Now, I am an old man; but, I have some personal recollections of parts of this "tall tale" and have heard bits and pieces from those directly involved. How much of this is factual and how much is legend, I can't say for sure.
Way, way back in the early 1960's, long before I was a doctor, I was a college student working for a large truck rental company on Baronne, in the CBD.
A couple years earlier, the "Hell's Angels" had terrorized a small California resort town. A movie was made about it back then.
One year, the Hell's angels announced that they were going to Mardi Gras in New Orleans. This was big news, and I recall nightly TV news accounts of the Angel's progress; "Hell's Angels left L.A. on their way to N.O." Hell's Angels pass through Las Vegas. Angels are at Phoenix, Albequerque, etc. Then, they went past Dallas, crossed Louisiana, and last were announced leaving Baton Rouge.
Then, the news reports mysteriously stopped; no more was heard of the "Angels". For a long, long time; either !
That day, a couple NOPD detectives came by the truck rental to rent several large trucks. The trucks were returned a couple days later, with lots of blood spots in the truckbeds. I saw that part, myself.
The story came out locally that the Police Commissioner had ceded the large French Quarter bar, "la Casa de los Marinos" to the Angels and let them drink heavily that first night, NOPD officers quietly surrounding the bar with riot guns.
Just before daybreak, the entire class of police recruits; then in training, dressed in jeans, white T-shirts, & tennies; were sent into the big bar with baseball bats and axe handles. Backed up by officers with shotguns.
No shot was fired and the drunk "Angels" were no match for NOPD's finest. It was a bloody affair, with several seriously wounded "Angels" going to Big Charity for major surgeries. Survivors and their bikes were cuffed, loaded into the trucks, photo'd, prints recorded; then taken out to the Bonne Carre Spillway, dumped out and told that if they set foot back in the City, they would be shot and killed on sight.
Mardi Gras went on as usual and we never heard of the Hell's Angels ever trying to come back to New Orleans.
Hopefully, some old-timer will see this and fill-in some details. Or, maybe this is just another "Tall Tale"!
leVieux
Way, way back in the early 1960's, long before I was a doctor, I was a college student working for a large truck rental company on Baronne, in the CBD.
A couple years earlier, the "Hell's Angels" had terrorized a small California resort town. A movie was made about it back then.
One year, the Hell's angels announced that they were going to Mardi Gras in New Orleans. This was big news, and I recall nightly TV news accounts of the Angel's progress; "Hell's Angels left L.A. on their way to N.O." Hell's Angels pass through Las Vegas. Angels are at Phoenix, Albequerque, etc. Then, they went past Dallas, crossed Louisiana, and last were announced leaving Baton Rouge.
Then, the news reports mysteriously stopped; no more was heard of the "Angels". For a long, long time; either !
That day, a couple NOPD detectives came by the truck rental to rent several large trucks. The trucks were returned a couple days later, with lots of blood spots in the truckbeds. I saw that part, myself.
The story came out locally that the Police Commissioner had ceded the large French Quarter bar, "la Casa de los Marinos" to the Angels and let them drink heavily that first night, NOPD officers quietly surrounding the bar with riot guns.
Just before daybreak, the entire class of police recruits; then in training, dressed in jeans, white T-shirts, & tennies; were sent into the big bar with baseball bats and axe handles. Backed up by officers with shotguns.
No shot was fired and the drunk "Angels" were no match for NOPD's finest. It was a bloody affair, with several seriously wounded "Angels" going to Big Charity for major surgeries. Survivors and their bikes were cuffed, loaded into the trucks, photo'd, prints recorded; then taken out to the Bonne Carre Spillway, dumped out and told that if they set foot back in the City, they would be shot and killed on sight.
Mardi Gras went on as usual and we never heard of the Hell's Angels ever trying to come back to New Orleans.
Hopefully, some old-timer will see this and fill-in some details. Or, maybe this is just another "Tall Tale"!
leVieux
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