The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-03-27
GOOD FRIDAY NIGHT IN THE
SLUMS.
Gallatin Street.-The Oxford and
the Mysteries of Vendetta
Alley.

moon won't be up till late and those rats
like the Light, they do, unless they have 'busi
ness on hand, and they'll find it, you bet
l elf you could postpone it now-you can't
Well, its all the same; but if you could post
D pone your visit until rainy night one o
those nights, you know, when it don't com,
down too hard, but Just hard enough to we
a fellow, it would be better, cause it would
3 bring more of them out, and besides, it woulG
, give you chance to talk about the watel
dripping on your waterproof and trickline
down into your boots; but howsomever, i
you cant, you can't, and anyway. its pretty
good night to take them in.
They're pretty quiet now, not at all like
they used to be, and if you look sharp and
takeit easy, you have no trouble. Gallatin
street Well, I'll tell you all about Gallatin
street 1t is played out. There was time
when it was dangerous for a decent looking
man to pass through it, but it has Quoted
} down and you'll find it dull. The other
streets are rather more lively, but they don't
show up like they did in old times"
The Sergeant was right, Gallatin street was
dull-from one end to the other it was dull
The famous Green Tree" dance house was
the only one open, and it didn't show up with
anything like its former brilliancy. There
Was an air Of dependency hanging around
it Even the light in the little elevated trans
nrency seemed too melancholy to flicker.
Inside there was place for band, but the
nd must have footed itself away, or been
90 gloomy to play. for it was not on hand
There were some half dozen men lounging
IN the benches that lined the wall; very IN
happy looking benches these same were, and
under the weight of the lounging men they
groaned and creaked and they seemed unde-
cided whether they should stand up or tum-
BILE down.
The only thing about the place that seemed
at all joyful was frowsy- hcaded female,
whom frequent potations had made lively.
There was another female on hand but she
was g SO drunk she couldn't hold her head
up
Gallatin street ends at Barracks, and Bar
racks street was the next one taken in. Here
again the Sergeant was right. 1t was one of
the other streets and it was rather more
lively.
produced a place with no name, that was
actually reckless in its gayety. This
No Name Place
was rather small, not more than twelve by |
sixteen feet, but it held as large crowd of
hard cases as has ever been congregated out
side the walls of the Penitentiary.
A veritable ''Artful Dodger" danced
breakdown with one Of my poys' while a
veritable Bill Sykes kept time, and kept the
musicians hard at it.
The visit was not appreciated. There was
A whisper of cops the performance
stopped and the Artful and Bill Sykes ''sloped"
in company.
was but short distance from the No Name
place.
There was an air of respectability, kind
If lower order of responsibility, about the
oxford 1t looked as if it might be degen-
Grated Royal street music hall. It boosted
Jar and prided itself OF STAGE not much Of
stage to be sure, but still stage.
There were number of tables that had
cen better times, and a number of women
hat had seen better times also waited on the &
nen that surrounded them.
There were lights and there was music, and I
8 whole the Oxford was nice place of its t
ind.
Vendetta Alley.
The darkness Of the night did not exactly 8
ave the effect of adding to the charms of g
his picturesque little spot. The old tradi- +
ions which hung about the place were such .
s to add something to the sensational emo :
ons of casual visitor, as it has passed into =,
he history Of this city that in this place there U
ave been committed more murders, cold o
looded assassinations and other little Incl p
ents SO pleasant for those who incline O
oward the beauties of dime novels than per- q
APPS any other one spot here.
Opposite the Vegetable Market, at No 2Gl
Id Levee street, between UrsuInes and Hos
ltal Streets the entrance of this singular
nd foreign-looking alley opens. broad, :,
Ugh archway, fragrant with the odor of long a
eceased oysters greets the passer-by, as if to D
Ill his attention to the fact that here was IL
ne of New Orleans institutions. q
The alley is about fifteen feet wide at the
rect and runs back through the stores front b
g the thoroughfare without material change q
r about fifty PAGES. Here a new feature in :,
le picture is presented il
Looking before one in the dim starlight
N be barely discerned sort of open u
'urt yard surrounded on all sides by the If y
gular roofs of what appears to be the rear
neighboring houses. A few minutes de- d
y accustoms the eye to the darkness, and on 2
oser scrutiny can be recognized long row W
confused uneven shanties backed by more al
etentious two-story tenements. The long W
ne runs back into the heart of the square IL