The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1877-12-29

| removal, and Tammany demanded of
him the heads of the Commissioners.
He made faint show of resistance,
but finally yielded, and they must go,
unless the Governor interferes, of
which there is not much hope. The
raid has demonstrated that law
regulating the sale of liquor can be
enforced in New York, if the authoIi-
| ties are let alone. While the Police
Board were doing their duty, the ar
rests for drunkenness were decreased
halt, and the brutal crimes GROWN 6
out of excess in liquor almost entirely
ceased. 1t was a most encouraging
experiment, but the action of the
Mayor finished it, and the old River
of Death will roll on as before.
1t is occupation and almost diver
sion enough for ones whole time to
attend the auctions of the better class,
happening every day and night of the
week. The beautiful devices of Japa-
nese wares, china and bronze, mimick-
ing every comic shape of human, ami
NAL and insect life, enchant the audi
ences, and gentlemen take the ladies
of their families to share in the ex-
citement of book auction or auto
graph sale. Gentlemen about town,
with more time and taste than money
occasionally make something in an
agreeable way by bidding off for per-
sons at distance, who are very ready
to pay commission for the sake of Sc
curing a choice piece of bric-a brac.
The wit of the auctioneeer rarely
makes book auction rival comedy
theatre in attraction, as it used in
the day of the famous auctioneer,
John Reese, who was one of the
readiest men in New York at joke,
and of whom thousand stories are
told. Twenty five cents was bid for
a narrative of the battle of Waterloo.
There was no quarter at the battle
of Waterloo, my dear sir )" cried the
auct;oneer. He likened a ledger to
Austria, because it was backed and
cornered by Russia" allluding to the
leather with which it was finished !;
and when it was sold to Mr.. Owen
Phalen, he didn't know about SELL
ing it to man that was always
OWN and failin'.n
The Vanderbilt case is still drag
ging along. The proceedings have
been enlivened this week by the pres
ence of Cornelius, Jr., on the stand.
He swears in the most dirrect manner
to conspiracy organized and engi-
neered by his brother William to de-
stroy the confidence of the old man
in him and to break him down. He
swears that William conspired to get
him into lunatic asylum, and to do
| it, represented to ais father that he
had forged his name to check, be-
sides other acts of a similar nature.
The counsel for William sQuirmed
terri bly, and William was much agi-
tated while Cornelius was on the
stand, for it was evident to them that
there was some foundation at least in
the charges made by Scott Lord at
the opening of the case, and that the
public would be made to believe them.
and they dread what is to follow. If
| Cornelius can substantiate the fact
that William employed man to per-
senate him in disreputable places.
there is no question as to the fate of
the will. 1t will be broken certainly.
The trial of DR.. Lambert, the presi-
dent of the swindling American Pop
ular Life Insurance Company, is over,
and the Doctor, thank Heaven, was
found guilty, and will, doubtless,
wear stripes in few weeks. He will
of course move for u new trial and
things of that sort, and delay justice
little while, but there is cell for
him in Sing Sing. sure. This is es-
peeially encouraging, for more rot
ten concern was never permitted to
exist. 1t was rotten with fraud,
honey combed with perjury and worm
eaten with imbecility and mismanage-
ment. 1t was a sink into which the
peoples money went, the president
and directors each holding his sack at
| the outlet.
| Rusiness ia very brisk now. inst be-