The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1898-08-22

A War Needed to Shut Ur the Worst
Dives in America.

n " GE -NtS1Su w Ehat INV w WEI
Dives in America.
New Orleans, Aug 2l.-The stay here OF
the Second and Ninth immune regiments.
the one white. the other colored is re-
sponsible for Kidding New Orleans of one
of its greatest nuisances-the negro
dancehouses that infected Dahomey, the
negro quarter of the city. Just back of
the old city, the vieux carre of Bienville.
are the negro slums of New Orleans.
which have been described as without
exception the vilest places on this CONT
nent and only to be eQualed elsewhere
in Cairo. 1t is a grating of negro on
Caucasian vice, with the worst vices of
both races. The headquarters of this
section are the so-called colored dance
houses ''honky-tonks' as the negroes
call them-a combination of drinking
houses gambling saloons, and dance halls
for the lowest grades of negroes. To them
the half-naked negro roustabouts rush
the moment their steamers arrive TO
spend or throw away their money, and
strangers are always taken to this part
of the city when it is desired to prove the
wickedness of New Orleans. Indeed, when
a number of Washington correspondents
came here some years ago, a special
dance in their honor was given in one of.
the worst of these honky-tonks, and they
went home to write lurid pictures of the
New Orleans Dahomey
A number of legislative acts have been
aimed at these establishments which
have been carried on openly largely be-
cause of police support and connivance.
In 1880 they We're prohibited under any
circumstances. but they have fourished
nevertheless, for eight years since. The
police say that instead of being an evil
they are relief TO the city, concentrate
ing all the evil in one section. They are
certainly q great convenience to the
police, for they render the capture of
negro criminal the simplest matter in
the world. Whenever a negro is wanted
for murder or burglary or robbery, the
police know where to put their hands
on him. He is in Dahomey-he never
thinks of going anywhere else-enjoy-
ing the fruits Of his crime. The police
have only to give description of him
to the keepers of the several dance
houses and the man they are looking
Tor is turned over TO them. There have
been many protests against these dance
houses, and the colored clergy of New
Orleans have denounced them as cor
rupting the race, but so long as the
police insisted that they were SATISFY
valves and aided in the enforcement OF
law no influence could close them
But the presence of two regiments of
immunes here, one white, the other black,
changed matters. There has been trou-
bic between the dance houses and the SOL
dieTs ever since the latter have been here
and that trouble has more than once
threatened 10 become very serious Both
regiments contain a very large element
or rough men. The Second CRiche's) was
raised in Texas. mainly on the Mexican
frontier, and contains many cowboys and
adventures. The Ninth (Coanes) con-
sists mainly of New Orleans negroes A
few days ago Riches Texans became in
volved in a quarrel with the dancehouse
keepers and started in to clean them out
one was raided, and the mob of soldiers.
several hundred strong, were sweeping
everything before them. Then their COM
mander. Col. Richie, was sent for.
Through his personal appeals order was
finally established. The mmunes had
their passes stopped afterward as the
only means OF preventing trouble in the
dancehouse district.
day OF two later more trouble follow
ed in the same dancehouse section with
the colored immunes. A number of the
men got drunk and carried things with
a high hand. One of them, named Gar
rett who was crazed with liquor was
| killed by the officers. The question soon
assumed a race form. CARROTS compan-
ions regarded him martyr, and some
two hundred of them decided to march
from their camp TO the city and avenge
the murder. The white troops. between
whom and the negroes a very bitter feel
ing prevails, heard of this, and promised
TO meet the negroes. Good management
on the part of the officers prevented what
might have been a riot and the negro
troops were kept in camp.
These facts were probably laid before
the War Department and the danger Of
| keeping the troops here longer shown
| for the coIored immunes were ordered ar
| once TO Santiago by the Berlin and the
| white immunes 10 Galveston. But the
| experience of the soldiers showed that
| these dancehouses were so great an ele-
ment of danger to the city that the may
or, in spite of the opposition OF the police
| ordered them to be closed. II is probable
that in no other way would the evil have
| been brought so forcibly to the attention
of the authorities. 1t took a foreign war
| to get rid of it.