The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1882-06-07
ON NEW YORK CORRESPONDENCE
NEW York CRY,
May 26, 1882.

NEW ' Say s s5'1 1882. 5
Editor Democrat:-
There is very little stirring in the
city except the rain that is falling and
the bright green leaves in the newly
decked trees, and the noisy sparrows.
Only four murders since the last exc
cut,on, six days ago; and three at
tempts, one of which may prove sue
cess. So, You see, the papers are dull
for what is a daily paper now with
out its regular plethora of horrors I 1t
has long been subject Of remark that
Immediately after the hanging of an
assassin the very air seems to fill with
the mysterious force that impels the
criminal classes to deeds of atrOcity,
and that before the week is closed the
columns of the papers TEEN with new
stories of bloodsl,ed. The question in
the minds of a great many good men
who use their brains to think with, is
whether the brutal strangling of
murderer does or does not deter the
things from the bloody work that SO
many of them have learned to look
upon as the browning glory of their
lives. Horace Greeley was wont to
say, that the worst possible use to
which you could puta man was to hang
him. His death is the result of a iu-
dicial murder, and aided by the quick
and graphic pen of the ever-ready re-
porter, it serves not to intimidate the
vicious, but to encourage them. Nine
out of ten murderers "die game," and
/ say 1t with no irreverent feeling,
nearly all, according to the solemn as
severations of their spiritual advisers,
60 straight to Heaven. But what of
their victims3
CIGARETTES AND "PooL FOR DRINKS"
There are two evils now operating
in this and other cities which are hard
ly less powerful in their damning in
fuence over the young than rum in it's
most devilish form. l don't refer to
the so-called boys and girls weeklies
that scatter poison broadcast over the
land; but they are bad enough, and
their publishers should all he doing
the State some service in the stone
breaking departments of the prisons.
l don't count even the variety shows,
which are pest holes, even the best of
them. The two l wish to poiEt out
particularly are cheap cigarettes and
spool for drinks" Nearly every boy
beyond the watchful eye of his mother
smokes characteristic nastiest apollo
GIGS for cigars that were ever devised.
Made of refuse tobacco gathered b,
Italian lazzaroni in the cutters they
poison the breath and ruin the health
and excite the morbid appetite otmany
a bright lad intended as AN ornamen
and an honor to his community. To
purchase them-two for a cent-many
a little fellow has become thief. And
yet no effort is made to put stbp to
the traffic. spool for drinks'' is sign
to be seen on nearly every busy tho.
in the city. In most places
where the game is played the CHEF
customers are boys, the majority of
whom-it were folly to mince matters
steal the money which the
game costs them. The largest of these
places is on the Bowery. Open day
and night all the year round, it is
crowded constantly. Policemen pass
by the doors and hear the clinkr of the
balls on the twelve or fifteen tables In
the two large rooms, see boys going in
and coming out, often tipsy, yet never
attempt to close the place. The $50
ciety for the Suppression of Crime" is
busy in hundred different directions,
lts agents tempting men to the con-
mission of crime with view to their
punishment, but l have never head of
an effort on the part of the Society or
lts agents to bring the proprietor of
his "Pool for drinks" place to justice.
1t is den of thieves. It 10 a school
TOR thieves. Every day anu every night
t is opened in violation of the law,
Fights take place here every night, and
fighting man is kept here to look af-
;er the interests of the house. Men
nave their pockets picked. here evefy
light, boys get drunk here day after
lay and night after night, and yet the
place is never entered by an officer of
The law except when he comes to get
lis cocktail. A few nights ago visi-
ed this place for the purpose of indu-
ing one of its new customers, a boy
If seventeen, to go home to his moth
r, an estimable lady living in 34th
treet, who had not seen her son in
hree days. 1t was 2 o'clock in the
morning when l entered. The rooms
we're crowded and every table was |
'usy. On the seats at the sides of the
Dom were about fifty loungers, fair
proportion of whom were asleep. The
Dung man was looking for was not I
q sig ht, so | took seat and waited, {
moving that soonerlor later he would I
make his appearance. just opposite !
0 me "casual' was slumberine peace c
ally. Nearly in front of him stood g
ne of those characters so we'll known
nd as easily distinguished nowadays
! New York-a well dressed, but tho I
oughly bad looking young fellow
hose business iu life is to live with
ut work, to pray upon the cup shot
IN fools and the simple rustics always
, be found on the busy thoroughfares
the great city. To the right of this
ian, who was evidently s,rving as a
,reen for his comrade, was another of
milar aspect, who was busily engaged
probing the sleeper's pockets. His
ork was done with the utter matter
fact GOODNESS of a man measuring
nee rail, and he displayed no more