New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-12-15
OUR san FRANCISCO LETTER.

The sApreme Court-Chinese Testimony
Shooting Police Oficers-The Brother
con MISREPRESENTATION Play of the
| s.Wffe's OrdeaI''-Chinamen at the The
atre and Gaming TabIe-The Gr8at
Diamond NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. of BrU-
tality.
ispecia! Correspondence of the Republican,
SAN FRAHCIsGo, December 3, 1872.
Undoubtedly our Supreme Court will
soon have another opportunity to show its
astuteness and render another model de-
cision This tribunal has held, and re-
affirmed. by way of clincher, its former
| decision that Chinese testimony was in
competent against white persons Our last
Legislature enacted law, admitting Chi
nese testimony, which goes into effect on
| the first Of next January. A man is now IN
| the calabOose, charged with the little every
| day occurrence Of robbery, and the main
| point Of the case hinges on Chinese testi-
mony He has refused to violate the trust
imposed in him BY the officers, and has re-
| fused to break jail or walk out during any
of the Jail deliveries, such is his great faith
in his liberation on this technicality about
the admssibiity Of testimony. His counsel
| boldly moved for the release of the prisoner
in the absence Of legal eridence of his guilt,
citing the decision of the Supreme Court,
but was overruled. This new law, when it
goes into effect next month, will conflict
directly with the Supreme Court-the
supreme power of the State-and We are
anxious to hear from them on that point
Whether they will blindly adhere to their
former opinion, or gracefully back down, or
more probably decide both ways, and leave
us in greater doubt still. But then the most
important point which the prisoner woald
| like to have settled is, whether, in case this
testimony il admitted, can it be urged
against him when his ofense was commit
ted prior to the admission Of that testi-
mouy, when it was held to be illegal.
Heretofore it has been the custom Of pub
lie officers to shoot citizens but now that,
too, is being reyersed-probabiy in imita-
ton of the Supreme Court, which reverses
any and everything that comes IN its way
and the citizen shoots the officer. A police
man attempted to interfere with an amor
GUS youth while on a lark in an immoral
locality. In firing four shots he succeeded
in getting two bullets into the officer, one
of which punctured his ear, and will prob
ably have the effect of giving him new
set of brains. The police force subscribed
and offered reward of $1,000 for the bung
! ling marksman. and in less than three
hours be was captured by two members of
the force
eDuring another Of those Investigating
seancee, it was ascertained by several atti-
davits that the Brotherton brothers did
escape that they were subsequently cap.
tured, and that somebody was to blame for
the first, and that there was a great deal
of mysterious mystery connected with the
latter, especially the reward Of $1,000, and
that's all, 1t is shrewdly suspected that
barre! Of whitewash is being prepared by
the investigating committee.
Just now we are undergoing the severe
ordeal Of seeing the "Wifes Ordeal"
slaughtered. AS you have not had it down
there yet l will just merely, by way of an
idea, state. that it is one of these new
society plays" adopted from the French
highly sensational and equally immoral, in
which that "old, old story''-"as old as the
world, and as nevis passionately, philo-
sophicalIy, foolshly and politically con
sidered and realized. The virtues of pure
wife are depicted in glowing cOI0rs, the
wrongs of w0mankind and tyranny of man
alluded to II no mild or complimentary
terms, creating such sympathy for the fair
sex in general by the remOr8eful male audi
tors that many were moved to such
degree of compassion as to be compelled to
90 out and take a drink at the conclusion
of each act In the temporary triumph of
vice over virtue the Jezzabel Of the occa-
sion was loudly appIauded; but in justice 20
that democratic body it would be proper
to state that this approval did not arise
from the lobby but the dress circle.
The sympathy for the wronged wife GER
tainly seemed not to be among the arts
tocracy-at least not the Goldfish portion Of
it-for when the mistress Of her in
fatuatod husband was detected, denounced
and driven from the home she had di8hOn
ored and worst of all, not permitted to
cross its polluted portals to get her dia
monds, the sympathy seemed rather to turn
into indignation. But the most enjoyable
and re,ishing of the whole drama was the
little "tea party in which the three darling
danes Of the season directed the repre-
sentation Of a half dozen women in as
many minutes and the whole subject mat
ter of men disposed Of in one sweeping sen
tence which means both a great deal anC
noth;ng-just the same as wOman's-wher
she can not command words to express hel
sentiments. This little tete-a-tete by thu
Turnover Club" did not meet with gen
! eral approval or the faintest applause, as
struck too near nome or held the mirror
little too close to the society Of to day
though, of course, no reflections were in
tended to be cast 1t is only when the sho
does not pinch too tight that applause
f given.
t And herein il where our Acknowledged an
q pig-tailed fellow-citizen, she Chinaman, ha
/ the best of us. He will sit through tn
:, most affecting drama, wherein half-doze]
5 hearts are broken, and the tender passion
= depicted in the most melting and soothing
5 words, which would almost melt heart o
n adamant or "saIted diamond, and his fea
O lures remain implacabIe and his Opaqu
a eyc not moistened with one tear Of CON
" passion or remorse. But this may be partl
e owing to the fact of his knowledge that n