The evening light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1881-1883, 1882-06-05
PUBLIC VIRTUE IN NEW ORLEANS.

That little virago the N. O. Mascot
has a grand exposition in its edition OF
the 18th ult., of the vices and crimes
of the "better class of people" IN the
plundered and unfortunate Queen City.
The history of the scandalous judicial
rape of the waterworks stock, belonging
to the city of New Orleans and in
alienable by destination, is given IN the
Mascot, and is a conspicuous lllustra-
ton of the evils of denying selt-govern-
ment to cities, as we have heretofore
maintained.
Judge E. C. Billings, U. S. District
Judge, had subjected 4344 shares OF
the water works stock, belonging to the
city, to public sale to satisfy various
judgments by HIM rendered. On the
nth May last the stock was SOLO
by the U. S. Marshal at prices ranging
from $2SA to $3oss par value being
$500. In the hands of holders, at the
time of the recent decree of the U. S.
Supreme Court, this stock had gone up
to $52 a share; so that the speculation,
so far as the mere stock is concerned,
and without reference to the bona tide
or mala fide character of the claims on
which the judgments were rendered,
had paid, thus far, handsome net
profit of just 100000. But, untor-
tunately for the grand and audaclous
scheme, the U. S. Supreme court top
pied the whole venture over, reversed
the judgment of E. G. Billings, returned
the stock to the city of New Orleans
and condemned the spoilers to pay all
costs. This will open a nice little
arithmetic of sums, which will exercise
the parties concerned some time IN
cyphering, with a view to adjusting
their intricate relations tow ard each
other. Judge Billings has kept the u.
S. marshal very busy during the last
two or three years, with the property
of every kind tangible and intangible,
right of every kind cohate and inchoate,
interest of every kind occult and obvl-
Gus belonging to the city of New Or
leans, under judgments variously exec
utory, which we trust may be heard
from as favorably as this in the case Of
the water works stock has been.
By that time, it is hoped, it will be
in order to take the necessary steps to
impeach U. S. district judge E. c. Bill
lings, which has been a great while
talked, about, and which should
have been done long ago-a pro-
ceeding he ought in the face OF
specific charges of endless most ne
farious offences SO long bruitcd
against him, himself to desire and seek
that he may be triumphantly indicated
by the result, if innocent, which is the
legal presumption in his favor.
We trust the N. O. Mascot will keep
well up with its work, which it is GER
tainly doing, and cannot doubt that it
will be thoroughly sustained.
A young lady in Red Bluff, Cal, was SO
mortified and indignant at finding that her es-
cort to ball was dressed as an esthete, which
! she did not discover until she reached the
! place of amusement, that she became morbid
and excited, and refused to eat anything for
days, suffering the most intense mental agony,
and finally died.
The old Romans who constructed the most
splendid highways known to history for the
passage of their noble steeds OF flesh and blood
probably never dreamed that they were gra
! ding the pathway for future iron horses to be
propelled by intangible steam. Yet that is
I just what in some instances they did. Italian
railways follow closely the routes of many
| Roman roads, in not few cases. running lite
rally on their we-worked beds. rhe railway
from Rome to Naples runs nearly over the line
of the famous Appan way for many miles,
then turns to the eastward and later still iol-
l.. ~.