Page:Early western travels, 1748-1846 (1907 Volume 11).djvu/75

 move out of the road, and give place to the coming show. "Pray," said he, "by what authority do you stop me?—It is more than the president dare do. Shew me your authority. If you had civilly asked me, I would have driven into the ditch to obleege you." During the few days spent here, several robberies, burglaries, and attempts at murder, have disgraced and alarmed this city. In the street where I sleep, for two nights successively, our slumbers have been disturbed by the cries of murder! At the theatre, a gentleman has been stabbed by a Spaniard. This morning presented a poor fellow lying all night until nine, a. m. in the street, in a hot, broiling sun, 110° by the thermometer. He was found nearly {46} murdered, having his legs both broken, and otherwise terribly bruised about his head and breast, and robbed of all he had, 15 dollars. To the disgrace of the nightly watch and city centinels, and to the open day humanity of the citizens, here was he suffered to lie, saturated with pestilential dew, and, in the day, left to roast and be devoured by flies, until an old Prussian colonel offered a dollar to have him removed as a nuisance, too disgusting to delicate nerves and sensibilities. Mr. Brown, a landlord in Church Street, then called out to two black men, "Here, June and July, come and assist, and tell August to help you." These three men were so named; and but for them and the colonel, the poor forsaken sufferer must have taken three months, literally, to effect his removal.

Sunday, 2nd.—Went in grand procession to the elegant Scotch church, where I met, and was seated near his excellency the President, James Monroe, Esq, an amiable, mild-looking gentleman, of about 60, dressed in a common hat, plain blue coat with gilt buttons, yellow kerseymere waistcoat, drab breeches and white silk stockings, and