Year: 1878

uOWu LIS IllIOdt. lie WAS CQall6Qgcu Oh
the spot. He accepted. and being the
challenged party had the choice of
weapons. This was why he had bided
his time. He selected Mississippi rifles
at forty yards. The meeting took place
the following day out on the old Metal
RE Course, and at the first fire the pro
fessional fell dead. with an ounce ball
through his brain.


Such was the state of society in New
Orleans at that time that it was the uni
versal custom at all balls and receptions,
even of a select character. given at
either the st. Louis or ST. Charles Ho-
tells, to require every gentleman to be
searched for concealed weapons in the
dressing room before he was allowed to
enter the ballroom. Upon one occa-
sion, at ball given at the st. LOTUS
Hotel, two men, both reputed gentlemen
of wealth and standing in the COM
munity, quarreled about an engagement
to dance with lady. High words
passed, and it was supposed that duel
must be had on the next day; but one
of them, a few minutes later, dropped
a note with S. gold piece inclosed, by
a string, to one of the hackmen on the
pavement below The note contained a
request to obtain Thug knife, and
fasten it to the string. This was done,
and the murderous weapon a few mo-
ments afterward was in the possession
of the soon be murderer A Thug
knife is short, dagger-shaped blade,
with a cross-handle of hard wood. It is
grasped as a corkscrew is when you are
about to pull out cork, the blade pro-
truding about six or eight inches from
the clenched hand, between the two mid
die fingers. Concealing this weapon,
the ncoundrel requested the man with
whom he had quarreled to step aside for
moment to an ante-room The request
was complied with, and no sooner had
the door closed upon them than the un-
suspecting man was struck to the heart
with the Thug knife and instantly
killed. The murderer was arrested and
allowed to give bail, but was not tried;
and was told that he is yet living in
New Orleans, and, strange as it may
seem. is respected member of society.


Two cotton brokers quarreled one day
at the Cotton Exchange. High words
passed, but no challenge followed. A
few evenings afterward, while they were
at social club, one of them, without
word of warming, drew Revolver. The
other threw up his hands, said he was
not armed, and begged for his life, which
was not granted. He was shot dead
An arrest and trial followed, but the
jury rendered verdict of acquittal.


In those days New Orleans was the
gamblers paradise. Poker.playing On
the Mississippi packets was fashionable
amusement. Every body, from the
wealthy planter and officers of the boat
down to the cabin-b boys and deckhands,
played poker. Marvellous stories are
told of the nerve displayed by gamblers
in betting. The game was usually
square one, because the players handled
pistols and bowie knives as deftly as
they did the cards. It was not an in
frequent occurrence for the desperate
gambler, after he had staked all his
money, to put up his favorite darkey,
whom he carried with him as valet. P.
B. S. Pinchback, it is well known, lost
an old master and gained new one at
card table on Mississippi steamboat.


Every description of game was in
vogue in New Orleans at this time; and
to this day, although the population is
shorn of it's ancient wealth, it is still
essentially gambling community. The
Louisiana Lottery Company, inonop-
oily licensed by the State. brings to IDS
fortunate stockholders princely rev.
enue. Lottery offices are to be found
on every sqnare. Lottery tickets are
displayed in the windows of tobacco
stores, millinery shops, shoe shops, and
ia bar-room windows. AS a class, how
ever, the professional gamblers Of ante
bellum times have almost Disappeared;
so have the famous duelists. Almost
any old resident of New Orleans can tell
you famous stories of renconters between
gamblers in the basement under the ro-
tunda of the ST. Charles Hotel. A half
octagon shaped bar faces you as you en-
ter this basement from ST. Charles street
A free lunch is spread here every day
from II until o'clock, and, of course, it
is the favorite drinking place of New Or
leans. A gentleman described to me
fight that occurred in this bar-room just
prior to the war.


Two gamblers, who had quarreled
about an octoroon girl, met here. One
of them was standing at the bar drink
ing. Looking over his shoulder he saw
his enemy approaching. He wheeled,
drew a small FIVE chambered revolver,
and as the other advanced fired at him
three times, each time the bullet striking
him in the breast. Without faltering,
or even quickening his pace, the one
who had been shot advanced, and, as the
fourth barrel of the revolver missed fire,
cut down his man with sweeping blow
of his bowie knife. An instant later the
man who had been shot swooned, and
was carried to the drug store across st.
Charles street, and there he died few
hours afterward. My acquaintance. who
related this story, saw him die. While
he was stretched on the floor breathing
his last, a brother gambler came in, and,
after looking at him few seconds, said,
with an oath, "Thats the way I like to
see man die-with his boots on, and
&c straight to hell"


Society IN New Orleans is greatly
changed, undoubtedly for the better, but
still the readiness with which personal
difficulties are settled by the pistol or
the knife is not calculated to assure the
stranger of the peaceful disposition of
the people. One day last spring, while
standing in front of the telegraph Office
at Gravier and st. Charles streets, I
heard pistol shots half a square below
crowd quickly gathered. I waited
few moments to be certain thatth firing
had ceased, and then walked down. a
man with a ball through his leg had
been carried into a drug store. / made
nv way in and asked the wounded man
how it had occurred. He said he did
not know; he was walking up the street
when two fellows began shooting, and
one of them shot him through the leg
A few days later two men passed each
other in Canal street. One of them
looked at the other; they turned, drew
their pistols ind began firing. Neither
of them was touched, but lady in the
neighborhood got bullet through the
calf of her leg. Both of these occur
rences were chrcnicled in a short, face