breath on the windows, which is just
the same, an haue all the good Of !:
bessdes."
The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1870-02-05
Footsteps Of Decay.


Footsteps Of Decay.
Oh. let the soul it's slumbers break
Arouse its senses and awake,
To see how soon I'D
Life. in ita1eiories, saides away.
And the css stern a,s,';ss ssHssssps ps Of decay
And while we view the Filling tide
Down which oul flowing minutes glide
Away so fast
Let us the present hdehr emyloy,
And deem each future dream JOY
Already past.
Let ngasa,n hope deceive the mind,
No happier let US hope to ind
Tomorrow, than to-day;
Our golden dreams of yore were bright,
Like them the present shall delight
0Like them decay.
Ourlives like the fastening streams must be-
That into one eugulfing sea
Are doomed to fall-a
The sea of death, whose waves roll on
Ger king and kingdom, crown and throne,
.,. And swallow all.
Alike the rivers lordly tide.
Alike the humble rivlets glide
To that sad wave.
Death levels poverty and pride;
lid rich and poor sleep side BY side,.
Within the grav
Our birth is but starting place;
Life is the running race.
And d,ath the goal;
There all our glittering toys are brought
That path alone, Of all unsought,
Is found of all. ,-.
See, then, how poor and little worth
Are all those glttering toys OF earth
That lure us here;
Dreams of sleep that death must break;
Alas. betsre it bids US wake,
We disappear.
Long ere the damp of death can blight
The cheeks pure glow of red and white
Has passed away;
Youth smiles and all was heavenly fair
Are came and laid bis finger there,
And where are theyl
Where is the strength that spurns decay,
The step that roved so light and gay,
The hearts blithe tone "a
The strength is gone, the step Is Slow
And joy grows wearisome, and woe:
When age comes on ...,...
The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1870-02-05

A bright youth who was guilty OF
some ofense, was told by his father to
20 into the ncxt room and prepare him
self for severe fogging. The parent,
goiny into the next room to chastise him.
found that the youngster had an i'm
mense hump on his back ''...' ....,
What on earth have you got on
your back u asked the wondering sire.
"The baby's blanket replied John,
"three double. You told me to prepare
myself for severe hoggings and /
guess I've done the best could"
The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1870-02-05

Farm laborers and peasants in France,
according to recent inspection, are not
living under the most favorable, condi;
tions. The average wages are twenty
cents for a day, lasting. in the summer,
from 4 A. M, to 8 P. NJ, and until noon
on Sunday. The teamsters sleep With
IN, If horses, two in bed, oompo>ed OF
sack of straw 10 wooden box, and 10
q room with . rough aoor. constructed
Mt the end Of the cattle sheds. In Prus-
sia the wages are lower than in France
and the lahorers in the stables with the
horses and builocks. ,... s sf.
The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1870-02-05

Dress and Appearace.-Upon the sub
iect Of dress and appearance the Ne"
York Times remarks: @s.,.s. s@g y, II
A Goa. that has a mark OF use upon@it
10 q recommendation to people OF sense.
and a hat with too much nap and too
high lustre derogatory circumstance.
The best coats in Broadway are on the
backs of pennilsss fops, broken.down
merchants. ,e clerks with pitiful salaries,
and men that do not pay up. The hsavi-
est gold chains dangle from the fobs Of
gamblers aud gentlemen of very limited
means; costly ornaments on ladies indi,
cate to the eyes that are well opened
the fact of a silly lover or husband
crampsd for funds And when a pretty
woman goes by in plain and neat apPar-
el, it is the presumption that she mas as
fair expectations, and husband thai
can show a balance in his favor. For
women are like books. too much gliding
makes men suspicious that the binding
is the most important part. -,
The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1870-02-05

The Courier-Journal closes long
and laudatory article on the late George
ID. Prentice, as follows:
His manners were next to uniform.
They We're a trife reserved-selt pos
sessed would, perhaps, b" better term
-dienitieo certainl y-but vastly gentle
and conciliatory. He was not at all
nervous. He never stumbled in his
speech His powers Of persusion, s9d
especially his command Of repartee and
compliment, were marvellous, aud his
tact was never-failing. He knew per
tectiy we'll how to haudle each particu
lar case and person, versatile with ALL
and he did as much successful talking
as writing in his time. With wunian
and with men, when he Set himself
about it, he was irresistible, and he used
arguments, founded in reason, with
hardly less effec than fattery founded
in human vanity. He was wit, a
logiciau, not humorist. His poeticaI
skill was not so much the sp .ntaaeou>
outgushing of feeling, for he was the re-
verse to sentimenialist, as his cal
for harmony, his ready use of languag''
and his taste for belle-lettres as a tecre'
alton and accomplishment, He Used to
say himself of his poems, that, like his
paragraphs, they were neat and l'thy
sometimes fancitul, but he thought they
lacked the cha. acter and the originality
of his paragraphs. which were indeed The
abstracts and briet chronicles of curren
opinions and current events. unmlstak
able and unerr'ng, pointed, acy, ane
dangerous. These, and his persona
intercourse, were the foundations OF hl
lame and power for forty year
Throughout them he made himself mas
ter of large section OF political feel
| ing, the terror Of his enemies and tn
enemies Of his party, ... .s-.~..
The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1870-02-05

vt is standing rule Of our church,
said one clergyman to another, for the
sexton to wake up any man that he may
see asleep" Il think" returned the
other, THAT it would be much better
for the sexton, whenever a man goes
to sleep under your preaching, to wake
you up"
The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1870-02-05

Two Irishmen, on sultry night, took
refuge underneath the bed-clothes from
a skirmishing party of mosquitoes.
At last one of them. gasping from heat,
veniured to peep beyond the bulwarks,
espied a freely which had strayed
into the room. Arousiug his companion
with punch, he said,- > '
"Jamie, Jamie, it's no use; ye might
as wesl come out! Here's one of the
crayters sarchin' for us wild lanthern,"
The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1870-02-05

"Why do you wink at me-, sir - said a
beautiful Young lady, angrily, to 4
stranger, at party, an evening Or two
since.
Il beg your pardon. madam replied
the wit; Il wink as men do when look
ing at the sun: your splendor dazzled
nv eyes"
The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1870-02-05

Two little girls were heard one morn"
ing engaged in dispute as to what
their mothers could do" The dispute
was ended by the youngest child say
ing: well. there's one thing my
mother can do that yours can't-my
mother can take every one Of her teeth
out at once"
The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1870-02-05
AMUSING PARAGRAPHS.
A little nonsense now and then,
Is relished by the wisest meh.

An affectionate husband once said :"Ah.
dear doctor. how is my wife to-day -
The doctor shook his head and replied,
" You must prepare for the worst
What" said the husband, " do you
think she is likely to get over it."
The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1870-02-05

"Peter, what are you doing to that
boy T. said schoolmaster.
He wanted to know, if you take 10
from II how many will remain So |
took ten of his marbles to show him,
and now he wants that I should give
them back" ~ ST.. .l ".' '~'.
"Wen why don't you do it, then ?"
"Cause, sir, he would then forget
how many is left" '.-. ...- ~4.1, 20.
The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1870-02-05

Private Malloy (goaded to madness
by the goose step):" Corpril O'Slapgh-
messy, your honor! av was to cal ye
a dirty spalpeen o'misery, what would
I git?," Corporal" Faith, it'd be
round dozen," Private Malloy--"An'
av I only thought it r. Corporal
"Divil harm, so long as ye don't
spake it," Private-"Thin / only
think it Corpril." . . a.., a..1,..
The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1870-02-05

"The candles you sold me last were
very bad" said Jones to his grocer.
Indeed, sir, am sorry for that'''
"Yes, sir. Do you know they burnt
to the middle and would then burn no
longer7" - '.'.'
you surprise me! Did they so
out ?" .t...
mo, sir; they burnt shorter"
The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1870-02-05

Chicago statistics how that the d.
vorce fever il at its hight among the
wives in July, and ame ag tho husbands
Ia November. -<~
The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1870-02-05
w. d. tRoBERTsoN.

. a eS48s.fN'FTT E7F1F1H .sTHt - 81
A RE prepared 70 receive and foryara a. al
oAfreight consigned 70 them, anu oelng
ascan,nad at;ous to all who may favor them
,s;.s I'm cnstoir. They will also buy cotton
ao New Orleans prices. less the actual cost Of
a.shinmens and will make liberal cash advances
~ I'M consiruments 10 their Hiends-Messrs
II. III. Golsan & Co. New Orleans.
er No toll charged on tas Hs1 bridge, on
patuecstda eess;gasd thsm. for shsP"ss"t or s0'e'
agsaT DOT a3 '69-tf Ff hi sFsaF& $3.50 4F8a'* ,Ra
The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1870-02-05
Th. SueZ Canadian Interesting
Fact-The Level of tho Two
Seas.

1t appears from the report Of care:
full survey by nautical man. published
in the London Shipping Gazette, that
the Suez Canal in every respect is a
great success and is working handsome
" ; but the most interesting fact report
ed is that throughout the canal steady
current moves from the Red Sea into
the Mediterranean varying in its veloci-
ty from three knots an hour, near Suez,
to knot and half at the Mediterranean
outlet. This current proves that the
level of the Red Sea is higher than the
level of the Mediterranean, and the
question naturally recurs, if so, why :?
1t is simply because Of the tremendu-
Gus evaporation Of the Mrditerranea".
This great inland sea is fed from the
east by the powerful current Of the Bos-
phorus and the Dardanelles from the
Black Sea, and from the Atlantic
ocean in the west through the Straits
of Gibraltar, and by numerous rivers on
both sides, and yet the hot and thirsty
winds which sweep across it from the
great desert of Africa keep it down by
evaporation below the general ocean
level. The evaporation from the Red
Sea per square mile, with a roasting
desert on each side, rearer the equa-
tor, is immensely greater than that from
the Mediterranean but5as the Red Sea
is only narrow gulf running up from
the Indian Ocean, its aggregate loss is
comparatively small and is easily sup
piled. At its Northern extremity, at
Suez, therefore, it is kept nearer the
general level of the ocean than is the
Mediterranean along the African coast.
But, granting all this, what does it
sigify in a practical view of the Supz
Canal2 1t signifies that the canal has
become a river or an arm Of the Indian
Ocean flowing into the Mediterranean.
aud that unless this continual current be
checked, the flow oftbis inlet will in time
wash down the sandy banks of the ca
nal in its channel aud fill it up. That
is what it signifies in a business point
of view. If the report in question il
correct land we have no reason to doubt
it), pair of locks will be necessary at
the suez Inlet to regulate the flow from
the Red Sea. Otherwise heavy wind
up this sea of several days duration
may create such current in the canal
as to fill it up with washipgs from its
banks in single night.-lNew York
Herald. ..-
The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1870-02-05

Glass Wind wa we're frst used fol
lighs ia lle0,
The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1870-02-05
Kept by WIN. NJ JOHNSTON

yr1H1s HOTEL. formerly known as Eagle
Hotel" and kept by Jesse Hayes and
nner Poirrt, has recently been re-oPened' after
beinr repaired and thoroughly refurn'shed
The house Is large and comlnodsous. sad con.
yrnient to the Courthouse and business part
of the town. The table wia se eonsssuty
supplied with tasesss ss "a the e,gh. hhAe' aA0''
The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1870-02-05

. The Proprietor will, also, continue to haul
f,a;ght. &C. from Washington, and other
riares. at former rates. without any 1oli-
Rridre expense 70 his patrons Z IL"
oct 9'69-H zsas ise - -.----- .---------