The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1881-12-10

| dSo id3 anu dAAiFCO hO tAc CouCluSiOl
that on the whole we were a tolerabl,
virtuous people. On Tuesday it gave al
account of the several gangs of crimin
ais with which this city is cursed, and i
was enough to make your hair stand
For forty or fifty years there have beer
organizations of criminals, in which
have been grandfathers and sous, who
have succeeded each other in State
prison, and many have found their way
to the gallows. The Spartan band that
! sent Mike Walsh to Congress in 1942, ex.
lists in as full force to-day as when they
met the Short boys at Hoboken for the
purpose of clearing out the Dutch thirty
years ago.
There are dozens of localities well
known to the police, where policeman
alone would not willingly venture after
nightfall, and where the life of an ordi-
nary man or woman would be in greater
danger than it would be on the Mexican
border among the Comanches or Crows.
On the West Side, in locality known
as hell's acre, several officers have been
MANNED for life while attempting the ar
rest of notorious criminals, and two
policemen have been killed within a
year. There is a certain leprosy about
crime that infects localities, which it
seems impossible to get rid of. The Five
Points was a notorious centre of crime
a hundred years ago; the city has grown
in that time from thirty-tive thousand to
a million. It has grown beyond it some
eight or nine miles. The grand old
down about Bowling Green
and the Battery are turned into offices,
storehouses and cheap hotels, but this
has remained right in the
heart of the city, and no effort of the au-
thorities has been able to wipe it out.
More than a quarter of century ago
the Five Points Mission was started, the
special work Of which was to look out
for the rising generations. Those who
we're ten or twelve years Of age at the
time of its foundation are now middle
aged men and women with young
families of criminals of their own, but
as far as the statistics show there are
more thieves and murderers in this local.
ty to-day than eve1 before. In addition
20 our native sinners, of which there is a
,oodly crop, all sorts of foreign thieves
md scoundrels drift there as naturally
Is ducks take to water. One of the
worst elements Of our criminal society
81 found among the Italian lazraoni
They are, as usual thing, brutally ig-
'orant, disgustingly filthy, and unusu-
lily cruel and revengeful. They oil go
armed, and are ready to use their knives
IN the slightest provocation. They are
;he rag-pickers or cheffoniers of the me-
and they have its streets divided
Up and parceled out with as much pre-
;ision as if they owned the property.
They are organ grinders and street sweep
,rs, and might add voters, whose ballots
are sold in bulk as sheepJare sold at the
'hamb]es. AS a general thing-though
murders are quite common-they are
mostly confined to their own class, and |
t is such cheap and expeditions way
If getting rid of them that the authori-
les don't feel like interfering with their
To give you an idea of the safety of
ife in the metropolis: Chinaman was
in his shop on Bedford avenue,
which, at 8 o'clock in the evening, is one
If the most public thoroughfares in the
,ity of Brooklyn. Hundreds of people
we're passing along the street. Three
'uffians stepped in, put pistol to the
Door Chinaman's head, and demanded
lis money. John tried to demonstrate,
70 they just gave him a tap on the head
" the way of persuasion; this convinced
poor John, so he handed over forty dol I
ars, with which the thieves escaped.
That particular Chinaman must have al
exalted idea of the blessing Of living in
his great and free republic. No doubt |
le wishes himself back in Chinese Tar
ary, or some other civilized country,
where life and property are secure.
A piece of villany was brought to light |
II the city of churches last week, which
s almost without an equal in the annals
# crime Of that class. A DR.. Cooper,
Who was dentist Of some prominence,
Hoped with beautiful young girl few
weeks ago, leaving his wife and children
II destitution. He went OH steamer to
and two days after his arrival
10 abandoned the girl, leaving her to
tarve in u strange city. He returned
o Brooklyn, where he now is. The girl
ound friends in the officers of the vessel
n which she vent to Europe, and was
eturned to her home; but her mind
vas shattered, and it will he a miracle if
he survives.
A five million Stock Exchange is to be
tarted on the site of the old Washington
Hotel, and when it is finished, if they can
My get up fight with the old Exchange,
nd the pair of them, like the Kilkenny
ats, should eat each other up, tho COM
nunity would be greatly the gamer.
Thanksgiving came, with a miserable
old storm, but the turkeys and pumpkin
les were about SIS usual, and for once
he poor had genuine holiday. 1t was