The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1881-10-08

HlttHy InlIllOHS Vi passengers tHefo nav
not been a dozen accidents. Betwee
Jersey City and New York there is
class of boats the equal Of which ca
not lie found in the world. Magnif
Gently equipped, carpeted like parlo1
frescoed and gilded, they form the mos
delightful means of transit to be foun
in the United States; and coupled wit
its other modern advantages is q vas
and complete system of sewerage and al
abundant supply of pure and wholesom.
water-nearly eighty gallons to ever,
man, woman and child upon the Island
1t is true, l acknowledge that very littl,
of it goes on the inside of a portion o
our population, and it is equally tru'
that not much goes on the outside
nevertheless, if each had his or hel
share, there would be to each nearl,
eighty gallons. Plenty of people can
remember when water was carted to the
houses in barrels, and when the town
|
water for blocks and blocks.
To an outsider it may not look like
much Of an advancement from Boss
Tweed to Boss Kelly, but it was sub
stantial advance. / don't believe that
John Kelly would touch dollar dis
honestly if he thought there was any
danger of the penitentiary. Boss Tweed
was a different man.
| Going along the street the other day
saw a man who brought back memories
that have been slumbering for years.
The rain was falling, and he struggled
painfully along, with nothing to shield
him from the storm ; his clothes were
old and worn, qnd bespoke long
struggle with poverty pitiful to behold.
Twenty years ago Henry Howard was
the Chief Engineer of the Fire Depart
ment of New York, and one of the most
gallant firemen that ever faced tho
flames. He seemed to be in his element
when surrounded by danger and facing
death.
The chief of the most desperate and
daring body of men ever congregated in
tho world, there was not one of them
but trelnbled i'll the presence of Harry
Howard. His star set when the old
volunteer lire department was disbanded.
constitution Of iron. A stroke of paraly-
sis finished the work that indiscretion
and exposure had begun, aud the hand
some, stalwart fireman, the terror of his
desperate mates, now hobbies along the
street, wrctched cripple, earning the
dole Of charity in the Sheritf's office. /
mover look upon this miserable wreck
but my heart warns towards h,m, for,
poor, sick and fJasaken OF his kind, he
has more real, genuine, golden manhood
in him than one i'll a hundred thousand.
He was picked up i'll his childhood a
little, homeless waif of the streets, by {,
charitable woman who had large
family of her own. Uutler her care he
grew to manhood. His educational adj
vantages were small, but making the
most Of the opportunities he had, he rose
to be Chief Engineer of the Fire Depart-
ment of New York. He was a man of
dauntless courage, and in an era of un-
surpassed vlllainy, surrounded by the
most corrupt men that ever disgraced q
city, his honesty was unquestioned.
Dark days came, his friends were hurled
from power, the department over which
he presided was abolished, and he him
self stricken down by disease, sank into
abject poverty. Friends, who had fat
tened on his bounty i'll the day of his
power, now passed him by, and lie
suffered all the pangs of penury and
neglect. His foster mother dic6, and he
resolved that her memory should be
preserved by one of the noblest mon
unlents in Greenwood To that he dedi-
Gated his life. For years he struggled,
till at last he reared above her grave one
OF the noblest monuments in that mag
niticent city of the dead In all that Gem
etery, rich in tablet and mausoleum,
there is no grander evidence Of that
noblest of all human attributes, graf
itude.
The echoes Of old Saint Paul's rang out
on the night of Monday, telling to our
people with its solemn voice that the
President had passed away. In a few
moments the streets, so silent and dead
before, We're filled with throngs OF fright
ened people, asking each other if the
news were true The bulletins of the
evening gave little room for hope, yet
after the brave and desperate struggle of
weeks no one seemed to think that the
death angel was so near.
Passing down Broadway l saw man
sitting near the Astor House, sobbng as
if his heart would break, and his was not
a solitary case. Hundreds, as they
crowded around the bulletin boards,
wept us if the loss was in their own
family. When the morning Of Tuesday
came the city was draped in mourning.
All political lines were obliterated, there
were neither Democrats nor Republicans
Stalwarts nor Half Breeds, Jews nor
Gentiles-all were Americans, mourning
for their Chief Magistrate, refusing to be
comforted, like Rachel of old, when she
mourned for her slaughtered children.
Hardly ever before i'll this nation has
been shown such universal and sincere
respect as has been shown to General
Garfield. When Washington died, the
bitter partizan malignity which had
followed him in his life, did not spare
him after death. When Lincoln was
stricken down, one-half our people re-
garded him as a public enemy, and thou
sands of them secretly rejoiced at his
taking off. With James A. Garfield the
case was different. No man within his
party was in a position to do so much for
the South. No man felt more kindly to-
wards her. Others will write his epitaph.
Eloquent tongues will sound his praises
in the choicest language that human
intellect can compass. But above and
beyond the eloquenee of tongue and pen,