The New Orleans Democrat. (New Orleans, La.) 1875-1876, 1876-06-30


circle OF maniacs, brandishing high
in hand their blazing torches. Every
one has his hand in his pocket. ready
for that riot that is coming. Two hun
dred and forty delegates have swollen
into q thousand. The theatre is pack ed
by Kellogg; packed with murderers,
thugs and policemen, warming their
courage. nerying their arms with gallons
OF whisky. The bar is crammed with
delegates eager to- work themselves up
for the coming fray, fighting and quar-
reling over the whisky, seizng and
snatching the bottles from each other
| The convention Is drunk conven-
| tion is fighting drunk; but it has not
reached murder yet. Whisky, more
whisky. Suddenly, fortunately, amid
| hOwls and screams, it is announced that
the convention stands adjourned until
Friday at IL IN. Voting impossible.
COUP p'ETAT.
There was n rush outside for a little
more air and little more whisky. Sev-
eral hundred persons, some delegates,
some visitors. still remain, studying and
IinvestiS ting trap doors, flies, scenery,
etc.
A tall, elderly, nalf naked white man,
with linen duster, dripping with per-
spiratiOn and tobacco juice, gets to the
front of the stage and commences
speaking, screaming, gesticulating
wildly, shaking his heavy knotted stick
at the mob.
On the right, just under the private
boxes, stands the placid, stolid Boss
Packard, thoughtful and meditative
STAMPS" he cries. It is @ signal, and
Stamps, Stamps, Stamps" goes echo
ing around the hall. "Quick, for Gods
sake; seconds time may lose us all. !"
The dapper little Senator is pulled out
from some corner where he Is hiding,
dragged struggling to the stage, tossed
UP, pushed forward and seated in the
chairman chair, surrounded by hun
dred ~bullies. 1t Is done in a second, a
short. quick, an easy triumph. Pinch Is
decision in favor of an adjournment Is
reversed, the convention reorganized,
with Stamps as chairman. All that the
done Is lost in a second. Packard is
triumphant, amid cheers and applause.
ANOTHER REVOLUTION.
The little Senator has risen to thank
the Convention for the honor they have
bestowed on him, when, by some adverse
fate, appears the Ex-Governor, ex-Sena-
whom the cheers for Stamps have
aroused from the green room. There is
a big scuffle on the stage, men knocked
down, tripped up, chairs thrown, tables
smashed, but through all Pinch dashes
forward to the front, despite the mob,
and the two rivals meet face to face.
Pinch has his cane raised high in the
air, as ii he meant thrashing. The
little Senator retreats, and in q second
lies. groveling, struggling. kicking,
squirming, down there below, under the
chairs of the orchestra, "fallen, fallen,
fallen from his high estate"
The struggle Is not quite over yet.
Pinch 8 men are outnumbered, the lad
ders leading from the pit to the stage
are dra Ssn zap, ,-st,us nnttisg off ali rsalief
For some five minutes everything is
confusion the crowd rushes and surges
from side to side.
Dumont gets the chair for second,
but Is born off in the tumult. A few
more blows, the crowd separates, show
ing Pinchback in the chair, master OF
the situation. He is chairman, in fact,
but the mob still rules the pit. ALI he
can dc is to sit there and maintain his
position. The mob is drunken, wilder,
madder than ever. A drunken gang OF
roughs bear forward the Rev. Mr.. Bry-
ant to the stage, to try the effect OF a
prayer; but ''no CO." The prayer is
Missed down and drowned in curses, and
the Rev. Mr.. Bryant carried off. Drunk
en- delegates are borne off to the cor
ners thugs drop down from the gallery
to secure their seats and be ready for
whisky or another coup detat. There
is deviltry enough here to stock all OF
Dante's seven hells.
PINCH VICTORIOUS.
Pinch is cool and sarcastic. If the
Administrationists want to bolt, why
don't they do it? If they want blood.
shed, they need only keep on like this. "
Packard speaks in favor of a compro-
mise. "There lis little difference
among Republicans" in his opinion,
and then he gives poor Pinch several
rather rough licks. ''Let US adjourn"
Ladd wants the credential report
abolished. This Pinch refuses. He is
willing to adjourn the Convention to
stand Just as it did at l p. M. the last
six hours of fighting and bowling not
to count. Agreed to finally; and with
few fights, more arrests and a great
many drunks, the Convention adjourns
to Friday at 10 a. M, leaving Pinch vir.
tual master OF the situation, dictator OF
the Radical party Of Louisiana.
TIE RAOICAJ CONVENTION