The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1880-02-14

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think because q man writes Rev. be-
fore his name, wears . white cravat
and straight breasted coat, that he
can't be brute and villain. The
Rev. Mr.. Cowley's misdeeds have cast
a black shadow on the cloth, and for
some time to come, the mere asser.
tion of extra self righteousness and
piety will cause man to be eyed
with more suspicion than if lie pro-
claimed his sins 10 the market place.
/ don't know that we are growing
worse, bat it seems as if the recurrence
of fatal wife beatings are more fre-
quent than they were of yore. No
less than three this week, and the
brutal husbands are now in murderer's
cells. In Brooklyn a brutal Irishman,
named William Fitzpatrick beat his
old mother, aged between 60 and 20,
almost to death after knocking her
down, lie nearly stamped the life out
of her with his booth eel, because she
would not furnish him with money
for rum. On Monday, the poor old
woman appeared in Court, her face
all battered and bruised, and begged
so hard for her brutal son, that the
Judge let him off, and he walked out
of Court with his mother.
An interesting case has just occurred
with a young teacher, who has been
convicted of theft, and who in all hu-
man probability will, for term at least,
find a home in the penitentiary. She
was the daughter of wealthy West
India planter, who lost his fortune,
and then died, leaving this girl and a
sister, to fight the battle of life as we'll
as they could. Gertrude Knight, for
that is the young girls name, became
music teacher, and wandered about
from place to place, endeavoring to
make q living. In several houses
where she boarded, things were occa-
sionally missed at one time it was
some pocket handkelchiefs, at another
a pair of shoes, and somehow the sus-
picion always fell upon Miss Knight.
| At last she called on an acquaintance
in Brooklyn, and requested the favor
of stopping all night; this wac granted,
and the )ady's daughter, with whom
she was stopping, accidentally showed
her twenty dollar gold piece. This
awakened in Miss Knight all the dor
mant kleptomania, and on the very
first opportunity, she went for that
twenty-dollar piece. Kleptomania is
defined by an eminent lexicograpber
as the uncomfortable desire of a rich
person to possess that which does not
belong to them-the same desire in
a poor person is properly called steal.
ing" Well, Miss Knight pocketed
the twenty dollar piece, and it brought
her to grief. When produced in Court,
she told very plausible story; tile
Judge listened patiently, but evident
ly did not take much stock in it, for
he found her guilty, and as intimated
at the start, she will have TO spend q
short time in the ptnitentiary.
On Sunday last, the Rev. T. De-
Witt Talmage preached on /" Thumb.
screws" Just at this time / can't call
to mind the chapter and verse, but
the remarkable point Of it was that
the Tabernacle pastor proclaimed
I" liberty to all the land, and to all
the inhabitants thereof" Hencefortl
we are to have no more religious per.
secution of any kind. If any fellow
attempts it, the pastor of the Taber'
nacle will go for him, and then the
religious schismatics, and those who
don't want to schisnsat, had better
look out, for Talmage has an eye up
on them. Hard shell and soft shell
Baptists, open and close communion
must lay down like lions and lambs
or the Tabernacle man will go fo
their scalps. Episcopacy must purge
itself Of persecution for conscience
sake, hjgl,-cburch and low church
shall do as they please, and every fel
low shall go on his own hook, Will
"none to modest him, nor make hin
afraid.n This reminds me that las
week Bishop Littlejohn Of Brooklyl
sat down on an enthusiastic youD,
ritnalist, and by the example he mad,
Of him, has served notice on tb'
clergy of his Diocese that crosses an'
croziers, genufectioDs, holy water ant
holy candles can expect but littl'
episcopal favor in the Diocese of Loni
Island. He silenced the young maj
who tried it, and sent him adrift with
out his episcopal endorsement g
that, for the present, at least, rit
ualism at that point has received
J quietus.
While on religious subjects, an
glad to inform you that the Bishop'
Palace is almost finished, at Gardel
City. and what with it's College an,
Cathedral, it will undoubtedly be th
great Episcopal centre of America
One Of the graDdest organs ever boil
in the world will be among the attrac
, tions of the place aud the entire cit.
, will be heated by steam, thereby do
ing away with the smoke and ashe