The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1877-12-08

companies in the city have been large
" instrumental in bringing about this
most excellent result, for the reason
that the companies that expect to pay
losses have had hard time eompet-
ing with the swindle-shOps that were
organized to fail when they could
make more money by failing than
continuing. Now the business is on
better and safer basis than ever,
An enterprising genius has fitted
up hall corner of Fourteenth street
and Fifth Avenie, and organized a
baby SHOW. He advertised for all
sorts of babies, fat, lean, large, small,
single, twins and triplets, and he sue
.ceeded in capturing a shnndred. or
more. There, are q dozen pairs of
twins, some of them very handsome,
and some very ugly, and there are
three sets Of triplets, which are the
most ~nnaccountable specimens of
ugliness Fever beheld. The show is
q success, so far as attracting people
is concerned. throng of women
stream through the hall from ten in
the morning till twelve at night, and
the babies are punched, felt of, kissed
and Rugged, according as they are
dirty or clean, pretty or otherwise.
The exhibitors are all poor people,
who get from one to two dollars a
day, with a chance of winning q
prize. The visitors all vote for their
favorites, and those having the most
votes in their class, get premiums. 1t
is a curious exhibition. One man
brought baby to exhibit, very
young one, the mother being sick at
home. The first night he picked up
his baby, and took it to its mother,
when 10, it happened to be a girl,
whereas his own child was a boy. He
rushed back to the hall and got an
other child, but that was not the
right one. And he has been taking
children home ever since, but he has
not yet got his own. The mother,
who could recognize her child, is too
sick to go to the hall, and so there is
trouble.
The law and order league continue
their fight on rum, and they, accom-
plish something. Last Sunday the
bars were very generally closed, and
about hundred of the worst class of
dogger;es have been closed perma-
nently. They arrest aud fine, and if
the offender continues, they arrest
and fine over again, making it m
profitable for all who have not a big
business. The hotels and big saloons
took it as joke at first, and paid
willingly, but they are getting tired
of it, and are organizing to resist. 1t
is doubtful whether they can be
forced to stop, but if the cheap buck
et-shop. can be closed, a great thing
will have been done. In addition to
prosecuting the rum sellers, the
league has organized temperance
movement among the workingmen,
and thousands are pledging them
selves to abstain. Employers an
nounce that in all cases preference
will be given to total abstainers, and
men are followed as they are enter
ing the rum mills and influenced to
keep out, and every possible inf1u-
ence issbronght to bear to keep them
straight aftei they have once quit.
The work has plenty of money be-
hind it, and is.going on systematically
and to some purpose. The rummies
are having a serious time of it. 1t was
noticeable that there were fewer
breaches of the peace thanksgiving
day than have been known ola holt
day for years, for which the league
claims the credit.
Business continues good for these
times. The South is buying very
largely, and merchants report good
payments, and rything sound and
serene. The rains have ceased, and
cold weather has set in in earnest.
49, SCRIBE.