The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1881-02-19
OUR NEW ORLEANS LETTER

New Orleans presents Bloody Record
Burglaries - Hoodlumism - Attempt to
Blow up a Store-A Big Boom-Assassin-
Observation-Disclosures Street after the
Storm Bernhard Draws Immensely
Representatives from Donaltlsonville.
New ORLEANS, La, Feb. I. 1881.
EDITOR CHIEF:
The present month has been fruitful Of
casualties and mishaps which have sent
terror to the hearts of the law abiding
citizens Of the Crescent City, and have
caused every one to feel degree of
anxiety never before felt by .lenizcns Of
a city claiming to be within the pale of
civilization. In the early part Of the
month Of January lawlessness began to
assume formidable form, and that dan
yerons and combustible class which
curses every city aud which is known III
New Orleans as hoodlnms, seemed to
have entire sway over that portion of
the city outside of the business limits,
so that the law abiding public felt
alarmed lest the epidemic of crime
should assume an uncomfortable condi-
ton. The Police Board, whose sphere OF
usefulness extends towards era.lic;.-
tiny from the body polite of the Cres-
cent City police such communicating
members whose absence from the ranks
would he beneficial to the morals Of tine
aggregate, did not prove recreant when
duty called. But the eradication was OF
little avail, as is evidenced by the Grim
inal record which this city presents fol
the last thirty days. The first signal
given by the violators of the law rs the
inauguration of their depredations, was
IL fortnight ago, when several business
houses on Poydras, Decatur and Maya.
zine streets were raided by burglars
who were no doubt expert in their bust.
| ness. They travelled from house to
house, in such a manner as to elispel all
doubts that thoy were expert craftsmen
Fortunately for the proprietors Of these
business houses, they had all va''la
bles secured in the vaults Of their re-
spectiye banks. The explosion at the
paper store of 4. C. Palmer & Co., war
thought to be the denouement Of previ
| Gus bnrylaries but such All idea, after ;
! simple examination Of the premises
| proved to be fallacious. At about clever
o'clock Saturday night All explosion
sounding very much like the roar of {
hundred cannons, resounded on Calnl
street, and the excitement that soon fol
followed can be easier imagined thar
described. People rushed from thei1
houses into the streets, yelling at thu
| top Of their voices. whilst the business
men who had been kept late i'll their of
fees at their books, ran out, thinking
that an earthquake had suddenly strucl
the Crescent City, or that the tumul
outside was caused by the blowing 0
Gabriel's horn, and that doomsday hat
come. Smoke, however, soon appeared
emanating from the store occupied b,
E. C. Palmer & Co., and thither the ex
cited multitude directed their steps
The early arrival Of the Insurance Pa
troll no doubt saved the building from thu
| t1ames After the fire had been extin
| guished and the excitement had in som,
degree abated, the building was entered
| and an examination made. No sooner hat
the officers put their bodies within thu
doors, than the strong smell of gun
powder indicated the cause Of the explo
sion, and that some human iends wer,
on the rampage. The floor had beer
sunken about one foot, whilst the sashe
aud panes were blown to atoms, and I;
partition which separated Mr.. Palnier'
office from the main office was thrown
by the conclusion against the bricl
wall The iron windows in the rear o
the store We're thrown off their hinges
The spectacle presented on that night il
indescribable. Subsequent inyestlg atioi
demonstrates the fact that the buildin.
} will have to be pulled down, it bcin: