I arrived in the Crescent City with less than a dollar, and on the second night my money was gone and I was forced to sleep upon one of the wharves near the foot of Canal street.
The next day I got a job unloading bananas off the boats at the I. C. wharves at two bits an hour.
I found a room now at No. 1006 Iberville street, in a lodging house run by a Mrs. M. P. Westmoreland. Mrs. Westmoreland is a well-to-do widow, and also a very kind-hearted lady. She refused to accept anything for my lodging, saying she would be amply repaid if I would write her a letter when I got to Tucson.
"I shall always think you were accidentally killed if I never hear from you," she said.
I was always a poor writer, and have never sent her the letter, but if this little pamphlet is ever published, I shall take pleasure in sending her a copy, together with my best greetings.
Only three banana steamers arrived while I was in the city. The fruit is loaded in the West Indies. I made $4.50 at this job.
New Orleans is a fascinating town and the easiest place in the world to spend your money.
A few days later, when I made preparations to leave for Texas, my $4.50 had dwindled to $0.
There are more beautiful yellow girls to be seen on the streets of New Orleans in one day than one would see in most cities in a lifetime. They are called Creoles, or something of the kind, and can be seen walking around, all over the town, in every direction. Even down at the wharves every afternoon about boat time you'll see them lined up in great numbers.
There was a lot of talk about the "Hoodlums" while I was in New Orleans. All the city newspapers, as well as some of the State papers, had long articles concerning the doings of this remarkable organization. Nearly every section of the city had been visited at one time or another and terrorized by them.