The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1880-02-28

and waits, who have no home but the
streets. The performers were news
boys and boot blacks, and the per-
formance a cheap imitation of the
worst class of variety shows; but it
was conducted with all the pomp and
circumstance of a much more pre-
tentious theatre. While in full blast,
it became one Of the sights of the
town, and every evening, disguised
in false wigs and whiskers, brokers
and bankers from Wall street, mer-
chants from the country, gamblers,
thieves aud fast men about town,
could always be found among the
audience. But the Grand Duke, like
many other grand institutions, had to
succumb to fate. A portion of the
ella tumbled in, some of the per.
formers found their way to the peni-
Tertiary and States prison, others were
transplanted to some of the vagrant
variety shows which perambulate the
country, while others have wandered
away, no man knows whittier, never
to return again. But to return to the
Bowery; the deps that were once To-
Gated in the recesses of the Five
Points now flaunt their banners, in
the open light of day, on the Bowery.
The denizens of the low dance houses
on Cherry street and through the
slnms of the fourth ward have, most
of them, forsaken their old haunts,
and are now located on the most pub
lie thoroughfare in the city. Suppose
the hour about eleven at night, the
theatres and variety shows, have,
most of them, ended their perform
ances, and the human drift wood of a
large city, is afloat upon the streets.
All along are gambling houses and
low dives, where gaudily dressed wo-
men, disfgured by debuachery and
sin, lay in wait for the tboughtless
and unwary. Don't imagine that every
one who goes down into the wretched
hells, is necessarily one Of their own
class. Many of them are clerks, or
young men from the country, where,
perhaps, loving mothers and sisters
i'm the old homestead are wondering
what they are doing in the great city,
quite unconscious of the terrible
dangers that surround them. The
ceilings are low, aud the walls are
covered with cheap prints, represent
ing sailors parting from their sweet
hearts, and hunters chasing buffalo,
while in one of the vilest saw a pic
ture of "Christ blessing little child
rem" aud hanging above it, worked
in worsted, by one of the worst sin
ners in the place, was the motto !:
"Suffer the little children to come
unto me. aud forbid them not, for of
such is the kinkdom of heaven" Per-
haps that scripture lesson was learned
by a bright-eyed, fair-haired, inno-
cent girl, among the New England
hills, long years ago, before she ever
dreamed of the infamy and degrade
tion that should not only hunt her
down to death, but should transform
| her into human tigless, destitute
alike of love or fear to become the
huntress Of Others. The place is
lined with low tables, around which
are grouped men and women, rep
resenting every crime in the calendar
convicts recently released from States
prison, here find comfortable abid.
ing place, for the keepers and deni.
zens are all ofstheir own class, and the
opportunities for robbery and plundel
are frequent and profitable. The
! liquor is all of the most poisonou.
character, aud a bottle of druggel
whiskey is always ready for stranger.
who display any money. Druggint
and robbery are of almost nightly oc
currence. Many Of the victims fint
their way to the hospitals, and not :
few to the morgue, where the Coro
ner's jury, after FIVE minute investi
CATION, bring in verdict: fount
} Dead" Another class of amusements
made notorious by the recent visits o
an eccentric Brooklyn minister, is tn
gambling hsals with which this grea
city abounds. 1t is not at Mike Muir
rey's OF in Morrisey's old place til
worst part of the gambling is done
here you may see merchants, banl
, cashiers, and men called respectabl
by society-bus if yon want to see til
, worst class Of gambling which is S
: near like stealing that you can't te
the difference between them, so
must go to Ann street, Barclay stree
2 Park Row or Fulton street, and
you get away without being robbed
, YOU will be luckier than nine hundle
and ninety nine out of every thousan
D who go in. All the people connecte
t with these places are regular profes
sional thieves, fellows who woul