The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1879-12-20

humanity and charity looks over the
island i'll vain, for some sign or symbo
that either of them lived or died. Friends
Peter Goelet had none outside Of his OWL
time some of them might possibly ask
him for assistance, yet, feeling the conf
mon necessity Of humanity, Of something
to love, he bought a COW and few pet
fowls. On any bright snn-shiny Gay
this favored animal might be seen brows-
ing on grass i'll his door yard, which
grew on land worth thousand dollars a
foot, and every blade OF which was worth
an ordinary load Of hay A few Jungle
fowls and golden peasants wandered
among the dusty shrEhbery, and on this
little family was lavisIed such affections
as he was capable Of feeling. At the
funeral there was the usual gathering of
money bags-presidents of banks; trus-
tees Of large estates; directors Of great
insurance companies; merchants, with
piethoric sacks; and stock gamblers from
Wall street whose bank accounts had
just been swelled by the recent disasters
OF our miniature Black Friday Specu-
lations We're rife among the company, as
to the extent Of his real estate, and the
| probable amount of his fortune No tears
| were shed, no grief was expressed, no
charitable benefaction was mentioned {;
and SO, what was once the possessor of
| millions, was committed to the dust, and
| if they should desire an epitaph for his
tombstone, they may say-he died rich
comfy this and nothing more"
Some weeks ago, l spoke of expected
revolutions in our }nnatic asylums. The
evils complained of are not confined to
any Que asylum, bnt all of them are open
to the severest censure. It Is Il crime
against heaven that mere political hacks
sllonld he appointed to superintend hun
dreds OF wrctchrd lunatics, whose cure
demands the highest degree Of medical
skill, and whose nursing and treatment
need an experience and patience hardly
required by any other form of disease.
Whippings, beatings, maimings, and the
shower bath, are among the ordinary
punlshments, while starvation and man
acics are by no means uncommon. One
Of the most shocking and revolving forums
OF torture yet invented for these wretched
creatures is sort OF wire cage, two feet
high, three feet wide, and six feet long,
and in this frightful prison these miscr-
able, demented wretches have been con-
fined for hours. their term of imprison-
ment prescribed by ignorant nurses,
whose proper position would be behind
the bars Of g penitentiary, instead of the
wards OF All hospital. DR.. Hammond
testites that in one instance the roof of
g patients mouth was torn away by an
Ignorant and brutal nurse, who tried to
force food down the mauiac's throat
and another gave brit, to a cfil ssrhile
confined in a camesol or straight i sslt ket.
Neither the attending physl,. I nor the
nurses being aware of the patients un-
fortunate position till after the birth of
the child. A meeting of the medical
faculty, and our most influential citizens,
has been called at the Cooper Institu tie
t" consider the important question of re-
form ~ our Lnnatic AsyluIns, and it is
to he hoped that some plan may be ma
tured which, will render such atrocities
impossible tGr the future.
As iniorile,i You last, week. the GREAT |
sale OF Central stock, has been completed |
between William II. Vanderbilt and 4 |
syndicate Of r;c', men and bankers. No
transa"tion ri equal magnitude has been
made hy 4 single individual during the
present generation. There will be no
change in the management of
the Central or the connecting roads. On
account OF his unquestioned ability and
Mr.. Vanderbilt will still re-
nam the most prominent figure head,
but the sale has brought about a consol-
dation of the Western connections.
which VIII make it Que Of the most pow
erful railroad combinations in the world.
Central stock made a jump of four points
'n the receipt OF the news, and all the
collateral stocks were more or less af
ected. The Stock Board has been fever
sh all the week, but, owing to the gen
'ral prosperity, the "bulls" and "bearsv
combined, We're unable to shake the mar
Set, and at the present writing, things
seem to be getting back to their normal
50 that, in a few days, we NAV
Expect to be sailing along in deep water,
md on an even keel.
Thanksgiving found us grateful to
'rovidence for our mince-pie and turkey.
md also for the other bountiflll BLESSINGS
which have marked the general prosper
ty OF the year which is now upon the
vane: the only serious drawback to a
tate Of perfect beatitude is the yillaicous
mall boy, equipped with one of those
lie horns, whose discordant bray drives
II the latest items of news from the all.
led brain Of your own correspondent
While l stuff cotton in my ears to shut
vt the trightfui sound, l am haunted
With all sorts If murdercus thoughts,
in the shotgun policy, no
onger wonder that Herod sent out his
avage legions to cxterminate the hood
inns of Judea, and if it can be histori-
ally proven that those little Jews were ;