National Republican., 1885-03-28
ELISE HATHAWAY saw IT.
NEW ORLEANS AND ITS GREAT ENP0Sl-
TION GRAPHICALLY DESCRIBED.
4 singular Metropolis Temporary Intermonts
Followed by Incarceration and Deep Burial
or the Ashes Creole Manners and Customs
Old.Fashloned Religious ObserVances.

NEW ORLEANS, Fob. 26--Strange and
varied has been the experience Of many
of the visitors auartered in Now Orleans
during the tremendous rush of the car
niyal week. There are great many so.
called hotels, but their accommodations
are not only extremely dear, but hid
eously uncomfortable. People have been
crowded into boarding houses, and per-
feet strangers as they meet compare
notes and exchange growls as to their dis
comforts. A dropping widow lady. a
chance acquain tanco, remarked to me the
other day that she had boen obliged to
occupy room with another lady, also a
widow, whose society she found ex-
tromely tiresome.
Indeed" she said, "she paints and
powders and goes on so that she makes
mo almost sorry am widow"
could but sympathize with such
poignant grief, and II reminded me some
what OF an inscription in one of the
cemeteries. On the tomb Of departed
French gentleman was hung large and
intricate black bead wreath, attached to
which was o card inscribed, with his
wife's regrets" as IL IL had been in answer
" hl luNlNdNlbl w a parry AhNoN NNA'N
teries are tho most extraordinary
places. As you cannot dig three
feet without striking water it is
not the custom to bury people in the
ground, but instead they are placed In
tomb of brick or marble, which is sealed
up. After year or two, II tho space is
needed for another member of the family,
the vault, which is called an oven, is
opened, the coffin broken up aud burned,
and the bones deposited in an under
vault.
1T ~ QUITE CURIOUS SENSATION
to walk in the alleys between these rows
of noat little ediices, which, in some
cases, arc tall and stately mansions. Most
of the cemeteries are out Of town, and
seem to be quite resort for informal
little picnic parties Tho ground is strcwn
with banana and orange skins and you
hear much loud laughter and cheerful
conversation. Beneficial societies of every
description and OF all nationalities seem
to be q great feature of New Orleans and
in every cemetery are immense three
story structures belonging to one or an
other Of these societies. These are deco
rated with all sorts of glass and china
vases on little shelves, empty or full of
dingy artificial flowers, with wroaths Of
black or white tissue paper, or of black
beads or garlands Of artificial green.
The st. Louis is the oldest OF the come
teries. some of the tombs dating back tO
Spanish times, and is entirely full. Here
may be seen the monument erected by his
executor to Daniel Clark, the father Of
Mrs. Gaines. Tho cemetery is in the heart
of the city, though inclosed by high
brick wall, and in 1t one sees recorded
many of the names of the old creole fami.
lies. The creoles, by the way, arc not, as
many people suppose, of mixed blood, but
arc really the Knickerbockers Of Louisi-
ana, being the original French or Spanish
settlers or their descendants, though tho
name has come to be applied promiscu-
ously to all the French-speaking people
that live here. After the names of many
of the Pierres and Jeans and Victors on
these old tombstonos is the inscription:
Mort sur lc champ PhORneW," showing
that the dead man
MET HIS FATE IN A DUEL.
The little train that takes you out to
the cemeteries starts casually Oft in the
middle of the street, and indeed it seems
TO lie popularity Of the trains here to
land their passengers in the street with
out any pretense of depot station, or
even platform. This train takes YOU out
to what is called the West End, after you
have bought your ticket ut a little box OF
ticket office exactly in tho middle Of
Canal street among u perfect vort6x oi
street cars. 1t Is q very small, and even
for New Orleans u phenomenally dirty,
train, and is apparently always full. You
soon get out of town and pass all the
cemeteries.
The West End is called by some, perhaps
in derision, the Coney Island of New Or
leans. There is indeed water, q gambling
man with loud voice and some sort oi
spinning contrivanco, and Punch and
Judy, but thero the resemblance to Coney
Island ceases. Lake, Pontchartrain look
quite extensive with little white capped
waves running in, and the dispersed
Of Judah have quite a discussion
among themselves as to what water
1t is, but can come to no more sat
isfactory conclusion than that it is "thI
ocean or tho gulf or something" Their,
is nothing whatever to see there eXcep
the lake and q dismal barren wooden hotel
There are n number of small boys selling
oranges and bananas, and big, untidy
bundles of Spanish moss, and a man VIII,
urges you to buy one of his only thre,
remaining live infant alligators. The.
are very animated and attractive littl,
creatures. about eight inches long, VIII
take the mans finger in their mouth
with quite precociOus ferocity. There i
nothing whatever to be gotten in the wa.
of lunch, SO you come back extremel,
hungry to your dinner of strange ant
mysterious dishes ut the French restaur
ant.
What shall we eat and what shall W
drink gots to bn most momentous gues
tion in New Orleans. There are 80 fe,
places where anything edible can be oh
tsiued, and those places are so wildly an
incredibly dear. During the crowded
time it was extremely difficult to ge
anything at all. The moment waite
saw you eying him he would either fle
away and seclude himself or become rap
in such deep contemplation that one ha
to rouse him as from slumber If any
thing is said which he doesn't wish /
understand he retires behind his imper
feet English. Their vauntcd Frenc
coffee is an odious, thick, muddy liqu.
that tatcs like both molasses and quininC
They bring you your cup and then th
waiter comes in from the kitchen bearn
in one hand large coffee pot with lon
wooden handle, and In the other an el
actly similar vessel full of milk, which h
pours out for you. Cream 10 an unknow
substance, and they stare you in blan
amazement If you ask for 1t,
But, on the other hand, they have no
fresh lettuce and green peas and tomato,
and strawberries. II you want thom, An
there are some things which thoy COO
delightfully."-. They make delicious soul
with all known varieties Of meats au
vegetables mingled in them, but somoho
producing very agreeable whole, eve
when you come unexpectedly upon
slice OF sour lemon. We were delightI
to SEQ on the menu to-day jamboulaye, al
10 remember the steaming dish of
which the immortal Mrs. Riley bore
the starving Richlings.
You are constantly reminded of II
creations with which Mr.. Cable has pc
pied the streets of New Orleans. III
mere TACT of walking down Carondel
street makes you feel as If you were
ono OF his novels, and when you pa