The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1883-06-23

OUR GoosEouILL LETTERS.


| OUR GOoSEQUILL LETTERS.
A Profitable Theatrical Season-HIrs. Lang
try's MISUNDERSTANDING Opium Dens-
A Distressing Homicide-sunday Obser-
yance-The Prize Ring, etc.
PHILADELPHIA, June Q, 1883.
EDITOR CHIEF:
The theatrical season is virtually over,
although the Chestnut Street Theatre will
remain open until July l. It will try the
experiment of summer night entertain
ments and use steam fans to keep the
theatre cool. The past season has been the
most successful, financially for all the
theatres ever known here. The net profits
Of the Chestnut Street Opera House are put
down at $780, 900, the Chestnut Street Thea
tre at $25, ,O00, the Arch at $4,000, and the
Walnut at $4,000. Lastsweek G. B. Bishop,
a Southerner, drew good audiences at the
Walnut. / have not much patience with
comedy, but Bishop is one of the interest
ing comedians, one of the few left of the
old school. He is good Shakesperean
scholar, was a great favorite with Burton,
| who was considered the prince of come
dams. He, strange to say, was once sue
cassful practitioner of medicine and surgery
Fin San Francisco. He concluded the stage
was being robbed of a good actor and
changed his vocation.
Notwithstanding the lateness of the sea-
son and low prices, Mrs. Langtry made a
successful engagement here and cleared
$4,000. Dame Rumor is still busy discuss
!, ing the delicate beauty. The last is that
she is looking about for State with COM
Portable divorce law that will assist her out
of her present state of matrimony and that
certainly lax enough here, and if there is
any truth in the report, she has determined
upon the right place.
| Out of door concerts have begun and are
given every evening at the Strawberry and
Belmont Mansion in the Park and at Men-
nercher Garden. The latter is German
beer garden, but very pleasant place. In
addition to the fine trees, superior brass
| DdAu, lt1CE pCCI 6tlIO OLlCL IC1l lOSAiiAOAtos
Levy, the far-famed cornetist, is an attrac-
ton. You have doubtless heard him and
know how incomparably sweet his music is.
| The police have been DONG good work
Matchmaking raids upon the opium dens
of the city-kept by the Chinese Of course.
The most disgusting part of it is that the
pupils being taught the use of the miserable
drug are white women. Some we're caught
in the very act, in a state of dead stupidity
! One might feel cheered by the report that
drunkenness is on the decrease in this
country were it not for the fact that it is
giving place to vice, which is fearfully on
the increase, vice ten times worse because
! it is one that can not be shaken off once it
has taken firm hold of the victim.
| The bill for the promotion of medical
knowledge has been passed at last; strange
that one so much needed should ever have
been delayed. 1t provides for the increase
| Of the supply of subjects for the dissecting
tables in the Philadelphia medical schools
| Formerly the supply was confined to those
obtained from the Aims House, County
jails and Coroner's office of Philadelphia,
| but under the new law unclaimed bodies
from every county will be divided among
| the medical schools of the State. I rather
think the poor fellows who are in the peni-
tentiary now, paying the penalty for in
dulging in the beautiful accomplishment of
| body-snatching last winter, wish this law
had been made before they we're induced to
| jeopardize their liberty for the sake Of
| science.
Solomon says, "He that is slow to anger
is better than the mighty: and he that
| ruleth his spirit than he that taketh city"
Had Miss Catharine Burneson needed the
counsel of the wise man she might now be
enjoying the comforts of home instead of
wasting away amid the damps of a peniten-
tiary. She was teacher of respectability,
| living with an uncle-she was weak, deli
| cate person with some malady that made
! her very nervous. A crowd of rude children
formed the habit of playing very 2oisily in
| front of her door; she demonstrated with
them. They then became insulting, Knocked
| her, called her opprobrious names and
threw various things against her door and
windows. Vexed beyond endurance one
day, insane with anger, she took up pistol
from the centre table, went to the window
and fred into the crowd, intending to
frighten, not to kfil. She proved only too
good a shot. Little Maggie Curlett re-
ceived the fatal bullet. This occurred the
3lst day of January. Judge Allison has Just
sentenced her to the penitentiary for eigh-
teen months. The Judge was moved to
tears and said he had never performed SO
painful duty. He showed the prisoner
every consideration, did not require her to
stand during the reading of the sentence;
| said, in the most feeling manner, that he
did not believe that she had had any MUIR
derous intent in her heart, that there were
extenuating circumstances, that a physical
malady had worn upon her nervous system
and robbed her of self-control and rendered
her unable to bear the shameful annoyances
of the insulting children. Nevertheless, the
l.r.k IL, l. I ~fn%r 81 4lo1 1orry