{"1": {"fulltext": "", "height": "3020", "width": "1827", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0001.jp2"}, "2": {"fulltext": "Class ^sL?i^\\nCOPYRIGHT utr-ossr.", "height": "2828", "width": "1699", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0002.jp2"}, "3": {"fulltext": "I", "height": "2764", "width": "1683", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0003.jp2"}, "4": {"fulltext": "", "height": "2828", "width": "1699", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0004.jp2"}, "5": {"fulltext": "D E n 1 C A T I O N\\nIN GRATKFUT. RF,:\\\\rE^rBf?ANrE OF MY FATHER .\\\\KD MOTHER\\nI HIS HOOK\\nlis AFFECTIONATELY INSCRIBED.", "height": "2764", "width": "1683", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0005.jp2"}, "6": {"fulltext": "", "height": "2828", "width": "1699", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0006.jp2"}, "7": {"fulltext": "PREFACE.\\nA preface is generally expected by the reader; with-\\nout it, a book may be likeued to a sermon with the\\ntext omitted.\\nThe following pages were mostly written during a\\nlong spell of sickness, not only with the view of wliil-\\ning away the tedium of convalescence, but of contribut-\\ning my mite to a neglected branch of the literature of\\nLouisiana. Conscious of their many defects and im-\\nperfections, I still hope that the students of our old-time\\ninstitutions will find in them matter for instruciion as\\nwell as entertainment.\\nUnder the form of narratives I have, among other\\nmatters, attempted to illustrate the various phases of\\nslaver} that obtained in our vState before the war of se-\\ncession. The subject is an interesting one, not only to\\nour Northern brothers, but to the friends of humanity\\nat large, and is presented in unprejudiced and truthful\\nlanguage. I have stated facts and left the reader to his\\nown conclusions.\\nA peculiar feature of the work is the descriptive his-\\ntory of the city s buildings, monuments and customs\\nsince its foundation to within a short time before the\\nyear i860. Under proper headings in the index column\\nthe reader will readily discover the information he seeks\\nupon that branch oi the subject. As far as the com-\\npa.ss of the work has permitted, I have omitted none of\\nthe salient episodes whicli constitute the charm of this\\nunique metropolis of the vSouth. Some of these inci-\\ndents are so startling, romantic and improbable that,", "height": "2764", "width": "1683", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0007.jp2"}, "8": {"fulltext": "IV prkface;.\\nwere they not authenticated by undeniable proof, they\\nmight be taken as the vaporings of an exuberant imag-\\nination.\\nI have drawn many of my facts not only from old\\nrecords and disused archives, but from oral recitals and\\ntraditions.\\nHaving reached a period of life which has made me,\\nin some measure, a connecting link between the present\\nand a generation long extinct, I have enjoyed the rare\\nopportunity of knowing and hearing some of the men\\nwho once conspicuously figured upon the shitting .scenes\\nof life s drama. To my mother and grandmother, also,\\nhave I been greatly indebted for many particulars\\nrelated to me in my boyhood s da3^s, of which the\\nwere eye-witnesses. To revive and to perpetuate these\\nrecollections, which may be termed the Unwritten\\nHistory of New Orleans, has been my aim and sole\\nambition.\\nShould I succeed, even partially, in this endeavor, I\\nshall issue, I hope, at no remote time the Unwritten\\nHistory of Louisiana, than which no subject can be\\nmore grand and soul-stirring.\\nTHE AUTHOR.\\nNew Orleans, September 18^3.", "height": "2828", "width": "1699", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0008.jp2"}, "9": {"fulltext": "CONTENTS.\\nPage.\\nChapter I. The Lahranche-Hueston Duel i\\nChapter II. I.ouis Philippe Roffignac 14\\nChapter III. General Humbert 28\\nChapter IV. A Tale of Slavery Times 52\\nChapter Odd Characters and Celebrities 63\\nChapter VI. The Voudous 90\\nChapter VII. The Old Parish Prison 102\\nChapter VIII. New Orleans under Denis Prieur 134\\nChapter IX. The Executu n of Pauline 167\\nChapter X. Louisiana Planters 177\\nChapter XI. A Strange vStory of the Sea 182\\nChapter XII. Lafayette Square 202\\nChapter XIII. Old Louisiana Days _ 209\\nChapter XIV. Old Louisiana Days 236\\nChapter XV. Old Louisiana Days 265\\nChapter XVI. Old Louisiana Days 294\\nChapter XVII. Old Louisiana Days _ 321\\nIndex 347", "height": "2764", "width": "1683", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0009.jp2"}, "10": {"fulltext": "", "height": "2828", "width": "1699", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0010.jp2"}, "11": {"fulltext": "CHAPTER I.\\nTHE LABRANCHEHUE5T0N DUEL.\\nRECALLING A DRAMA TIC AND FA TAL ENCOUNTER UNDER\\nTHE OAKS,\\nThe overwhelming cyclone which had burst forth with\\nsuch fury upon the heads of the Louisiana Whigs, in the\\ncongressional elections that occurred in the summer of the\\nyear 1843, was destined to produce a bitterness of feeling\\nseldom displayed in previous times; and, as a natural\\nresult, a series of personal difficulties followed through-\\nout the State. The Locofocos, as the Democrats were\\nthen styled in derision by their opponents, had literally\\nswept the State in that memorable campaign, and had\\nelected John Slidell, Alcee LaBranche, Gen. Dawson\\nand Gen. Bossier over George K. Rogers, ex-Governor\\nE. D. White, Judge Elam and Judge Moore, the oppos-\\ning candidates. As was to be expected, the victors were\\nexultant, hilarious and boisterous. With the exception\\nof the occasional appearance of a roughly drawn cari-\\ncature representing a rooster discomfiting a coon, and of\\nother harmless pleasantries, their joy and boasting do\\nnot seem to have exceeded the bounds of decency and", "height": "2764", "width": "1683", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0011.jp2"}, "12": {"fulltext": "2 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\ngood nature. Different, however, was the temper of the\\noppo-site side and of its chafing and impetuous Hotspurs.\\nThe} refused to accept the result with anything like\\ngood grace, particularly the one which involved the de-\\nfeat of White in the Second Congressional District, ac-\\nknowledged to be their stronghold in the State, and\\nwhich, but a short time before, had been carried by the\\nWhigs by a majority exceeding two thousand The pill\\nwas too bitter for digestion, and they refused to be com-\\nforted.\\nAlcee LaBranche, the victor in that contest, the man\\nwho had so unexpectedly dashed their hopes and hum-\\nbled their party, as they conceived, in the eyes of the\\nwhole nation, became, of course, the centre of attack.\\nBrave, intelligent and impulsive; well versed in the\\nknowledge of public affairs, acquired in positions to which\\nhe had frequently been elevated by the popular will, he\\nwas undoubtedly the type of his people and of the creole\\nrace. Against him, therefore, were hurled the shafts of\\ncalumny and detraction, not only in the streets and other\\npublic places, where politics were usually discussed, but\\neventually in the columns of the public prints. As\\nlong as his enemies had merely confined their abuse to his\\npolitical life and actions, he, like a sensible man, laughed\\nthem to scorn but, when articles began to appear reflect-\\ning upon his honor, his manhood and his character, he\\ndid not stop to hesitate. With him, to determine and to\\nact were synonymous terms.\\nIt happened that in the month of August, 1843, in the\\ntown of Baton Rouge, there appeared in the Gazette an\\narticle so personal and vindictive that no man with any\\nsense of self-respect could possibly overlook its trend and\\nobject. By many it was deemed entirely uncalled for,\\neven if justified by the facts, inasmuch as several months\\nhad already elap.sed since the election, and the occasion", "height": "2828", "width": "1699", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0012.jp2"}, "13": {"fulltext": "THE LABRANCHE-HUItSTON DUKL. 3\\nfor ail} such ebullition of temper and passion had long\\npassed away.\\nThe writer of the objectionable publication was Mr.\\nHueston, a gentleman of Northern birth, who, after hav-\\ning edited various papers at divers times at Franklin,\\nMobile and New Orleans, had finally settled down in\\nBaton Rouge and taken charge of its leading Whig jour-\\nnal. He wa\u00c2\u00ab an enthusiast in the cause of Harry of\\nthe West a veritable monomaniac in his hero-worship.\\nWithal, a man of agreeable manners, engaging pres-\\nence and great popularity. His record was, after his\\ndeath, graphically written by Mr. Wilson, his quondam\\nassociate in the conduct of the Planters Banner, in a\\nfeeling and well tempered article. It represents him as\\na man of a generous but somewhat erratic nature.\\nTo say that the article was abusive is to use a mild ex-\\npression. It was directed against the whole congressional\\ndelegation elect, particularly against General Bossier\\nand IvaBranche. There is no doubt that if the latter had\\nnot hastened to chastise Hueston, Bossier would not\\nhave been slow in resenting the insult hurled at him and\\nhis people. He was represented in that publication as\\ndestitute of talent, acquirements or industry. It said\\nthat the people of the fourth district ought to blush at the\\ncontrast between him and Judge John Moore; that Gen.\\nBossier could neither read nor write; that he was so ignor-\\nant, that he would find it no easy task even to vote,\\nwithout the aid of a prompter and that, with some one\\nto pull the wires, any French automaton could do the\\nsame thing. Indulging in a similar strain, the editor\\nwent on to say We will wager our white hat, which we\\nwould not lose for one thousand such generals as he, that\\nwhen called on to vote, he will oftener say oui than aye!\\nHow an intelligent people could have been induced\\neven by party considerations to elect a man so perfectly", "height": "2764", "width": "1683", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0013.jp2"}, "14": {"fulltext": "4 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\ndestitute of qualifications for any office as Gen. Bossier in\\npreference to Judge Moore is strange, passing strange\\nBut he is a creole he concludes; he once killed a\\nman, and for that he is now qualified as chivalrous, and\\na good man for Congress.\\nThe diatribe against Mr. I^aBranche was still more per-\\nsonal and indecent, and the reference to a difficulty in\\nwhich he was once engaged with Col. John R. Grymes\\nwas well understood by the general public as a reminder\\nof a scandal in which the honor of a lady had been seri-\\nously concerned. That part of the publication was,\\ntherefore, unwarranted, and, as such, cowardly. By\\na parity of reasoning, Mr. lyaBranche will make a very\\nordinary congressman, for, although a creole, he has\\nnever killed any one. He is not qualified or chival-\\nrous, and it is said that once, when the wrath of John\\nR. Gr mes was being hotly discharged against him, he\\nvaliantly took to his heels, and implored shelter behind\\nthe skirts of several passing ladies.\\nA French contemporary, commenting on the above\\neffusion, gave vent to his indignation in the following\\nterms\\nWe confess that never have insults been heaped in a\\nmore outrageous manner than by this editor upon Mr. L,a-\\nBranche and the entire creole population. The repre-\\nsentative of the second district is not only attacked in\\nhis public character, but even his private life is intruded\\nupon without decency or scruple, and thrown open to\\nthe contemptuous gaze of the whole population.\\nIn the meantime, Hue^ton had taken a steamer and\\ncome down to New Orleans. He was received with\\nopen arms by his enthusiastic admirers and became the\\nlion of the hour. He had taken his quarters at the St.\\nCharles Hotel, and, mingling in the gaieties of the town,\\nseemed to court notoriety. As chance would have it, La-", "height": "2869", "width": "1804", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0014.jp2"}, "15": {"fulltext": "THE LABRANCHE-HUESTON DUEL. 5\\nBranche happened to be in the city at the time, and\\nwas about to engage his passage for his plantation\\nhome, when a friend hurriedly approached him, and\\nplaced into his hands the scurrilous attack. It was more\\nthan human nature could endure, and, deferring his de-\\nparture to another moment, he at once, accompanied by\\nfriends, hurried in quest of his traducer.\\nThis was on the i6th of August, 1843.\\nOn the evening of the 17th, the following card ap-\\npeared, explanatory of the rencontre between the parties:\\nTO THE PUBLIC.\\nThe undersigned have perused with surprise the\\nstatement given by the Herald this morning by Mr.\\nHueston, editor of the Baton Rouge Gazette, relative to\\nthe chastisement inflicted upon him by Mr. Alcee L,a-\\nBranche, yesterday, for a false and shameful publication\\nrespecting that gentleman. In the statement of Mr.\\nHueston there is not a single word of truth. He asserts\\nthat Mr. LaBranche struck him, wdiile he was being held\\nby one of the friends who had accompanied him, and that\\nwhen he disengaged himself Mr. LaBranche was hurry-\\ning aw^ay. Such is not the case. The following is a true\\nand correct version of the affair, from the beginning to\\nthe end.\\nMr. IvaBranche had intended to leave town at 3\\no clock on Wednesday last, when one of his friends placed\\ninto his hands the paper containing the article from the\\nBaton Rouge Gazette, in which he was so infamousl}\\nabused. Hearing that Mr. Hueston, the editor of that\\npaper, was in town, he immediately went in pursuit of\\nhim, but was unabl-e to come up with him until the\\nevening of that day, wdien he found him in the billiard\\nsaloon of the St. Charles Hotel.\\nThe undersigned, perceiving the excited state of Mr.", "height": "2806", "width": "1767", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0015.jp2"}, "16": {"fulltext": "6 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nLaBraiiclie s mind, and aware of his great bodily strength\\naccompanied him for no other purpose than to prevent\\nhim from using too much violence. Mr. L,aBranche en-\\ntered the billiard room, some five or six paces in advance\\nof one of the undersigned (Mr. Bouligny), while the\\nother was still further in the rear. Mr. lyaBranche went\\nup to Mr. Hueston and said: Are you Mr. Hueston,\\neditor of the Baton Rouge Gazette? Mr. Hueston, hold-\\ning a cue in his hand, answered yes, offering his hand\\nto Mr. LaBranche. The latter said I am Mr. L,a-\\nBranche, and instantly struck him a severe blow with\\na hickory stick across the face. Mr. Hueston was stunned\\nby the blow, and Mr. L,aBranche repeated the blow sev-\\neral times, when the undersigned interfered, in order,\\nas they supposed, to preserve the life of Mr. Hueston,\\nwho was saved from falling by one of the undersigned\\n(Mr. Bouligny), who, in doing so, received a blow on\\nthe arm. Mr. Hueston was quite insensible for some\\ntime, during which Mr. lyaBranche remained in the room,\\nand was with some difficulty induced to retire by one of\\nhis friends, who, apprehending that Mr. Hueston was\\ndead, wanted Mr. LaBranche to avoid the police.\\nAccording to this plain, unvarnished statement of\\nfacts, it is plain that Mr. Hueston s account of the matter\\nin this morning s Herald is entirely false infamously\\nfalse. So far from being held while Mr. lyaBranche\\nwas striking him, the truth is no one came near him\\nuntil he was senseless under the blows of Mr. lyaBranche;\\nand so far was the latter inclined to run away that he\\nwas with difficulty persuaded by a friend to retire while\\nMr. Hueston was insensible. On the next day, he sent\\ntwo of his friends to Mr. Hvieston to inform him of the\\nnumber of his house and the street in which he lived,\\nand to express his willingness to furnish any satisfactio,t}\\nthat Mr. Hueston might think proper to demand. The", "height": "2869", "width": "1804", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0016.jp2"}, "17": {"fulltext": "THE LABRANCHE-HUESTON DUEL. 7\\nundersigned conceive themselves bound by a just regard\\nto truth and by a sense of their own integrity to contra-\\ndict in this formal manner the ba\u00c2\u00bbse falsehoods contained\\nin Mr. Hueston s statements, which are as revolting to a\\nman of honor as a blow from a cane.\\ngustave bouligny.\\nArthur Guillotte.\\nEdmond Ganucheau.\\nAppended to the foregoing statement, appeared an\\naddendum from the pen of a gentleman, who for a\\nnumber of years occupied the position of Recorder of the\\nFirst Municipality, and died lamented and regretted by\\nthe whole community. It was couched in the following\\nterms\\nThe undersigned was not present at the commence-\\nment of the beating given to Mr. Hueston by Mr. Alcee\\nLaBranche, but came into the room while the former\\nwas stunned, and Mr. Bouligny supporting his head.\\nFearing that he was killed, the undersigned expressed\\nhis apprehensions to Mr. IvaBranche, and begged him\\nto retire to avoid arrest. After much argument, Mr. La-\\nBranche complied with the wishes of the undersigned,\\non condition that the latter would represent him in his\\nabsence, in case any one should wish to see him. When\\nMr. Hueston was restored to his senses, he called out\\nWhere is the damned rascal Then the under-\\nsigned told him Mr. LaBranche was ready to give him\\nwhatever satisfaction he might demand, and could be\\nfound whenever he chose to look for him.\\nJoseph Genois.\\nOn the following day, an editorial appeared in a paper\\nfriendly to Mr. LaBranche, which was evidently inspired\\nby him and left no room for any adjustment or compro-\\nmise. Public excitement had naturally reached the", "height": "2806", "width": "1767", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0017.jp2"}, "18": {"fulltext": "8 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nacme of fever heat, and gloomy forebodings were express-\\ned on every side. Both of the parties numbered their\\nfriends by the thousands. They were known to be brave,\\ncool and sincere in their convictions. Hence, nothing\\nbut a bloody, terrible conflict could ensue under\\nsuch conditions. The Whigs were proud of the grit and\\npluck of the doughty champion who had .unexpectedly\\nbrought himself into prominence by his zeal and impetu-\\nous ardor in their behalf while the Democrats, confi-\\nding in the icj^ coolness, indomitable will and just cause\\nof their idol, calmly awaited the result. The following\\nis an exact reproduction of the article, which appeared in\\nthe French side of the Louisiana Courier:\\nThe Tropic, at the request of Mr. Hueston states\\nthat he has no disposition to enter into a controversy\\nwith Mr. lyaBranche. From our knowledge of the latter\\ngentleman, we feel very confident that he would consider\\nhimself humbled were he to thus honor Mr. Hueston,\\nand of this he has given proof by resorting to the sum-\\nmary way of expressing his indignation at the slander-\\nous publications that called forth such a public castiga-\\ntion. Mr. LaBranche has done nothing since to make\\nthat affair public. He has ever manifested a wish to\\nsettle it privately with Mr. Hueston. With regard to\\nMr. LaBranche s friends, to whom allusion is made by\\nMr. Hueston, through the columns of the Tropic, they\\nare equally reluctant, we know, to enter into any discus-\\nsion. Their statement of yesterday was called for by a\\nregard for truth, so that the public might be disabused\\nof misapprehensions that might possibly be entertained in\\nreference to Mr. Hueston s personal account of the affray.\\nWhether Mr. Hueston will or can settle this private\\naffair is a matter for him alone to decide but it is\\nmanifest that if it has at anj time been obtruded upon\\npublic attention, the fault lies with that individual him-", "height": "2869", "width": "1804", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0018.jp2"}, "19": {"fulltext": "THE LABRANCHE-HUESTON DUEL. 9\\nself. In exhibiting so much delicacy and repugnance to\\nany public allusion to the occurrence, he is rather incon-\\nsistent, inasmuch as he has himself given to it great and\\nunnecessary publicity, and has, according to the declar-\\nations of eye witnesses, falsified the truth for that pur-\\npose. Besides this, he made an indecorous, wanton and\\nslanderous allusion to a private affair between two gen-\\ntlemen, with which it had nothing to do, and which was\\nnot a legitimate subject for newspaper remarks, and, in\\nfact, raked up a disagreeable past for no other purpose\\napparently than to gratify a malign and unworthy pro-\\npensity.\\nAfter such a terrible arraignment, no other alternative\\nwas left but a resort to the code. Notes were immedi-\\nately exchanged, and the seconds selected. The grounds\\nagreed upon were the Oaks, near the intersection of\\nthe Gentilly Road and Elysian Fields. The weapons\\nwere double-barreled shotguns, loaded with ball, and\\nthe distance forty yards. The word of command was to\\nl;e Fire One Two Three Four Five, each com-\\nbatant to discharge his barrels after the word Fire,\\nand before the word Five. Gen. John L,. I^ewis and\\nJoseph Genois attended LaBranche and Messrs. Richard\\nHagan and Col. W. S. McArdle, one of the editors of the\\nTropic, represented Hueston.\\nThe appearance of the antagonists was such as might\\nbe expected, and, until the weapons were put into their\\nhands, they were cool, collected and passive. Upon the\\nrigid and marble-like features of LaBranche not a pass-\\ning cloud of emotion could be traced, while on the coun-\\ntenance of his opponent a spasmodic, muscular twitching\\noccasionally betrayed the fires of concentrated rage\\nthat burned within his bosom. There they stood awhile,\\nsilently confronting one another, while awaiting the\\nsignal to proceed to their deadly work.", "height": "2806", "width": "1767", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0019.jp2"}, "20": {"fulltext": "lO NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nAt the word of command, which was given by Col. Mc-\\nArdle in a slow, impressive manner, both rai.sed their\\nguns and discharged their barrels. A second of cruel\\nanxiety to the spectators ensued, when an examination\\nby the seconds resulted in the announcement that neither\\nwas hurt. The balls of Hueston had gone astray, while\\nof those of L,aBranche one had perforated his ad-\\nversary s hat, and the other had grazed the lapel of his\\ncoat.\\nHueston demanded a second fire, and the guns were\\nagain loaded. The same formalities were gone through\\nagain, without any definite result. Hueston had\\nmissed once more, but the bvillets whizzing in close and\\ndangerous proximity to his head attested the not to be\\ndespised accuracy of his enemy s aim.\\nFour shots had been exchanged by each of the con-\\ntending parties, and the crowd who were witnessing the\\nunusual scene thought that enough had been done to\\nvindicate honor and attest their courage. But Hueston\\nwas obdurate and determined. His Anglo-Saxon na-\\nture was fully aroused. He had come, not to observe a\\nvain punctilio, but to seek redress, revenge and satisfac-\\ntion, and nothing but blood could secure his desire. Un-\\nder the laws governing the duello, LaBranche could not\\nrefuse under any circumstances his opponent s request\\nto continue the combat, subject, as he was, being the\\nchallenged party, to his orders and demands, and hence\\nall parties proceeded to reload for a third time.\\nAt this stage of the proceedings, the seconds began to\\nbetray symptons of irritation, and Col. Hagan excitedly\\nexclaimed that, if this state of things continued, he would\\nurge the shortening of the distance, a right, by the way,\\nexclusively belonging to the challenger. The prelimi-\\nnaries, however, were gone through once more, and\\nagain were the combatants put face to face. This third", "height": "2869", "width": "1804", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0020.jp2"}, "21": {"fulltext": "THE LABRANCHE-HUESTON DUEL. II\\nordeal came very near proving fatal to the gritty Ameri-\\ncan, for, while his bullets flew wide of the mark, his\\ncold-eyed antagonist had inflicted a scalp wound from\\nwhich streams of blood were freely flowing. It was now\\nevident that lyaBranche was aiming not to maim or crip-\\nple, but to kill outright.\\nStanching with his handkerchief the crimson tide, and\\nmaddened by the stinging pain, Hueston demanded and\\ninsisted upon a fourth round. To this the now excited\\nspectators and some of his own friends strenuously de-\\nmurred, but nothing could shake his dauntless spirit,\\nand, with gleaming eyes, turning to a medical attendant,\\nFeel my pulse he cried out, and see if it does not\\nbeat with normal regularity. It was nearly 6 o clock\\nin the evening, and the duel proceeded. Nothing can\\nreproduce or photograph on paper the wild, gruesome\\nand painful scene. The shots again rang out against\\nthat bright summer sky, and the falling form of the un-\\nfortunate Hueston proclaimed that death had closed the\\nfinal act of a drama, full of sickening horror and blood-\\ncurdling interest.\\nTender and loving hands lifted his inanimate body\\nfrom the ground, and gently placed it in a carriage.\\nConveyed to the Maison de Sante of Dr. Warren Stone,\\non Canal street, he breathed his last, far from his home\\nand idolized wife and children, among sorrowing friends\\nand political admirers. The fatal bullet had entered his\\nleft side, in the direction of the lower rib, and passed out\\nat the right side, in a direction nearer to the back.\\nHis remains were conveyed by boat to his desolate\\nhome at Baton Rouge, where the}^ were interred with\\npomp and civic honors. His paper was taken charge of\\nand conducted in the interest of his widow by J. R. Du-\\nfrocq, who for many years became so well known at home\\nand abroad as the popular Mayor of our present Capital.", "height": "2806", "width": "1767", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0021.jp2"}, "22": {"fulltext": "12 NEW ORI.EANS AS IT WAS.\\nThus died a noble, gifted but erratic man In looking\\nover the files of old papers published in lyouisiana at\\nthat period, I stumbled, some time ago, upon a copy of\\nthe SL /l/arj Banner, which furnishes an interesting ac-\\ncount of Hueston s life and previous career, and as it\\nmay prove of interest to the Louisiana reader I close\\nthis sketch with its republication. As to lyaBranche s\\npublic record and services, they are too deeply inter-\\nwoven with the political history of our State to require\\nat this time any special mention.\\nWe knew poor Hueston well. He lived with us,\\nand labored with us in conducting this paper nearly a\\nyear. He was generous- hearted to a fault, remarkably\\nindustrious and energetic, but rather eccentric in his\\ncharacter, acting frequently on the hasty impulse of the\\nmoment. He was born in the State of New Jersey,\\nwhere his father, we believe, is now engaged in farming.\\nHe was a self-made man. He has often mentioned to\\nus that he had spent many a day in plowing, and would\\ndevote his evenings to study. Well advanced in man-\\nhood, he became acquainted with Prof. Palfrey, late\\neditor of the North American Reviezv to whom he ac-\\nknowledged himself indebted for acquiring some knowl-\\nedge of the classics. He spent some time in different\\nprinting offices at the North, as compositor, and left for\\nSouth Carolina He then went to Georgia, and was for\\nsome time connected with the press in Augusta. About\\nthe year 1836 he went to Mobile, Ala., and that year,\\nor 1837, commenced the publication of a small daih-\\npaper called the Examiner. We well remember the\\nability with which it was conducted. About the latter\\nend of 1837 he sold out the ExamtJier ioM.r. Ballantyne,\\nand sailed for France. He spent nearly two j^ears in\\nParis, in literary pursuits, and visited England, and, in\\nthe beginning of 1840, returned to New Orleans. In", "height": "2869", "width": "1804", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0022.jp2"}, "23": {"fulltext": "THE LABRANCHE-HUESTON DUEL. I3\\nMarch, 1840, we employed him as French compositor\\nand assistant editor of the English side of the Banner,\\nand onr friends are well aware of the ability which dis-\\ntinguished his writings. He remained with us until he\\ntook charge of the Baton Rouge Gazette. During the\\nlast six months he was with us he was engaged in the\\nstudy of the law, and would, we have no doubt, have be-\\ncome a distinguished member of the bar. The industr}-\\nwith which he pursued his studies was surprising. Poor\\nfellow Through his great failing, the want of pru-\\ndence and forethought, he has been cut down in the\\nprime of manhood and the vigor of intellect, leaving a\\nwife and young family and a wide circle of friends to\\ndeplore his untimely end.", "height": "2806", "width": "1767", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0023.jp2"}, "24": {"fulltext": "JHAPTKR II.\\nLOUIS PHJLIPPE ROFFIQNAC.\\nREMINISCENCES OF AN OLDEN TIME MA YOR.\\nIn the latter part of the year 1846, the subject of this\\nsketch died in France under circumstances of a peculiar\\ncharacter. He had been suffering for some time from\\nsome chronic disease, and, while resting in his invalid s\\narm-chair and in the act of loading a pistol, he was sud-\\ndenly stricken down by an apoplectic attack. Just as\\nhe was about to fall the pistol was discharged and\\n.several small buck shots lodged behind his ear. This\\ncircumstance gave rise at first to the supposition that he\\nhad committed suicide, but a medical examination at\\nonce dispelled the suspicion.\\nCount Louis Philippe Joseph de Roffignac s life was\\nstrewn with eventful and romantic incidents. Born at\\nAngouleme, his godfather and godmother were the Duke\\nand Duchess of Orleans, whose son, Louis Philippe, subse-\\nquently ascended the throne of France as King of the\\nFrench. At the age of fourteen, he was appointed a\\npage in the semi-regal household of the Duchess, and,\\nat seventeen, obtaining from Louis XVI a commission\\nof lieutenant of artillery, immediately proceeded to\\nSpain for service under his father, who was then hold-", "height": "2869", "width": "1804", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0024.jp2"}, "25": {"fulltext": "LOUIS PHILIPPE ROFFIGNAC. I5\\ning an important command in the French armj operat-\\ning against that nation.\\nAt the age of twenty-four, he was promoted for\\nmeritorious service and gallantry to a captaincy in the\\nQueen s Regiment of Dragoons, upon the field of battle.\\nFrom these active scenes he was transferred to America,\\nand found himself in lyouisiana in the year 1800, the\\nperiod at which Spain ceded this country to France, and\\nstill later when the latter sold the territory to the United\\nStates. Availing himself of an article of the treaty of\\nParis, which allowed French subjects equal privileges,\\nthose of naturalization included, as those conferred upon\\nactual residents, he became thereby invested with the\\nrights of American citizenship. In the course of his\\nlong sojourn in New Orleans he was employed in vari-\\nous positions of honor and trUvSt. His attachment to the\\ncountry of his adoption was sincere and profound. He\\nbecame a member of the legislature, during ten consecu-\\ntive years; a colonel in the Louisiana Legion; then a\\nbrigadier general (an honor conferred upon him for his\\nintelligent and effective co-operation in the defence of\\nNew Orleans); next, a director of the State Bank of\\nLouisiana, and, finally, was several times elected Mayor\\nof New Orleans from 1820 to 1828. In the latter year\\nhe resigned his office to return to his native France,\\nwhere he died at Perigueux, under the circumstances\\nabove narrated. Such is a brief epitome of his long and\\nuseful career in the Crescent City.\\nThe administration of Rofhgnac as Maj or, notwith-\\nstanding the almost insuperable drawbacks which he\\nwas frequently compelled to encounter, was highly suc-\\ncessful, and emerging, as New Orleans then was, from\\na chr3 Salis condition of stagnancy to a new era of ad-\\nvancement and progress, he gave to its affairs an impetus\\nwhich to the timid savored of extravagance. Contempo-", "height": "2806", "width": "1767", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0025.jp2"}, "26": {"fulltext": "1 6 NEW ORLRANS AS IT WAS.\\nrary journals are filled with accounts of the hard work\\ndone by that honest man. He restored order to the finan-\\nces of the city, always an ungrateful task, particularly\\nwhen the pruning knife of retrenchment is to be applied.\\nHe attended strictly to the policing and cleanliness of\\nour streets. He remodeled the organization of a semi-mil-\\nitary police, called gendarmes, whose main duty was to\\nput out fires, to repress disorder and tumults and to sup-\\npress all attempts at insurrection among the slaves. He\\nimproved our public parks or squares, and encouraged the\\nestablishment and endowment of institutions of general\\nutility, education and charity. Of course, there were\\ngrowlers in those days, as numerous a class now as then,\\nprone to oppose all innovations, but their gloomy fore-\\nbodings never caused him to falter for a moment, or to\\ndeviate from the line he had mapped out for his guid-\\nance.\\nThere was in the city, at that period, a constant in-\\nflux of strangers, particularly from the western country,\\nwho repaired here every year to sell or barter their pro-\\nduce and commodities, for which they usually found a\\nprofitable market. They were in the habit of descending\\nthe river in barges and flatboats, laden with flour, corn\\nand other cereals, besides immense quantities of cured\\nmeats. But in the wake of these honest farmers and\\ntraders could always be seen a horde of bandits and\\ngamblers, which it was difiicult to extirpate.\\nLicensed gambling was then in vogue, and the dens\\nof its votaries were kept open at all hours of the day and\\nnight. From them issued a stream of criminals and ill\\ndisposed persons, whom it was necessary to constantly\\nwatch. Incendiary fires were matters of frequent occur-\\nrence. More than once was the city in great danger of\\ntotal destruction. The night police were very inefficient.\\nThey were few in numbers, and the territory which they", "height": "2869", "width": "1804", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0026.jp2"}, "27": {"fulltext": ":.U!\\nliiMlliilH.\\nORLEANS THEATRE, BUILT IN 1813.\\nAs per Plan in City Libra- j.\\nCHARITY HOSPITAL, 1815.\\nCanal Street, betwaen Baronne and Dryadas [Hevia).\\nFrom DesiQn in Citv Librarv,", "height": "2806", "width": "1767", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0027.jp2"}, "28": {"fulltext": "", "height": "2869", "width": "1804", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0028.jp2"}, "29": {"fulltext": "LOUIS PHILIPPE ROFFIGNAC. 1 7\\nwere required to cover was large. The papers of that\\nperiod teem with accounts of assaults, robberies and\\nfelonies of all kinds committed in the very heart of the\\ncity, under the very eaves of the old Cabildo or Town-\\nHouse. But to these constant menaces to the peace and\\ngood order of the community, Roffignac opposed an\\nenergy and courage characteristic of the man.\\nAs we have already said, the coterie of croakers and\\ngrumblers was not wholly extinct during the period of\\nhis administration. It was said by those who disliked\\nhim, that he was ver^^ vain, conceited and shallow, ad-\\ndicted to giving to himself all the credit due to others.\\nAs illustrative of this foible, the following anecdote was\\ntold of him\\nAt a time when the Cathedral bell was summoning\\nalmost every night our drowsy citizens from their\\nslumbers to assist in subduing the fiery element, Mr.\\nRoffignac received from the Mayor of Mobile information\\nthat a woman, who had just reached that place, had made\\na declaration implicating certain individuals of New\\nOrleans, who designed to fire the town from one end to\\nthe other. The woman, in her affidavit, had minutely\\nspecified the names, residences and occupations of the\\nsuspected parties. Armed with this documentary evi-\\ndence, he summoned before him the Captain of his\\nGuard as well as the Commissaire de Police, secured the\\nservices of a number of hacks, stages and coaches, and\\nsent them forth to search the city and suburbs. As\\nprisoner after prisoner was* brought in and locked up,\\nRoflfignac would ascend and descend the stair case of the\\nTown-Hall, with the air of a Cicero who had just detect-\\ned a lot of Catalines. Then grasping the arm of some\\ngazing admirer, he would shout forth: I hold them,\\nI shall have every one of them this blessed day! and\\nwhen complimented on his Vidocq-like abilities, he would", "height": "2806", "width": "1767", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0029.jp2"}, "30": {"fulltext": "iS NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nreply: Ah! vio7i ami, you can t imagine the trouble\\nthese scoundrels have given me. I have not closed my\\neyes for nearly a fortnight. My unceasing vigilance in\\nferreting out this vile conspiracy, etc.\\nWhether the story be true or not, I do not pretend to\\nsay, but one fact is certain that the arrest of the suspects\\nand their subsequent banishment from the city relieved\\nour denizens of many apprehensions, and put a check for\\na time to further incendiary attempts.\\nThe usual punishment for minor offenses and mis-\\ndemeanors was exposure at the pillory, a custom inherit-\\ned from our ancient colonial laws. The modus operandi\\nwas as follows The culprit was taken to the Place d\\nArnies (Jackson Square now), and made to sit on a low\\nplatform, directly facing the Cabildo or City Hall, from\\nearly morning to the setting of the sun. Suspended from\\nhis neck, and overhanging his breast, a large placard\\nwas placed, on which, in great big letters, were written\\nhis name and crime thus My name is I am a\\nthief (as the case might be) I stole from sen-\\ntenced days, to exposure at this pillory. As this\\nwas, about the most frequented thoroughfare, being in a\\ndirect line to and from the public markets, multitudes\\nhabitually gathered around this place of punishment. As\\na general rule, this system of discipline became very ef-\\nfective, and it is said that, with very few exceptions, the\\nculpfit seldom remained in New Orleans, to avoid being\\nhooted at, jeered and, perhaps, re-arrested. This prac-\\ntice, as far as whites were concerned, was subsequently\\nabolished, but as to the blacks, it remained in operation\\nas late as 1847, or thereabouts.\\nIt was in the first year of Roffignac s administration", "height": "2869", "width": "1804", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0030.jp2"}, "31": {"fulltext": "LOUIS PHILIPPE ROFFIGNAC. TQ\\nthat trees sj camores and elms, I believe were first\\nplanted on the Place d Armes, the levee front and Circus,\\nbetter known as Congo Square. This was in 1820. In\\nthe following year, Mr. Montgomery, a member of the\\nCity Council, successfully introduced a resolution, order-\\ning the planting of sycamores all around the city, that is\\nto say, along Esplanade. Rampart and Canal streets,\\nwhich was done, thus girding the town proper with a\\nbeautiful avenue of umbrageous trees. The same coun-\\ncilman also urged the necessity of substituting rock\\npavement for mud streets. A correspondence to that ef-\\nfect with some Northern contractors was thereupon\\nopened. Backed by the Mayor s influence and authori-\\nty, a Mr. Scott consented to come to New Orleans, and\\nwas the first contractor engaged to do the city paving.\\nThe materials used were cobble stones, covered with sand\\nand fine gravel. Square block pavements replaced them\\nat a much later period, some thirty years thereafter.\\nAt about the same time, a fine substantial levee front\\nwas begun. This work the City Council opposed for\\nwant of a sufficient appropriation, but Mr. Nicholas\\nGirod, Mayor at the time when the battle of New\\nOrleans was fought, and whose name fills a wide and\\nlong page in our city s history, being bent on the con-\\nstruction of this much needed revetment, swore that he\\nwould pay the expenses himself, if nobody else would,\\nand such w^as the persistence of the plucky Frenchman\\nthat the levee was built.\\nIn 1821, the system of lighting the city was first intro-\\nduced, and this was done by means of twelve large lamps,\\nwith reflectors attached. They were hung up within\\nthe limits of the carre de la ville, from a rope fast-\\nened to high posts placed obliquely across the streets.\\nThis innovoation was hailed with pride by our pre-\\ndecessors, particularly by belated pedestrians, whose", "height": "2806", "width": "1767", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0031.jp2"}, "32": {"fulltext": "20 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nsole guides at night over flatboat gunwales and slip-\\npety walks were trusty bvill s eye lamps As late\\nas 1837, this practice of carrying lanterns about the town\\nwas not uncommon in New Orleans, especially above\\nCanal and below Esplanade streets.\\nTowards the close of Rofhgnac s administration, an\\nevent occured which finds an appropriate place in these\\npages. I refer to the destruction by fire of our erstwhile\\nneat but modest State House. It was situated on the\\ndown town side of Toulouse and Old L,evee or Front streets.\\nErected in 1761 under the French colonial regime, two\\nyears before the cession of lyOuisiana to Spain, it was used\\nat the time of the disaster, which I am about to outline,\\nas Governor Pierre Derbigny s official residence, and\\nwithin its precincts were held the legislative sessions of\\nour early Solons. It was then in a rather dilapidated con-\\ndition, sadly needing repairs, and it was a wonder to\\nmany how the people, in throngs, would venture to go\\nup the ricketty old staircase, when anything like an in-\\nteresting debate was going on in the two chambers of the\\nlyCgislature, sitting in the upper rooms.\\nThe offices of the various vState authorities were situated\\nin the basement. The business of the Executive, through\\nhis private secretary, was transacted on the lower floor\\nand consisted mainly, in addition to the duties of ordinary\\nroutine, in issuing pass-ports. Adjoining the damp and\\ngloomy apartments reserved for the use of subordinate\\nemployees, was the public librarj if a verj^ scanty collec-\\ntion of books could be so called, rich, however, in rare\\nand valuable manuscripts and old historical records.\\nIt was a quaint, old, historic building, with its broad\\ngalleries in front, overlooking the river. Nor was its\\nlittle garden wanting, with its parterres of flowers and\\nsmall groves of tropical shrubbery. Truly, indeed, did\\nit stand forth as a revered monument of a dramatic past!", "height": "2869", "width": "1804", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0032.jp2"}, "33": {"fulltext": "LOUIS PHILIPPE ROFFIGNAC. 21\\nHere it was that every act of cession had been acknowl-\\nedged, and every Ordonnance or Bando de Gobier-\\nno promulgated, and there it was also that was signed\\nthe warrant, that, within a few squares of it, consigned to\\nan untimely death, upon the banks of the Mississippi\\nRiver, and in front of the Spanish Barracks, the patriot\\nI^aFreniere and his brother martj^rs.\\nSince the acquisition of Louisiana, this edifice had al-\\nways been used as a State House by the American au-\\nthorities. It was looked upon with reverence by the lat-\\nter settlers for the important incidents which it never\\nfailed to record. Within those walls it was, that in 1806\\nGen. Wilkinson and Governor Claiborne had frequently\\nconferred to checkmate the designs of Aaron Burr to es-\\ntablish a vast empire from the Alleghanies to the Sierras\\nof Mexico, with New Orleans as its glorious and brilliant\\ncapital. Here it was also that Gen. Jackson concerted\\nand executed those high-handed measures the dispersion\\nof the lyCgislature at the point of the bayonet, among\\nothers which he claimed to be necessary to defeat the\\nmachinations of alleged traitors. These and many other\\ncircumstances of a like interesting character had enshrin-\\ned the venerable pile in the hearts of the people.\\nThe origin of the fire, whether accidental or designed,\\nbaffled investigation. The flames blazed forth from the\\nlower portion, and rapidly consumed the entire building.\\nThe conflagration then spread along Old Levee street,\\ndevouring everything in its path, including the mansion\\nof Baron Pontalba, from which point it ranged towards\\nthe corner of Chartres, when it was finally checked.\\nThe residence of the Baron stood at the corner of St.\\nPeter and the Levee, and was anciently occupied as a\\nhostelry by a Mr. Tremoulet. It was ahandsome, orna-\\nmented structure, in the old colonial style of architecture,\\nwith a wide gallery in front, which commanded a view", "height": "2806", "width": "1767", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0033.jp2"}, "34": {"fulltext": "22 NE;w ORLIiANvS AS IT WAS.\\nof the whole river expanse. It was the resort of our re-\\nfined society. Within its antique and arched parlors,\\nthe daughter of the Spaniard, Almonester, was wont to\\ndispense her hospitality with queenly grace, ere tho.se\\ntroubles arose in her private life, which eventuated in after\\nyears in so much Parisian gossip and scandalous liti-\\ngation.\\nThe progress of the flames was only arrested by the en-\\ntire destruction of this and a few adjoining properties.\\nHad it proceeded further the entire row of low-roofed\\nbuildings, belonging also to the Baron, would have met\\nwith the same fate, thereby endangering the Moorish\\nbuilding, (still existing at the corner of Chartres and vSt.\\nPeter,) the City Hall, the Parish Prison or Calaboose,\\n(now occupied by the Recorder s Court and Arsenal),\\nand most probably all the houses on that square would\\nhave been razed to the ground.\\nThe loss of property was estimated at about $150,000,\\nand although only five houses were bvirned down, more\\nthan twenty families lo.st their all. The loss of the State\\nin the Government House amounted to about $10,000, ex-\\nclusive of a like sum for the Code of Practice, the edition\\nof which was almost entirely consumed. Of the new\\nCivil Code not more than one hundred volumes in good\\ncondition were saved. The furniture of the lyCgislative\\nHalls and of the different offices was of but little value.\\nThe City Library, with its historic treasures, was reduc-\\ned to ashes. The loss of Baron Poutalba was fully\\n$30. 000. 00.\\nNumerous accidents occurred. A negro child was en-\\ntirely incinerated; a negro died from the effect of falling\\ntimbers a white man was asphixiated by drinking aqua\\nfortis in mistake for wine another, dreadfully mangled\\nby a tumbling wall, was borne off in a dying condition,\\nin addition to other lesser casualties. Among these", "height": "2869", "width": "1804", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0034.jp2"}, "35": {"fulltext": "LOUIS PHILIPPE ROFFIGNAC. 23\\nmay be mentioned the scores of men who, volunteering\\nas assistant firemen, were found lying dead drunk.\\nA cotemporary, commenting on this disastrous fire,\\nthus reproved the city authorities. I reproduce his ob-\\nservations textually\\nThe corporation of New Orleans possesses but few\\nfire engines, and two of them could not be worked, being\\nout of repair. This is an act of most culpable negligence\\non the part of our authorities. We are daily spending\\nenormous sums for the embellishment of our city, yet, so\\nimprovident are we, that no care is taken to preserve it\\nfrom the most terrible and destroying element. We have\\nnot one regular fire company in this city, and but three\\nor four bad engines; it is not, therefore, surprising, that\\nfires are here subdued with so much difficulty. The city\\nshould immediately purchase two or three first class\\nengines, and procure a new supply of buckets, ladders,\\nhooks, etc.\\nWe understand that an engineer and mechanician of\\nthis city has offered to build engines on a superior plan,\\nfor the city, at the reduced price of $700.00 he will war-\\nrant them to throw more water and further than those\\nfrom Philadelphia and New York. Why does not the\\nCity Council make a contract with him, in preference to\\nsending to the North and paying $4200? It is time that\\nthe Council should take this subject into serious consid-\\neration, for this city lately is oftener visited by this\\ndreadful scourge than New York itself.\\nSo well acquainted have we become with new and im-\\nproved devices for the strangling of the fiery fiend that\\nthese recommendations appear comical and strange to us\\nnow; but, over sixty years ago, hand machines of a most\\nprimitive construction, with buckets to supply the tanks\\nfrom the walled up gutters, were the only appliances\\nknown. It was many years thereafter that long leads of", "height": "2806", "width": "1767", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0035.jp2"}, "36": {"fulltext": "24 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nhose were adopted, and as these necessitated greater suc-\\ntion power, the engines had to be modelled with longer\\nand more powerful brakes. The houses in New Orleans\\nwere generally one story high, those with balconies being\\nthe exceptions. Hence, hand engines, when properly\\nconstructed, served every purpose.\\nOn the day following the fire, the Legislature, which\\nhad been in session, assembled, on the invitation of\\nMayor Roffignac, in his public parlor, to consult as to the\\nselection of a suitable building in which to continue their\\ndeliberations. It was decided that both branches of the\\nAssembly should occupy temporarily Mr. John Davis\\nspacious rooms. This locale, the former site of the old\\nOpera House and Orleans Ball-room, is now consecrated\\nto pious and religious purposes an Asylum and a Con-\\nvent.\\nA joint committee, a few days after, reported that Mr.\\nPierre Derbigny, as President of the board of Regents of\\nthe Central and Primary schools, had tendered the use of\\nthat portion of the building in the upper story occupied\\nby the Central Department, which offer was gratefully\\naccepted.\\nThis structure, the oldest building now in New Orleans,\\nonce the Convent of the Ursulines Nuns, and now the\\nresidence of Archbishop Janssens, was situated on Conde\\nstreet, between Ursulines and Hospital streets. Our old\\ninhabitants will remember that that portion of Chartres,\\nwhich extended from Esplanade to St. Peter, was then\\nknown as Conde street. I remember the building dis-\\ntinctly and, recalling my school-boy days, am unable to\\nnote any difference in its physiognomy, except in such\\nchanges as have occurred in its immediate surroundings.\\nThe church, or rather the narrow and elongated\\nChapel, erected in the last century as an annex to the\\nNunnery, still exists, though greatly altered, and is now", "height": "2869", "width": "1804", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0036.jp2"}, "37": {"fulltext": "LOUIS PHILIPPE ROFFIGNAC. 25\\nused by an Italian congregation. The entrance opened\\non Ursulines street, and over its solitary portal hung a\\nmarble tablet, commemorative of a Spanish King s liber-\\nality. It extended along that street to within a short\\ndistance of I^evee street. Tall Gothic windows, with\\npanels of stained glass, admitted air from above and\\nlight from without. Though originally constructed for\\nthe use of the Convent, the sisters, with the exception of\\nthe cloistered space, reserved for their devotions, had\\nthrown it open to Catholic worshippers, lu this holy\\nshrine, the Bishop frequently officiated.\\nSt. Mary s Church, on Chartres street, ia of modern\\nconstruction, and its site occupies a portion ol the large\\nplaj ground, once attached to the schools. Below it, and\\non the same side of that thoroughfare, were the buildings\\nused as Barracks by the United States troops stationed\\nat this post. (Hence the name given to Barracks street.\\nHere were also the headquarters of their commanding\\nofficers, Col. Zachary Taylor and Major Twiggs, who,\\nby the way, signalized themselves at the fire, and receiv-\\ned officially the grateful thanks of the City Council.\\nThe upper part of the building, dedicated to the Cen-\\ntral School, was under the direction of a Mr. S^nti Petri,\\na Spaniard by birth. He was reputed a man of great\\nlearning. A corps of assistants, supported him. The\\nlower portion was divided into junior classes, in the low-\\nest of which the writer was not a very apt or ductile\\nscholar, if one may judge from the frequency and vim\\nwith which his ears were puUel. This was a common\\npractice among the teachers of those times the French\\nespecially resorted to in order to jog the memory of dul-\\nlards. It was here that Mr. Bigot presided, whom some\\nmay yet remember, with his silver snuffbox in one\\nhand, and a dreaded ferule in the other. His wife oc-\\ncasionally aided him. She was a daughter of the cele-", "height": "2806", "width": "1767", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0037.jp2"}, "38": {"fulltext": "26 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nbrated Gen. James Wilkinson, and, as Principal of our\\nyoung ladies High School in after years, achieved great\\ndistinction. He was withal, a good, kind-hearted man,\\nan excellent scholar and an artist of merit. His depart-\\nment, besides rudimentary studies, embraced landscape,\\nportrait and linear or architectural drawing. Among\\nseveral of our noted living artists, I remember George\\nCoulon, Hortaire Guenard and various others, as young\\nand promising scholars.\\nIt was in the upper story of this massive structure that\\nthe General Assembly concluded their labors.\\nThe reader will excuse this digression, but, as illustra-\\ntive of the times, it could not well be omitted.\\nBut, besides the military and administrative talents,\\nwhich Mayor Rolfignac s life discloses, how many are\\naware that as a man of letters he particularly excelled.\\nHe was in frequent communication with some of the\\nleading statesmen of Europe, and maintained an unbrok-\\nen correspondence with Lafa3^ette. His attentions to the\\nexiled princes, the future King of France included, both\\nin this city and Havana, are matters of record. The\\npapers, which were found after his tragic death, contain-\\ned curious and precious autographs of the great men of\\nthat historic period, and it is a matter of note that de\\nL,ameth, the Duke de Broglie and Count de Roffignac\\nwere at one time class-mates at the Chateau of Belleville,\\nunder the tuition of the Abbe Duruisseau three men\\nwho wielded in Europe and America, an influence, more\\nor less important on questions affecting individual and\\nnational freedom.\\nTaken all in all. his retirement from ofhce was deemed\\na matter of regret, and on the eve of his departure for his\\nbeloved old home, he was complimented with a grand\\npublic banquet. His parting with the members of the", "height": "2869", "width": "1804", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0038.jp2"}, "39": {"fulltext": "LOUIS Philippe; roftignac. 27\\nCity Council, as described by the public prints of the day,\\nwas affectionate and tender.\\nAnd yet in this year of grace progress and universal\\nenlightenment, who mentions the name of Roffignac ex-\\ncept at a soda water stand He is only known as the\\ninventor of a fashionable beverage. Such is fame I", "height": "2806", "width": "1767", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0039.jp2"}, "40": {"fulltext": "CHAPTER III.\\nGENERAL HUMBERT.\\nA DASHING HERO OF TWO CONTrNENTS.\\nH/S SPLENDID SERVICES IN FRANCE, MEXICO, IRELAND\\nAND NEW ORLEANS.\\nThe trite adage that truth is stranger than fiction is\\nstrongly exemplified in the simple narrative of the life\\nand vicissitudes of the singular man, whose achievements\\nin both hemispheres form the ground work of the present\\nsketch. Without the adventitious circumstances of\\nbirth, fortune or education, this hero rose from the hum-\\nblest spheres of citizenship to a dazzling position of hon-\\nor and dignity; and, but for his inflexible love of liberty\\nand of republican institutions, would have soared in\\nmilitary preferment to the lofty plane occupied by the\\nMurats, Neys and the Soults of the Empire.\\nAn exile, for opinion s sake, he sought an asylum in\\nNew Orleans, in whose defence he fought like one of\\nthose plumed and helmeted knights we read of in an-\\ncient Romance. Wherever Freedom called upon his\\ndoughty arm to strike, whether under the frowning tur-\\nrets of Castlebar, or in the mountain recesses of Mexico,\\nor along the shores of the blue Rhine, or on the banks\\nof the turbid Mississippi; there we hear of his prowess,\\nhis loyalt} and his cheerful obedience to cherished prin-", "height": "2869", "width": "1804", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0040.jp2"}, "41": {"fulltext": "GENERAL HUMBERT. 29\\nciples. And yet, notwithstanding his just claims to our\\neternal gratitude, he died in our midst, poor, neglected\\nand unhonored, and even his place of sepulture is to\\nthis day forgotten and unknown! vSuch, alas, is too of-\\nten the fate of the patriot and the lover of the human\\nrace.\\nJean Robert Marie Humbert was born in Rouvray,\\nLorraine, on the 25th of November, 1755. At the time\\nof the breaking out of the French Revolution in 1789,\\nhis condition in life was an humble one, being that of a\\ndealer or peddler in rabbit skins; but, endowed with\\ngreat intelligence and undoubted bravery, and favored\\nby nature with a stature of colossal mould and a prepo-\\nsessing appearance, he plunged headlong into that career\\nwhich was opening at that time to the patriotic spirits of\\nhis country the avenues that led to glory and wealth.\\nHis success was phenomenal. From a simple soldier in\\nthe army of the Rhine and of the West, he rose by grada-\\ntions to the position of Major General in 1794, having\\nparticipated in every battle fought during the memorable\\ncampaigns of Wurmser and the Duke of Brunswick.\\nHis attack on Landau forms one of the boldest feats of\\narms ever recorded in history.\\nIt seems that, after suffering several defeats, the army\\nof Hoche, the left wing of which Humbert commanded,\\nhad reached Keiserlauten. The Prussians, anticipating\\nthe movement, had stolen a march on him three days\\nbefore, and had fortified the position by planting cannon\\nat the head of the ravines leading to the plateau. The\\nPrussians numbered forty thousand, the French thirty\\nthousand combatants.\\nThe assault began on the left, led by Humbert in per-\\nson. Scaling the heights under the protection of a\\nravine, he marched the now maddened sans culottes in", "height": "2806", "width": "1767", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0041.jp2"}, "42": {"fulltext": "30 NEW ORI.EANS AS IT WAS.\\nserried columns, without a perceptible waver or break in\\ntheir advancing lines, under the spiriting and soul-stir-\\nring strains of the Marseillaise hymn, despite the\\ndin and rattle of the enemy s musketry and the roar of\\nhis belching guns. Higher and higher, amidst the deaf-\\nening uproar, rose and soared aloft the inspiriting words\\nof the national anthem, until, reaching the edge of the\\ncoveted plateau, Humbert, waving his sword above his\\nhead, gave the command to charge, crying out in\\nstentorian tones: Chargez, mes enfaiits, Landau or\\nDeath. The cry was taken up and repeated by his\\nmen, whom now nothing could resist. On they came,\\nlike an Alpine avalanche. The enemy, aghast and\\ndismayed by the coolness, audacity and impetuosity of\\nthe onslaught, made but a feeble resistance. Landau\\nwas captured\\nHis strategic movements on the enemy s flanks at\\nFroschwiller and Worth decided the victory in favor of\\nFrance and put an end to the campaign by disconcerting\\nthe manoeuvers of Wurmser, the Austrian, on the lines\\nof Wiessenbourg, and, completely routing him at Gers-\\nberg, forced the Prussians to retreat to Mayence and the\\nAustrians on Gemersheim.\\nHis success in the pacification of the Vendee, devoted\\nto the Royalist faction, is mentioned by historians in laud-\\natory terms, though most of the credit is bestowed on\\nHoche, his ranking officer. These two men were deeply\\nattached to one another, and always acted in perfect con-\\ncert. What Stonewall Jackson was to Lee, or Sheridan\\nto Grant, Humbert was to Hoche the man of action, of\\nsurprises and of celerity.\\nThus it was that when, in 1798, the French Directory\\ndetermined, as a retaliatory measure, to attack England\\nin her own stronghold, by sending to Ireland an ex-", "height": "2869", "width": "1804", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0042.jp2"}, "43": {"fulltext": "GENERAL HUMBERT. 3 I\\npeditionaty force to assist the insurgents in their attempts\\nat independence, Heche, to whom had been assigned the\\nchief command of the enterprise, asked, as a special\\nfavor, for the appointment of Humbert, as his lieutenant.\\nThe request, coming from such a source, was readily\\ngranted, and with it his promotion to the rank of Lieu-\\ntenant General. The plan of operation was soon mapped\\nout in council. Humbert was to effect a landing with a\\nsmall vanguard, to which, it was expected, large acces-\\nsions from the Irish peasantry and their leaders would\\nlend strength. Once a lodgment secured, it was further\\nagreed that Hoche, with the bulk of the liberating army,\\nwould, co-operating with a formidable fleet, make a de-\\nscent upon the coast, and, uniting with the small force in\\nthe field, take personal command. From this, will be\\nseen the confidence reposed in Humbert s audacity and\\njudgment. But the combination, though feasible and\\nwell matured, signally failed. The period selected was\\nan unfortunate one, for, the English government had\\njust quelled with fire, sword and confiscation a formida-\\nble insurrection, and the inhabitants, stripped of their\\narms and other means of resistance, were ill prepared to\\nrenew the perils and incur the risks of another revolt.\\nIn this condition of things, while the Viceroy was ac-\\ntivel}^ engaged in plans for putting the militia into such\\na train that it might be speedily dispatched to any part\\nof the Kingdom which expediency might require, the\\nintelligence of the disembarkation reached Dublin.\\nHappily says an English writer, for the integri-\\nty and safety of the island, perhaps of the British Em-\\npire, the French government at this time was guided by\\nmen of feeble character, incapable of taking a decided\\npart at the momentous crisis. They suffered the period\\nwhen Ireland was in a state of active rebellion to pass\\nby without affording any aid to the insurgents and now,", "height": "2806", "width": "1767", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0043.jp2"}, "44": {"fulltext": "32 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nwhen it was quelled by the firmness of the government,\\nthey dispatched an inconsiderable force thither, from\\nwhose co-operation no important result could possibly\\nflow.\\nHumbert effected a landing at Killala, on the 22d of\\nAugust. He entered the bay under English colors, and\\nthe stratagem succeeded so well that two sons of the\\nProtestant Bishop of that diocese, who had thrown\\nthemselves into a fishing smack, were surprised to find\\nthemselves prisoners of war.\\nHumbert says the same writer, was one of those\\nrevolutionary Generals, who had risen from ignorance\\nand poverty to affluence and command yet, though he\\ncould scarcely write his name, he was an excellent\\nofficer, prompt in his movements and decisive in his\\noperations.\\nAt Killala, he was joined I will not say re-inforced\\nby a mob of peasants without leaders or organization,\\nready, however, to avenge their country s wrongs at the\\nperil of life. The forces of the enemy did not exceed\\nfifty men, and they were all Protestants. They fled af-\\nter a vain attempt to oppose the entrance of the French\\nadvance, leaving two of their party dead and twenty-one\\nprisoners, among whom were all their officers. On the\\nfollowing day, Humbert forwarded a detachment toward\\nBallina, seven miles distant to the south, defeated tUe\\nenemy s picket guards and took possession of the town\\non the night of the 24th, the garrison of which retired\\nto Foxford, ten miles further to the south.\\nThough the military arrangements of the Viceroy\\nwere far from being completed, a force more than suffi-\\ncient was quickly dispatched to the point of danger.\\nOn the 25th, Gen. Hutchinson arrived at Castlebar from\\nGalway, where he was joined on the following night by", "height": "2869", "width": "1804", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0044.jp2"}, "45": {"fulltext": "GENERAL HUMBER T. 33\\nGen. Lake, the chief commander of the West. Upon\\nbeing advised of this movement, Humbert notwithstand-\\ning the fearful odds against him, did not hesitate to ad-\\nvance. His whole force consisted of only 800 men,\\nwearied by long marches and want of sleep, and about\\n1 ,000 undisciplined and unequipped yeomanry. He had\\nno other artillery than two small curricle guns. Opposed\\nto him was an army, fresh and vigorous, advantageously\\nposted, with a well served train of fourteen cannons.\\nThe number of this army has been variously estimated\\nfrom 6,000 to 11,000 men. The lowest computation,\\nconsistent with probability, places the figure to 2,300,\\nthough it is thought by a writer likely to know the truth\\n(Rev. Mr. Gordon), that it exceeded at least 3,000. Be-\\nfore this numerical superiority defeat seemed more than\\nprobable, but Humbert was inclined to test the mettle\\nof his troops. He, therefore, directed an attack on the\\nenemy s flank with such impetuosity, that a disgraceful\\npanic seized the royal troops, who hastily fled in all di-\\nrections, leaving their artillery and ammunition behind\\nthem. It is said that they ran eighty miles in tw^enty-\\nseven hours, nor did they stop until they reached Ath-\\nlone. Perhaps, indeed, they would not have halted\\nthere, had they hot been met by the Viceroy in person,\\nwho was so deeply impressed with the danger attending\\nthis invasion, that he had left the capital to conduct\\nhimself the military operations of the campaign. He\\nwas informed by the fugitives that the French had pur-\\nsued the army of Gen. L,ake to Tuani, driven it thence\\nand seized that post. Such was the demoralization\\ncaused by this daring feat of arms, that even at this day\\nthroughout Ireland this affair is jocularly spoken of as\\nthe Castlebar Races.\\nFrom the capital of County Mayo, Humbert moved on\\nto Sligo. Shortly afterwards, however, he found him-", "height": "2806", "width": "1767", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0045.jp2"}, "46": {"fulltext": "34 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nself, after crossing the Shannon, confronted with an\\noverwhelming force under Lord Cornwallis, who had\\nrecentl} succeeded Lord Camden, and held the double\\noffice of lyord lyieutenant and Commander-in-Chief. Af-\\nter several skirmi.shes, for none deserved the names of\\nbattles, Humbert found himself hemmed in by fifteen\\nthousand veterans, and, notwithstanding a desperate re-\\nsistance, was compelled to surrender, with the honors of\\nwar. This event occurred at Ballymuck. After the\\ncapitulation, his troops were found to consist of 748\\nprivates and ninety-six officers, thus showing a loss of\\n256 men, nearly one-fourth of his original force.\\nThe English refused to include the revolted peasantry\\nwithin the terms of the surrender. To these quarter was\\ndenied, and a scene of butchery ensued that appalled the\\ncivilized world. Fleeing in dismay, fully five hundred\\nwere slaughtered in cold blood by their relentless pursu-\\ners. Dark and troublous times followed and it was dur-\\ning that sad and gory period that a boy of thirteen one\\nof the future illustrations of Louisiana resolved to leave\\nhome and country, after casting a long, sad and wistful\\nlook at the form of his father, a Gospel minister, dangling\\nfrom a gibbet in front of his own church That boy was\\nAlexander Porter, erstwhile Senator of Louisiana and as-\\nsociate Justice of the Supreme Court.\\nThus ended an enterprise, which failed through no\\nlack of energy on the part of the man to whom its achieve-\\nment had been confided. As was before said, the small\\nforce of Humbert was only designed as the advance\\nguard of a more extensive expedition, which sailed too\\nlate to be effective. Reinforcements failed him at the\\nproper moment, through adverse and unexpected cir-\\ncumstances. Had these reached him in season, the\\npower and prestige of England would have received a\\nshock, from which she could not have easily recovered.", "height": "2869", "width": "1804", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0046.jp2"}, "47": {"fulltext": "GENERAI. HUMBERT. 35\\nand mayhap might have transferred the theatre of a\\nsanguinary warfare from the continent of Europe to her\\nown sea-girt borders. Humbert and army were kindly\\ntreated by their victors, with whom they at once became\\nvery popular, and, being admitted to parole, were pris-\\noners but in name.\\nAs soon as an exchange had been effected, he returned\\nto France and was given a command in the army of the\\nDanube, where, at the close of 1799, he was seriously\\nwounded. Two 3 ears thereafter, he was recalled to\\nParis to advise with Gen. L,eclerc, Napoleon s brother-\\nin-law, in regard to the projected expedition against the\\ninsurgent colony of St. Domingo. This was in 1802.\\nAccordingly, an army of 33.000 veterans was assembled\\nat Rochefort, and a fleet of eighty sail under Villaret-\\nJoyeuse transported the troops to their destination and\\nco-operated in the campaign. Three divisions were\\nformed, of which one was intrusted to Humbert. On\\ntheir arrival, the countr} was found to be in full revolt.\\nThe blacks, under their famous negro leader, Tou.ssaint\\nly Ouverture, had set up a mongrel government of their\\nown, pillaging and firing the plantations of the whites.\\nMurder and rapine were the order of the day. Under\\nthese circumstances, the iron-gauntleted hand of repres-\\nsion became inevitable, and the war on both sides was\\ncarried on with great barbarity. The story of that\\nAfrican revolt is a blot upon civilization. Appointed\\nGovernor of Port au Prince, which he had reduced to sub-\\njection, he ruled his province with a rod of iron. The\\nwords of Tacitus are here applicable\\nSolitudinem faciunt, pacem vocayit.\\nThence, he hastened to the relief of Leclerc, who was\\nbeing closely besieged at I^e Cap, and aided him to repel\\nhis assailants and to compel the swarthy chief to acknowl-", "height": "2806", "width": "1767", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0047.jp2"}, "48": {"fulltext": "36 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nedge the sovereignty of France. Amid the horrors of\\nthis internecine strife, an additional misfortune threw\\nsombre clouds upon the scene. This was the sudden\\nbreaking out of the yellow fever scourge, which more\\nthan decimated the unacclimated Europeans. The hos-\\npitals and camps were soon filled with thousands of the\\nplague-stricken victims, many of whom died for want of\\nnecessary medical treatment. Even the Commander-in-\\nChief was prostrated by the fell disease, and died a victim\\nto it in the island of Tortugas. Then chaos reigned\\nsupreme. The objects of the expedition had signall}\\nfailed. Though L Ouverture was a prisoner himself in\\nFrance, the work of pacification was far from being com-\\nplete, and Napoleon found himself compelled to aban-\\ndon further operations in that direction. An order to\\nthat effect was, therefore, issued by the home govern-\\nment, and Humbert, availing himself of this permission,\\nset sail in advance of his companions in arms, and re-\\nturned to Paris, having taken charge of his late General s\\nwidow, Pauline Bonaparte, now his acknowledged mis-\\ntress.\\nNapoleon received him coldly. Rumors of his\\nliaison with Pauline had already reached his ear,\\nand caused him great irritation. Besides, Humbert s\\nultra republican principles clashed with the Consul s\\nambitious views, who apprehended in the fearless Jaco-\\nbin the possible embodiment of an avenging Nemesis or\\na threatening Brutus. A decided Republican, says IvC\\nBas, he was ill received at court, and public rumor ac-\\ncused him of being on the best terms with Napoleon s\\nsister. This short and pithy sentence summarizes the\\nsituation. Be this as it may, his disgrace became public\\nand he began to be shunned by the throng of sycophants\\nthe Reds of yesterday who fawned and cringed be-", "height": "2869", "width": "1804", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0048.jp2"}, "49": {"fulltext": "GENERAL HUMBERT. 37\\nneath the trappings of the Consular throne. But Hum-\\nbert had friends, strong and faithful, and their repre-\\nsentations induced the relaxation of a severity that seem-\\ned unduly harsh. Napoleon sent for him on several\\noccasions, and at each interview strove to convert him\\nto his ambitious schemes. He represented to him the\\nunstable condition of the country the plots and reaction-\\nary intrigues of the foremost men of the nation the as-\\npirations of France after the blessings of peace and com-\\nmercial amity with her continental neighbors and\\nfinally, the immediate necessity of an iron-mailed hand\\nto crush out every trace of anarchy or disloyalty. But\\nthese arguments failed in their intended effect. The\\nUnited States, he would unhesitatingly reply, had offered\\na model government to the world, and a republic, based\\nupon a similar constitution, would be a crowning re-\\nward for the noble and generous blood that had been\\nshed by the martyred patriots of France. The inter-\\nviews, supplemented by alternate threats and promises,\\nresulted, as was to be expected, in an open rupture, and,\\nas a consequence, he was exiled to Brittany. There,\\nsmarting under the injustice of his sentence, he gave free\\nvent to his feelings, but being apprised in time that he\\nwas to be arrested and tried for seditious language and\\npractices, he hurriedly made his escape and proceeded\\ndirect to New Orleans, about the time of its purchase by\\nthe United States.\\nThere can be no doubt that had Humbert, at this peri-\\nod of his life, consented to forego his cherished convic-\\ntions, and listened to the syren song of wordly grandeur,\\nthe star of fortune would have led him to dazzling\\nheights. When we recall the career of such parvenus\\nas Murat and Beruadotte, one wearing the proud crown\\nof Naples and the Two Sicilies, the other conquering", "height": "2806", "width": "1767", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0049.jp2"}, "50": {"fulltext": "38 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nwith his own trusty sword the heritage of the Vasas\\nthe kingdom of Sweden what is there to make one\\ndeny the possibility that by marrying Pauline, as he\\ncould have done, he might not have reached a position\\nas glorious and as exalted? This result, it must be ad-\\nmitted, was within the range of probabilities at the time\\nwhen he was obstinately persisting in following the dic-\\ntates of his conscience, and had resolved to cast his lot\\nwith America and her infant Republic.\\nAnd this fact he well knew. In his frequent and con-\\nvivial intercourse with our citizens in after years, he\\nloved, in language more expressive than polite, to refer\\nto the seductive offers, the corrupt habits, and the scan-\\ndalous practices and morals of the Consular Court. From\\nthose with whom in his post-prandial hours he would\\nunbosom himself deboutonne, was his favorite ex-\\npression I learned that his conversation was piquant,\\nanecdotic and charming, combining the rough bluntness\\nof the soldier with the charming grace of the courtier.\\nWith the peculiar idiosyncracies of the men of his period\\nhe was thoroughly au fait. Of Sieyes visionary ideas\\nand Utopian system of government he spoke in terms of\\ndissent, though of deference and respect. Fouche he\\ndespised, characterizing him as a trimmer and a chen-\\napan. Carnot, the organizer of Napoleonic victories,\\nwas in his eyes the personification of loyalty and politi-\\ncal progression. Cambaceres he looked upon as a mass\\nof putty, molded and triturated at will, provided he was\\nallowed to enjoy his ease. Napoleon he denounced as the\\nprince of egotists. The intrigues of the erstwhile cele-\\nbrated coterie of the rue Clichy were the frequent theme\\nof his gibes and sarcasm. He never forgave this notori-\\nous clique the lampoons with which they had once as-\\nsailed him on his humble origin and calling, in the times\\nof the Directory. It is to be regretted that the reminis-", "height": "2869", "width": "1804", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0050.jp2"}, "51": {"fulltext": "GENERAL HUMBERT. 39\\ncences of the late Bernard de Marigny, to whom I de-\\nlighted to listen in my early manhood, jotted down on\\nfugitive and detached leaves by this quaint and amus-\\ning raconteur have not been preserved or are now in-\\naccessible, as they would at the present time, when the\\nlapse of years is throwing dark shadows upon the reced-\\ning views of the past, have thrown floods of light over\\nthe early days of lyouisiana.\\nThe actual date of Humbert s arrival in New Orleans,\\nnotwithstanding diligent research, is now forgotten, but\\nit must have been a few years before the period when\\nour mothers and grandmothers were quaking in their\\nshoes from the apprehended invasion of Aaron Burr s\\nmen in buckram. His advent here was acclaimed by\\nthe colony of French birth or descent with delight and\\npride, and his tall form soon became a central and im-\\nposing figure. Contemporaries describe him as a man of\\nherculean build, of free and easy manners, with decided\\nproclivities to dissipation and, later in life, to habitual\\nintemperance. He was not quite fifty years of age, with\\nhair, originall}- black, profusely sprinkled with streaks\\nof gray. His cheeks were ruddy, and his nose as rubi-\\ncund as the color of his favorite Burgundy. His habits\\nwere decidedly democratic, as he always preferred the\\ncompanionship of the plebs to that of the mushroom\\nadventurers who were wont to flock hither in quest of\\naffluence and notoriety. He, therefore, went little into\\nsociety. He was fond of places of amusement and public\\nresort. Among his usual haunts was a cafe kept by\\na cripple, named Thiot, a St. Domingo refugee, who had\\nintroduced a new beverage, known as le petit Gouave,\\nof which the General was particularly fond, and to\\nwhich he had become addicted during his sojourn at\\nPort au Prince. This establishment was situated on St.", "height": "2806", "width": "1767", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0051.jp2"}, "52": {"fulltext": "40 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nPhilip street, nearly midway between Conde (now Char-\\ntres) and Old lyevee, on the right hand side as you go\\ntowards the woods. There he would usually spend his\\nevenings, sipping his moka and pousse cafe at a\\nfriendly game of piquet or dominoes.\\nAnother favorite resort was Turpin s cabaret, at the\\ncorner of Marigny and the levee, on the site of what has\\nsince been known as the Fire Proof house. It was a\\nlong, wooden tenement of rough exterior. Opposite to\\nit was the Marigny mansion, and from one of its actual\\noccupants, a garrulous old gentleman of the ancien re-\\ngime, the little that I know of this primitive period has\\nbeen partly gathered. This cabaret I might call it a\\ngroggery was a house which combined all the features\\nof a grocery, a liquor shop and a general caravansary,\\nand, among the gay and boisterous blades that patron-\\nized mine host, Humbert was no laggard. In later\\nyears, Turpin s corner became the chief rendezvous of\\nthe Baratarians, as the jolly freebooters who sailed and\\nfought under Lafitte were then styled a motley, fight-\\ning, roystering crew. Here, in revelry, song and drink-\\ning bouts, the Spanish doubloons, that had rewarded\\ntheir audacity and crimes upon the high seas, were\\nscattered to the winds, or rather, I may say, were raked\\nwith avidity within the money drawer\\nIn connection with this hostelry and its patrons, a\\ncharacteristic anecdote is told of Humbert. Si non e vero\\ne ben trovato. It is said that on an occasion, when the\\nanniversary of some event connected with the glories of\\nthe fatherland was about to be commemorated, a grand\\ndinner was tendered him by his friends and compatriots.\\nTurpin, as a matter of course, was selected as the\\nAmphitrion of the feast. The board was spread in the\\nspacious dining hall, and to it were invited the French\\nconvivial spirits of the town. The Baratarians, as you", "height": "2869", "width": "1804", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0052.jp2"}, "53": {"fulltext": "GENERAL HUMBERT. 4I\\nmay infer, were on hand, and took a prominent part in\\nthe affair. Among the celebrities, were the two brothers\\nLafitte, Jean and Pierre the celebrated Beluche, destined\\nto become a Commodore in the Bolivian navy Domin-\\nique You, whose pompous epitaph adorns a mausoleum\\nto day in the old St. Louis cemetery Jean Baptiste\\nSauvinet, their banker, whose counting room was in the\\nfaubourg below Huet, the planter at Bayou St. John,\\nand homme d affaires; Thiac, the blacksmith, the\\nDamon of the Dafittes Paturzo, the Genoese, whose\\nafter-life proved a model of industry and parental affec-\\ntion Vincent Gambie, surnamed nez coupe, from\\nthe partial loss of that facial appendage, a t3 pe of ferocity\\nand brutal force Jean Ducoing, who so skillfully hand-\\nled the solitary mortar we possessed at the battle of New\\nOrleans; Constantini, the last survivor of the band,\\nwhom I saw but one year ago, sitting on his door steps\\nand basking in the sun, in a vain endeavor to revive his\\ndesiccated frame; Laporte, Sauvinet s book-keeper;\\nMarc, their notary St. Geme. one of Jackson s nios^\\ntrusted officers in the repulse of the British at Chalmette,\\nand a host of others, who were all, more or less, connect-\\ned with the then mysterious establishment on Grand\\nIsle.\\nAt the appointed hour, Humbert made his appearance\\nin full uniform, with the tri-colored scarf of the defunct\\nRepublic girded around his waist. Applause greeted\\nhis presence, and, by unanimous request, he was escorted\\nto the seat of honor. The work of rejoicing began.\\nThe luscious viands and succulent hors d oeuvres vanish-\\ned, and wines of the rarest and raciest vintage plund-\\nered from some unfortunate vSpanish gallion followed\\nin copious draughts. Then followed the bacchanalian\\nsong, the ribald jest, the pungent anecdote, adding\\nzest to the general revelry, when finally patriotic toasts", "height": "2806", "width": "1767", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0053.jp2"}, "54": {"fulltext": "42 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nwere announced as the close of the programme. It was\\nat this moment, while the entertainment, fast verging\\ninto a debauch, was reaching the acme of gaiety and\\nfolly, that an unlucky wight, more enthusiastic than\\nhis fellows, proposed a sentiment in honor of the Gener-\\nal, and preceded the same by a fulsome eulogy of his\\nlife and services. Humbert listened to him without in-\\nterruption to the end, when, rising to his feet, his cheeks\\nflushed with wine, anger and shame, slowly responded.\\nEvery eye turned toward him, and every sound was\\nhushed. Your words he said, with quivering voice\\nremind me of what I was, and what I am. I must\\nnot remain here as an associate of outlaws and forbans.\\nMy place is not here. Then turning to Beluche,\\nwhom. he particularly disliked, he poured forth such a\\nscathing denunciation as that worthy had seldom, if\\never, heard.\\nIt is impossible to describe the confusion that ensued.\\nWords of menace were outspoken and many a dagger\\nleaped from its sheath, but a single glance from Lafitte\\nsufficed to quell the storm, as Humbert deliberately\\nstrode away. II est saoul, (he is drunk) said one\\nNo, responded a solemn voice: His conscience\\nspoke\\nIt is needless to say that, yielding on the next morning\\nto the force of habit, he had again lapsed into his usual\\ncourse of dissipation, and had resumed his relations with\\nthe same class of people whom he had the day before so\\nbitterly denounced.\\nTeaching was his sole occupation; at least, he was\\nnot known to have any other. One of his boy pupils,\\nthe late Pierre Seuzeneau, who for a number of years\\ngraced the Recorder s chair of the Third Municipality,\\nand who died before the w^ar while performing Consular\\nduties at Matamoros, frequently entertained me with", "height": "2838", "width": "1804", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0054.jp2"}, "55": {"fulltext": "GENERAL HUMBERT. 43\\ninteresting accounts of the man s pecvliarities and sys-\\ntem of instruction. His passion was for the science of\\napplied mathematics. Self-taught, the soldier-peda-\\ngogue, though strict, was not severe, and his school\\nwas well attended by urchins of whom he was extremely\\nfond. He also gave private lessons in the scantily fur-\\nnished room which he occupied in the attic of a low\\nframe building on Frenchmen street, opposite Wash-\\nington Square.\\nIn addition to the paltry emoluments derived from his\\nprofession, a pension from the home government enabled\\nhim to eke out a modest existence. The collection of this\\nstipend, doled out to him every quarter by the French\\nConsul, the Chevalier de Touzac, afforded him the\\noccasion for a great official ceremony. Attired in his\\nold costume of a General of the Republic, the same,\\nperhaps, which he had worn on the heights of lyandau\\nor at Castlebar, with his faithful sabre resting across his\\narm, he would repair, erect and proud, to the Consular of-\\nfice on Ro3 al street to receive the pittance allowed by Bon-\\naparte, as the price of his blood on the fields of Europe.\\nThence, he would gravely walk down the pavement to-\\nwards his friend, Thiot, and, after partaking of a glass\\nor two of his unique petit gouave, he would return to\\nhis humble lodgings and doff his military trappings. On\\nthose occasions, every one knew his errand, for it was\\nthen only that he indulged in military display. Hum-\\nbert has got his money to day, people would sa}-;\\nlookout for a protracted bamboche, (spree). And\\nsuch was invariably the case. Hardly had he laid aside\\nthe insignia of his former rank than he gave himself up to\\nevery form of enjoj-ment, until his last cent was spent.\\nThus, between his professional labors by day and his\\nusual nocturnal debauches, varied at times b} games of\\ncards or dominoes at the Petite Bourse or 1 Hotel de la", "height": "2806", "width": "1767", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0055.jp2"}, "56": {"fulltext": "44 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nMarine, he spent his uneventful days in New Orleans,\\nresigned to the fate which Providence had decreed.\\nWith Napoleon s accession to the Empire and the appar-\\nent consolidation of his vast projects, all his hopes of an\\nearly return to France were completely abandoned; and,\\neven after the restoration of the Bourbons in 1 8 14-15,\\nwhenever urged by his friends to avail himself of the\\namnesty offered by L/Ouis XVIII, he would indignant-\\nly spurn the suggestion, preferring, he would say, the\\nproud title of an American freeman to that of a subject of\\na King\\nHe was now getting old. Three score years had\\nsilvered his erstwhile jet black locks, but his spirit was as\\nundaunted and his intellect as unclouded as in his palmy\\ndays. His form, still erect and imposing, towered like\\nan aged oak which the storms had failed to bend or\\nbreak. But the measure of his life of usefulness was not\\nyet filled, and destiny was preparing for him noble work.\\nIt was about this period that a dark speck a distant\\nwar cloud began to hover athwart the horizon, portend-\\ning danger and ruin. Every indication seemed to point\\nto New Orleans as the objective point at which the\\nthunderbolt was to be hurled. The English fleet were\\nat our doors. It was the same that had devastated the\\nshores of the Chesapeake, and reduced our Capitol to\\nashes. Consternation, the mother of discord, perv^aded\\nour councils. Claiborne, usually timid and halting in his\\npolicy, though imbued with the noblest intentions, was\\nat a loss to act with that precision and intelligence which\\nthe momentous occasion required, hampered in a great\\nmeasure by the race prejudices which the clash between\\nthe newly emigrated Americans and the old citizens of\\nLatin origin frequently engendered. Of the latter there\\nwas a gallant and formidable array in our midst, But", "height": "2838", "width": "1804", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0056.jp2"}, "57": {"fulltext": "GENERAL HUMBERT. 45\\nthe Spirit of patriotism prevailed. Then, the men of\\naction came to the front. To the enlarged ideas of such\\ncivilians as the Livingstons, the Grymes, and the Dave-\\nzacs were added the practical plans of the Roffignacs, the\\nSt. Gemes and the Humberts, all of whom had seen mili-\\ntary service on the tented fields of Europe. Among\\nthese, Humbert, in the organization of the committee of\\npublic defense, took a commanding part. His services\\nin placing our crude militia upon a war footing were in\\nconstant demand, while his personal magnetism with the\\nnative French population aroused their military ardor.\\nWhen Jackson reached New Orleans in December to as-\\nsume supreme command, the panic or rather, the feel-\\ning of disquietude that had at one time prevailed had\\nceased to exist. Every man was at his post, and though\\nfew in numbers, when compared with the surging hosts\\nabout to be massed against them, the spirit of loj-alty\\ncould not be mistaken.\\nThe bold Tennessean, with quick and pierciiig eyes,\\nsoon discerned the eminent qualities of the giant French-\\nman, and at once assigned him to duty on his personal\\nstaff with the rank of Brigadier General. This ap-\\npointment was no sinecure or idle compliment. Of his\\nmanifold duties, one was the direction of the mounted\\nscouts, a special corps of observation that did yeoman\\nservice in checking the two near approaches of the ene-\\nmy s advanced pickets. Characteristic anecdotes are\\ntold of his dash and recklessness w^hile engaged in this\\ndangerous duty, his detestation of the English being\\nfrequently evinced by his mad-cap forays into their\\nranks and challenges to personal combat. He assisted\\nin constructing the terrible redoubts so ably defended by\\nDominique You and Beluche on the right of the line,\\nand in mounting the siege guns that did such havoc to\\nPackeuham s veteran troops in their final assault. A", "height": "2806", "width": "1767", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0057.jp2"}, "58": {"fulltext": "46 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nstrict di, K:iplinarian, he never shirked any part of the\\nwork he imposed on others. Thus it was that, on\\nthe da) of the decisive battle, Jackson found himself\\nsurrounded by as brave, disciplined and enthusiastic a\\nlittle army as was ever led to victory.\\nWhile the battle was raging hot and fast on the plains\\nof Chalmette, and the enemy, after the loss of their lead-\\ners, were giving way before the fierce and murderous\\nfire of our riflemen and artillerists, the alarming intelli-\\ngence reached the camp that our troops, lyouisianians\\nand Western men, posted, on the opposite bank of\\nthe river, had suddenly ran away before the advance\\nof the enemy, abandoning their arms, ammunition and\\nguns. The turn which this shameful flight had given to\\nthe situation was very critical, for a road leading to the\\neasy capture of New Orleans had thereby been thrown\\nwide open.\\nSpeaking of this unexpected success, achieved by\\nBritish dash and gallantry, an American writer sa^^s\\nSoldiers there have been, who would have seen in\\nThornton s triumph the means of turning the tide of\\ndisaster and snatching victory from the jaws of defeat.\\nJackson at once apprehended the danger, and with his\\nready intelligence selected without hesitation the man\\nwho was to blot out the disgrace.\\nThis success, says Roosvelt in his history of the na-\\nval war of 1 812, though a brilliant one and a disgrace\\nto the American arms, had no effect on the battle. Jack-\\nson at once sent over reinforcements under the famous\\nFrench General Humbert, and preparations were forth-\\nwith made to retake the lost position.\\nThere is no gainsaying the fact that the menace to\\nour cit3 s safety was a dangerous one. Had Col. Thorn-\\nton, as Stonewall Jackson or Phil. Sheridan would have", "height": "2838", "width": "1804", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0058.jp2"}, "59": {"fulltext": "GENERAL HUMBERT. 47\\ndone under similar circumstances, availed himself of the\\ngeneral panic, and hastened his forces a couple of miles\\nfurther up the river, he could easily, by crossing over by\\nmeans of the numerous barge ferries then existing, have\\nplaced Jackson s ami}- between two fires and thus im-\\nperiled his line of defence. Fortunately, the event\\nproved otherwise. Parton, in his life of Jackson, thus\\nnarrates the sequel\\nGeneral Jackson, meanwhile, was intent upon dis-\\npatching his reinforcements. It never for one moment\\noccurred to his warlike mind that the British General\\nwould relinquish so vital an advantage without a desper-\\nate struggle. Organizing promptly a strong body of\\ntroops, he placed it under the command of Gen. Hum-\\nbert, a refugee officer of distinction who had led the\\nFrench revolutionary expedition into Ireland in 1798,\\nand was then serving in the line as a volunteer. Hum-\\nbert, besides being the only General officer that Jackson\\ncould spare from his own position, was a soldier of high\\nrepute and known courage, a martinet in discipline, and\\na man versed in the arts of European warfare. About\\nII o clock, the reinforcements left the camp, with or-\\nders to hasten across the river by the ferry of New Or-\\nleans and march down toward the enemy, and after\\neffecting a junction with Gen. Morgan s troops, to at-\\ntack him, and drive him from the lines. Before noon,\\nHumbert was well on his way.\\nFrom conversations I have had with parties who\\nformed part of this command, I learned that the march\\nwas made with unusual celerity and order. In less than\\nan hour after their departure, the men had reached the\\ncity and were hastening to the scene of danger. Here\\nthey were joined by groups of home guards, who\\nhelped to swell the number to an imposing force. When\\nthey arrived at the spot, now a little village known as", "height": "2806", "width": "1767", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0059.jp2"}, "60": {"fulltext": "48 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nTunisburg, they met the discomfited and worried\\nCreoles and Kentuckians, rallied them into good order\\nand restored courage and confidence. The word to ad-\\nvance was given, and with fixed bayonets Humbert s\\nfavorite weapon the march was promptly resumed.\\nOn their approach, Gen. lyambert, the ranking General,\\nalarmed at the changed condition of affairs, directed Col.\\nCubbins to abandon the captured works and recross the\\nriver with his whole command. The order was not\\nobeyed without difficulty, says Parton, for by this\\ntime the L,ouisianians, urged by a desire to retrieve the\\nfortunes of the day and their own honor, began to\\napproach the last red coats in considerable bodies.\\nGeneral Jackson recognized his services, in General\\nOrders, to the following effect:\\nGen. Humbert, who offered his services as a volun-\\nteer, has constantly exposed himself to the greatest dan-\\ngers with his characteristic bravery.\\nGen. Jackson s subsequent measures have been the oc-\\ncasion of much criticism and considerable censure. It\\nwill be remembered that for some time after the treaty of\\npeace had been signed at Ghent, the General refused to\\ndisband his volunteers under the plea that their term of\\nservice had not expired, and that they might at any time\\nbe needed to repel the enemy, who were still hovering\\nin the vicinity of our coasts. Among those to whom\\nthis order was made to apply were a large number of\\nFrench subjects, who, having loyally performed all the\\nduties required of them during the times of emergency,\\ndeemed themselves unjustly treated by their enforced\\nsubjection to the inconveniences and diseases incident\\nto camp life, after every prospect of danger was over.\\nBesides, they complained of the sufferings of their fami-\\nlies, whose sole supports they were. To these remon-\\nstrances the old hero turned a deaf ear, and abused them", "height": "2838", "width": "1804", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0060.jp2"}, "61": {"fulltext": "m^^\\nE-*^", "height": "2806", "width": "1767", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0061.jp2"}, "62": {"fulltext": "", "height": "2838", "width": "1804", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0062.jp2"}, "63": {"fulltext": "GENERAL HUMBERT. 49\\nas secret traitors. It is evident that on this occasion,\\nthe General s usually equitable judgment had lost its\\nbalance. Their cause was, therefore, championed by\\nthe best men of the State, among whom were lyouallier,\\na distinguished member of the lyCgislature, and the\\nFrench Consul, the Chevalier de Touzac, a maimed\\nsoldier of the American Revolution, who had fought\\nunder Baron Steuben. This brought about a clash in\\npublic opinion, and Jackson determined to cut the Gor-\\ndian knot by outlawing these parties and their adher-\\nents, imprisoning some and banishing others to Baton\\nRouge. Humbert, firing with indignation at the mani-\\nfest injustice done to his countrymen, notwithstanding\\nthe loving admiration in which he had always held\\nthe Chief, boldly protested against this usurpation of\\nauthority, and matters looked as if serious trouble were\\nbrewing. But, with the official proclamation of the\\nratification of the treaty, calm counsels prevailed and\\nthe storm subsided. Thus ended an episode, which\\nforms one of the most interesting epochs in I^ouisiana s\\nhistory.\\nIt is to be presumed that, after the events above nar-\\nrated, Humbert, amid the congratulations of friends and\\nproud of the laurels he had so richly won, must have\\nrelapsed into his old habits of conviviality and his deep-\\nseated affection for le petit gouave. And so matters\\ndrifted for a time, until one day he was induced by\\nMexican emissaries to once more don his armor in de-\\nfense of liberty and independence. This was in the\\nyear 1816. Mexico was then in the throes of a bloody\\nrevolution, led b}- insurgents against the authority of\\nSpain. The achievements of Hidalgo and Morelos are\\ntoo familiar, in connection with the story of their politi-\\ncal regeneration and final emancipation fron the rule of", "height": "2806", "width": "1767", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0063.jp2"}, "64": {"fulltext": "50 NEW ORI.EANS AS IT WAS.\\ntheir Viceroys, to require here any extended notice.\\nThe tragic death of the former, the patriot-priest, is kept\\nin holy remembrance in every town and hamlet in\\nMexico even to this day, while the memory of Morelos is\\nheld in equal veneration.\\nDetermined to attach himself to this band of Patriots\\nand to link his fortunes with theirs, Humbert enlisted in\\nNew Orleans about one thousand men, of all nationali-\\nties, and proceeded to the scene of action. This was the\\nfirst and largest expedition of a filibustering character\\nthat ever departed from this city. When he reached\\nMexico, he found the condition of things entirely differ-\\nent from what he had been led to expect. Morelos,\\nwho had succeeded Hidalgo to the supreme command,\\nhad been captured and shot, and his forces dispersed.\\nBalked in his hopes, he determined, however, to ad-\\nvance, and was joined by the formidable Indian Chief,\\nToledo, with a number of his dusky warriors. Thus\\nreinforced, he fought his way into the very heart of the\\ncountry, and succeeded in reaching El Puente del Rey,\\nbetween Jalapa and Vera Cruz. But the back bone of\\nthe revolution had been broken before his arrival, and\\nalthough he obtained several partial advantages over the\\nvSpanish forces, yielding to the inevitable, he disbanded\\nhis army and, in the spring of 1817, returned once more\\nto his old home in New Orleans.\\nAll that we know of him after this event is that he\\ntaught in a French College the Orleans presuma-\\nbly until the time of his death, which occurred in\\nFebruary, 1823.\\nAs I had occasion to remark in the initial paragraphs\\nof this sketch, nothing is positively known of this great\\nman s last days on earth, and even his grave is unknown\\nand unmarked. If this humble contribution to the his-", "height": "2838", "width": "1804", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0064.jp2"}, "65": {"fulltext": "GENERAL HUMBERT. 5 I\\ntory of Louisiana will serve to rescue from oblivion the\\nmemory of a patriot who loved our native State with\\nmore than filial devotion, who risked his life in her de-\\nfense, and who died with a blessing upon his lips on\\nAmerican institutions, my aim, then, shall have been\\nmore than fulfilled.", "height": "2806", "width": "1767", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0065.jp2"}, "66": {"fulltext": "CHAPTER IV.\\nA TALE OF SLAVERY TIMES.\\nIt was on the morning of the loth of April, 1834, that\\nfrom the corner of Royal and Hospital streets, crepitating\\nflames were seen to burst forth, threatening the entire\\ndestruction of a spacious brick mansion that adorned that\\nlocality. It was an imposing family residence, three\\nstories in height, and the resort of the best society of\\nNew Orleans. Within its walls, European notabilities,\\nincluding the Marquis of Lafaj^ette, had been housed\\nand entertained with that munificence, easy grace and\\ncheerful hospitality peculiar to a Creole generation, now\\nso rapidly disappearing. Its furniture and appoint-\\nments exquisite and costl}^ gems of Parisian workman-\\nship were cited as chefs -cToeuvres in a city where\\nobjects of vejdu and princely elegance were by no\\nmeans rare. (It is a mistake to say that the Orleans\\nprinces were ever guests in that residence, as their visit\\nto our city had occurred long before its construction.\\nThe Marignys were their hosts.\\nAround this house were congregated a dense and ex-\\ncited throng, apparently feasting their eyes on the\\nlambent and circling streams of fire that with forked\\ntongues were rapidly enveloping the upper portions of\\nthe aristocratic abode. Their frowning brows and fierce-\\nly glistening eyes bespoke the terrible passions that", "height": "2838", "width": "1804", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0066.jp2"}, "67": {"fulltext": "A TALE OF SLAVERY TIMES. 53\\nraged within their breasts, for, that house, according to\\ncommon tradition, was a hot-bed of cruelty and crime,\\nand bore upon its frontispiece the curse of God.\\nThe entire width of Hospital street was literally\\nwedged in by a compact, surging tide, overflowing even\\nadjacent thoroughfares. The pent-up blaze had burst\\nforth from the kitchen above the basement, and from\\nthence was rapidly ascending the story occupied by the\\nfamily. The firemen, with their inadequate hand en-\\ngines and equipments, were manning their brakes with\\nmight and main against the devouring element with\\nonly partial success, and were finally compelled to cut\\ntheir way through the roof. On penetrating into the\\nattic, and while ranging through the apartments, their\\nblood curdled by the horrid spectacle which struck their\\nview seven slaves, more or less mutilated, slowly per-\\nishing from hunger, deep lacerations and festering\\nwounds. In describing this appalling sight, Jerome\\nBayon, the proprietor of the New Orleans Bee,\\nwrote We saw where the collar and manacles had\\ncut their way into their quivering flesh. For several\\nmonths they had been confined in those dismal dun-\\ngeons, with no other nutriment than a handful of gruel\\nand an insufficient quantity of water, suffering the\\ntortures of the damned and longingly awaiting death,\\nas a relief to their sufferings. We saw Judge Canonge,\\nMr. Montreuil and others, making for some time fruit-\\nless efforts to rescue those poor unfortunates, whom the\\ninfamous woman, Lalaurie, had doomed to certain death\\nand hoping that the devouring element might thus obli-\\nterate the last traces of her nefarious deeds.\\nWhen ever) door had been forced open, the victims\\nwere carried off and escorted by an immense crowd to\\nthe Mayor s office, where their irons were immediately\\nstruck off. Among those piteous blacks, was an octo-", "height": "2806", "width": "1767", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0067.jp2"}, "68": {"fulltext": "54 Ni ;\\\\v ori.e;ans As if was.\\ngeiiarian whose tottering limbs barely supported his\\nemaciated frame. Amoug them, a womau confessed to\\nthe Ma3 or that she had purposely set fire to the house,\\nas the only means of putting an end to her sufferings\\nand those of her fellow captives. From nine o clock in\\nthe morning until six in the evening, the jail yard was a\\nscene of unusual commotion. Two thousand persons,\\nat least, convinced themselves during that eventful day\\nby ocular inspection of the martyrdom to which those\\npoor, degraded people had been subjected, while the\\nravenous appetite with which they devoured the food\\nplaced before them fully attested their sufferings from\\nhunger. None of them, however, died from surfeit, as\\nit has been erroneously alleged. Numberless instru-\\nments of torture, not the least noticeable of which were\\niron collars, carcans, with sharp cutting edges, were\\nspread dut upon a long deal table, as evidences of guilt.\\nWhile these prison scenes were being enacted, sup-\\nplying aliment to public cviriosity, the excitement\\naround the doomed building was increasing in intensity.\\nAs soon as the fact became generally known that Mrs.\\nLalaurie, with the connivance of the Mayor, had eluded\\narrest and effected her escape to a secure place of con-\\ncealment, the howling mob, composed of every class,\\nbecame ungovernable. They demanded justice in no\\nuncertain tones, and had the hated woman fallen into\\ntheir hands at that particular moment, it is impossible\\nto say what would have been her fate. Actaeon-like,\\nshe in all probability w^ould have been torn to pieces,\\nnot by a pack of ravenous hounds, but by men whom\\nrage had converted into tigers. During the whole of\\nthat exciting period, the populace awaited with anxiety,\\nbut without violence, the action of the authorities. It\\nwas the lull that precedes the coming storm. It was\\nsaid that Etit-u le Mazureau, the Attorney General, had", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0068.jp2"}, "69": {"fulltext": "A TALE 01^- SLAVKRY TIMES. 55\\nexpressed his detennination to wreak upon the guilty\\nparties the extreme vengeance of the law. But w^ien\\nthe shadows of night fell upon the city, and it was as-\\ncertained beyond a doubt that no steps in that direction\\nhad been taken and that powerful influences were at\\nwork to shield the culprits, their fury then knew no\\nbounds and assumed at once an active form. At eight\\no clock that night, the multitude having swollen to im-\\nmense dimensions, a systematic attack, upon the build-\\ning was organized and begun. Their first act was the\\ndemolition of one of her carriages, which happened to\\nbe standing in front of Hospital street, and the same, it\\nwas said, that had borne her away. The sidewalk was\\nliterally strewn with its debris. Next came the on-\\nslaught on the main entrance on Royal street, the por-\\ntals of which had been previously barred and fastened\\nand seemed to bid defiance to the shower of stones and\\nrocks hurled against it. Abandoning this attempt, they\\nobtained axes and battered down the window shutters,\\nthrough which a wild horde of humanity poured in. No\\nearthly power at that moment could have restrained the\\nphrenzy of the mob\u00e2\u0080\u0094 people resolved on exercising their\\nreserved rights. Their work was no child s play.\\nEverything was demolished; nothing respected. An-\\ntique and rare furniture, valued at more than ten thous-\\nand dollars, was mercilessly shivered to atoms. The\\ncellars were emptied of their precious contents, and\\nwines of choicest vintage flowed in copious streams,\\neven into the gutters. Gilt panels, carved wainscots,\\nfloorings, carpets, oil paintings, objects of statuary,\\nexquisite moldings, staircases with their mahogany ban-\\nisters and even the iron balconies were detached from\\n-heii fastenings and hurled upon the pavements. As\\n:rash succeeded crash, yells of delight rent the air.\\nWhen Royal and Hospital streets became obstructed", "height": "2890", "width": "1883", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0069.jp2"}, "70": {"fulltext": "56 NKW ORLKANS AS IT WAS.\\nwith the accuiiuilating wrecks, the latter were heaped\\ntogether in monticules and set on fire, which, together\\nwith the glare of the blazing torches, offered a\\nsad and weird-like appearance. This first outburst of\\npopular retribution, notwithstanding the efforts of our lo-\\ncal magistrates, continued not only during the entire\\nnight noche triste but long after sunrise on the fol-\\nlowing morning. Then came a calm, a deceitful calm.\\nThe fire had only partially destroyed the building, and\\nto obliterate the last vestiges of this infamous haunt be-\\ncame now the object of the rabble. The work of\\ndemolition lasted four days, and only the charred parti-\\ntion walls remained standing, as a solemn memorial of a\\npeople s anger. Tacitus says: Solitudinem facm?it,\\npacem vacant. In the instant case, the work of destruc-\\ntion only ceased when there was nothing more to de-\\nstroy. The stor that human bones, and among others\\nthose of a child who had committed self-destruction to\\nescape the merciless lash, had been found in a well, is\\nnot correct, for the papers of the day report that, acting\\nunder that belief, the mob had made diligent search,\\neven to the extent of excavating the whole yard, and\\nhad found nothing. When, on the subsidence of this\\nunwonted spirit of effervescence, reason had had time to\\nresume her sway, the local troops, with U. S. Regulars\\nto support them, were called out, headed by Sheriff\\nJohn Holland, who proceeded to the scene of disturb-\\nance and read the riot act to the crowd of curiosity\\nmongers who were loitering in the neighborhood.\\nSlowly and peaceably the people dispersed. Their\\nanger was allayed and their verdict carried into effect.\\nThey now determined to wait and see what the consti-\\ntuted officers would do in furtherance of public justice.\\nIn the meantime, thousands had been repairing to the\\npolice station to witness the condition of the slaves, and", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0070.jp2"}, "71": {"fulltext": "A TALK OF SLAVP:rY TIMES. 57\\nas the sickening sight only excited and increased their\\nresentment, our denizens were not slow in expressing\\ntheir contempt at the apath} and inaction of their muni-\\ncipal worthies. Judge Canonge, a man of strict integri-\\nty, and sound judgment, had not escaped the insults of\\nthe enraged populace on the night of the first attack, and\\nwhile in the act of expostulating with them upon the\\nimpropriety of their course several pistols had been\\nleveled at his head. Much, therefore, was yet to be\\nfeared from the general discontent, as it was reported\\nthat bodies of men had banded together for the purpose\\nof looting several residences, where similar barbarities\\nwere said to have been commonly practiced. In fact,\\nthis report proved no idle rumor, for a gentleman s\\nhouse in close proximity to Mrs. lyalavirie s was partial-\\nly sacked, for which act the city subsequently was\\nmulcted in damages.\\nTo repeat what I have previously mentioned, nearly\\nthe entire edifice was demolished, the bare walls only\\nstanding to indicate the spot where the God accursed\\nhabitation had stood walls upon which had been\\nplacarded inscriptions in different languages, conveying\\nanathemas in words more forcible than elegant. The\\nloss of property was estimated at nearly forty-thousand\\ndollars. Says a contemporary:\\nThis is the first act of the kind that our people have\\never engaged in, and although the provocation pleads\\nmuch in favor of the excesses committed, yet we dread\\nthe consequences of the precedent. To say the least, it\\nmay be excused, but can t be justified. Summary pun-\\nishment, the result of popular excitement in a govern-\\nment of laws, can never admit of justification, let the cir-\\ncumstances be ever so aggravated.\\nAt last the wheels of justice were set in motion and\\nJudge Canonge proceeded to the office of Gallien Preval,", "height": "2890", "width": "1883", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0071.jp2"}, "72": {"fulltext": "58 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\na justice of the peace, and furnished under oath the fol-\\nlowing information. The facts therein stated may.\\ntherefore, be relied upon as strictly true, and furnish\\ndata of a reliable character, of which some future his-\\ntorian of Louisiana may avail himself.\\nDeponent (J. F. Canonge) declares that on the loth\\ninst. a fire having broken out at the residence of Mrs. La-\\nlaurie, he repaired thither, as a citizen, to afford assi.st-\\nance. When he reached the place, he was informed that\\na number of manacled slaves were in the building and li-\\nable to perish in the flames. At first he felt disinclined to\\nspeak to Mr. I^alaurie on the subject and contented him-\\nself with imparting the fact only to several friends of the\\nfamily. But when he became aware that this act of bar-\\nbarity was becoming a subject of general comment, he\\nmade up his mind to speak himself to Mr. and Mrs. La-\\nlaurie, who flatly answered that the charge was a base cal-\\numny. Thereupon, deponent asked the aid of the by-\\nstanders to make a thorough search and ascertain with\\ncertainty the truth or falsity of the rumor. As Messrs.\\nMontreuil and Fernandez happened to be near him, he re-\\nquested those gentlemen to climb to the garret and see for\\nthemselves, adding, that having attempted to do so him-\\nself, he had been almost blinded and smothered by the\\nsmoke. These gentlemen returned after a while and re-\\nported that they had looked around diligently and had\\nfailed to discover anything. A few moments after, some\\none, whom he thinks to be Mr. Felix Lefebvre, came to\\ninform him that, having broken a pane of glass in a\\nwindow of one of the rooms, he had perceived some slaves\\nand could show the place. Deponent hurried on, in\\ncompany with several others. Having found the door\\nlocked, he caused it to be forced open and entered with\\nthe citizens who had followed him. He found two negro\\nwomen, whom he ordered to be taken out of the room.", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0072.jp2"}, "73": {"fulltext": "A TALE OF SLAVERY TIMES. 59\\nThen some one cried out that there were others in the\\nkitchen. He went there, but found no one. One of the\\nabove negresses was wearing an iron collar, extremely\\nwide and heavy, besides weighty chains attached to her\\nfeet. She walked only with the greatest difficulty; the\\nother, he had no time to see, as she was standing behind\\nsome one whom he believes to be Mr. Guillotte. This lat-\\nter person told him he could point out a place where an-\\nother one could be found. Together they went into an-\\nother apartment, at the moment when some one was rais-\\ning a mosquito bar. Stretched out upon a bed, he perceiv-\\ned an old negro woman who had received a very deep\\nwound on the head. She seemed too weak to be able to\\nwalk. Deponent begged the bystanders to lift her up with\\nher mattress and to carry her in that position to the May-\\nor s office, whither the other women had been already con-\\nveyed. At the time that he asked Mr. Lalaurie if it were\\ntrue that he had some slaves in his garret, the latter replied\\nin an insolent manner that som.e people had better stay at\\nhome rather than come to others houses to dictate laws\\nand meddle with other people s business.\\nIn support of the above statement, which is merely\\nthe recital of the discoveries made by the Judge person-\\nally and does not purport to include the result of the\\ninvestigations of others, the names of Messrs. Gottschalk\\nand Fouche were appended as witnesses.\\nWhat was the final issue of the affair? the reader will\\nnaturally ask. Nothing, absolutely nothing. From the\\nloth to the 15th of April, the day on which the riot was\\nfinaly quelled by the intervention of the Sheriff, the in-\\nactivity of the government officials had been glaring.\\nThe criminals, wife and husband, had been deftly\\nsmuggled through the unsuspecting throng, driven up\\nChartres street in a close carriage which I saw speeding at\\na furious gait and, after remaining in concealment some", "height": "2890", "width": "1883", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0073.jp2"}, "74": {"fulltext": "6o NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\ntime hurriedh departed for New York. From that\\npoint they had continued their flight to Paris, which\\nthey made their permanent residence. There I shall\\nnot follow them, nor relate the effects of the ban under\\nwhich refined society placed them, nor of the hissing and\\nhooting with which the parterre assailed her once\\nat the theatre when their misdeeds became known.\\nThe woman, it was currently reported in New Orleans\\ncircles, finding every door closed against her, had sub-\\n.sequently adopted a strictly pious life and, spending her\\ntime in works of practical charity, was fast relieving\\nher character from the odium that attached to it. A\\ncharacteristic trait in this singular woman s historj is, I\\nam positively assured by persons who lived in her inti-\\nmacy, that, at the very time when she was engaged in\\nthose atrocious acts, her religious duties, in external\\nforms at least, were never neglected and her purse was\\never open to the hungry, the afflicted and the sick,\\nlyike Doctor Jekyl s, her nature was duplex, her heart\\nat one time softening to excess at the sight of human\\nsuffering, while at another it turned obdurate and hard\\nas adamant. In manners, language and ideas, she was\\nrefined a thorough society woman. Her reunions were\\nrecherche affairs, and during the lifetime of her former\\nhusband, Mr. Jean Blanque, who figures so conspicuous-\\nI3- in lyouisiana s legislative history, and whose impor-\\ntant services to the State during a long series of years\\nshould be gratefully remembered, her home was the re-\\nsort of every dignitary in the infancj of our state. There\\nthe politicians of the period met on neutral ground, es-\\nchewing for the nonce their petty jealousies, cabals and\\nintrigues, to join in scenes of enjoyment and refinement;\\namong whom I maj^ cite Claiborne, the Governor; Wil-\\nkinson, the military commander Trudeau, the Sur\\\\ eyor\\nGeneral; Bosque, Marigny, Destrehau, Sauve, Derbigny,", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0074.jp2"}, "75": {"fulltext": "A TALE OF SLAVERY TIMES. 6r\\nMacarty, de la Ronde, Villere and others, all represent-\\natives of the ancieu regime; Daniel Clarke, our first\\ndelegate to Congress Judge Hall, Gravier, Girod, Milne\\nand McDonough, destined to become millionaires, and\\nhundreds of others whose names now escape my\\nmemory.\\nBut revenons a nos moutons. There is a class of\\nfemales, few in numbers it is true, the idiosyncrasies of\\nwhose natures are at times so strange and illogical as to\\ndefy the test of close analyzation, and to that class Mrs.\\nLalaurie, with her sudden contrasts of levity and stern-\\nness, melting love and ferocity, formed no exception.\\nWhence proceeded this morbid spirit of cruelty? we ask\\nourselves. Was it a general detestation of the African\\nrace? No, for, of her large retinue of familiar servants,\\nmany were devotedly attached to her, and the affection\\nseems to have been as warmly returned. All the theo-\\nries, therefore, that have been built upon this particular\\ncase, from which deductions have been drawn ascribing\\nexclusively the wrongs which I have just narrated to the\\nbaneful and pernicious influence of the institution of\\nslavery, as some writers will have it, rest upon no better\\nfoundation than mere speculation. Slavery was a .social\\ndevice, replete, it is true, with inherent defects, but by\\nno means conducive to crime. The system was patri-\\narchal in its character, not essentially tyrannical. The\\nmaster was not unlike the pater familias of the Roman\\nCommonwealth, but more restricted in power and domin-\\nion. Hence, it is more rational to suppose, and such is\\nthe belief of mayy, that looking into the nature or in-\\ndoles, as the Latins had it, of the woman from its dif-\\nferent points of view, she was undoubtedly insane upon\\none peculiar subject a morbid, insatiate thirst for re-\\nvenge on those who had incurred her enmity. Our\\nlunatic asylums, it is said, are filled with similar cases,\\nall traceable to similar causes.", "height": "2890", "width": "1883", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0075.jp2"}, "76": {"fulltext": "62 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nUpon the site of the old building, a fine structure, en-\\ntirely new, was erected, noticeable in its design and archi-\\ntectural proportions. A belvedere was added to it. It\\nhas been named by some the Haunted House. There\\nis no reason for the appellation, and if several of its oc-\\ncupants, with whom I have often conversed, are to be\\nbelieved, there is nothing therein to haunt its inhal^itants\\nsave ghastly memories of a by-gone generation. No spir-\\nits wander through its wide halls and open corridors, but\\nin lieu thereof there rests a curse a malediction that\\nfollows every one who has ever attempted to make it a\\npermanent habitation. As a school house for young la-\\ndies; as a private boarding house; as a private residence;\\nas a factor}^; as a commercial house and p^ace of traffic,\\nall these have been tried, but every venture has proved a.\\nruinous failure. A year or two ago, it was the receptacle\\nof the scum of Sicilian immigrants, and the fumes of\\nthe malodorous filth which emanated from its interior\\nproclaimed it what it really is,\\nA HOUSE ACCURSED.", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0076.jp2"}, "77": {"fulltext": "CHAPTER V.\\nODD CHARACTERS AND CELEBRITIES.\\nTHE CHEVALIER.\\nToward the close of the last, and during the first de-\\ncade of the present century, New Orleans society present-\\ned, like the hues of a kaleidoscope, varied and scintilla-\\nting aspects. The bloody Revolution, which had been in-\\naugurated by the taking of the Bastille and the excesses\\nof the Jacobinical government which resulted therefrom,\\nhad produced in France an upheaval so terrible as to\\nthrow upon our shores a large number of political refu-\\ngees. Many of these belonged to the old noblesse\\nAt a later period, on the accession of Napoleon to the\\nImperial throne, a large number of the dissatisfied and\\ndangerous opponents of the new regime were compelled\\nalso to seek an asylum in our midst, preferring exile to\\npersecution. Among the latter may be cited Gen. Hum-\\nbert and Jean Victor Moreau, the hero of Hohenlinden\\nand the hated rival of Bonaparte.\\nIt was some time in 1795 that an hnigre of the an-\\ncien regime, who, for convenience sake, I shall call the\\nChevalier, made his appearance in our city. His in-\\ntense hatred to everything savoring of social equality\\nand his attachment to the flag of the fleur de lys, un-", "height": "2890", "width": "1883", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0077.jp2"}, "78": {"fulltext": "64 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nder which his ancestors had carved for themselves name,\\nfame and estate, had compelled him under his oath of\\nfealty to his liege and sovereign, to follow the royal\\nprinces into foreign countries. After sojourning a shoi t\\ntime in London, and eking out in that capital a meagre\\nsubsistance by teaching French to the young scions of\\nits aristocracy, he had resolved to seek among our peo-\\nple a home, until such a time as the fortunes of war\\nshould restore his idolized France to her lawful sover-\\neign.\\nHe was a quaint, odd-looking and singular old gen-\\ntleman the type of a gentleman, however. He held in\\nholy horror the popular innovations of the sa is culottes,\\nand reverently adhered to his powdered wig and queue,\\nhis knee breeches, silken stockings, silver buckles and\\nfrizzled shirt front and cuffs. He was kindly received\\nby Baron Carondelet, and the residents greeted him with\\na hearty welcome, deeming him a valuable accession to\\nthe colony.\\nAlthough singular in manner, the worthy man was\\nan admirable philosopher. Too proud to depend on\\nstrangers for a living, he was not afraid or ashamed to\\nwork, and with this object in view he opened a little shop\\non Conde street, near Dumaine, which he pompously\\ndubbed a confectionery. The articles, and the only\\nones, by the way, entitling the establishment to this\\nhigh-sounding name, were a stock of pralines, red,\\nwhite and browm, bj- which we must understand the\\nkernels of pecans, ground nuts or peach stones, inclosed\\nin an envelope of burnt sugar. Pralines, the necessary\\nadjunct of ginger cakes, estomacs mulatres, and\\nspruce beer, once so common upon the little stands kept\\nby colored women, were, as he claimed, his exclusive in-\\nvention, and, be the case or not as it may, he became by\\nthis new industry the most popular man in the little com-", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0078.jp2"}, "79": {"fulltext": "Odd characters And ceIvEbritiKs. 65\\nmunity in his quartier, particularly among bo3-s.\\nBesides this attraction, he had a monkey that possessed\\nsurprising qualities, and a pointer named Sultan\\nthat, like the dog in the Arabian Nights, could detect\\ncounterfeit money. At least, the honest folks who sup-\\nplied the little market in his vicinity with chickens, but-\\nter and country produce thought so, and that was the\\nsame thing. It was amusing to hear the master of the\\nshop calling his two familiars to aid him in picking out\\nthe good from the bad pica^umes and leven penny bits.\\nAllons, Sultan, tell dose good ladie de good monay\\nfrom le conterfait. Upon which, a seemingly impor-\\ntant consultation would ensue between the dog and the\\nchattering monkey. Pug would grin and scratch his\\nside. Sultan would pretend to smell, and then with\\nmagisterial gravity would scrape the coin into the draw-\\ner. As there were no counterfeit picayunes or bits\\nin circulation in those daj^s. Sultan was never known to\\nfail. Madame, would the Chevalier say to the won-\\ndering, blowzing country lass, Sultan is like de Pap;\\nhe is infallib he nevaire make erreur. No wonder\\nthat Sultan and Bijou laid the foundation of this excellent\\nman s fortune. They attracted crowds of custom, and,\\nin two or three years he was enabled to expand his little\\nbusiness into a handsomer and more stylish store.\\nLater on, another attraction was added to his establish-\\nment an attraction that at once diverted a portion of\\npublic admiration from Sultan and the monkey. It was\\na Dutch clock, heavily plated with gold, with two or\\nthree white and red figures in front. Before striking the\\nhour, it played a waltz, whereupon the puppets were\\nseen to whirl in the mazes of the dance. It was a decid-\\ned hit. Such music had never before been heard in\\nlyouisiana, and the mechanism that produced such pleas-\\ning effects was a puzzle to their wondering eyes.", "height": "2890", "width": "1883", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0079.jp2"}, "80": {"fulltext": "66 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nIn those clays, every unique piece of furniture or rare\\ntoy was believed to have formed part of the spolia opi-\\nma of the French tornado, and, as a general rule, thej^\\nwere set down as the propert} of the unfortunate Marie\\nAntoinette. The rumor, therefore, spread that the\\nChevalier s horloge was one of the rare objects of\\nvena that had at one time ornamented the boudoir of\\nthe murdered Queen. Whenever he was asked how much\\nthe supposed relic had cost him, or by what means he had\\nbecome posses.sed of it, he would evade the questions with\\nadmirable dexterity. Ah, mon ami, he would say\\nmournfully, ze Franch Revolution, it produce terrib\\neffects. It was orand sacrifice. It is wort fifteen hond-\\nred Franch ginn} That clock, and the dog, and the\\nmonkey became the foundation of a fortune of fifteen\\nthousand dollars from a beginning of a few pounds of\\nsugar and a peck of pecans.\\nSuch was the Chevalier in his niagasin a not inapt\\nillustration of the French character of that period,\\nadapting itself to every situation and exigency in life.\\nThis pen picture of the Chevalier in his store bears no\\nresemblance to that of the Chevalier after business hours.\\nThen he would suddenly become once more the courtly\\nand elegant man of the world. Society sought him and\\nmade him a favorite within its charmed circle, for the\\nseller oi pralines became transformed into a roue of the old\\ncourt of Versailles. His conversational powers were brill-\\niant and entertaining, and in narrating some of the hor-\\nrid scenes he had witnessed during the Reign of Terror;\\nhe would hold his hearers for hours spell-bound by his\\nmanner and fervid declamation. Some of his bon mots\\nand anecdotes, though savoring of that freedom which\\nwas the peculiar feature of the epoch, were full of\\npiquancy and humor.\\nOne of the princely habitations of New Orleans, in", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0080.jp2"}, "81": {"fulltext": "ODD CHARACTERS AND CELEBRITIES. 67\\nwhich he always found a cordial welcome, was the man-\\nsion of Marigny, one of the magnates of the colony. An\\nofficer during the period of the French occupation of\\nLouisiana, he had occupied important positions both in\\nthe civil and military service of the country. Sprung\\nfrom a doughty, proud and noble race, the Marigny s,\\nfrom the famous d Enguerrand, the prime, minister and\\ncoadjutor of a King, and whose deeds and mournful\\ndeath upon a gibbet fill many a page in medieval his-\\ntory, down to that branch, which settled and swayed in\\nCanada, and from whom those of Louisiana are descend-\\ned, were always noted tor their chivalry in the field,\\nand hospitality in their halls.\\nThus it was that when, in 1798, Louis Philippe, then\\nDuke of Orleans, accompanied by his brothers, the\\nDuke of Montpensier and the Count de Baujolais, visit-\\ned our city, the Marigny mansion became their home.\\nExiles, and wayfarers in necessitous circumstances, they\\nwere generously entertained, their wants supplied and\\ntheir depleted purses well filled. Louis Philippe never\\nforgot. those acts of kindness, for, in after years, when\\nan unexpected turn in the wheel of fortune placed him\\nin power, he sent for Bernard, the son of his benefactor,\\nentertained him with royal munificence in theTuileries,\\nand appointed his son, Mandeville, after he had com-\\npleted his studies at St. Cyr, a lieutenant of cavalry.\\nHad the latter continued in the service, it is impossible\\nto say what high honors he might not have reached,\\nwith such a protector at his back, but love and yearning\\nfor his old Louisiana home compelled him to throw up\\nhis commission.\\nBut I am digressing.\\nAs soon as it became known in society circles that the\\nOrleans princes had accepted the hospitality of the\\nMarigny family, the Chevalier s ordinary habits under-", "height": "2890", "width": "1883", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0081.jp2"}, "82": {"fulltext": "68 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nwent a manifest chanj^e. He became taciturn, restless\\nand morose. The Marigny building knew him no\\nmore. All the places of entertainment or amusement to\\nwhich the Duke was usually invited were studiously\\nshunned. His very nature seems to have suffered a\\ncomplete transformation.\\nOne morning, Marigny called at the Chevalier s store.\\nWhat has become of j ou, Chevalier, since the last ten\\ndays? We see you no more. You have forsaken your\\nold friends. Come, come, cheer up, and spend this\\nevening with us. Moreover, the Duke is anxious to\\nknow you, and, I am sure, you will be pleased with\\nhis acquaintance. At the mention of the Duke s name,\\nthe Chevalier cast upon his friend a look full of\\nreproach. What you ask is impossible. You forget,\\nPierre, that his father was one of my King s mur-\\nderers. They are all dastards to their race and rec-\\nreants to their God. Mark my word These Orleans\\nfellows will betray the Bourbon branch. Ah moi\\nami, they are all vipers of the same brood. Thus\\nspeaking, the Chevalier gravely shook his head. It\\nseemed as if the spirit of divination had entered his\\nsoul and laid bare to his mental view that policy of\\nstate-craft and duplicity which eventuated in the utter\\nannihilation of the elder dynasty. Firm in his resolve,\\nhe continued to avoid the distinguished exiles, and not\\nuntil after their departure for Havana did he emerge\\nfrom his enforced retreat and resume his habitual course\\nof life.\\nToward the latter part of the year 1814, tidings were\\nreceived in New Orleans of the successful muzzling of\\nthat dreaded lion, whose ravages had spread terror\\nthrough two continents, and of his captivity in the isl-\\nand of Elba. To the Chevalier this was gladsome news.\\nIt meant not onlj- the return to the throne of France of", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0082.jp2"}, "83": {"fulltext": "ODD CHARACTERS AND CELEBRITIES. 69\\nher legitimate rulers, but also the restoration, as he sup-\\nposed, of those wide, ancestral acres which the hand of\\nspoliation had clutched. Whereupon, hastily convert-\\ning into money his valuable effects, he set sail on a bleak\\nDecember morning for Havre, amid the deep regrets of\\nthose who had learned to appreciate his kind heart, his\\nfidelity to duty, and his fealty to King.\\nLAKANAL.\\nSeveral years after the departure of the Chevalier\\ntoward his France cherie, there came to Louisiana from\\nthe same shores a personage whose name had acquired\\nextensive celebrity in Europe, and whose political\\ncharacter stood in striking opposition to the reverential\\nnature of our friend, the Chevalier. That man was\\nJoseph Lakanal, the Regicide. His life had been a\\nseries of startling contrasts. A man of science, an\\napostate priest, an agitator in Jacobin clubs, a stalwart\\nin socialistic ideas, he had, by turns, exhibited talents\\nof an exalted order.\\nLakanal was in holy orders at the time when the\\nflames of the French Revolution first burst forth.\\nBurning with patriotic ardor, he left the church and was\\nelected to a seat in the Convention, in which body he\\nbecame one of the most enterprising managers of that\\nfaction which, by its energetic measures, prepared the\\ntriumphs of the Republican armies. On the trial of\\nLouis XVI, he voted for the death of that monarch, as\\na matter of public necessity. He organized the institute\\nandthe military college, which, as V ecole Polytechniquc,\\nbecame so famous and useful under the Imperial gov-\\nernment. His influence, invariably exercised in favor of\\nmen of letters, saved Bernardin de St. Pierre, the author\\noi Paul et Virginie, and many other distinguished men\\nfrom the rage of the Revolutionary Committee. He\\nwas a member of the body of the Five Hundred.", "height": "2890", "width": "1883", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0083.jp2"}, "84": {"fulltext": "JO NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nOn the return of the Bourbons, lyakanal s name, to-\\ngether with that of Carnot, Sieyes, Martin and Lucien\\nBonaparte, was struck from the rolls of membership of\\nthe Institute. During his long exile in the United\\nStates, I^akanal resided a good part of the time on the\\nSpring Hill road, near Mobile, where, it is said, he cul-\\ntivated a small garden and raised vegetables for the\\nmarket. Previous to that, however, he had been ap-\\npointed President of the College d Orleans on the\\nrecommendation of Edward Livingston, but, notwith-\\nstanding his transcendent acquirements, both as a scholar\\nand a teacher, he resigned his position soon after, as it\\nbecame evident that his plans were not in accord\\nwith those of the Regency. Very few of his scholars\\nare still living.\\nA revolution, which again drove away the elder\\nbranch of the Bourbons from Paris, put an end to the\\nbanishment of the aged patriot by the elevation to power\\nas Roi des Frangais of that same Louis Philippe, son\\nof Philip Egalite, whom we have already seen in New\\nOrleans, as the guest of the Marignys. Lakanal, on\\nreaching home, was feted by the Court, and was restored\\nto his seat in the Institute, together with Martin and\\nothers. Thus was a regicide restored to his civic rights\\nh\\\\ the son of another regicide a literal fulfilment of\\nthe prophec} of our eccentric but honest Chevalier.\\nOf Lakanal s earlj^ life in New Orleans but little is\\nknown. His scholarly habits, it seems, had made him\\nsomewhat of a recluse, and in the companionship of his\\nfavorite authors, it is said, he spent most of his leisure\\nmoments. His writings, found after his death, have\\nnever been published, and contain interesting memoirs\\nconnected with our early history. He was a kind and\\npure man, withal, but, unfortunately carried his theories\\nto excess.", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0084.jp2"}, "85": {"fulltext": "ODD CHARACTERS AND CELEBRITIES. 7 1\\nGEN. VICTOR J.ICREAU.\\nThis hero, the eneiii}- and popular rival of Napoleon\\nBonaparte, came to New Orleans in the first decade of\\nthe present century. He was originally a lawyer, but,\\non the declaration of war against France by Austria and\\nother powers, he was elected, in 1791, chief of battalion\\nof the volunteers of Rennes, his native town. He was\\nmade a Lieutenant General in 1794, and led the army\\nof Flanders in a successful campaign. In 1796, he took\\ncommand of the army of the Rhine and Moselle, and de-\\nfeated the Archduke Charles, of Austria, at Heydenheim\\nand in many other engagements but his supplies hav-\\ning been cut off by the withdrawal of Jourdan, who was\\nto co-operate with him, he effected a retreat of twenty-\\nsix miles through three attacking armies, without losing\\na man, and bringing back seven thousand prisoners.\\nHe defeated the Austrians again at Hunningen in the\\nfollowing year, commanded in Italy in 1799, and in\\nGermany in 1800, defeating the Austrians at Hohenlin-\\nden.\\nNapoleon was jealous of hitn. His growing populari-\\nty excited apprehension. He, therefore, caused him to\\nbe accused of complicity with the Royalists, and he was\\nsentenced to exile in 1804. Moreau embarked for the\\nUnited States, and, in the course of his travels through\\nthe country, halted at New Orleans. His public recep-\\ntion was a grand affair. The Governor, the military and\\ncivic authorities, as well as the people themselves the\\nvidgiis profanum turned out en masse to make the\\nsolemnity imposing. Judging from the meagre accounts\\nof that period, the ovation must have been highly flat-\\ntering to his pride. In these gratifying testimonials,\\nhis wife had a full share. The ladies were lavish in\\nsuch acts of hospitality as were peculiar to the Creoles\\nof the period.", "height": "2890", "width": "1883", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0085.jp2"}, "86": {"fulltext": "72 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nHe mingled freely with the French people, and was\\nnot slow in giving the accolade to the few veterans here\\nwho had seen service, both in Egypt and on the Rhine,\\nof whom there were several. He played piquet with\\nPitot, discussed law with Derbigny, talked of strategy\\nwith Bellechasse, sipped wine with Claiborne, played\\nbilliards with Marigny, and in every way made him-\\nself agreeable and grateful to our elated citizens. He\\nwas extremely fond of horseback exercise, and would\\nimprove his leisure moments b} taking short excursions\\naround the surrounding conntr3\\\\ It was during one of\\nthese jaunts in the neighborhood of New Orleans that,\\nwhile in company with Major St. Geme, a man that had\\nseen service in Jamaica, he was struck by the peculiar\\nfitness of a piece of ground, which formed a natural bul-\\nwark against an invading land force from below the riv-\\ner. Sitting erect upon his horse, he critically examined\\nthe spot, and descanted with warmth on the many ad-\\nvantages which the locality offered, if fortified as an\\nintrenched camp. His companion never forgot this\\nincident, and related it to I,ivingston, who, in turn, re-\\npeated it to Old Hickory, on the memorable, freez-\\ning 24th of December, 1814. That spot was Rodriguez\\nCanal, and it was the same which, upon its banks,\\nJackson selected and immortalized by his heroic de-\\nfense This is a historical fact.\\nMoreau was very short in stature, and, from the plain-\\nness of his person and the simplicity of his manners, no\\none would have imagined that under such a frail tene-\\nment was encased the soul of one of the greatest gener-\\nals of the age. He was affable and engaging in con-\\nversation, and left a deep and favorable impression.\\nLAFAYETTE.\\nIn the beginning of April, 1S25, whilst the spirit of\\nmoney-making and speculation was slowly developing", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0086.jp2"}, "87": {"fulltext": "ODD CHARACTERS AND CELEBRITIES. 73\\nitself on Change and other financial marts, the Marquis\\nof Lafavette, the Hero of Two Continents, as his ad-\\nmirers \\\\vere wont to style him, arrived m our midst,\\nafter having visited Washington, at the special invita-\\ntion of Congress, and journeyed through the various\\nStates.\\nThe State Legislature, through an usual committee,\\nhad made arrangements for his reception with the Mu-\\nnicipality. The Hall of the City Council, as well as\\nthe offices of Mavor Rofiignac, had been entirely refitted,\\nand were admirably adorned and luxuriously furnished.\\nEverywhere the hand of tasteful woman was to be seen,\\nas was evidenced by the gay festoons and garlands ot\\nnatural flowers that graced the silken draperies. The\\npublic ovation tendered him was, if the public prints are\\nto be credited, one worthy of the occasion, after which\\na grand dinner, with its consequent speech making, win-\\ning and consequent indigestion and headache, was gone\\nthrough. Then a general illumination of the city fol-\\nlowed, every citizen vying with one another m sus-\\npending from their balconies and windows tn-colored\\nlampions or small lamps. A fine suit of apartments\\n^as arranged for him at the Hotel des Etrangers,\\non Chartres street, and a table with thirty covers was\\nset dailv during the General s stay, for the entertain-\\nment of such planters and friends as he might wish\\nto entertain. It is needless to say that, in the list of\\nfestivities, visits to the theatres and attendance at balls\\nand select reunions were not overlooked.\\nHe was fond of exhibiting to his visitors the sword\\nof honor presented to him, more than forty years before\\nbv Franklin, in the name of Congress, and to which\\nwas attached a peculiar history. It was in every respect\\nan exquisite work of art. Its hilt and scabbard, of pure\\nmassive gold, were richly Qniamentea with precious stones", "height": "2890", "width": "1883", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0087.jp2"}, "88": {"fulltext": "74 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nand embossed figures. It was the worthy offering of a\\ngrateful nation to a patriot benefactor. During the Reign\\nof Terror, Mdme. de Lafayette, dreading the excesses to\\nwhich the sanguinary mob were liable to be driven, had\\nconcealed her most valuable effects in various secret\\nplaces, and among the former was the appreciated gift\\nof our infant Republic. Digging a hole in her own gar-\\nden, at the foot of a tree, she buried the relic within a\\nwooden box. It was not long after this occurrence that\\nthe Austrians seized the person of the General, and,\\nafter one year s captivity at Magdeburg, conveyed him\\nto the citadel of Olmutz. Immured within one of the\\ndungeons of that State fortalice, loaded with chains, a\\nvictim upon whom the Emperor Francis II was venting\\nhis rage, in retaliation for the cruelty and indignities in-\\nflicted upon his kinswoman, Marie Antoinette, he was\\nonly set free after a detention of many years by the\\nsword of Napoleon. This occurred in 1797, but it was\\nnot before the year 1800, after the overthrow of the\\nDirectory, that he returned to France. His wife and\\ntwo daughters, who had been permitted to share his\\nprison life, accompanied him, and together they proceed-\\ned to LaGrange, his country residence in Brie. There\\nLafayette sought his hidden treasure, but alas time,\\nrust and moisture had entirely destroyed the highly\\ntempered blade. Nothing but the hilt and scabbard had\\nremained. To repair this mishap, and with a delicacy\\nhonorable to his character, Bonaparte, then Consul,\\ncaused a new one to be made, the materials used being\\nthe hinges of the dungeon doors of the Bastille, with al-\\nlegorical devices illustrating the fraternal union of Amer-\\nica and France.\\nDR. ANTOMMARCHI.\\nThis is the name of a man long forgotten, except by\\nthe historical student. He was one of Napoleon s phy-", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0088.jp2"}, "89": {"fulltext": "ODD CHARACTERS AND CELEBRITIES. 75\\nsicians during his captivity at St. Helena, and attended\\nhim in his dying moments. Inasmuch as he resided\\nand practiced medicine among us at one time, an outline\\nof his previous career may not be out of place.\\nFrancois Antommarchi was born atMarsiglia, Corsica,\\non the 5th day of July, 1789. He attended the schools\\nof Leghorn, Pisa and Florence. In the latter city he\\nbecame the pupil and afterward the successor of Mas-\\ncagni, the great anatomist. His works and researches\\nwere attracting much attention from the scientific world,\\nwhen, in 18 18, he was called away from his labors to at-\\ntend the Emperor, at St. Helena.\\nDr. Antommarchi left Rome in 18 19, receiving verbal\\ninstructions from Madame Mere, as Napoleon s mother\\nwas called, and other members of the family. Obtain-\\ning permission from the English government, he sailed\\nfor the rock bound island from Gravesend on board of a\\nleaky merchant ship.\\nOn his reti^irn to Europe after the Emperor s death, he\\npublished Memoirs entitled East Moments of Napo-\\nleon, wherein are transcribed all the particulars of his\\nvoyage and residence on the island the sayings of Na-\\npoleon, the daily occurences of his life, and observations\\non kindred subjects. Like the Memorial of St. Hel-\\nene, by Count Las Cazes, and the Memoires of Montho-\\nIon and Gourgaud, they are full of thrilling interest.\\nThey abound in expressions of condemnation at the \\\\\\\\\\\\-J^X\\nhuman conduct of the captive s jailers.\\nWhen Napoleon, after enduring the martyrdom of a\\nlong agony, finally breathed his last sigh, Antommarchi\\nclosed his eyes, embalmed his body, inclosed his heart\\nwithin an urn, and inhumed his remains. As no calcin-\\ned plaster could be found at St. Helena, the Doctor obtain-\\ned permission to proceed in a boat to a distant part of the\\nisland in quest of some sulphate of lime, which, he was", "height": "2890", "width": "1883", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0089.jp2"}, "90": {"fulltext": "76 NEW ORLE.-VNS AS IT WAS.\\ninformed, was to be found in small quantities there. As\\nsoon as he had obtained a sufficient supply, and subject-\\ned it to a chemical process, he hastened, in the presence\\nof the Emperor s household and of the British officers,\\nto take a cast of the hero s features. He was perfectly\\nsuccessful. No disfigurement, no contortion, nothwith-\\nstanding the sufferings of a protracted death struggle,\\nwas visible on the mould, which a collector of curios\\nin London was offering for sale, about two years ago, at\\n5,000 pounds sterling. Despite the opinion of some\\nphysicians, the Emperor s head was one of the largest\\nknown in Europe, and as Antoramarchi himself said,\\nun de ces phenomenes dont la nature se montre avare, ct\\nqu il faut des siecles pour que la science en remarque dc\\nsemblables.^^\\nAfter the expulsion of the Bourbons, Antommarchi,\\nwho was in necessitous circumstances, made vain and\\nunsuccessful attempts to dispose of the mask. He\\noffered it to the government of Louis Philippe, but his\\nproposition was declined by the Ministry. He refused,\\nin London, an immense sum, 40,000 pounds sterling, it\\nis said, but this statement is extremely doubtful.\\nWhereupon, a joint stock company was formed in France,\\nheaded by Marshals Clausel, Bertrand and other dis-\\ntinguished ex-Imperialists, the main features of which\\nwas the duplicating of the bust to an indefinite number,\\nand, with the proceeds of the sale, to purchase the\\nDoctor s proprietary right thereto and to donate the\\nprecious memento to the Hotel des Invalides. But the\\nlast part of the programme was never accomplished.\\nOn a Saturday morning, November 9, 1834, the ship\\nSalem, from Havre, reached our port. Among her\\npassengers was Antommarchi. His arrival here had\\nbeen preceded by the following letter, which spoke for\\nitself", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0090.jp2"}, "91": {"fulltext": "ODD CHARACTERS AND CELEBRITIES. 77\\nParis, September 2, 1834.\\n\\\\Monsicur le Grand Marechal Bert rand\\nOu the eve of leaving France for the city of New\\nOrleans, I deem it my duty to acquaint you with the\\ncause of my departure.\\nAs you are aware, the Emperor Napoleon, in his\\nlast will, had made provisions for my future and my\\nfortune. Unforeseen obstacles have prevented the ac-\\ncomplishment of his benevolent intentions. The con-\\nservative measures which I took to enforce their exe-\\ncution have been disregarded. My rights and just\\nclaims being entirely ignored, I see myself compelled\\nat this late da)^ to resort to the tribunals of my country\\nfor redress. To attend in person to these judicial debates\\nwill be to me painful in the extreme. I separate my-\\nself, therefore, with great regret from France, and I\\nkindly hope you will not disapprove of the motives that\\nlead me to this determination. I hope that you will\\ncontinue to do justice to one who has had the high privi-\\nlege of once being your fellow-exile, of witnessing the\\nlong hours of anguish of the greatest man of his age,\\nand of finally closing his eyes in death. Accept, Mon-\\nsieur le Grand Marechal, etc.\\nDr. F. Antommarchi.\\nNo words can describe the enthusiasm of our French\\nresidents when, on descending the companion ladder,\\nAntommarchi strode upon the wharf and was received\\nby a large deputation, headed by Judge Maurian. He\\nwas escorted to the Salle Davis, on Orleans street,\\nwhere Dr. Formento welcomed him in elegant and feel-\\ning language. He was lodged provisionally at Marti s\\nHotel, known to-day as L Hotel des Etrangers, on\\nChartres street, below St. Louis, where a continuous\\nlevee was held, an increasing stream of struggling hu-", "height": "2890", "width": "1883", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0091.jp2"}, "92": {"fulltext": "7b NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nmanity, and, at night, a serenade given him by the\\nartists of the French theatre. These manifestations of\\nrespect and honor were prolonged during several days,\\nat which time the effervescence having somewhat subsid-\\ned, the Doctor was left a little more to himself and to re-\\npose. In response to inquiries, he said that his inten-\\ntion was to make New Orleans his permanent home, and\\nby his industry and professional pursuits to earn the\\nlivelihood and position which had been denied him at\\nhome.\\nOn the fourth day after his arrival, he addressed the\\nfollowing letter to Denis Prieur, the then mayor of the\\ncity.\\nNew Orleans, November 12, 1834.\\nZb Mo7isienr the Mayor of Neiv Orleans:\\nDeeply moved by the generous sentiments and the\\nkind reception I have met at the hands of the sons of\\nlyouisiana, I have the honor to offer this city a bronze\\nmask of the Emperor Napoleon, cast by me at St Hele-\\nna, after his death, together with its base, made of\\nbronze also.\\nThis gift is destined to perpetuate among your free\\npeople the memory of the greatest man of the world, and\\nI am proud on this occasion of the opportunity which it\\noffers to associate my name with the commemoration of\\nthose grand and glorious souvenirs which this illustrious\\nand majestic head recalls to all brave lyouisiauians, as\\nwell as to the rest of mankind.\\nAwaiting your orders in this matter. Monsieur the\\nMayor, I have the honor to be with high consideration,\\nF. Antommarchi.\\nThe communication was submitted to the City Coun-\\ncil, and it was resolved that the souvenir should be ac-\\ncepted and placed in the Council Chamber. No sooner\\nhad this action become known, than the French resi-", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0092.jp2"}, "93": {"fulltext": "ODD CHARACTERS AND CELEBRITIES, 79\\ndents determined to make it the occasion of a pnblic\\njubilee. The lyCgion was called out on the Place d\\nArmes, with flags flying and drums beating. French\\nsocieties, in holiday attire, and thousands of the\\nunattached, preceded by numerous bands playing\\nPartant pour la Syrie and the Marseil/aise, parad-\\ned Chartres, Royal and Bourbon streets, with Dr. An-\\ntommarchi at their head, until they finally halted in\\nfront of the old Cabildo (now the rooms occupied by\\nthe Supreme Court and offices), where the presentation\\ntook place in due form. I shall not go into the details\\nof the affair, but the reader may picture to himself, as\\nhis fanc) may lead, the speeches, the wine bibi)ing and\\nthe toasts that usually prevailed at such public convivi-\\nalities.\\nSome years ago, while chatting with my regretted old\\nfriend, Mandeville Marigny, on old-time subjects, he\\nreminded me of this incident, and, while the subject\\nwas still fresh in my mind, I went to the City Hall to\\nsee again this relic of a past generation. Together with\\nan autograph letter of Louis Napoleon, the city s prop-\\nerty also, it had disappeared. I remember that the\\nEvening States called public attention to the fact at\\nthat time, but no information as to its whereabouts was\\never elicited. This act of piracy occurred during the\\nperiod of Reconstruction, of which our people had so\\nmuch cause to complain.\\nA few days after the ceremony of presentation, he\\nopened an office afMr. Trudeau s residence, 13 Royal\\nstreet, and another at the domicile of Nicholas Girod,\\none of the .surviving mayors of the city, at the corner of\\nSt. Louis and Chartres. At this latter place, the poor\\nwere attended without remuneration.\\nIt was not long after he had opened a practice among\\nus that several persons whom he had offended, per-", "height": "2890", "width": "1883", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0093.jp2"}, "94": {"fulltext": "8o NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nhaps, by his garrulous habits, began to circulate reports\\nthat he was nothing but an arrant humbug a grand\\nfaiseiir d enibarras and his popularity from that mo-\\nment assumed a downward tendency. Several of our\\ndistinguished practitioners took umbrage at his empiric\\nmode of advertisement in the daily papers, and looked\\nupon him, if not checked in time, as a formidable com-\\npetitor. Whether from motives of jealousy or in strict\\npursuance of their code of ethics, or from both causes\\ncombined, their persecution led to an angry controversj\\nthe result of which eventuated in disgusting him with\\nthe city and in his return to fatherland.\\nMARIQUITA.\\nWho is the man, woman or child that having lived in\\nNew Orleans, some fifty years ago, has not heard of\\npoor Mariquita la Calentura Her name was a\\nhousehold word, and her memory still evokes a smile.\\nA poor, old, half-witted tramp, she was once the terror\\nof children, the martyr of boys and the sport of adults.\\nPoor Mariquita Though half a century has passed\\naway since she left this world s harsh scenes, methinks\\nI still see her as I saw her in boyhood s days, an incar-\\nnated Meg Merrillies, wildly gliding about the streets,\\nher gray disheveled locks streaming in the wind, and\\nthe skirts of her dress bedraggled with mud.\\nHer appearance in public was the signal for the gibes\\nand taunts of unruly urchins of every class and color,\\namong whom she was always a special favorite. Then,\\nlike some ancient pythoness, agitating her lank, wiry\\nform into every possible contortion, she would vent all the\\nanathemas known to the Spanish vocabulary (whose\\nlanguage, by the way, is passably rich in billingsgate)\\nupon their guilty heads. After which her pretended\\nanger having somewhat subsided, she would usually", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0094.jp2"}, "95": {"fulltext": "PSRE ANTOINE.\\nFrom Original Painting in Presoytery of the St. Louis Cathedral.", "height": "2890", "width": "1883", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0095.jp2"}, "96": {"fulltext": "", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0096.jp2"}, "97": {"fulltext": "ODD CHARACTERS AND CELEBRITIES. 8 1\\nclose her tirade with a begging request. Donne moin\\npicayon, papa f Qui (a to oulc Jait avecf Achete cafe.\\n(Give me a picayune, papa? What do you waut with\\nit Buy coffee.)\\nA life of strife and turmoil was her normal condition.\\nShe loved and wallowed in it. To be pelted with mud\\nand clods was her supreme delight. If unnoticed, or\\nallowed to pass along the street without a cat-call or a\\ncoarse joke, she would resent the slight without delay,\\nand work herself into a passion. Then, her language, a\\nstrange pot-pourri of Spanish and Creole, became more\\nforcible than polite, and chaste ears were rudely shocked-\\nShe was so well known about town, and was deemed\\nsuch a privileged character, that the police and the pub-\\nlic authorities never molested her. In fact, she was fre-\\nquently to be seen around the Mayor s ofhce, whom she\\nwould amuse with her sprightly sallies. She looked upon\\nhim as her natural protector. Ma vas dit Prieur, si to\\npas laisse moiJt tranquille, was her constant threat,\\nwhenever goaded beyond endurance. (I ll tell Prieur on\\n3^ou, if you don t leave me alone.\\nHer origin and parentage were always a mystery even\\nthe place of her birth. Upon those subjects she was\\n.determinedly reticent. Some said she was born in Cuba-\\nothers in the Phillipine Islands, and others again among\\nthe Islenos of St. Bernard, but, there can be no doubt that\\nshe first saw the light under the Spanish flag. My grand-\\nmother once told me that she remembered Mariquita in\\nher younger days. Mariquita w^as married at that time to\\na middle-aged man, who peddled flints and spunk among\\ncigar smokers (loco-foco matches being then an unin-\\nvented luxury), around the markets and the levee front.\\nShe was, at that period, a tidy, strikingly beautiful\\nbrunette, with dark lustrous eyes; fond of dress, and\\nrather inclined to flirting and gallantry, a propensity", "height": "2890", "width": "1883", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0097.jp2"}, "98": {"fulltext": "52 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nwhich the snows of age seemed never to have checked.\\nNothwithstanding her well-known disinclination to\\nsatisfy public curiosity as to her past history, I succeed-\\ned, on one occasion, to draw from her the fact that she\\nhad once passionately loved a Spanish officer. I con-\\ncluded from her broken, disjointed sentences that grief\\nfor the loss of her lover had affected her brain. With a\\nsweet smile irradiating her parchment-colored visage, she\\nwould exclaim Ah! lite si Joii, avec so bean riban\\nrouge su so potrine. (Oh! he was so handsome, with\\nhis pretty red scarf around his breast.) Then, as if fear-\\ning she had said too much, she would resume with croning\\nvoice her usual refrain Donne mo in pi cay on, papa.\\nPoor Mariquita died some time in 1845, on Barracks\\nstreet, under a shed in a woodyard. When found in the\\nmorning, she was arrayed in her usual tatters and rags.\\nBut, as soon as the boys, who had teased her so much in\\nlife, became aware of her sudden taking off, they. pur-\\nchased by a subscription among themselves, the neat\\ncoffin in which she was buried, and followed her remains\\nto the ditch, which was to be her last resting place.\\nIt is conjectured that nearly five hundred striplings\\nthe sole mourners on the occasion accompanied her\\nfuneral, a spectacle never witnessed before in New Or-\\nleans. They had lost their early, though demented\\nfriend, and God, who reads into the hearts of his\\ncreatures, smiled upon the affectionate scene.\\nIt may not be amiss to give the origin of the name,\\nby which she was universally known. Mariquita is the\\ndiminutive of Maria, and la calentnra, which signi-\\nfies fever in Spanish, was a soubriquet given her, on\\naccount of her constant suffering, as she claimed, from\\nthat ailment the result probably of her disordered brain.\\nOne of the finest works of art in New Orleans w^as painted\\nby an eminent local artist, and represents her in the at-", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0098.jp2"}, "99": {"fulltext": "ODD CHARACTERS AND CELEBRITIES. \u00c2\u00bb3\\ntitude of stooping over a fireplace, watching her coffee\\npot and warming her hands. The resemblance is realis-\\ntic, and, as a finished piece of work, it deserves to be\\npreserved in an art gallery.\\nTHE OLD MAN OF THE CATHEDRAL.\\nKeeping ward and .vigil over the venerable pile erect-\\ned by the erstwhile roysterer, Don Almonester, in expi-\\nation and atonement for many youthful indiscretions\\nand peccadilloes, was wont to be seen, many years ago,\\nfrom early morn to late sunset, a familiar figure, bent\\nwith age, flowing grizzly locks, unkempt beard and com-\\npact, heavy build. Slowly pacing up and down the\\npavement between the old Cabildo and St. Anthony s\\nAlley, muttering prayers and soliloquies in words that\\nno one could comprehend, and occasionall)^ casting his\\neyes heavenward with expressions of fervor, as if wrapt\\nin the ecstacy and contemplation of some holy vision,\\nthis pious octogenarian became the cynosure of every\\nregard and the wonder of passing strangers. Strongly\\ndid he remind me of the words of the bard\\nHis brain is wrecked\\nFor, ever in the pauses of his speech,\\nHis lips doth work with inward mutterings,\\nAnd his fixed eye is riveted fearfully\\nOn something that no other sight can spy.\\nHis garb was uncouth and worn threadbare, of woolen\\nfabric. A heavy winter overcoat, of a drab color, in-\\ncased his muscular frame, which vestment he was never\\nknown to discard, not even in the midst of summer s\\nsolstitial heat. Poor Pietro His life had no doubt\\nbeen a checkered one, and his history an unsolved mys-\\ntery. He never spoke to anyone. He never asked for\\nalms, though occasionally, and only when want pressed", "height": "2890", "width": "1883", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0099.jp2"}, "100": {"fulltext": "84 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nUpon him, he would accept a small piece of silver or a\\nbit of food from the Catholic worshippers.\\nFrom early boyhood, I became deeply interested in\\nthis strange, reticent and harmless old man. As I grew\\nin years, I endeavored several times by trivial acts of\\nkindness to win his confidence, and in his native lan-\\nguage lo lead him into conversation. But my efforts\\nproved fruitless; with a grateful look, but a sigh of bit-\\nter anguish, he would abruptly turn away, mumble\\na few incoherent words, and resume his patient vigil\\naround the consecrated ground. It was evident that\\nhe would not speak, and that his secret, whatever it\\nmight be, was securely locked within his breast. Nor\\ndid my inquiries among the educated classes of the\\nItalian colony, the Valettis, the Natilis, the Gabiccis,\\nthe I^anatas and other equally representative men, elicit\\nmore satisfactory information. Further than the facts\\nthat the mysterious old man of the Cathedral was a\\nGenoese by birth, an erstwhile merchant prince, and the\\nvictim of a shipwreck on the coast of Yucatan, the hor-\\nrors of which had bereft him of reason, while the angry\\nwaves, lashed into fury, had engulfed his worldly goods\\nand hoarded wealth, nothing else could be learned.\\nWith the sinking of this precious argosy, all traces of\\nhis former self had forever disappeared. His physical\\nappearance was peculiarly interesting. Despite his\\ndirt-begrimed face, his matted beard, his shaggy, stream-\\ning white locks, his neck deeply sunk between huge\\nstooping shoulders, yet his piercing eyes, commanding\\nlook and self-possessed demeanor bespoke a man of gen-\\ntle lineage and good education. No one knew where he\\nslept, or took his meals. He was sometimes seen\\nmunching a biscuit or cake, given him by some good\\nnatured youngster, but otherwise his retreat and mode\\nof living was an impenetrable secret. With the deep-", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0100.jp2"}, "101": {"fulltext": "ODD CHARACTERS AND CELEBRITIES. 85\\neuing of night s shadows, he would suddenly disap-\\npear, while, with the punctuality of the sun s rise, he\\nwas to be seen at his post at the church door, intent on\\nhis devotions and the recitation of his beads. Then, his\\norisons concluded, he would rise from his kneeling\\nposture and renew, like a faithful sentry, his usual\\nrounds. When driven away by the intense heat, mop-\\nping his forehead dripping with beads of perspiration,\\nhe would hie himself to the rear of the structure and\\nseek shelter under the grateful shades of the magnolias.\\nOften and often, while on my w^ay to the court building,\\nhave I watched his ever} motion, and noticed, not with-\\nout surprise, the clock-work regularity of his daily\\nmovements and actions.\\nUnlike crazy Mariquita, the plaything and buffoon of\\nthe whole community, poor Pietro, though a victim to\\nthe same sad infirmity, had won the love and respect of\\nevery one. Never was a complaint, an oath or an ob-\\nscene expression known to escape his lips. His suffer-\\nings he bore with meek resignation, and in the abodes\\nof peace and rest to which his long suffering soul has\\nsped, it is to be hoped that he still continues in his for-\\nmer occupation of guardian of the church.\\nThe following lines from the pen oj Geo. W. Christy, a\\nLoicisia?iian as talented as he was rnodest, are worthy of\\nreproduction.\\nTHE WIZARD OF THE CATHEDRAI,.\\nWhen the vesper bell doth toll,\\nCalling on the weary soul.\\nTo tell a praj-er;\\nAnd the dim old arches ring,\\nAs the full voiced choir sing\\nA solemn air", "height": "2890", "width": "1883", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0101.jp2"}, "102": {"fulltext": "86 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nUp aud down, as in a spell,\\nTreads that ancient sentinel,\\nDay and night, and night and day,\\nEver seemeth he a prey\\nTo black despair.\\nWan in feature, bent in form.\\nThrough the sunshine, through the storm\\nRound that ancient building going,\\nUpward glances often throwing,\\nNever weary, in a spell.\\nTreads that aged sentinel.\\nPeople say that he is crazed,\\nStrangers passing seem amazed,\\nAs they ask\\nWhere he lives, and what his name,\\nWhere he goes, and whence he came,\\nIdle task\\nWhence he came, or whither goes,\\nNone may tell, lor no one knows,\\nTis a simple tale to tell\\nWh) he plays the sentinel.\\nDreaming ever in his mind.\\nThat by searching he will find\\nA treasure,\\nLost to him long years before\\nNear that old Cathedral door\\nThat the measure of his joys will come again\\nIf the treasure he regain.\\nWan in feature, bent in form.\\nThrough the sunshine and the storm,\\nFor that treasure\\nLooks he here, and looks he there,\\nRound the building, every where,", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0102.jp2"}, "103": {"fulltext": "ODD CIIARACTKRS AND Ce;L1 ;HRITI] ,S. 87\\nThat the lueasnre of his joys may come again\\nTo relieve his fevered brain.\\nSenlini l lliy vigils keep\\nRound that ancient building still\\nNear its sacred threshold sleep\\nThere await thy Master s will.\\nTis the treasure of thy soul,\\nWhich thy dreaming Fancy sees,\\nlyist again that Vesper toll\\nEnter, crawling on thy knees.\\nAshes cast upon thy head,\\nBending meekly to the ground.\\nNow arise thy dream hath fled,\\nLo the treasure lost is found\\nDOMINIQUE YOU.\\nAfter a residence in our midst, covering a period ot\\nnearly twenty two years, there died in this cit\\\\-, on the\\n15th of November, 1830, a man who, despite the crimi-\\nnal record of his early career, and the oblocjuy once\\nattached to his reputation, achieved glory for himself,\\nnobl}^ redeemed a tainted name, and at his death re-\\nceived public obsequies due only to heroes and public\\nbenefactors. This man was Dominique You, the Corsair\\nof the Gulf, the terror of the Caribbean Sea.\\nHis life was a romance a series of daring deeds. He\\nwas boru in the Island of St. Domingo, in the town of\\nPort au Prince, and from boyhood was a rover on the\\nsea. Finding himself in France at the time of the\\nRevolution, he took part in the several engagements\\nthat preceded the establishment of the Consulate, and,\\nbeing an expert artillerist, accompanied I^eclerc, Na-\\npoleon s brother-in-law, in his ill-fated expedition\\nagainst the revolted negroes of Hayti, in 1802.", "height": "2890", "width": "1883", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0103.jp2"}, "104": {"fulltext": "88 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nAfter the return of the discomfited army to France, he\\nengaged in privateering on his own account, but, find-\\ning this occupation unprofitable and expensive, he came\\nto this city, where he soon fouiid employment under\\nJean and Pierre L,afitte, the world-known reputed pirates,\\nwhose favorite lieutenant he soon became. He was nick-\\nnamed Cap/faine L o??n ?n quehy the French, though. Joan-\\n7iot was the 7t07n de guerre he had assumed. This alias\\nis usually affixed to his name in court records. His cour-\\nage was proverbial. At the time Venezuela declared her\\nindependence, You was granted letters of marque from the\\ninsurgent patriots, and inflicted terrible damage on Span-\\nish commerce. His name became one of terror to the\\nproud Dons, and it is more than likely that, in his new-\\nborn zeal for the infant Republic, he occasionally mistook\\nneutrals for enemies. For several years he took part in\\nthe unlawful operations of the brothers Lafitte, such as\\nthe importation of slaves from the West Indies and the\\nintroduction of contraband goods unlawfully obtained,\\nuntil in July, 1814, he was indicted by a United States\\nGrand Jury for piracies committed in the Gulf. He\\nsucceeded in evading arrest. When Commodore Patter-\\nson afterwards made his successful raid on the establish-\\nment of the Baratarians, scattered their clans to the\\nwinds and seized all of their warships. You found a\\nrefuge in the swamps of the interior but, when the\\nEnglish invaded the soil of L,ouisiana, after spurning\\ntheir seductive offers, he at once proffered his services to\\nthe Government, which were accepted after some hesita-\\ntion. His daring in that memorable campaign consti-\\ntutes one of the most glorious pages of our State history.\\nPardoned by a .special proclamation of President Madi-\\nson, he turned away from the path of crime, and engag-\\ned in peaceful pursuits. His example was imitated by\\nmany of his former companions, who forsook their", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0104.jp2"}, "105": {"fulltext": "ODD CHARACTERS AND CKLEHRITIKS. 89\\npredatory habits and became useful and honorable mem-\\nbers of society. Several took wives among us, having\\nleft descendants who are now living in our midst. You\\nwas never wedded. In later years he occasionally drift-\\ned into politics, and, from the fact that he was always a\\nstaunch supporter of his veteran chief, I must suppose\\nhe was a Jackson Democrat.\\nHe died at his residence, at the corner of Love and\\nMandeville streets, at the age of fifty-five years, in a\\nstate of poverty bordering on penury. Too proud to ask\\nfor assistance from any of the friends who would have\\npromptly and cheerfully relieved his pressing wants, he\\nbore his adverse fate with a resigned spirit. It was\\nonly when death had seized him in its relentless grasp\\nthat his old comrades and the public generally became\\naware of his straitened circumstances. The members\\nof the City Council, upon being apprized of the fact, re-\\nsolved to pay the sacred debt of gratitude which the\\ncountry owed him, and ordered, in the name of the cor-\\nporation of New Orleans, extensive preparations for his\\ninterment. In this testimonial of honor the whole\\nLegion, a model military organization of uniformed\\ncompanies, to the success of which the deceased had\\ngreatly contributed during his lifetime, turned out to a\\nman and made an imposing pageant. On the day set\\napart for the fvmeral, every bank and business house was\\nclosed, the flags of our shipping and public buildings,\\neven those of the foreign consuls, were displayed at\\nhalf-mast, while the salvos of the Orleans Artillery, of\\nwhom he was one of the original founders, rang out a\\nlast requiem over his memory.\\nHe was buried in the old St. Louis cemetery in the\\ncentre aisle of which, near the gate, is now to be seen\\nhis well-kept tomb, upon which an epitaph in French\\ncommemorates his virtues and valor\\nSur la terre et sur Vonde.", "height": "2890", "width": "1883", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0105.jp2"}, "106": {"fulltext": "CHAPTER VI.\\nTHE VOUDOUS.\\nTHEIR HISTORY, MYSTERIES AND PRACTICES.\\nWho has uot heard, iu connection with the local his-\\ntory of New Orleans, of that mysterious and religious\\nsect of fanatics, imported from the jungles of Africa and\\nimplanted in our midst, so well known under the appel-\\nlation of Vo2idousf St. John s Day the 24th of June\\nis the day consecrated by them to their peculiar idolatry.\\nDrifting into this country and the West India Islands\\nwith the constant influx of the Slave Trade, this dis-\\ngusting organization or order, with its stupid creed and\\nbestial rites, made considerable progress among the low\\nand ignorant of our population in the early period of\\nthe present century, and extended its ramifications\\namong the servile classes through most of our Creole\\nparishes.\\nTheir dances are original, partaking somewhat of the\\ncharacter of the Calinda and Bamboula, now\\nmade world-famous by the genius of our fellow-towns-\\nman, Edward Gottschalk, who has set them to most ex-\\nquisite music. But it is not for these dances alone that\\nthe study of Voudouism deserves to be considered, but\\nfor the further reason that they are accompanied by cir", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0106.jp2"}, "107": {"fulltext": "THE VOUDOUS. 91\\ncuinstances so odd, vStrange, and, I may say, atrocious,\\nas to deserv^e particular notice.\\nAccording to the Africans of the Arada nation, who\\nclaim to have preserved unsullied the faith and ceremo-\\nnies of their religion, the word Voudou signifies an\\nall-powerful and supernatural Being, from whom all\\nevents derive their origin. And what or who is that\\nBeing? A serpent, a harmless snake, under whose\\nauspices these religionists gather. The attributes of\\nprescience and knowledge of the past are ascribed to it,\\nand these he manifests through the medium of a High\\nPriest selected by the sect, and most frequently through\\nthe lips of the black wench, whom the love of the\\nformer has elevated to the post of a consort.\\nThese two ministers of the God-Serpent, claiming to\\nact under its inspiration, assume the pompous names of\\nKing and Queen at other times the despotic titles of\\nMaster and Mistress, and sometimes those of a more\\naffectionate nature, Papa and Mamma. They hold oihce\\nby a life tenure, and exact unbounded confidence from\\ntheir adepts. They communicate the will of the Ser-\\npent in all matters appertaining to the admission or re-\\njection of candidates. They prescribe the duties and\\nobligations incumbent upon them. They receive the\\ngifts and presents, which the God expects as a tribute to\\nhis power. To disobey or resist means offence to the\\nDeity, and subjects the recalcitrant to great penalties.\\nAs soon as this system of domination, on the one hand,\\nand of blind submission on the other, has been well es-\\ntablished, they hold meetings at stated periods, at which\\nthe King and Queen preside, in accordance with tradi-\\ntions borrowed from Africa, and varied at times by creole\\ncustoms and others of European origin, as, for instance,\\nin matters of dress and ornament. These reunions,\\nwhenever they are conducted in their primitive purity,", "height": "2890", "width": "1883", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0107.jp2"}, "108": {"fulltext": "92 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nare always strictly secret, are held in the night time, and\\nin a place so secluded as to escape the gaze of any pro-\\nfane eye. There, every member, after divesting him-\\nself of his usual raiment, puts on a pair of sandals and\\ngirds his loins with a number of red handkercliiefs.\\nThe Voudou King is distinguished from his subjects by a\\ngreater number, and of a finer quality, of those coverings,\\nalways using some crimson stuff, wrapped around his\\nkinky head, in lieu of a diadem. A cord, usually blue,\\nencircles his waist. The Queen is dressed with more\\nsimplicity, affects red garments and adorns her person\\nwith a sash of the same hue.\\nThe King and Queen take their positions at one end\\nof the room, near a species of altar, on which is placed a\\nbox, wherein the serpent is imprisoned, and where the\\nafiiliated can view it outside the bars. As soon as a strict\\ninspection assures them that no intruder is within hear-\\ning or sight, the ceremony begins by the adoration of\\nhis Snakeship, by protestations of fidelity to his cult,\\nand of submission to his behests. They renew into the\\nhands of the King and Queen the oath of secrecy, which\\nis the corner stone of their order, and, while this part of\\nthe ritual is being accomplished, horrible and delirious\\nscenes follow.\\nThe worshippers being thus prepared to receive the\\nimpressions which the Sovereigns seem to infuse into\\nthem, the latter, assuming the benign tones of a fond\\nfather and mother, extol the happiness which is in store\\nfor every faithful Voudou, exhort them to confidence,\\nand urge them to always seek their advice, whatever the\\nemergency may be.\\nThe group then breaks up, and each one, according\\nto his wants or right of precedence, comes forward to\\nimplore the Voudou God. As the majority were slaves,\\nthey would ask for the gift of domination over the minds", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0108.jp2"}, "109": {"fulltext": "THE VOUDOUS. 93\\nof their masters. One would solicit money, another\\nsuccess in love, while a third would crave the return of\\nsome faithless swain, or a speedy cure or the blessings\\nof a long life. While a withered hag would be conjuring\\nthe God for a youthful admirer, a young one would hurl\\nmaledictions upon a successful rival. There is not a\\npassion, to which human nature may be prone, that is\\nnot incarnated or typified in these motley assemblies,\\nwhile crime itself is frequently invoked by those carried\\naway by malice.\\nTo every one of these petitions or invocations, the\\nVoudou King lends a heedful ear. The spirit begins to\\nmove him. He suddenly seizes the precious box, lays\\nit on the floor, and places the Queen upon the lid.\\nNo sooner has her foot touched the sacred receptacle,\\nthan she becomes possessed, like a new Pythone.ss.\\nHer frame quivers, her whole body is convulsed, and\\nthe oracle pronounces its edicts through her inspired\\nlips. On some she bestows flattery and promises of\\nsuccess, at others she thunders forth bitter invectives.\\nFollowing the trend either of her own wishes, of her\\npersonal interest, or of her capricious mood, she dictates\\nirrevocable laws, in the name of the serpent, to a set of\\nidiots, who gulp down every absurdity with stupendous\\ncredulity, and whose rule is blind obedience to every\\nmandate.\\nAs soon as the oracle has answered every question\\npropounded, a circle is formed and the serpent is put\\nback upon the unholy fane. Then each one presents\\nhis offering, and places it in a hat impervious to prying\\ncuriosity. These tributes, the King and Queen assure\\nthem, are acceptable to their Divine protector. From\\nthese oblations a fund is raised which enables them to\\ndefray the expenses of the meetings, to provide help for\\nthe needy, and to reward those from whom the society", "height": "2890", "width": "1883", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0109.jp2"}, "110": {"fulltext": "94 NEW ORI^EANS AS IT WAS.\\nexpects some important service. Plans are next pro-\\nposed, and lines of action prescribed nnder the direc-\\ntion, as the Queen always affirms, of the God, Vou-\\ndou. Of these many are contrary to morality and to\\nthe maintenance of law and order. An oath is again\\nadministered, which binds not only every one to se-\\ncrecy, but to assist in carrying out the work agreed\\nupon. Sometimes, a bowl, dripping with the still warm\\nblood of a kid, seals upon the lips of the assistants the\\npromise to suffer death rather than reveal the secret,\\nand even to murder a traitor to this obligation.\\nAnd now the Voudou dance begins.\\nIf there be a candidate present, his initiation inau-\\ngurates this part of the ceremony. The Voudou King\\ntraces a large circle in the centre of the room with a\\npiece of charcoal, and places within it the sable neo-\\nphite. He now thrusts into his hand a package of\\nherbs, horse hair, rancid tallow, waxen effigies, bro-\\nken bits of horn, and other substances equally nau-\\nseating. Then lightly striking him on the head with\\na small wooden paddle, he launches forth into the\\nfollowing African chaunt\\nEh! eh! Bomba, hen, hen!\\nCanga bafio te,\\nCanga moune de le,\\nCanga do ki la\\nCanga li.\\nAs these words are repeated in chorus by the onlook-\\ners, the candidate begins to squirm and to dance.\\nThis is called viojiter voudou, If, unfortunately, he\\nshould in the excess of his frenzy, happen to step\\nout of the line enclosing the mystic circle, the song\\nceases at once, and the King and Queen turn their\\nbacks upon him, in order to neutralize the bad onitn", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0110.jp2"}, "111": {"fulltext": "THE VOUDOUS. 95\\nWhen the dancer recovers his self-possession, he re-en-\\nters the ring, becomes convulsed again, drinks some\\nstimulant and relapses into a hysteric fit. To put a stop\\nto these symptoms, the King sometimes hits him smart-\\nly with his wooden paddle, and, if needs be, uses a cow-\\nhide. He is then led to the altar to take the oath, and\\nfrom that moment he is a full-fledged member of the Order.\\nOn the termination of the ceremony, the King places\\nhis hand or foot on the box where the snake is ensconc-\\ned, and experiences a shock. He communicates by\\ncontact this impulsion to his Queen, and through her the\\ncommotion is conveyed to every one in the circle. Ev-\\nery one then begins to experience convulsions through\\nthe upper portion of the body, the head and shoulders.\\nA work of dislocation of the bones seems to be going on.\\nThe Queen particularly appears to be most violently af-\\nfected. She goes from time to time to the voudou ser-\\npent, to gather a new supply of magnetic influence.\\nShe shakes the box, and the tinkling bells, that are\\nusually suspended from its sides, increase the general\\ndelirium. Add to this copious draughts of spirituous\\nliquors. Then is pandemonium let loose. Fainting fits\\nand choking spells succeed one another. A nervous\\ntremor possesses everybody. No one escapes its power.\\nThey spin around with incredible velocity, whilst some,\\nin the midst of these bacchanalian orgies, tear their\\nvestments, and even lacerate their flesh with their\\ngnashing teeth. Others, entirely deprived of reason,\\nfall down to the ground from sheer lassitude, and are\\ncarried, still panting and gyrating into the open air.\\nWhat is undoubtedly true and is a remarkable phe-\\nnomenon among these people, is the existence of that\\nspecies of electric fluid which urges these people to\\ndance, until bereft of sense through complete exhaus-\\ntion. They are not unlike the Shakers in this respect.", "height": "2890", "width": "1883", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0111.jp2"}, "112": {"fulltext": "9 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nThese singular details are gleaned from a work en\\ntitled SoJcve?iirs d^Amerique,^ written by a talented\\nCreole lady of New Orleans, who seems to have made a\\nspecial study of the subject.\\nThe greater portion of these people came to Louis-\\niana at the period of the St. Domingo Revolution, when\\nthousands of whites and blacks .repaired to our shores\\nin quest of an asylum from impending massacre.\\nThey brought with them the peculiar dialect of their\\nunfortunate and doomed island home, and, among\\nother customs which their slaves introduced, they do-\\nmesticated in our midst the lascivious saturnalia, the\\nhorrid orgies and the dangerous, and, in many cases,\\ncriminal practices that constitute the ritual of this\\nAfrican institution.\\nA brief historical sketch of their existence and lead-\\ners in New Orleans may prove of interest to the gen-\\neral reader.\\nIn the foreground of the Kings and Queens who\\nwielded here their sceptres with despotic power, was\\na fellow, named John, better known as Dr John,\\nwho lived out on the Bayou Road, near its intersec-\\ntion with Esplanade street. He was a negro of the\\npurest African type. His ebony face was horriblj^ tat-\\ntoed, in conformity with the usages of the Congo tribe.\\nHe was glib of tongue, neat in his apparel, always\\nwore a frilled shirt front and claimed miraculous pow-\\ners for the cure of diseases. His room or office was\\npacked with all sorts of herbs, lizards, toads and phials\\nof strange compounds. Thousands visited him. As\\nan Indian doctor, he was a great success.\\nIn addition to this industry, he cumulated the func-\\ntions of an astrologer, a mind-reader and professed\\ncartomancy and divination also by means of pebbles\\nand shells. His control over the credulous and super-", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0112.jp2"}, "113": {"fulltext": "The voudous. 91\\nstitious element of society was incredible. He pretend-\\ned ability to read the past, to know the present and\\nto forecast the future. Charms and amulets were spe-\\ncial objects of tralhc in his shop, and realized very\\nhigh prices. One wouM stand aghast were he to be\\ntold the names of the high city dames, who were wont\\nto drive in their own carriages, with thickly veiled\\nfaces, to this sooty black Cagliostro s abode, to con-\\nsult him upon domestic affairs. As he was well in-\\nformed of many family secrets, through the connivance\\nof the hundreds of negro servants attached to the\\ncause of Voudouism, his powers of vaticination cease\\nto be a subject of wonder.\\nHe exercised the functions of voudou royalty for up-\\nward of forty years, and was most strict in the observ-\\nance of the African ritual. He was a negro to the\\ncore in color, origin and principle. A mulatto was\\nhis special aversion. Too black to be white, he was\\nwont to say, and too white to be black, he is nothing\\nbut a mule. He was well off, having accumulated\\nsome property. He died shortly after the war, at a very\\nadvanced age, but such were his vitality and powers of\\nendurance that his body ever remained erect and his\\nhair jet black.\\nNot unlike Doctor John in many respects, Marie\\nLaveau, deserves mention. In her youth, she was a\\nwoman of fine physique and a noted procuress. Intro-\\nducing herself into families as a hair dresser, she would\\nassist in the clandestine correspondent of sweethearts,\\nand aid youthful lovers and old coquettes as well in\\ntheir amours. She was an essentially bad woman.\\nThough queen of the Voudous, she excised the ritual\\nof the original creed, so as to make it conform to the\\nworship of the Virgin and of other saints. To idolatry\\nshe added blasphemy. She was the first to popularize", "height": "2890", "width": "1883", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0113.jp2"}, "114": {"fulltext": "98 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nI should say, vulgarize voudouism in New Orleans.\\nShe would invite the reporters of the press, the mag-\\nnates of the police force, the swells of the sporting fra-\\nternity to their public dances and drinking bouts, where\\na snake in a box, a beheaded white rooster and other\\nemblems of their religious belief were conspicuously ex-\\nposed. These festivals occurred yearly on St. John s\\neve, at some convenient spot not far from the bayou\\nwhich bears that name. But this was a mere device to\\nhoodwink the unwary. Her secret conclaves were usu-\\nally held in a retired spot upon the lake shore known as\\nthe figuiers once a big orchard, beyond which she\\nhad constructed a frame cabin, that she used as a sum-\\nmer resort.\\nHer house, situated on St. Anne street, between Ram-\\npart and Burgundy, is said to be one of the most ancient\\nframe residences of the city. It is a rickety concern to-\\nday, and is retired from the street.\\nShe also dealt in charms against malefices, and pre-\\ntended to cure many ailments, particularly those pro-\\nduced by gris-gris and other criminal devices. Such\\nwas the superstition of our people in her palmy days,\\nthat her apartments were often thronged with visitors\\nfrom every class and section, in search of aid from her\\nsupposed supernatural powers. Ladies of high social\\nposition would frequently pay her high prices for amu-\\nlets supposed to bring good luck. Politicians and can-\\ndidates for office were known to purchase what we\\nwould call mascots today at her .shop of Fortune,\\nand sports would wear, attached to their watch chains,\\npieces of bone or wood dug from the graveyard. Some\\nof these were curiously and fantastically carved. Is it\\nneedless to say that she was an arrant fraud? Yet,\\nmoney poured into her purse.", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0114.jp2"}, "115": {"fulltext": "THE VOUDOUS. 99\\nA fellow by the name of Dr. Alexander succeeded\\nher ill this profession of duper3^ He had for sometime\\na large following in the suburbs, but frequent arrests by\\nthe police hampered his business. He died a few years\\nago, I believe.\\nThe prince of the occult science, styling himself Don\\nPedro is now the recognized head of the sect, and his\\nadepts, I am told, are legion. The police have, how-\\never, nearly broken up his business, having compelled\\nhim to go in hiding. He is heard of sometimes through\\nthe medium of the press, as he advertises occasionally\\nas a healing medium. As long as charlatans are not put\\ndown by the strong arm of the law, there will ever be a\\nhost of believers.\\nThe organization of the voudous, as an organization,\\nhas been suppressed in a great measure by the efforts of\\nour municipal authorities. I remember a raid, made by\\nCaptain Mazerat, of the Third District, some forty years\\nago, which was accompanied by circumstances of such\\na startling nature, as to give the association a deadly\\nblow. Many of the old residents remember the Rack-\\net Green, along the St. Bernard Canal, where thous-\\nands were in the habit of congregating to witness the\\nbattles of the Bayous with the lyaVilles, in the\\ngames of Raqnettcs. The field was an immense one, ex-\\ntending from Claiborne as far back as Broad. In the\\ncentre stood an old pottery, apparently untenanted.\\nWhile the game was progressing, the Captain aided by\\na strong corps, advanced unobserved upon the dilapida-\\nted tenement and arrested the whole concern Voudous\\nand paraphernalia while engaged in one of the wildest\\norgies which the most prurient imagination can con-\\nceive. The women, having cast off their every day\\napparel, had put on white camisoles called today\\nmother hubbards and were all found clad in this", "height": "2890", "width": "1883", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0115.jp2"}, "116": {"fulltext": "106 NE\\\\V ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nuniform attire. Blacks and whites were circling round\\npromiscuously, writhing in muscular contractions, pant-\\ning, raving and frothing at the mouth. But the most\\ndegrading and infamous feature of this scene was the\\npresence of a very large number of ladies moving in\\nthe highest walks of society, rich and hitherto supposed\\nrespectable, that were caught in the drag net. Two of\\nthem, through consideration for the feelings of their rel-\\natives and connections, so unexpectedly brought to\\nshame, were permitted to escape, while the husband of a\\nthird, unable to survive the disgrace of his wife, deliber-\\nately took his life on the following day. These facts are\\nbeyond controversy, and the scandal, attested by thous-\\nands, was made the subject of town gossip for many a\\nyear.\\nBesides the potent incantations which they claim the\\npower to perform, it is an admitted fact that they use\\nphilters, drugs and poisonous substances in their wicked\\noperations. These they call gris-gris. One of the fa-\\nvorite ingredients used is a decoction of the concombre\\nsonibi, ^Jamestown weed which they mix in coffee.\\nIt is the plant from which that rank toxicant, known as\\nstramonium, is extracted. They use dirt taken from\\ngraveyards. They employ certain powders, which they\\nscatter around such places as they suppose their victims\\nare apt to touch with their hands or feet, and the effect\\nof these powders is to produce inflammation, pain and\\nfever. Kven feather pillows are impregnated with dele-\\nterious substances, in the guise of poisoned crosses, cof-\\nfins, images etc., but how they contrive to introduce\\nthese objects therein without detection, is as yet an un-\\nsolved mystery. Perhaps, some one may answer By\\nthe black servants, of course. But I and hundreds of\\nothers have heard of various well authenticated case^ in\\namilies where no menials were engaged, and every", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0116.jp2"}, "117": {"fulltext": "THE VOUDOUS. lOI\\nhousehold duty was performed by the inmates them-\\nselves. I am no believer in supernaturalism, but I am\\nfree to confess that the mystery appears at this present\\nday as far from explanation as ever.\\nThe tribe of Voudons, as a tribe or a class, deserves to\\nbe stamped out of existence, and with the advances of\\nour superior civilization it is to be hoped that the hour\\nis not far distant when the last vestige of its degrading\\nand dangerous influence will be forever wiped out of\\nexistence.", "height": "2890", "width": "1883", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0117.jp2"}, "118": {"fulltext": "CHAPTER VII.\\nTHE OLD PARI5H PRISON.\\nEPISODES IN ITS EVENTFUL HISTORY.\\nNo edifice in this city recalls more tragical or dramat-\\nic reminiscences than those evoked by the scenes once\\nenacted within the gloomy walls and narrow cells of the\\nold Parish Prison. There, is to be found the criminal\\ncalendar of our metropolis, including, outside of revolt-\\ning executions, sad scenes of suicide and murder com-\\nmitted inside of its iron bars. To detail them at length\\nwould require volumes. To depict them with the pen\\nof a Zola would provoke disgust and nausea. In this\\npath I am not disposed to tread. I shall content mj-self\\nwith merely reviewing some old-time recollections con-\\nnected with its sixty year old existence. Like the\\nTower of London, the Tombs of New York or the Con-\\nciergerie of Paris, the Parish Prison of New Orleans\\nis rich in legendary lore, in unique traditions and in\\nstartling facts.\\nThe foundations of this quaint old structure were\\noriginally laid in 1832, during Mayor Prieur s adminis-\\ntration, upon a parallelogram bounded by Marais,\\nTreme, St. Anne and Orleans streets. The grounds,\\nmeasuring 240 feet front by 131 feet in depth, were", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0118.jp2"}, "119": {"fulltext": "THE OLD PARISH PRISON. I03\\nacquired for the sum of fifteen thousand dollars by the\\ncity from a thrift} and enterprising Frenchman, named\\nOlivier Blineau, on which a soap factor}- had been erect-\\ned, tliat had become a common nuisance to the neigh-\\nborhood. It was situated on the inner edge of the\\nswamp, called marai s, about the period that the latter\\nwas being slowly reclaimed and made fit for human\\nhabitation. The buildings in the vicinity were few and\\nfar between, of a poor and lowly character. In the win-\\nter season, the crack of the rifle or the report of the\\ndouble barreled shot gun was not an unusual sound, as\\nthe enterprising sportsman slowly plodded his way\\nthrough the dangerous morass, in search of game. It\\nwas not only a favorite retreat for runawa}^ negroes, but\\nfor truant school boys, of whom, I may say, viagna\\npars fiii. The woods were full of senelles, gomme copale\\nand a variety of wild berries, not to speak of water\\nmoccasins, rattle snakes and even alligators.\\nThe jail was not completed until the year 1834.\\nThe first prison built in New Orleans was under the\\nSpanish regime, and w^as a fortress in itself, if one may\\njudge from its solid construction and massive walls. It\\nwas situated on St. Peter street, and extended from\\nChartres to within ninet}- feet of Roj-al street, at which\\npoint there was a guardhouse. It included not only\\nthe offices occupied by the present Recorder, but the\\nrooms and space now constituting the Supreme Court.\\nWith the constant increase of our population, the\\nbuilding was found insufficient to hold with safety and\\nhygienic comfort the unfortunate inmates. The germs\\nof pestilence and disease were rife among them. Es-\\ncapes were matters of daily occurrence, for it wa\u00c2\u00bb not\\nonly a place of detention for criminals awaiting trial,\\nbut a penitentiary or penal institution for convicts of\\nevery class. It was only after State prisoners were or-", "height": "2890", "width": "1883", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0119.jp2"}, "120": {"fulltext": "I04 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\ndered to be transferred to Baton Rouge, that relief was\\nafforded to every parish, which, under the previous\\nsystem, had been compelled to maintain at its own ex-\\npense the charges of keeping its own malefactors. Un-\\nder these circumstances, Denis Prieur, a man of energy\\nand action, then Mayor of the city of New Orleans, in-\\nduced the City Council to appropriate a sufficient\\namount of money for the construction, outside of the\\nlimits of the carre de la ville, of a spacious structure\\nadequate to the needs of the community. Thus it is,\\nthat the stately and gloomy old pile that now looms up\\non Orleans street, with one of its old turrets truncated\\nand shivered by a stroke of lightning, was erected in one\\nof the dreariest spots then known to our people.\\nAs far as my memory serves me, the first dramatic\\nincident connected with this venerable edifice was the\\ntragic death of Pauline, the negress, who expiated her\\ncrime upon the gallows. The offense, with which she\\nwas charged, was the beating and maltreating of her\\nhalf-demented mistress, a white woman, which, under\\nthe provisions of the Black Code, was made punish-\\nable by death. The poor, unfortunate wretch died peni-\\ntent, reciting her beads to the very last moment, ac-\\nknowledging the justice of her panishment, and dieting\\nb}^ her meek demeanor the sympathies of the gathered\\nthrong. It was the first public execution of a woman\\nthat our people had ever witnessed, and, the unusual\\nscene had attracted thousands. She was hurled into\\neternity from a trap overhanging the low wall, which\\nencloses the passage that divides the prison from the old\\nParish Jail, now the Fourth Precinct Police Station.\\nFrom the same spot and from a similar platform, I\\nrecall the execution (so horrid in its details, that the\\nimpression will never fade from my memory,) of Delille\\nand Adam, charged with the murder of a slave. The", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0120.jp2"}, "121": {"fulltext": "THE OLD PARISH PRISON. 105\\ndate of this shocking occurrence, so far as my memory\\nserves me, was in the 3 ear 1852. The history of their\\ncrime reads more like a romance than stern reality, and\\nso revolting are the incidents connected with the affair\\nthat the heart shudders at their contemplation.\\nDelille and Adam, with both of whom I was acquaint-\\ned, were painters by profession, and had been engaged\\nby a grocer, named Chevillon, who resided at the cor-\\nner of Craps and Clouet streets, to paint the exterior as\\nwell as the interior of his house. While thus engaged,\\nthey found no difficulty in making themselves thorough-\\nly acquainted with the habits of the inmates, and what,\\nto them was far more important, in locating the spot\\nwhere their wealth was hoarded. They noticed that it\\nwas the invarible habit of the old lady (the grocer s\\nwife), to attend Vespers every Sunday afternoon, and\\nto leave the house and store in charge of her colored\\nser\\\\ ant, while the husband, during her short absence,\\nwould cross over to Clouet street to a neighbor s resi-\\ndence, where, seated upon the gallery and in full view\\nof the front of his establishment, he would spend an hour\\nor two in pleasant chat. To plan the robbery was,\\ntherefore, no difficult matter. Taking Delille s young-\\ner brother as a confederate, they proceeded to con-\\nsummate their enterprise. Concealing themselves be-\\nhind the corner, they espied the aged lady repairing\\nto her church, not far distant, and saw old man Chevil-\\nlon walking off leisurely toward his opposite neighbor.\\nThe coast was clear. Leaving his brother to watch on\\nthe outside, Delille, who besides the ferocity possessed\\nthe lithesomeness and suppleness of a panther, leaped\\nover, unobserved, the picket fence in the rear, opened\\nthe gate and admitted his accomplice. They had no\\ntime to lose. They hurried to the armoir, possessed\\nthemselves of the bag which, besides a considerable sum", "height": "2890", "width": "1883", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0121.jp2"}, "122": {"fulltext": "I06 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nof mone}- in gold and silver, contained trinkets of value,\\nand were about effecting their escape, when they v^ere\\nunexpectedl} confronted by the appearance of the faith-\\nful servant, who barred their passage. With the rapidity\\nof lightning and with muttered curses, Delille grappled\\nthe woman around the body, while Adam, throwing\\nback the unfortunate victim s head coolly severed her\\nneck from ear to ear A stream of blood gushed forth from\\nthe severed artery and stained Adam s shirt front. Here,\\na peculiar whistle from the street warned them to hurry,,\\nand they sallied forth, unseen and unsuspected. The\\ntreasure was committed to the care of the ^^ounger De-\\nlille, who went off in one direction, while the murderoiis\\npair hastily proceeded up town, towards the cathedral.\\nWhen they arrived there, they stopped awhile at the\\npolice station, and engaged in conversation with the\\ncommanding ofhcer. They several times referred to the\\ntime of day b}^ the Cathedral clock. This was done, no\\ndoubt, with the view of establishing possibly an alibi,\\nshould any arrest ensue.\\nThe police were soon apprised of the fact. Capt.\\nEugene Mazerat, a born detective, within whose baili-\\nwick the crime had been committed, got scent of the af-\\nfair and was soon on the trail with the eagerness of a\\nsleuth-hound. He knew the Delille s intimately. He\\nhad been their neighbor for a number of years, and as\\nsoon as he learned the fact that young Delille had been\\nseen prowling in the vicinity of the grocery, and know-\\ning his previous shady reputation, he arrested him\\nwithout delay. When he learned further that the elder\\nDelille had been employed by Couvillon, the whole\\ntruth flashed upon his mind, and he, too, soon followed\\nhis brother. Adam was the last apprehended.\\nMazerat had the culprits, but the proof was wanting.\\nThere was the rub. The fertile brain of the eallant of-", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0122.jp2"}, "123": {"fulltext": "THE OLD PARISH PRISON. 107\\nficer soon furnished an expedient. A rough sailor.\\napparently in the last stages of intoxication, was tlinist\\ninto Adam s cell. Gathering himself up as well as he\\ncould, the helpless inebriate fell in a heap, as it were, in\\na corner, where, soon after, his stertorous breathing and\\nunearthly snores proclaimed him oblivious of all sur-\\nrounding objects. Nothing unusual occurred in the cell\\nuntil about midnight, when a pebble flung at the grated\\nwindow announced the fact that a friend was on the\\nwatch outside. Such proved the fact. A hurried in-\\nterview ensued, and was still progressing when a cry of\\nanguish escaped the lips of the pretended drunkard, who\\nin piteous tones began to crave for water. It was the\\nsignal agreed upon. The spy had played his part to\\nthe life.\\nA few seconds had not elapsed before the emissary\\nwas in the Captain s grasp, and, frightened to death, he\\nmade an abject confession. That night, Mazerat had re-\\ncovered the .stolen jewelry and money, and had every\\naccomplice in safe custody. The sequel may be briefly\\nsummarized. They confessed their crime and w-ere\\nsentenced to die.\\nTheir execution took place, as I have stated before,\\non the same .spot where Pauline had forfeited her life.\\nThousands, if not tens of thousands, attracted by a mor-\\nbid curiosity not unusiu^l at such spectacles, attended. It\\nwas a pleasant summer day, and no disturbance in the at-\\nmosphere gave token of the terrific storm that was soon\\nto burst forth. During the entire period of their confine-\\nment in the Parish Prison, their conduct had offered a\\nstrange contrast. Adam was reticent and maintained a\\nstoic attitude. He was a Frenchman b}^ birth, slow in\\nspeech, slow in gait, but endowed with herculean\\nstrength. Delille, on the other hand, was small in\\nstature, restless, talkative and an inveterate grumbler,", "height": "2890", "width": "1883", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0123.jp2"}, "124": {"fulltext": "I08 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nPassionately fond of drink, he would, while under its\\ninfluence, indulge in dire threats against his enemies, of\\nwhom every prison ofhcial, he thought, was one, thus\\nmaking life disagreeable at times to those who were in-\\ntrusted with his keeping. He was a Creole of St.\\nDomingo.\\nWhen led to the scaffold, in the presence of the large-\\nest assemblage that had ever gathered in the neighbor-\\nhood of the Treme Market, each betrayed the salient\\npoints of his nature. They had both spurned the con-\\nsolations of the church. Adam was pale, collected, and\\nevidently bracing himself for a supreme effort. He re-\\nfused to make a speech, when offered the privilege. He\\nwould occasionally turn round to his fellow convict,\\nand admonish him to be quiet. Delille, on the other\\nhand, was apparently intoxicated. It was evident that\\nhe was afraid to die, and had indulged too liberally in\\nthe ardent spirits that had been furnished him to steady\\nhis nerves and tremulous frame. He was more than\\nvoluble. At times he ranted, like a stage-struck mani-\\nac. His eyes were livid with fury, and he called upon\\nthe French Consul and the home Government to\\navenge his death and to exact reparation from the Unit-\\ned States.\\nAt this point, the hangman appeared upon the scene.\\nThe prisoners were soon fettered, blindfolded and the\\nnoose adjusted around their necks. A sharp click rang\\nout upon the air, and the trap fell. It was mid-da}\\nThe chimes of the Cathedral bells were just announcing\\nthe hour of twelve, when a sheet of lightning a sheet\\nso blinding, so dazzling, so stunning as to partake of the\\nunnatural illuminated the scene and rent the skies\\nin twain. Nothing so weirdly, so terrificall} grand,\\nso indicative of the power of an offended Deity had\\never before been heard. Simultaneously with this", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0124.jp2"}, "125": {"fulltext": "THE OLD PARISH PRISON. I09\\ndreaded cataclysm of warring elements, a torrent of\\nrain descended from the heavens and compelled most\\nof the obstinate curiosity mongers to seek shelter un-\\nder the eaves of the neighboring houses, and under\\nthe covering of the Market. Meanwhile, the two\\ndangling bodies had disengaged themselves from the\\nropes, and were seen falling to the pavement below.\\nA cry of horror broke forth from the crowd. The surg-\\ning mass, eager to relieve the criminals, beat in vain\\nagainst the police cordon that encircled the gallows.\\nAdam lay insensible. Delille s right arm was fractured\\nabove the wrist, the same arm, it was said by a by-\\nstander, that had once struck a mother in the face. He\\nwas crawling away on his hands and feet.\\nThe sheriffs at once hurried the doomed men through\\nthe Orleans street entrance into the reception room.\\nThe Sheriff was perplexed. He knew of no precedent\\nthat governed the case. The mob outside were growing\\nexcited and were clamoring for a reprieve, there being a\\ngreat many who honestly believed that it was unlawful\\nto hang them a second time. At this juncture, the\\nGovernor was appealed to for instructions, and pending\\nthe arrival of an answer, another singular affair occurr-\\ned. As Adam and Delille, it was found, had been\\nstunned into a state of insensibility, a dispute arose bet-\\nween the City Physician and the Coroner as to the ad-\\nvisability of restoring them to life by bleeding. Al-\\nthough one of them protested, the operation was per-\\nformed. Immediately thereafter came an order from the\\nExecutive to proceed with the sentence. Limp and\\npallid, the two men were bodily carried upon the plat-\\nform, in the midst of the tempestuous rain fall. Com-\\nmiseration, was depicted upon every countenance. The\\nfierce mood of the populace had given way to pity.\\nAgain was the fatal knot adjusted around their necks.", "height": "2890", "width": "1883", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0125.jp2"}, "126": {"fulltext": "no NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nAgain was the click of the executioner s ax heard.\\nAgain was the trap seen to 3 ield under its own weight,\\nand the victims were suspended in mid-air. The con-\\ntortions of their limbs and the heaving of their chests\\nindicated death b)^ suffocation. In the efforts occasion-\\ned by these muscular contractions their veins swelled\\nand distended, and, bursting from the bandages which\\nhad compressed them, ejected copious streams of blood\\nover their light-colored clothes. The blood, thoroughly\\ndiluted by the drenching rain, gradually spread over\\ntheir vestments, and imparted to them a crimson hue.\\nNot unlike two ghastly spectres, images of Milton s\\nwildest conceptions, that haunt men s memories through\\na lifetime, .stood out in bold relief, clearly limned against\\nthe frowning skies, the dangling, writhing forms of the\\nmurderers. From this heart-sickening scene men avert-\\ned their eyes in disgust, and women fainted. The\\nstrongest minded men, not excepting even the stern\\nministers of the law, lost their self-possession. It was a\\nsight, once seen, never to be forgotten.\\nThis horrid execution shocked the conscience of the\\ncommunity by reason of its demoralizing effects. The\\nI^egislature was appealed to for a change in the law, and\\npublic hanging became henceforth a thing of the past.\\nAnother memorable event that occurred within the\\nwalls of the grim old dungeon was the suicide or, rather\\nas I am led to believe, the felonious poisoning of An-\\nTOTNE Cambre, convicted of murder, on the eve of the\\nday set for his death. This tragedy occurred during the\\nbloody Saturnalia of crimes, known as Know-Nothing\\ntimes. He was a resident and native of this city. He\\nbelonged to an old and highly respectable family, and,\\nthough imperfectly educated, had succeeded in obtain-\\ning several responsible positions. He was a bitter and", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0126.jp2"}, "127": {"fulltext": "THE OLD PARISH PRISON. Ill\\nuncompromising- hater of Loco-focoism, and his aversion\\nto foreigners was very pronounced. Hence, upon the\\ndisruption of the Whig party, he espoused with ardor\\nand bigotry the cause of native Americanism, and to-\\ngether with the Guerins, the lyockwoods, the Legetts,\\nthe Johnsons and the Duprats of the period, became one\\nof the leaders of the crime-accursed Red Warriors.\\nAt the time of his arrest, he was one of the commis-\\nsaries of the notorious Louisiana Ball Room, one of\\nthe numerous dens of iniquity which once infested the\\nThird Municipality, where debauchery, gambling and\\nintoxication held high carnival. To regulate the tough\\nand dangerous element that usually thronged this noted\\nden required a man of unflinching courage, and Cambre\\nproved himself equal to the task. But his unfortunate\\nfondness for liquor not infrequently led him into troub-\\nle, and as the supply was never stinted there, it is need-\\nless to say that he made a frequent abuse of it. With\\nthis preface, I shall now proceed to relate the history of\\nhis crime.\\nIt was about 4 o clock in the morning, after the ball\\nwith its gambling hells had closed, that Cambre, in a\\nsemi-inebriated condition, left the place and repaired\\ndowntown toward his home. The morning was just\\nbreaking, and the street lamps were being put out. On\\nhis way, he happened to stumble against the ladder of a\\nlamp lighter, who was just in the act of extinguishing a\\nlight. Hurt by the sudden blow, he cursed the inno-\\ncent offender and a war of words ensued. Enraged by\\nthis altercation, he hurriedly left the scene in search of\\na weapon. In the meanwhile, the lamp lighter had\\ngone off about his business. Cambre returned .soon af-\\nter, and hurrying to the corner of lyouisa and Greatmen\\nstreets, saw another lamp lighter approaching him with\\na ladder, whom he mistook at once for his assailant.", "height": "2890", "width": "1883", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0127.jp2"}, "128": {"fulltext": "112 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nActing upon this suspicion, without a word of premoni-\\ntion, he deliberately placed his pistol to the poor Ger-\\nman s breast and shot him through the heart. It was a\\nclear case of mistaken identity, but it was a clear case of\\nbrutal and wanton murder.\\nCambre was arrested and immured within the Parish\\nPrison. All the influences, which the powerful secret\\nassociation with which he was connected could com-\\nmand, were brought to bear in his behalf, but every\\neffort proved futile. He was furnished with able coun-\\nsel, renowned both for lore and eloquence. But the facts\\nwere too stubborn, and could be neither palliated nor\\nexplained. Under the administration of justice dispens-\\ned by such a firm man as Judge Robertson, whom hired\\nbullies could not intimidate, the result could not long be\\ndoubtful, and the doom of Cambre was sealed.\\nThe verdict was a crushing blow. Still he had hopes.\\nHe could not realize the fact that the thousands of\\noathbound brothers, leagued together with him for\\nmutual protection, would ever abandon him to his\\nfate. He looked to the Supreme Court for relief. That\\ntribunal decided against him. His eyes were now\\nturned toward the Executive. But Governor Wickliffe\\nwas inflexible. The Hercules that had strangled the\\nhydra of Know-Nothingism in Louisiana two years be-\\nfore, lent an obdurate ear to every pleading for life.\\nSociety demanded a fearful example.\\nCambre was afraid to die. Friends flocked to the\\ncondemned cell in which he was confined, and proffered\\npoison. They urged upon him, inasmuch as his execu-\\ntion was inevitable, the necessit}^ of self-destruction, as\\nthe only means of rescuing his family from disgrace.\\nBut this he flatly refused to do, as he still had hopes\\nof the Governor s favorable interposition.\\nOn the day preceding that fixed for his execution, he", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0128.jp2"}, "129": {"fulltext": ",/^fc\u00c2\u00bb\u00c2\u00bb^:!S\\nm", "height": "2890", "width": "1946", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0129.jp2"}, "130": {"fulltext": "", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0130.jp2"}, "131": {"fulltext": "THE OLD PARISH PRI.SON. 113\\nwas found dead in his dungeon, and here hirks a mystery,\\nwhich, like many other mysteries connected with the\\nnow celebrated penal institution during that eventful\\nperiod of its administration, has never been satisfactori-\\nly solved. I refer to the causa mortis. Was it the\\neffect of nature, or of suicide, or of preconcerted action\\non the part of his friends\\nIt was generally rumored at the time, that he had suc-\\ncumbed to an attack of malarial fever, but the sudden-\\nness of the demise excluded the hypothesis, and hence\\nthe assertion was not believed. The autopsy revealed\\nthe existence of poison in the stomach and intestines.\\nHence, the question, by whom administered? was\\nfrequently asked. The trepidation displayed by him\\nduring the last days of his life, and his deep-rooted\\naversion to the crime of fclo de se, set at naught the\\ntheory of suicide. Who, then had conveyed the poison\\nThe following is the story related to me by an old and\\nfaithful officer of the Parish Prison, and, I believe it to\\nbe truthful in ever essential particular.\\nWho has not heard of Marie Laveau, the whilom\\nQueen of the Voudous and infamous bawd, who, blend-\\ning African mysteries and superstitions with the worship\\nof the Blessed Virgin, posed for so many years as a\\ncharacter of importance, when, in very truth, she was\\nnaught else but an arrant and consummate impostor?\\nIt was usual in those days, and the custom still pre-\\nvails, to allow prisoners about to suffer death to receive\\nthe last consolations of religion, and, if a Catholic, to\\nerect an altar for the celebration of mass in the chapel.\\nThis altar was always placed in the charge of a female,\\nand Marie Laveau, who, from her previous acquaint-\\nance and intimacy with Cambre, was thought to be a\\nproper person, was selected for the purpose. She had,\\ntherefore, ready access at all times to Cambre s cell, and", "height": "2890", "width": "1946", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0131.jp2"}, "132": {"fulltext": "114 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nwould cheer him for hours with her sprightly talk. As\\nthe time for his execution was fast approaching it was\\non the eve, I believe Marie approached him, and in\\nher usual Creole dialect said\\nTi ni02in, avant to vioiiri, si to dois mo2iri demain, dis\\nvioin fa to oiile mange. Ma fe toi bon dine. (My\\nyoung one, before you die, if you have to die to-morrow,\\ntell me what you would like to eat. I ll make you a\\ngood dinner.\\nAt this proposal Cambre, it is said, mournfully shook\\nhis head.\\nJ/a fe toi gombo fili comme jamais to mange dans to\\nla vie, said the temptress. (I ll make you a gombo\\nfile such as you have never eaten in your whole life.\\nThese were prophetic words Cambre assented, and a\\nfew hours thereafter was writhing in the agonies of death.\\nSuch is the story related to me man}^ j-ears ago, and I\\ngive it for what it is worth Many are the secrets of the\\nOld Parish Prison, and this is one of them.\\nThe mysterious death of Antoine Cambre brings to\\nmy mind the suicide of CelESTin Leonard. He was a\\nman of color, born free, and a great favorite with the\\npeople of the Seventh Ward. He had been condemned\\nto die on the scaffold by Judge McHenrj^ for killing\\nanother colored man in an alleged affair of honor. The\\nfacts elicited on the trial of the cause do not appear to\\nhave been very clearly established, and the benefit of the\\ndoubt, I fear, was cast against him. I have a slight rec-\\nollection of the facts, the affair having occurred some\\nforty years ago.\\nIt seems that his adversary had forced a quarrel\\nupon him, the result of which was an agreement to fight\\na duel on the following morning with fowling pieces,\\nboth being professional hunters. A place was selected", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0132.jp2"}, "133": {"fulltext": "THE OLD PARISH PRISON. II 5\\nin the rear of the fishermen s village on the Bayou St.\\nJohn, near the lake shore. On reaching the ground,\\nthe quarrel was renewed, and Leonard, heedless of all\\nprevious arrangements, rushed upon his adversary with\\nthe frenzy of a mad bull and slew him. It was evi-\\ndent that he had been laboring under the influence of\\nliquor and anger combined. Having dispatched his\\nenemy, he leaped over the intervening hedges and hur-\\nriedly made his way to the city, closely pursued by the\\ndead man s friends. His arrest immediately followed.\\nHe was defended by Cyprien Dufour, Esq. and the\\nwriter, who was just entering the practice of the law\\nand, notwithstanding the ingenuity, tact and fervid elo-\\nquence of his senior counsel, the jury fouiid him guilty\\nof murder. The evidence, if believed, was too strong\\nto admit even of mitigating circumstances.\\nAs one of his counsel, I had become interested in him\\nand had occasion to visit him at times in his solitary\\ncell. I always found him penitent, polite and docile.\\nI am not afraid to die, he would frequently say, for\\nI have already faced death without a quiver. But un-\\nder circumstances so full of shame as these, I confess\\nthat I tremble. Let me confide to j^ou a secret it is one\\nwhich eats like a canker into my heart. It is this. I\\nhave no children, but, when I am gone awa3^ I shall\\nleave behind me a child, a young girl, whose godfather I\\nam, and whom I love wath passionate tenderness. Now,\\nto think that as she grows up to womanhood, she will be\\npointed at in the streets as the goddaughter of Celestin\\nLeonard, le pendu, the man that was hanged for murder,\\nand will be made the target for ever enemy s sarcasm\\nand raillery, is more torture than I can endure. I pray\\nGod every night to deliver me from this world, and\\nshould He deny me this boon, well here he hysteri-\\ncally grasped me by the arm, well, remember I slial]", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0133.jp2"}, "134": {"fulltext": "Il6 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nnever die by the hangman s hand. Such was the look ol\\ndespair and resolution that accompanied these last words\\nthat I became convinced that he had revolved in his\\nmind a settled plan of self-destruction.\\nAs the days flew by, and the time set for his execu-\\ntion was fast approaching, no change in his demeanor\\nattracted attention. Always cheerful and communica-\\ntive, though not loquacious, to visitors, a gloomy,\\ndespondent cloud would overhang his visage when left\\nalone. Brooding is the most graphic expression I can\\nfind to describe his mental condition.\\nOne morning, just as dawn was breaking vipon the\\nyawning and sleepy city, one of the wardens of the jail,\\nin making one of his early rounds, was astounded at\\nthe sight of a pool of coagulated blood on the flagging\\nof the court-yard, just immediately under the eaves of\\nthe condemned cells. Astounded at this ghastly find,\\nthe officials were soon scurryi ig through the hall in the\\ndirection of the convict s room. There the inanimate,\\nnude and bloodless corpse of poor Leonard was seen\\nstretched out upon a mattress on the floor, with arms\\nand thighs firmly compressed with thongs, and long\\ngashes across the brachial and femoral arteries. He\\nhad bled hims\u00c2\u00abjlf to death. It must have come as a\\nrelief to him, for a sweet smile was still playing upon\\nhis lips.\\nNow, how shall we qualify this act? Heroism, Duty,\\nDementia or Crime? God, who reads the hearts and\\nmotives of man, alone can tell.\\nCelestin was the son of a white man, named Antonio,\\nwho, for mau}^ years, occupied the humble post of Town\\ncrier, an office which supplied the place of the special\\nadvertising columns of the modern press. Accompanied\\nb}^ a boy beating a drum, he would stop at every street\\ncorner, and make known to the people the escape of a", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0134.jp2"}, "135": {"fulltext": "THE OLD PARISH PRISON. H?\\nrunaway slave, the loss of a child, of a pocket-book or\\na stray mule, or the finding of some object of value\\nThese functions originated in the period of the Spanish\\noccupation, when, even the edicts of the magistrates\\nwere proclaimed by beat of drum.\\nOne of the narrowest escapes from the gallows that I\\nhave heard related was that of a slave, named Laiste\\nsentenced to be publicly hanged at the time that Capt.\\nJos. Gros was the captain of the Parish Prison. The\\ncrime with which he was charged was striking a white\\nperson, and drawing blood therefrom, an offense which,\\nunder the provisions of the Black Code, was made pun-\\nishable with death. He was tried under that law by a\\nJustice of the Peace and six slaveholders, and was to\\nhave been executed from the very spot on which Paul-\\nine and Adam and Delille had expiated their crimes\\non the 25th of April, 1862. Every prepamtion had\\nbeen made for carrying out the mandate of the law.\\nThe scaffold had been erected in public on this occasion,\\nas was the custom when slaves were to die^ The execu-\\ntioner was awaiting orders in the sheriff s ofhce, and\\nthe officers themselves were anxiously ^^Pf f^S/^^.^\\nsummons to proceed with their disagreeable duty. Just\\nat that moment the cannon ot the Federal fleet, that\\nhad just forced the passage of the forts, was heard re-\\nverberating through space, the drums began beating to\\narms, the military were marching away in their hurried\\nexit, the torch was being applied to the millions of\\ndollars worth of produce on the levee, and the Confed-\\nerate States government, as far as New Orleans was\\nconcerned, had become a thing of the past.\\nBofill, said Capt. Gros to his chief deputy, what\\nshall we do? Must we hang that nigger?\\nHan- be blanked was the prompt reply. Where\\nIs now our authority? And thus was the problem\\nsolved.", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0135.jp2"}, "136": {"fulltext": "Il8 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nA few days after, Caliste was set free by the provost\\nmarshal.\\nCaliste, now an old man, is frequently seen passing\\nalong Burgundy street on his way to work. Since his\\nmiraculous escape, he has had, I am told, two boys\\nwhom, in commemoration of the event, in rei perpetnam\\ntnemoriam, as it were, he has christened Farragut\\nand Ben Butler. I will not vouch for the story, but\\nsi non i vero, e befi trovato.^\\nL,ater on, in the course of time, comes the recollection\\nof the dramatic incidents that attended the deaths of\\nPedro Abril and Vicente Bayona, two Spaniards, con-\\nvicted of the murder and robbery of a Malay cook. The\\ncrime was a horrid one, evincing premeditation and\\ncruelty. To secure the sum of forty dollars, they had\\nhacked their unoffending victim to pieces, and then\\nflung his ghastly body into the river. They never man-\\nifested the least sign of repentance for their dastardly\\ndeed, and received their sentence of death with a smile\\nof defiance. While in the condemned cell they were\\nvery insolent to visitors, particularly to those attracted\\nthither by curiosity, but toward their keepers they were\\ngenerally obedient and submissive.\\nThe Spanish Consul, aided by several Spanish mer-\\nchants, made every effort in their behalf, with a view of\\nsecuring a commutation of their sentence, but, owing to\\nthe temporary absence of Gov. Warmoth from the State,\\nlyieut. Gov. Dunn refused to interfere. His reply to\\nthe committee that waited upon him at his office in the\\nMechanics Institute was characteristic: Were I a\\nwhite man, I would consider myself free to act, but as I\\nam a negro, no end of abuse will be thrown upon me.\\nThe Governor has left the State, I believe, for St. Louis,\\nto throw this responsibility upon me. I will not assume", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0136.jp2"}, "137": {"fulltext": "Yhe; old parish prtsoM. li^\\nit. With this firm and decided answer, the committee\\ntook their leave.\\nOn the eve of their execution, I was requested b}- the\\nconsul to visit them and to convey them a message. I\\nfound them cheerful, and ready to die. They were\\nboth communicative, particularly Vicente Bayona, who\\nwas small in stature and very talkative. He was one of\\nthe most restless men I ever saw, constantly rolling\\ncigarette after cigarette, and puffing away at the fra-\\ngrant weed. Pedro Abril, on the other hand, was\\nphlegmatic and spoke to the purpose. It was evident\\nthat they both possessed undoubted courage, although\\nmanifested in different ways. They complained bitterly,\\nnot of the severity, but of the partial and corrupt ad-\\nministration of justice in New Orleans. Money, they\\nclaimed, was the lever which had overturned law and\\ndecency in our courts, for juries were mercenary insti-\\ntutions.\\nHad we had rich and influential friends, we would\\nnot be in the strait in which we find ourselves. Just\\nlook, said Ba3 ona, to that red-handed murderer\\nwho was acquitted some da3\\\\s ago, not because he was\\ninnocent, but because he was the officer of a bank, had\\nwealthy connections and bought the jury with ready\\ncash. And you call this American justice It is true\\nwe are poor, but to-morrow we shall show these accursed\\nAmericanos how Spaniards die. In this rambling,\\ndisconnected and nervous way did Bayona continue his\\nharangue, sandwiching each sentence with a whiff from\\nhis cigarette.\\nOn the following day they were led to the scaffold\\nwithin the flagged court-yard. The condemned cell, as\\nwell as the narrow gallery in its front, was crowded\\nwith oflficials, members of the press and a few privileged", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0137.jp2"}, "138": {"fulltext": "I20 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nvisitors, while the unfortunate actors in that day s\\ndrama were busily attending to the operation of the\\ntoilet. They were neatly attired in immaculate linen\\nand white pants. Stepping out of his dungeon, Bayona\\ngazed intently through the bars at the buzzing, laughing\\nand somewhat disorderly crowd in the yard below, and\\nhis eyes flashed with anger, and his lips curled with\\nscorn.\\nThe cowards, he cried out in Spanish, the low\\ncurs, they come to gloat over our blood, but we shall\\nshow them what we are, and, with a look of supreme\\ncontempt, he deliberately and repeatedly spat upon\\ntheir upturned faces. Abril went up to him with dig-\\nnity and began to expo.stulate, but his urgent admoni-\\ntions, qiicdate qiiieto (keep quiet) fell upon heedless\\nears. All the curses, English and Spanish, that he had\\never learned, and of these he seemed to possess an\\nabundant fund, he excitedly flung at their heads, in\\ntones that thundered through the echoing corridors.\\nWhen they were placed upon the fatal platform, their\\ndemeanor underwent no change. When Deputy Sheriff\\nJames Houston approached to bid them good-by,\\nAbril accepted the proffered hand, but Bayona angrily\\nrefused.\\nMe no she!: an wid you; you no fren Then\\nturning to a warden, Bofill, gibby me cigarillo.\\nGazing wildly at the immense multitude: Sanaba-\\nbiches, he yelled out, canallas de Americanos, cov^-\\nards, dogs, may God curse 3 OU as you deserve. In\\nthis .strain he continued, until the trap was sprung and\\nhis agony began. His last word was a blasphemy.\\nAbril, on the contrary, faced death with the cynicism of\\na Stoic. The holy priest, who stood by his side, found\\nhis heart steeled against every religious belief. No In-\\ndian, ever led to the blazing fagots, confronted fate", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0138.jp2"}, "139": {"fulltext": "THE OLD PARISH PRISON. 121\\nwith such a serene countenance. His only care seemed\\nto be directed to the restraining of the angry and undig-\\nnified behavior of his confederate in crime.\\nTheir remains, on the demand of responsible parties,\\nwere placed in neat coffins and conveyed, not to the\\nPotter s Field, but to Pepe Llulla s cemetery, where\\nthey were privately buried in the ground.\\nSuch was the termination of one of the most impres-\\nsive events ever recorded in the annals of the Parish\\nPrison.\\nSo many and varied are the reminiscences that occur\\nto my mind that I can not omit a reference to the\\nrecords of Bertin and Capdeville, those two daring and\\nexpert burglars who, for many years, had baffied the in-\\ngenuity of ou whole detective force and laughed all\\ntheir efforts to scorn. They were masters in their craft.\\nNo lock or safe, however secure, had ever resisted their\\nskill, and for daring, coolness and murderous courage,\\nthey were undoubtedly unsurpassed. Capdeville, hav-\\ning betrayed his partner, was permitted to go free and\\nwas subsequently killed in St. Louis. Bertin, after un-\\ndergoing imprisonment for many months in the Parish\\nPrison, was finally sent to the Penitentiary to expiate\\nhis numberless crimes. He is still there, I believe, un-\\nder a second sentence.\\nOne of th- boldest and best matured plans ever exe-\\ncuted by this essentially wicked man was the one\\nwhereby the store of Rochereau, the banker, was entered\\nin the night-time. The affair created a wide-spread\\nsensation. In that case, ex-Chief Justice Bermudez\\nappeared for the prosecution, as associate counsel with\\nthe writer. It was his maiden effort at the criminal bar,\\nand his pure diction, coupled with his varied and\\nthorough knowledge of the intricacies of law, deeply", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0139.jp2"}, "140": {"fulltext": "t2i NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nimpressed the court and contributed not a little to the\\nconviction of the culprits. The money, bonds and jew-\\nelry deposited in the coffers of the Rochereaus, who\\nwere the trustees for a large class of French non-resi-\\ndents, approximated in value, as far as my memory now\\nserves me, to nearly two hundred thousand dollars, and\\nwith the exception of a large number of bonds that were\\ndiscovered in the hands of a lawyer, as he was in the\\nvery act of assorting them and of passing upon their\\ncommercial value, the bulk of the treasure was never\\nrecovered. The lawyer was arrested as an accessory\\nafter the fact, but was subsequently released from cus-\\ntody. He had been a few years before a District\\nAttorney.\\nMy first recollection of Paul Bertin was at the time\\nwhen he was employed with the late Mr. Forget, the\\nsuccessor of Galpin, at his fashionable restaurant on\\nRoyal street, near Customhouse. He was the butler of\\nthe establishment, and was considered a good connois-\\nseur in wines. His address was genial, polite and pleas-\\nant, and no one would have then suspected that, under\\nsuch a gentle exterior, lurked the venom of a serpent\\nand the spirit of a demon.\\nThe first charge that brought him to the attention of\\nthe police was in connection with the robbery of a re-\\n.spectable old citizen, named Menendez, who kept a bar-\\nroom opposite the French Opera House. There was\\nabsolutely no direct evidence against him and, there-\\nfore, his previous good character served him in good\\nstead. The District Attorney refused to prosecute him,\\nbut Bertin, insisting on his legal right to an acquittal\\nby jur)^ trial, was persistent in his demand, and posed\\nas a martyr in the e} es of his friends, who really be-\\nlieved him innocent. After events showed that he was\\nundoubtedly guilty.", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0140.jp2"}, "141": {"fulltext": "The OtD PARISH PRISON. 1 23\\nA few months after this incident, Forget s establish-\\nment went into insolvency, and Bertin was appointed a\\nsheriff s keeper. As such, he lived and slept on the\\npremises. Adjoining, was the cigar store of Fernandez\\nVilla. On a Monday morning, these merchants,\\non repairing to their place of business, were astounded\\nby the discovery that their safe had been blown open\\nduring the night-time and rifled of its valuable contents,\\namounting to .several thousand dollars. An entrance\\nhad been effected through a hole cut in the partition\\nwall, sufficiently large to admit of a person s body. Ber-\\ntin was, of course, suspected of the crime, but, for want\\nof evidence, he was again released. Bertin subse-\\nquently confessed his guilt.\\nSome months later, another daring burglary was\\ncommitted at the corner of Elysian Fields, directly\\nopposite the head of the late Port Market. This time\\nit was a coffee house that he and his confederates had\\ninvaded. The proprietor was the banker of the princi-\\npal butchers, and always kept their money locked in a\\nrear room. It is affirmed that, while they were in the\\nact of operating upon the iron chest, a night watchman,\\nattracted by the noise, stopped before one of the doors\\nto listen. One of the pals began to betray some\\n.trepidation, whereupon Bertin, placing the muzzle of\\nhis revolver to the man s head, threatened him with\\ninstant death. The work done, they secured the plun-\\nder and made their escape without detection. Fortune\\nagain favored the criminal, who, as usual, succeeded in\\nfreeing himself from the meshes of the law and of the\\ndetectives.\\nSuch is the outline of one of the most dangerous out-\\nlaws that ever infested this city.\\nBefore proceeding further with this retrospect of the", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0141.jp2"}, "142": {"fulltext": "124 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nvarious episodes that have illustrated in the past the\\ncharacter of this celebrated penal institution, a few\\nwords in relation to its internal police and discipline\\nmay not be inappropriate.\\nAs soon as a criminal has received the sentence of\\ndeath, no liiatter whether a suspensive appeal has been\\ntaken or not, he is at once segregated from the body of\\nthe prisoners at large, and is immediately transferred to\\none of the condemned cells. Of these there are four\\nNos. I and 2, on the third galler}% and Nos. 3 and 4, on\\nthe second. All these overlook the spacious court-yard\\nbelow. These rooms, which so many never leave until\\nthe final death march to the gallows is ordered, measure\\nabout ten by twelve feet, the walls being covered with\\nrude drawings, inscriptions, expressive of the feelings\\nor bent of mind of the forlorn wretches who once\\ntenanted them. The prisoner is allowed no knife or\\nfork. His meat is previously cut up into small pieces\\nby an attendant. He must eat with a spoon only. He\\nis permitted no furniture save a mattress on the bare\\nfloor, a mosquito bar, a pillow and necessary bed\\nclothes. During the day his door is left open and, as\\nhe is permitted access to the gallery in front, he is en-\\nabled to take some exercise and to hold converse at\\ntimes with the prisoners in the yard. He partakes of\\nthe same fare furnished at the officers table. At sun-\\ndown he is locked up for the night.\\nAs soon as the Governor has signed and transmitted\\nthe death warrant, the prisoner is placed under stricter\\nsurveillance. The eye of his keeper never leaves him.\\nHe is frequently searched. Every object calculated to\\neffect self-destruction, either by poison, strangulation or\\nany other mode of violence, is removed. No visitor is\\nadmitted to his quarters, save in the presence of a trusted", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0142.jp2"}, "143": {"fulltext": "THE OLD PARISH PRISON. 1 25\\nwarden. Such is the discipline enforced under what is\\nknown as the death watch.\\nOn the eve of his execution the convict is attended\\nby the members of the society of St. Vincent de Paul,\\nby the Sisters of Mercy and by a priest or minister of\\nthe Gospel. In one of the apartments fronting Orleans\\n.street, formerly known as the department for fraudu-\\nlent debtors, is to be found the Chapel, where a\\ntemporary altar has been erected, and it is within that\\nimprovised temple of God that he spends his last night\\non earth in meditation, prayer and even sleep. All his\\nproper wants are gratified. Dr. Deschamps, it is said,\\nis the only prisoner who ever refused to enter the por-\\ntals of that curious little place of prayer, or to converse\\nwith the holy sisters, or to accept the least ministrations\\nof religion. He was an unbeliever to the last. As he\\nwas being led to the fatal platform, he reconsidered,\\nhowever, his previous determination, and held, in cell\\nNo. 8, a protracted interview with the Nuns; but this\\naction, it is uncharitably asserted, was due solely to his\\ndesire to prolong life, in the hope that some unexpected\\ncontingency might come to his relief.\\nAfter leaving the chapel in the morning, and receiv-\\ning the sacraments or rites of his own church, the\\nprisoner is again led back to his cell, where, after par-\\ntaking of breakfast, he proceeds to his toilet. This is a\\nceremony which consumes a little time. A number of\\npersons, usually friends and members of the press, gather\\naround him and receive his last words. He is always\\nfurnished with new and decent clothes. When the\\ntime has arrived, he is conducted toward the gallows,\\nthrough the gallery leading in the direction of St. Ann\\nstreet, and is halted at the above referred cell, No. 8, by\\nthe hangman, who there takes him in charge. His\\narms are pinioned. The death-warrant is then read tQ", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0143.jp2"}, "144": {"fulltext": "126 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nhim by the Sheriff, who shakes his hand and bids him\\nGod speed. The distance from that end of the gal-\\nlery to the gallows is about three feet, and over the\\nchasm a gangway is thrown, and, as soon as the crimi-\\nnal reaches this temporary stage, the rope is placed\\naround his neck. This is done to prevent any attempt tc\\nhurl himself into space. Stepping on the platform, which\\nis suspended in mid-air by means of ropes connected\\nwith the hangman s room, the prisoner is led to a seat,\\nhis feet are tightly bound, the noose carefully adjusted\\nand the cap drawn over his face. Immediately the exe-\\ncutioner hastens back to his room, in the rear. A\\nshort, sharp click is heard the work of the axe that has\\nsevered the cords the platform gives way under its own\\nweight, a dull thud appals the heart of the spectator,\\nand a quivering body is seen dangling in the air, writh-\\ning and drawing itself up in the midst of the most sicken-\\ning contortions. Society is avenged, and the hangman\\nhas done his work well. Twenty minutes afterward\\nthe body is partially lowered to permit the physician s\\nexamination. The pulsations of the heart are stilled.\\nThe body is placed upon the ground. The crowd dis-\\nperses. An autopsy is held. The bloody, mangled\\ncarcass is thrust into a cypress coffin. The Potter s\\nField receives it, and thus closes the last act of the terri-\\nble tragedy.\\nThe post or stanchion to which the ropes of the\\ntrap, as the gallows is technically called, are at-\\ntached, bears traces of twenty three indentations, this\\nl)eing the number of human sacrifices offered to the\\nmajesty of the law. Putty and paint have obliterated\\nthose that had previously existed.\\nThe hangman, disguised under the folds of a black\\ndomino and a hideous mask, is a loathing object to look\\nat, Unlike Monsieur Deibler, the executioner of France,", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0144.jp2"}, "145": {"fulltext": "THE OLD PARISH PRISON. 1 27\\nwho always on such occasions makes his appearance in\\npublic in kid gloves and a costume de rigueur, the\\nuncouth form of our hangman lends such a character of\\ngrotesqueness to these dramatic scenes as to bewilder\\nthe reason of an onlooker. In former years there was\\nno ofhcial bourrcau. Sheriffs were frequently non-\\nplussed in the performance of this revolting duty, and\\nwere at times compelled to solicit the pardon of such\\nminor criminals as were willing, for that consideration,\\nto undertake the job. Hence, the operation was often\\nperformed in a bungling manner. But now, nous avons\\nchaiige tout cela. We now have a semi-ofhcial one.\\nHis name, though known to me, it is needless to give.\\nHe was once connected with the commissary depart-\\nment of the Parish Prison, under the administration of\\nex-Police Commissioner Thomas Agnew one, by the\\nway, of the most honest, progressive and laborious offi-\\ncers the city ever possessed and, since 1889, when\\nTaylor the name escapes me undertook the task of\\nhanging a negro in the town of Plaquemine, he has\\nadhered to the profession. His operations are not\\nonly confined to the city, but extend throughout the\\nState. I am credibly informed that he has already\\nexecuted more than twenty of the law s proscribed.\\nThe trap is carefully laid aside in cell No. 8, in\\nthe negroes quarters, until brought out again for ser-\\nvice. It was borrowed from the prison in 1862 by the\\nmilitary authorities, and served to hurl into eternity the\\nunfortunate Mumford from the portico of the United\\nStates Mint.\\nWith these preliminary remarks, I proceed with my\\nnarrative.\\nThe case of Dr. Dhschamps is still fresh in the\\njninds of our people. His crimes, his lame defence, his", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0145.jp2"}, "146": {"fulltext": "128 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nwayward conduct under prison discipline, his bungling\\nattempts at suicide, his terrible atonement upon the gal-\\nlows, and the mysterious disappearance of the judge\\nwho tried him, have invested this remarkable case with\\na degree of interest and mystery that reflects sombre\\nhues upon the walls of his dreary dungeon.\\nTo thoroughly understand this memorable case, the\\nprevious history of the man, as well as his peculiar idio-\\nsyncrasies, should have been conscientiously studied. In\\ndoing so, the question would have occurred Was he a\\ncriminal, or was he insane? I unhesitatingly believe\\nthat he was both. His nature was essentially depraved.\\nHis instincts were bestial. Though his reasoning facul-\\nties were no doubt defective, he certainly deserved the\\ndegrading punishment which he underwent, for offenses\\nother than that of which he was found guilty. But he\\nwas a victim of prejudice. That his conviction on the\\ncharge of murder was a judicial error, a blot upon the\\nadministration of criminal justice, a fatal mistake, is an\\nopinion to which I have firmly clung, and my reasons\\ntherefore are very clear. Here are a few facts that\\nspeak for themselves.\\nDeschamps, many years ago, after practicing some\\ntime in this city, became an itinerant dentist, traveling\\nparticularly in the parishes of lyafourche and Terre-\\nbonne. He was far from being an educated man.\\nApart from some aptness and skill in the mechanical\\nbranch of his profession and a general dabbling in the\\nprinciples of animal magnetism, in the mysteries of\\nwhich he claimed to l)e a firm believer, his knowledge\\nof chemistry and medicine was limited and insignificant\\nIn one of his rambles upon the islets and ke^ s that in-\\ntersect the gulf waters in those regions, once the habita-\\ntions and hiding places of Lafitte s buccaneering fol-\\nlowers, it happened that some old coins and trinkets", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0146.jp2"}, "147": {"fulltext": "THE OLD PARISH PRISON. 1 29\\nwere discovered, deeply buried iu the sand. This\\nfind was sufficient to excite his cupidity and thirst\\nfor gold, and from that moment he became a monoma-\\nniac. He had no confidence in divining rods, but, in the\\nscience of clairvoyance or hypnotism, he believed he\\nhad discovered a solution to the problem of exhuming,\\nlike a second Monte Christo, the hidden treasures of the\\nBaratarians. To attain this end, he imagined that all\\nthat was required was the instrumentality of a fully\\ndeveloped subject, a slave to his will and mesmeric\\ncontrol.\\nFilled with this idea, he returned to New Orleans and\\nbecame accidentally acquainted with his beautiful vic-\\ntim. To her father he communicated his plans, who,\\nled captive by the seductive arguments of the fanatic,\\nintrusted his elder daughter to his almost parental au-\\nthority, unsuspicious of any danger to his child s honor\\nor personal safety. Under the training of the scoundrel\\nthe poor girl was frequently put to sleep, and, while in\\nan unconscious state, would, it is said, obey his every\\nbidding Here, I must draw the curtain, for the\\npost mortem examination of her body disclosed infamies\\nat which the heart rebels, and which alone would have\\nwarranted a sentence of death under our criminal\\nstatutes.\\nBut it is a fact that she died from an undue adminis-\\ntration of chloroform, and from no other cause. She\\nwas given the subtle fluid in the presence of her\\nyounger sister. This circumstance alone tends to show\\nthere was no premeditation, no attempt at concealment\\nin the commission of the act. The charge, therefore,\\nshould have been, under these circumstances, no other\\nthan that of manslaughter. Whoever reads the sworn\\nstatement of the sister, as recorded in her examination\\nat the Coroner s inquest, with an unprejudiced eye, will", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0147.jp2"}, "148": {"fulltext": "tmivo ;\u00c2\u00bbt Uvis ovmu lusivM\\\\. Iv i I soo Uuicn\u00c2\u00bb iclatovl tho\\nturthor tact th;U as svvm as tho HwIvm ixwh. ovl that tho\\nohiUl had s\\\\KV\u00c2\u00abn\\\\hovl tv^ tho iuthionoo vM tho vliu^^, ho\\nthiWY hintsoU in dospaii vipott his kttoos attvl oxohtimoil\\nJA v /V.v\u00c2\u00ab .lA^ f /VV:. (h,\\\\ii fV fUif. {My t^ovl\\nMv (.u^r What havo I douo,- Thou intutovliatolv tol\\nhnvs his vK nMo attompt at snioivlo. This patt ot tho\\novivloucf tho v tily vlitoot ovivlovioo. hv tho \\\\va\\\\ avl\\ntluocvl it haiivUovl w itii vloxtoutv. wvniUl ha\\\\o pun od a\\noottiploto bar tv tho avvusatioii v t wiltul and ilohhoialo\\nutiuvlor. Hut tho ploa v^t insanity was iiitotjootod, or.\\nt^Uhor, was mado tho solo basis vW liis dotonso. auvl. ot\\nvH in o. was ptvpoily disoiovUtovl. as his \\\\\\\\\\\\d was \\\\\\\\o\\\\ sv\\nilisoasovl as to iuoapaoitatohitu tivuw vlistiMv;uishi\u00c2\u00bb\\\\ nv;ht\\ntn m wvvnij;, Itiastimoh as tho unauthvMi.ovl avhnmistia\\nliouol vhugs is tnailo pvittisliahlo l\\\\v tho OiMuinoii as woll\\nas tho stattitvMy law. .uul its tat.U rosuUs hooomo a hi);h\\nIv ponal otYcnso. I o.ui nvn ov nooivo wh,\\\\t othot xotdu^t\\novHiUl havo hoctt rondotx\\\\l, oxoopt vmio ol t\u00c2\u00bbia\\\\\u00c2\u00bbslau);l\u00c2\u00bbioi.\\nMoi\\\\s vov, a poi \\\\Mi whv\\\\so intont is to nun dot .mot hoi\\nwill not likely uso an .m.oslhotio. whon tho ph.nni.i-\\nco]Hvia Inrnishos snoh a varioty ot vlo.idh pv^isv ns.\\nlUit tho vpiostion itiay hoaskod. what was thoohUiu\\ntonu used tor? Tho .uiswot is not a ditVionlt ono.\\nSpooialists who havo troatovl thosnhjoot ol hvpnousm,\\nand sonvo ot thoin aro mon ot tho hi,v;host orndition ho\\\\\\\\\\\\\\nin C^orniany ativl h ranoo. uwMiunond in thoit wotks tlio\\nnso ot this danv;oi\\\\nis tlnid as an aivl tv tho dovolop-\\nniont ot latoTit mai^tiotio toroos. Its .union, thoy assort,\\nhastons tho prodnotion ot tho ti.moo stalo. anvl pot tools\\ntho oondttion ot tho snhjoot. r\u00c2\u00bbo this as it ni.iv (tor\\nI candidly oonto.ss itiy ij^nvn.tnoo ot tho piinoiplos oi\\nthis wiMidortnl ntystot V v^t ttatnroV tho thooty is tuvno\\nthatt ptohahlo that Posohatitps. in hisattompts lo oxp.tnd\\niho porcoptivc and oooiilt taciiltios ot his oontidini;", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0148.jp2"}, "149": {"fulltext": "HI. il.h I Ai CH i-i I 13^\\npiij/il, with tli vifw o( rlH rnnJiiing ihr )\\\\i ^h her aid\\nth i-x:ii I lo ;ilili H wh -n-iji hty oonrc-alcl tinO^M richcH,\\nwa*^ nier\u00c2\u00ab-ly hiif iiiihkiHiilly pnUiiix int/ i/raciict: what\\nh lj;i l b -ii Mif liijj III sold Wookh-\\nSiK h hah always Ix.- -n my h -li rf about this celebrated\\naffair, whi h i^uvc rine to ho much comni tut, and ho lit\\ntie Hcientific dlHcuHhion,\\nI)\u00c2\u00ab M hamph was one of the most dlHagreeabie j^riviuern\\nHint th\u00c2\u00ab- i ;iri-,h l riv n ever held, ile wan of a moroHC,\\nIftiiil ;.ij l li t;.ioM;il djK|)OHition, Nothiii} pleased\\n)iim. Jf found finilt with everybody\u00e2\u0080\u0094 with hih -ounhel,\\nhis keejj\u00c2\u00ab-rs, 1h\u00c2\u00ab- m -ml^ers of the press, and eveti with\\nth.- fr \\\\v fii ii l v.li were atteniptiuK i ansiht him in\\nIlls liours of lti;il. Jf\u00c2\u00ab- grumbled at his fare, growled at\\nthe stri tn -ss of Hm- watrh kept over him, ajid juarreled\\nwith hi-, U-Wuw |,riv;nerH, aH, with shuffling and unsteady\\ngait, he p:ir\u00c2\u00ab-d tli\u00c2\u00ab- narrow limits of his //.lUcry.\\nSikIi is the f r)(i( iirn-nt testimony of the offi ials then\\n111 h;it; of til.- iir.titiiti iii, ;ui l I have every reason to\\nb liev tliat, wli -ii he was finally htirled into eternity,\\nth\u00c2\u00ab-y f ^nnd tli -niselves relieved of a terrible incubus.\\nIn :i l iitioii io t.lic cxeculioiih and att -mpts at suicide,\\nhr,iii Mic-zJul, that once occurred within those\\n;iii I ll! w;tll oil singular homi ride took j^lace then-in,\\nallct an interv.il of forty years, as far as I can remem-\\nber, I refer to the killing of f /r-orge D-no, oim- of the\\nkeepers, by another ke.prr. Hisde;ith isaiKAher of the\\nmysteries A the )iri,oii. lliis haj^pened a few years\\nago, A jiiarrel, a Mufflcf, a shot, a victim, a ple-a of\\nself defense\u00e2\u0080\u0094 this is about all that the jjiiblir: in general\\nwere ;iJlowed to leiini. I oor Deno with all his faults\\nIk- ;i better f;ite.\\nI pa\u00c2\u00bbH over the a:-,es A I olydore, of J oid, of J.iudsay", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0149.jp2"}, "150": {"fulltext": "132 NKW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nand of so many others, which present highly dramatic\\nfeatures, but the narrow limits of a chapter necessarily\\nconfine me to mere outlines. But I can not pretermit\\nthe opportunity of incidentally reverting to the massacre\\nof the Italians, now a world-wide known occurrence.\\nWe are all familiar with the history of the Sicilian\\nVespers, and, in this instance, it was a repetition of\\nthe same scenes, except on a more limited scale. Hence,\\nthe uprising of the people on that eventful morning may\\nnot inaptly be styled the Sicilian Matins.\\nThis was the first time when a mob ever succeeded in\\nforcing an entrance into the recesses of the prison. An\\nattempt had been once made, many years ago, at the\\ntime when young Reynolds committed suicide within\\nits walls, and the firm and courageous attitude of\\nHolland, the sheriff, backed by a handful of determined\\nenemies, overcame the belligerent multitude and quelled\\nthe disturbance.\\nAs is well known, ingress had been obtained through\\nthe battered door of the Captain s room, fronting on the\\nTreme street side. A few seconds after the occurrence,\\nI was permitted to enter and visit the scene. Its ghast-\\nliness is indescribable. The victims were stretched out\\nin various positions, terror being the invariable expres-\\nsion depicted upon their features. Proceeding up stairs,\\nI saw one of the victims lying on the floor, with what\\nseemed to me like an Indian war club firml} grasped in\\nhis hand. It was the formidable weapon with which\\nhe had, but a few moments before, attempted to batter\\ndown the fastenings of a door. A few paces from him,\\nwas another sufferer gasping in the agonies of death.\\nHe was utterly unconscious.\\nThe history of the Parish Prison would be incomplete\\nwithout any reference to the annex, formerly known as", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0150.jp2"}, "151": {"fulltext": "THE OLD PARISH PRISON. 133\\nthe Negro Police Jail and Insane Asylum. The\\nformer, situated at the corner of Marais and Orleans\\nstreets, was used principally for the detention and\\npunishment of slaves, under the regulations provided\\nby the Black Code. Flogging at the whipping-post,\\nwearing an iron collar and dragging a ponderous ball\\nand chain, while at work upon the public streets such\\nwere the usual modes of castigatiou employed.\\nLunatics were lodged in the apartments of the second\\nstory, and the unfortunates were huddled together in\\nmost uncomfortable quarters. They were, for a number\\nof 3 ears, under the skilful treatment of Dr. Delerj a\\nmuch regretted physician, who had made a special\\nstudy of the subject of insanity. But the condition of\\nthese outcasts was a sad commentary upon the nig-\\ngardly conduct of our city government, and furnished\\nmatter for severe diatribes at the hands of the editorial\\nfraternit}^ In fact, if my memory does not deceive me,\\none of the correspondents of the London Times pub-\\nlished in that journal, about the beginning of the Civil\\nWar, one of the most damning and terrible arraignments\\never penned against New Orleans, for its neglect to im-\\nprove the hygienic necessities required by this unhappj^\\nand irresponsible class of people.\\nI here close my narrative of the history, the traditions\\nand principal events connected with the venerable edi-\\nfice on Orleans street, which is about to be converted\\ninto a plant for a new system of city drainage. But as\\nlong as its weather-beaten walls stand in their massive\\ngrimness, and its grated windows continue to frown\\nupon the surrounding world, so long will the memories\\nthat cluster around them live in the recollections of\\nye old inhabitants.", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0151.jp2"}, "152": {"fulltext": "CHAPTER VIII.\\nNEW ORLEANS UNDER DENI5 PRIEUR.\\nIn the earh^ part of 1828, Mr. Roffignac, being about\\nto undertake a voyage to Europe, concluded to vacate\\nthe office of Mayor, which for eight long years he had\\nhonorably filled. He accordingly forwarded his resigna-\\ntion to the Council, which was accepted with regret.\\nAn election was thereupon ordered, and the 7th day of\\nApril selected for the same.\\nParties at that time were nearly balanced. The mem-\\nbers of the Press, forgetful of those amenities due to\\ntheir profession were unstinted in their denunciations of\\none another, the Jackson partisans being championed\\nby the redoubtable Peter K. Wagner, on the one hand,\\nand the Adams Administration faction bj^ the equally\\nhot-headed John Gibson of the Argus. These two\\nwere in every respect representative men of party fury,\\nand were, in some measure, imitated by writers of lesser\\nnote. As these people were always armed and prepared\\nfor trouble, the wonder is that personal rencounters were\\nnot of more frequent occurrence. Their vocabulary\\nteemed with such expressions as rogue, coward,\\nscribbler, turncoat, and liar, for it seemed\\nas if no other epithets or forms of speech were so ap-\\npropriate for provocation or insult.\\n134", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0152.jp2"}, "153": {"fulltext": "NEW ORLEANS UNDER DENIS PRIEUR. 1 35\\nIt was in this condition of the public mind that the\\nname of Denis Prieur, who, during the outgoing admin-\\nistration had creditably performed the duties of Cit}\\nRecorder, an office second in dignity only to that of\\nMayor, was brought out by the Jacksonites as their\\nstandard-bearer.\\nFrom this election, it may be said, dates the organiza-\\ntion of the Democratic party, under that political ap-\\npellation, in the State of lyouisiana.\\nMr. Prieur was a man of chivalrous instincts a noble\\ntype of his race. Popular with all classes of society,\\nbrave to a fault, charitable to the needy, and accessible\\nto all, it is no wonder he became a formidable candi.\\ndate.\\nHis competitor in the race was another honored\\nCreole, A. Peychaud, whose lineal descendants are yet\\nliving among us. But, unfortunately for his chances of\\nsuccess, his claims happened to be urged by a small\\ncoterie of Adam s men a ring, we call them now\\nof whom the members of the party were tiring. Hence,\\nmany people were found kicking in the traces, and\\nrefusing their support. Political conventions and reg-\\nular nominations were unknown quantities in the .sci-\\nence of electioneering. The usual practice was for every\\nman looking for a local office to make the race upon his\\nown individual merits, and partisan feeling was often\\nlaid aside in the general scramble. Hence, the one who\\nhad most friends was invariably the winner, and became,\\nin fact, the choice of the community.\\nAs was generally expected, the poll resulted in favor\\nof Prieur, but not without a respectable opposition, the\\nvote standing 888 for Prieur and 531 for Peychaud.\\nThe Jackson partisans made a great ado over this victory,\\nclaiming it as a crushing defeat to the administration\\nforces, which was not really the case. The gladsome", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0153.jp2"}, "154": {"fulltext": "136 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nnews was heralded by them throughout the North and\\nWest, as the precursor of assured success in the ap-\\nproaching campaign, for the country was again being\\nconvulsed in the throes of a new Presidential election.\\nUpon the very threshold of his administration, a dif-\\nficulty arose in the City Council, which came very near-\\nly stopping the machinery of the municipal government.\\nIt seems that, among the members elected, Mr. William\\nHarper, duly returned to represent the 6th Ward, offer-\\ned himself in the Council Chamber to take his seat as\\none of the Aldermen. The recognition of this claim\\nwas at once opposed by some members on the ground that,\\ninasmuch as Mr. Harper was holding an office under the\\nFederal administration, his case came within the pur-\\nview of the clause of the State Constitution forbidding\\nany person from holding more than one office of profit\\nor trust at the same time. The objection being sustain-\\ned, Mr. Harper was denied his seat. This was the first\\nskirmish between the Jacksonites and the Administration\\npeople in the Council.\\nThe discomfited Federalist determined to apply to\\nthe law for redress, and, with that object in view,\\napplied for a writ of mandamus against the Mayor and\\nCouncil, in Judge lyewis court, which, after argument,\\nwas duly granted. The judgment authorized the rela-\\ntor to assume his seat as Alderman of said ward, and\\nrequired the Council to recognize him in that official\\ncharacter.\\nBut the Council were not to be balked in their settled\\npurpo.se. Assuming the ground that the court was\\ndivested of all jurisdiction, inasmuch as the Council\\nwere made by law the exclusive judges of the qualifica-\\ntions of their own members, they locked horns with\\nthe civil tribunal, and refused obedience.", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0154.jp2"}, "155": {"fulltext": "NSW ORI^EANS UNDER DENIS PRIEUR. I37\\nThe judge met this act of insubordination by ordering\\nthe sheriff to sequester the revenues of the corporation.\\nAs might have been expected, this judicial action\\nbrought matters to a crisis, and on the ist of May, 1828,\\nthe outlook assumed a menacing aspect. The difficulty\\nwas one which admitted of no delay. Hence, an appeal\\nwas forthwith taken to the Supreme Court, which three\\nweeks afterward, opined in favor of the city. It held\\nthat the law, giving to city courts the right of deciding\\non the eligibility of members, was unconstitutional that\\nthe article of the Code of Practice interdicting courts of\\njustice from passing upon the validity of elections was\\nunconstitutional; that the sheriff was bound to inquire\\ninto the legality of an order of court addressed to him,\\nand was responsible for the execution of illegal orders\\nthat the mandamns, ordering the City Council to admit\\nMr. Harper to his seat, as well as the writ of distringas,\\nwere both ultra vires, and, finally, that the sheriff was\\nguilty of trespass in executing the latter writ.\\nThus, under the cover of legal authority, did the\\nJacksonites succeed in ridding themselves of one of\\ntheir most obnoxious opponents\\nAnother unexpected difhculty presented itself. In\\nthe hurry and confusion incident to the great fire, which\\nhad completely consumed the State House, toward the\\nclose of Roffignac s administration, the Legislature and\\nGovernor were guilty of a most extraordinary oversight,\\nthe former in passing and the latter in appioving a law\\nentitled An Act further amending several articles of\\nthe Civil Code and Code of Practice. By the 25th\\nsection of that enactment, the whole State was thrown\\ninto confusion, inasmuch as it repealed all acts anterior\\nto the promulgation of the New Civil Code. Conse-\\nquently, the charters of every gorporation wer? an-", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0155.jp2"}, "156": {"fulltext": "138 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nnulled, our courts of justice became inoperative, and no\\nother laws remained in force, except such as were con-\\ntained in the New Civil Code, the Code of Practice and\\nthe statutes enacted since 1824. The evil was, how-\\never, remedied, by a now convocation of the General\\nAssembly.\\nA few months before the induction of Prieur into\\noffice, a disastrous fire had occurred at the corner of\\nToulouse and Levee streets, destroying, among other\\nbuildings of value, the State House la Mai son du Goiiv-\\ncrncmcut with many of its historical contents. There\\nis no doubt that, at that period, the city was infested by\\na band of organized incendiaries, and the origin of this\\nconflagration was naturally attributed to them, for,\\nthree days alter llie event, some citizens arrested two oi\\nthem in the act of applying the torch to several build-\\nings in the faubourgs back of town. Lynching was an\\nunknown factor in those days. Labor in the streets,\\nwith ball and chain exposure at the pillor3 on the pub-\\nlic sqtiare the lash applied on the bare back these\\nwere the usual pttnitive measttres.\\nIn the earlj days of his administration, the demon of\\ncrime seems to have been set loose upon the thorotighly\\naffrighted community. Notwithstanding the vigilance\\nof the city guard, incendiarism continued to brandish\\nits hellish torch, and robberies of a daring character be-\\ncame almost nightly occurrences.\\nTo check these growing evils, the Council adopted a\\nresolution requiring the Mayor to organize regtilar pa-\\ntrols for each and every square, thus superseding the\\nnecessity of maintaining a force of armed men, who had\\nlong been in the habit of stopping and even insulting-\\nbelated and respectable citizens without the shadow of\\nany excuse.\\nThe fire department, if the system which then existed", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0156.jp2"}, "157": {"fulltext": "NEW ORLEANS UNDER DENIS PRIEUR. 139\\ncan be dignified by such a name, was somewhat im-\\nproved by the restrictions thrown around the personnel\\nof the company of colored firemen, to whom the cor-\\nporation, in its prodigality, had awarded the sum of\\nthree hundred dollars for meritorious services rendered\\nat the State House fire. vSome of them were, no doubt,\\nhonest and deserving, but many, and, perhaps, the\\ngreater number, were perfectly worthless. It was not\\nan uncommon occurrence to see them, during and after\\nfires, stretched about the streets, dead drunk.\\nThe following items, selected at random from a large\\nnumber of others in the local periodicals of the day, are\\nillustrative of the spirit of lawlessness then rampant in\\nour poorly guarded city.\\nRobberies. The lock of the Postofiice door, on\\nBienville street, was forced open on vSaturday night\\n(May 19, 1828) and the Postoffice entered and robbed\\nby thieves, who carried off one letter containing some\\nfifty or sixty dollars, visited another, and took some\\nsmall change from the front compartment, leaving ten\\nor fifteen dollars in the back of the drawer. A sack\\ncontaining empty mail bags was opened, l)ut nothing\\nelse in the olTice appeared to have been touched. The\\nthieves very kindly left an axe behind in pay for what\\nthey took.\\nAnd again\\nThe office of the Register of Conveyances was\\nbroken open on vSaturday night and robbed of a small\\namount of money, the papers thrown about the ofiice,\\nand some of them probably carried off. The same night,\\none or two stores were broken open and robbed, and at-\\ntempts made to get into others. As it was a cool, pleas-\\nant night, and but few mosquitoes buzzing about, it i55", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0157.jp2"}, "158": {"fulltext": "I40 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nprobable our city guard, so long oppressed with the suf-\\nfocating heat of July, had seized upon the agreeable\\nchange of the atmosphere to take a comforiable nap.\\nAnd again\\nRobbery. On Tuesday night last (April 24, 1828)\\nthe store of Messrs. Robinson Booth, on Chartres\\nstreet, was broken open, and a large quantity of valua-\\nble goods stolen. The villains, with the greatest impu-\\ndence, made their entry in the rear, boring a hole\\nthrough it sufficiently large to admit an arm and undo the\\nfastenings. George Buchanan and Louis Goodly were\\narrested. They were apprehended on a flatboat lying\\nin the river. A large part of the goods stolen was re-\\ncovered. In their possession, about fifty keys of all\\nsorts and sizes were found, a fine steel saw, and a num-\\nber of arms of all descriptions. George Buchanan is\\nsupposed to be the man who lately robbed the Mobile\\nBank. Louis Goodly has turned State s evidence, and\\ngiven away other accomplices.\\nAnd so on, ad infinitum, were I disposed to chronicle\\nevery instance of daily recurring crime. When we take\\ninto consideration the fact that the whole population of\\nNew Orleans did not greatly exceed 40,000 inhabitants,\\nincluding slaves and colored denizens, and that the\\nmercantile portion of the community was mainly con-\\nfined to the space embraced from the river to Bourbon,\\nand from Customhouse street to St. Philip, it becomes\\nself-evident that the proportion of criminal offences was\\nabnormal. This sad condition of society was mainly\\ndue to the same causes that had given Rofiignac s ad-\\nministration so much reason for discontent and tribula\\ntion. These were licensed gambling, and its concomi-\\ntant horde of villainous black-legs from every part of\\nthe country. Prieur s predecessor, notwithstanding", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0158.jp2"}, "159": {"fulltext": "NEW ORI.BANS UNDER DENIS PRIEUR. I4I\\nhonest and energetic efforts, had failed completely to\\ncauterize the ulcerous sore, and as long as the gaming\\nevil was tolerated nay, legalized by State authority\\nmeasures more coercive than those within his reach\\nwere alone adequate to ward off the impending menace\\nto society. To this end the Mayor devoted his energies\\nwith varying success, during the whole term of his\\noffice.\\nIn 1828, Gen, Jackson, then a candidate for the\\nPresidency, was formally invited by the General As-\\nsembly to visit New Orleans as the guest of Ivouisiana.\\nIn the resolutions adopted by that body, all reference or\\nallusion to political issues was carefully avoided, but\\nterms of gratitude for his noble defence of the country,\\non the banks of Counselor and ex-Alderman Rodriguez\\nold canal, were kindly expressed. This course had been\\nadopted in imitation of similar action taken by other\\nStates, and was merely intended as a compliment, with-\\nout political significance or other ulterior design. But\\ndifferent was the construction placed upon the matter\\nby the hot-headed partisans of President Adams. They\\nhad serious misgivings as to the ultimate object. They\\nlooked askance at the Trojan horse. They determined,\\ntherefore, to act on the defensive and with proper\\nreserve.\\nJackson had accepted the invitation, and in due course\\nof time reached the city. He was received by the State\\nand municipal authorities with flattering ceremonies.\\nHe was feted, wined and banqueted, as is usual on such\\noccasions. He was paraded through the streets in a car-\\nriage of State, drawn by six milk-white steeds, and ac-\\nclaimed with loud huzzas by the gaping multitudes.\\nBut hardly had these official manifestations of honor.", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0159.jp2"}, "160": {"fulltext": "142 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nwhich lasted several days, ended, than the leading\\npoliticians of the Democratic party the lyivingstons,\\nthe Marignys, the Wagners, the Davezacs, and a hosto*\\nadmiring friends, took hold of the unsuspecting General,\\nand began to hold levees and receptions at their private\\nresidences, calculated to arouse the ire and jealousy o)\\ntheir opponents. This circumstance proved regrettable\\nin every respect for the old hero, who had consented tc\\nthe visit in the expectation only of reviving forgotten\\nmemories, and of quietly enjoying his corn-cob pipe in\\nthe company of old-time acquaintances, suddenly found\\nhimself in an unenviable predicament. He became the\\ntarget of abuse and slander at the hands of the Opposi-\\ntion press, particularly of the ArgJis, which began the\\npublication of a serial biography of the General s public\\ndiuA private life, so exaggerated and infamous that the\\nwrathy Tennesseean swore by the Eternal that he would\\nshake from his feet the dust of a city where, expecting\\nto be treated as a guest, he had found insult, ingratitude\\nand inhospitality.\\nHis departure did not seem to have appeased the vin-\\ndictive Federalists, for when the bill of expenses was\\npresented for payment, it found strong opposition in the\\nLegislature, and was only finally settled after much\\nhaggling and curtailing. To such extremes was party\\nspirit then carried\\nFrom these reminiscences I shall proceed to describe\\nthe city, as it then existed.\\nThe town proper was a parallelogram, about seventy-\\neight arpents in front and fourteen in depth. This is\\nto-day the dimension of a moderate sugar plantation.\\nUnder the regime of Baron Carondelet, and during the\\nearly part of Governor Claiborne s administration, it", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0160.jp2"}, "161": {"fulltext": "NEW ORI.EANS UNDER DENIS PRIEUR. I43\\nhad been defended from outside attack by a line of\\nfortifications and a ditch, the vestiges of which were yet\\nvisible many years thereafter. The works had been\\ndismantled, and the ditches, which had become nur-\\nseries of disease, had been filled in at the time that\\nDenis Prieur assumed the reins of municipal govern-\\nment. In the centre, and directly fronting the river,\\nwas a public park, or, more properly speaking, a Place\\nd Armes, surrounded by an iron railing erected on a\\ngranite coping. The enclosure originally consisted of a\\nfancy wooden fence, the gates being flanked by imita-\\ntions of cannon, cut out or carved from the same ma-\\nterial. JThis was the Jackson Square of to-day. A\\ntriple row of sycamores encircled the grounds, and the\\nweeds were allowed to grow rank and tall, except where\\nwide swaths had been cut by pedestrians on their way\\nto the markets, the church or the public buildings. Im-\\nmediately in the rear, occupying the whole space from\\nSt. Peter to St. Ann, stood the City Hall the Cabildo\\nof the Spaniards the Court House, once the habitation\\nof jolly old monks, and the Cathedral. The two first\\nstructures retain their original appearance, but the\\nCathedral, the gift of Almonester, was of Gothic archi-\\ntecture. Sixty years after its construction, it was dis-\\ncovered that, notwithstanding the solidity with which\\nthe edifice had been originally put up, the walls were\\nbecoming insecure it was supposed from the shocks\\nof frequent artillery discharges in its vicinity. Large\\nfissures had made their appearance on the front and\\nsides, and, in consequence, the upper portion was torn\\ndown, and a new design was suggested by Louis Pilie,\\na city surveyor, and adopted by the wardens. It is a\\nfact worthy of note, and known only to a few, that in\\nthe work of excavation which these repairs required, the", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0161.jp2"}, "162": {"fulltext": "144 NRW ORI.RANS AS IT WAS.\\ninastMis were ecMiipelled to tlisiiiter tlie leiuains ot [\\\\\\\\c\\npriests interred at the toot ot the altar ot St. iManeis,\\nwhenee they were earrieil in wheelbarrows to the eart\\ndestined to eonvex thetn to the eenielery. Anii ii_i; these\\nrelics are the bones ot the sainted friar, Pere Antoine,\\nnow resting in the Triests Tomb, oii Basin street.\\nTlu\u00c2\u00bbse, therefore, and tliere are thonsanils, who repair to\\nthe Cathedral, and kneel at his snppo.sed erxpt in prayer\\nand repentance, are victims of a deceit, which has hccw\\nkept .secret ami for whicli there is no excuse.\\nThe fa(ndt- of the .square that toward i\\\\xc river was\\nperfectly open, there being no railroads in tho.se times to\\nobstruct the view or bree/es from the Mi.ssissippi with\\ntheir unsightly freight depots. Ivach oi the lateral\\nstreets, St. Peter on the upper and St. Ann on the lower\\nsid s, was covered by a block of buildings, built ot\\nbricks between posts, uniform in size and construction,\\ntwo stories in height, with small projecting balci nies.\\nThese buildings were used as stores, the tamilies of the\\noccupants usually living up stairs. They were in a\\ngreat measure used for the sale of tropical fruits, the\\ntrade being mostly controlled by hardy .Xustiians and\\nSelavonians a thrifty and peaceable race. At the cor-\\nner of St. Ann and Chartres, wasa popular r i;/ where,\\nbesides all the paraphernalia ot a modern bar-room, ci^f-\\ntee, chocolate or tea, steaming hot, w re serveil on small\\ntables to customers imnursed in the mysteries of ilomi-\\nnoes. The name was the C ift del Aonilo. Across the\\nstreet was the low-roofeil, Spanish tiled buiUling kej)!\\nby Benito Duran, surnameil o/icnt where the purest\\nMayorca was always to be IkuI. There were also, here and\\nthere among these houses, ni\u00c2\u00abw called the Poiitalba\\nPuihlings. the establishment of an ingenious watch\\nnuikcr. named Labarre, who manufactured a one-year", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0162.jp2"}, "163": {"fulltext": "CHURCH OF ST. LOUIS, ^t^- f.\\nAs per Plan in C-ty Libra\\nLATROBE S WATER WORKS, 18 3.\\nH. C. C. JR. DEL", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0163.jp2"}, "164": {"fulltext": "", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0164.jp2"}, "165": {"fulltext": "NEW ORLEANS UNDER DENIS PRIEUR. 145\\nrunning clock for the use of the Cathedral tower; a hard-\\nware store, a restaurant, a gunsmith s store, and a bar-\\nber shop; but fruit seemed to be the staple commodity\\nin that quarter.\\nAlong the iron railings, on the opposite side, were to\\nbe seen booths for the sale of oranges, bananas, ice-\\ncream, peanuts, ginger beer i^blere douce), cooled in\\nlarge tubs, and the inevitable estomac mulatre (ginger\\ncake), as highly prized by the urchins of that gener-\\nation as they are at present. Lining the river, small\\nhuts were erected along the water front for the sale of\\noysters by the wholesale or on the half-shell. These es-\\ntablishments were well patronized by families and re-\\nspectable society, for the luggers engaged in the trade\\nwere wont to tie to the posts opposite the markets with\\ntheir daily loads of fresh and luscious bivalves.\\nOn Sunday afternoons, the scene around the square\\nwas more than picturesque. Greek ice cream vendors\\nin tasseled fez; Choctaws reeling drunk in Father\\nAdam s costume, a well worn, diaphanous blanket being\\nsubstituted for the historical fig leaf; mulatresses\\ndecked with gaudy colored tignons; children in holiday\\nattire romping over the weeds in innocent glee; specta-\\ncled gentlemen, sporting their gold-headed walking\\nsticks and dainty gold snuff-boxes; groups of City\\nGuards in gala uniforms and with formidable cutlasses;\\nfashionable loungers\u00e2\u0080\u0094 the dudes of the period\u00e2\u0080\u0094 discuss-\\ning the rival claims of Calve or Bamberger, the favorite\\nbrima donnas of the Opera\u00e2\u0080\u0094 all these commingled to-\\ngether and in incessant motion, offered the ever varying\\nand dissolving views of the kaleidoscope. Without be-\\ning charged as a laudator temporis acti, I can assure\\nmy readers that those days were happier far than ours,\\nin this particular, at least, that citizens could gather", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0165.jp2"}, "166": {"fulltext": "146 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\ntogether in social entertainments and exchange the\\namenities of life in peace and amity, free from the intru-\\nsion of drunken hoodlums or Workhouse rowdies.\\nNot less animated or amusing was the once famous\\nFrench Market, a central point for sight-seers and North-\\nern tourists. Sundays and holidays were the times in\\nwhich she would don, like a pretty coquette, her most\\nvariegated attire. There, every conceivable language,\\nfrom Choctaw to Greek or Maltese, not to omit our\\nsweet, euphonious Creole French, was spoken. A con-\\nstant ebb and flow of human streams would often\\nobstruct locomotion, and this annoyance, increased by\\nthe interlocking of baskets, was often a source of merri-\\nment to the visitor. Strange, indeed, were the scenes\\nto be witnessed within its gay precincts and around its\\nmassive pillars. Here Aglae, stately and gracious, with\\nher turbaned head and ebony features wreathed in\\nsmiles, dispensed her steaming coffee to mo ti momi, as\\nshe patronizingly called her younger visitors, nor was\\nthe calas tout chaud ever omitted. Here also was to be\\nseen the tidy little quadroon, offering her lilliputian\\nbouquets of Spanish jessamines, carnations and violets,\\nas boiitojiniires for the old beaux, who, before proceeding\\nto their usual morning avocations, were in the habit of\\ntaking a stroll through its crowded walks. Here the\\ndemure dame, accompanied by her sable-hued domcs-\\nHquc, and the comely damsel, on her way from church,\\nusually chaperoned by some elder relative, were wont to\\nmake la tournie. A trysting place for lovers, many a\\nbillet doux was furtively exchanged, and many a side\\nglance spoke a mysterious language. Many were the\\nIndian squaws, squatting on the side pavements and\\nvending their wares of ingeniously worked baskets,\\nsassafras roots, genuine gombo file and leaves of plan-", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0166.jp2"}, "167": {"fulltext": "NEW ORLEANS UNDER DENIS PRIEUR. 1 47\\ntain; while the braves of the Nation, a set of dirty and\\ninebriated rascals, stood around them, disposed of their\\nsarbacanes or blow-guns, with their furze-tipped arrows,\\nat a picayune apiece. Nor must I omit to mention the\\npoliticians of the day. These frequently held their little\\nreunions in this market, on Sunday mornings, where\\nthey discussed the leading topics of the week, laid out\\ntheir little programmes, and, not unlike two celebrated\\nGovernors, would frequently adjourn to a neighboring\\ncafS during the intervals of discussion.\\nThe city was intersected by seven parallel and twelve\\nperpendicular streets, but its suburbs, above and below,\\nextended about three miles. Below Esplanade street\\nwas they^w^^z/r^ Marigny above Canal sir Qei, faubourg\\nSte. Marie; and back of Rampart street began ih. fau-\\nbourg Treme. Beyond these named suburbs there were\\nothers, but the above formed the boundaries proper of the\\ncorporation. The depth of the habitable territory in the\\nrear of New Orleans extended no further than Rue\\nMarais (Swamp street), and all the rest, as far back as\\nthe lake, was what was called la Cypriere, a trackless\\nand almost impenetrable morass.\\nOld lyCvee, Chartres and Royal, and most of the per-\\npendicular streets, as far as they were intersected by these\\nthree streets, were considered the commercial and prin-\\ncipal portion of the city, and possessed a respectable\\nnumber of elegant brick buildings, some of them three\\nstories in height. Of the latter, the oldest one is the\\nquaint and old-fashioned structure at the corner of St.\\nPeter and Royal streets, once the residence of Dr. Yves\\nlyeMonnier, whose monogram is still to be seen on the\\nbalconies. The late General John ly. I^ewis was wont\\nto relate how, while the building was progressing, hun-\\ndreds of people would gather at the corner diagonally", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0167.jp2"}, "168": {"fulltext": "148 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nOpposite and predict the failure of the undertaking.\\nThey expected to see it topple down at every moment,\\ngrounding their conjectures upon the yielding nature of\\nthe soil\\nThe same well-informed authority pointed out to the\\nwriter the building No. 124 Chartres street, near the\\ncorner of St. Louis, as having been erected by some\\nenthusiastic Frenchman as a future residence for Napo-\\nleon Bonaparte, then confined at St. Helena, whom they\\nhad sworn to rescue by a co2ip de main from his prison\\nisland. Visionary as this scheme may appear to-us at this\\nday, the expedition was actually planned, and only fell\\nthrough by the unexpected announcement of the death\\nof the martyr-emperor. Of this project there can be no\\ndoubt. Nicholas Girod, the millionaire and ex-mayor of\\nNew Orleans, was the furnisher of the required sums,\\nand Dominique You, with a select crew of desperate\\nBaratarians, was to have been the leader. Of this dar-\\ning officer General Jackson once said, when elated with\\nthe prowess of the hellish banditti, Were I ordered\\nto storm the gates of Hell, with Captain Dominick as\\nmy lieutenant, I would have no misgivings of the re-\\nsult.\\nOn the same side of the street, and at the corner of\\nSt. lyouis, stood the comfortable and well known resi-\\ndence of Mr. Girod, of whom I have spoken. He was\\nnot only a philanthropist, but a man of character and\\ngreat public spirit, who contributed, while an executive\\nofficer of our city, in materially aiding Jackson in his\\nmemorable defence.\\nDiagonally opposite was the Donrse or Exchange, kept\\nby Maspero and afterward by Hewlett, a great auction\\nmart and place of public entertainment, and the fore-\\nrunner of the St. lyouis Exchange. This was a favorite", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0168.jp2"}, "169": {"fulltext": "NEW ORLEANS UNDER DENIS PRIEUR. I49\\nresort. It was here that public meetings were usually\\nheld that Jacksou was triumphantly carried after pay-\\ning his fine to Judge Hall s marshal, and that all im-\\nportant commercial transactions were carried on.\\nThe rest of the carre de la ville was made up of small\\nframe houses, one story high, some very mean and\\nJudge Martin, a contemporary, says that the proportion\\nof the latter was much greater than in any other city of\\nthe Union.\\nIn addition to the public buildings, fronting the\\nsquare, already mentioned, there were two nunneries,\\nthe older of which was the Ursulines Convent, occupied\\nnow as the official residence of Archbishp Janssens. The\\nother was established on the space of ground bounded\\nby Nuns or Religious street, in the upper part of the city.\\nThere were also a Presbyterian and an Episcopal\\nchurch. One known as Christ Church was situated at\\nthe corner of Dauphine and Canal.\\nThe jail was located on the site of the lower Re-\\ncorder s Court and Arsenal, until a penitentiary was\\nbuilt in Baton Rouge. There, the convicts les formats\\nwere detained and manacled together, white and black\\nalike, and were made to labor upon our public streets.\\nThe practice of forcing white criminals into the chain-\\ngang with negroes was continued for several years, but,\\nin 1829, Gov. Derbigny put a summmary end to it, for\\ncauses and under circumstances which form one of the\\nmost dramatic episodes in the history of Louisiana. The\\naction of the executive w^as much commented upon at\\nthe time, and gave rise to a sharp correspondence\\nbetween Prieur and Derbigny, but the latter, backed by\\nlaw and supreme authority, maintained his fiat, and\\nfrom that moment the system was broken up.", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0169.jp2"}, "170": {"fulltext": "I50 NltW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nThere was a dilapidated concern, called the Custom\\nHouse, at the foot of the river, close to the spot where\\nis now situated the Canal street ferry.\\nThe United States Court then stood in the centre of\\nthe area now occupied by the Custom House. A\\nspacious walk, shaded by a few stunted trees, led to it.\\nIt was a dingy, two-story brick building, facing Canal\\nstreet, and was demolished in 1848. Alongside of it\\nstood a Bethel. On the same side of the street, between\\nRoyal and Bourbon, was the residence and place of\\nbusiness of Judah Touro, the philanthropist, and close\\nto it a synagogue, a low structure put up with his own\\nfunds. In the centre of the road was a canal, which,\\ntogether with Gravier s, a little higher up, on Poydras\\nstreet, was utilized for drainage purposes.\\nThere were three theatres, one on St. Philip street,\\nwhere the public school of that name is now being con-\\nducted another, subsequently the French Opera House,\\nwas managed by Mr. John Davis, and is now a convent\\non Orleans street, between Roj^al and Bourbon and the\\nthird was the Camp Street Theatre, opposite Natchez\\nalley, afterward converted into an armory hall, and\\nto-day the site of the hardware stores of Rice Born.\\nTo repair to this place of amusement, flatboat gunwales\\nor planked sidewalks had been constructed, and lanterns\\nhad to be used by the belated patrons to avoid falling\\ninto the bordering ditches.\\nThere were also three banks, not to speak of several\\noffices of discount and deposit. Of the former, the\\nLouisiana State Bank was the oldest, being the first\\nbank established under the American system, in the\\nearl} portion of the first decade of this century. The\\nbuilding is still to be seen on Royal street, between St.\\nI^ouis and Conti streets, the initial letters It. S. B. being", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0170.jp2"}, "171": {"fulltext": "NEW ORLEANS UNDER DENIS PRIEUR. I5I\\nconspicuous on the original projecting balcony. The\\nfirst cashier was Mr. Zacharie (as is attested by the\\nepitaph on his honored grave), who resided on the\\npremises, in the upper story a man of wit, humor and\\nthorough business habits. His grandchildren still live\\namong us, and are justly proud of their ancestry.\\nTwo orphan asylums provided for the necessitous and\\nhelpless young unfortunates.\\nIn the rear of the city, starting from its centre, was a\\nbasin or port for small schooners a canal of about two\\nmiles in length led from it to Bayou St. John, and thence\\nto L^ake Pontchartrain. Another canal, in suburb Mar-\\nigny, on Elysian Fields street, afforded also easy com-\\nmunication with the lakes. It began within a few yards\\nof the Mississippi (where Bernard Marigny s grand-\\nfather had years before put up a saw-mill), and dis-\\ncharged itself into the Bayou St. John, at a short\\ndistance from its junction with the Carondelet canal.\\nAlong the river margin, the levee or bank was twenty\\nfeet in width, and afforded ample space for walking.\\nAnother, but a natural, outlet to the sea was Bayou\\nSauvage, which, flowing directly in the rear of the Bre-\\ntonne or Indian Market, on the Bayou Road, took its\\ncourse through the Gentilly to Bayou Bienvenu, and\\nthence to the Gulf. This water-course was navigable\\nfor small boats only, and was frequented by hunters and\\nmen of predatory habits. When too hotly pursued by\\nthe American authorities, it was claimed that lyafitte\\nand his motley crew were wont to bring through its\\nsinuous passages their ill-gotten gains to this city. It\\nis a well established fact that Daniel Clark was one of\\ntheir merchants and secret agents here, and having his\\nbachelor home and depot at least, one of his depots\\non the convenient banks of the stream, near the iunc-", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0171.jp2"}, "172": {"fulltext": "152 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\ntioii of Esplanade and Bayou Road streets, no more\\nsuitable place could have been selected for the illicit\\ntraffic. This statement rests not only on tradition, but\\nis supported by the well known reputation for acquisi-\\ntiveness of our first delegate to Congress.\\nOur streets were narrow (thirty feet in width), and\\nwere made purposely so, with a view of furnishing venti-\\nlation and shade, while their gutters, whenever the rise\\nof the river would permit, were copiously flushed every\\nevening by means of sluices ingeniously inserted through\\nthe levees, not unlike our discarded system of rice\\nflumes. Boys used to float tiny boats in the swift cur-\\nrent, and to watch their erratic course as they sped away\\ntoward the swamp, where the turbid waters lost them-\\nselves, depositing their fertilizing sands upon the marsh.\\nMuch of the cypriere behind the town, was thus slowly\\nand gradually reclaimed.\\nThe houses, in general, as I have already said, were\\nlow frame structures, bricked between posts, briqiietees\\nentre poteaux roofed with shingles, although, in build-\\nings of a more pretentious appearance, bricks were\\nused and Spanish tiles substituted, some fiat, others\\nconvex. Remains of this style of architecture are yet\\nto be seen in the Second District. Flat tiles were used\\non terraces, with which several buildings were embel-\\nlished after the style of Mexico and Havana, where\\nmembers of the family were in the habit, after sundown,\\nof inhaling the cool breezes wafted from the river and\\nlake. No house of aristocratic pretensions was without\\nits court-yard or patio, the centre of which was orna-\\nmented with a fountain and enlivened by tropical\\nplants. The main entrance was through a wide gate or\\nparte cockere, in the interior of which was kept the cum-", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0172.jp2"}, "173": {"fulltext": "NEW ORLEANS UNDER DENIS PRIEUR. 1 53\\nbersome family carriage, and beyond, a wide staircase led\\nto the upper apartments. The windows, those oi\\nSpanish construction, I mean, were very wide and\\nalwaj s arc/ted. This was a distinctive feature. They\\nopened upon the patio. The sills were covered with\\npots of aromatic plants, chief of which was the fragrant\\nrosemary^ which was believed, besides its medicinal\\nproperties, to possess the virtue of good luck. Few resi-\\ndences, therefore, were without their inatas de romero.\\nIron balconies, objects of hygienic necessity in this hot\\nclimate, were attached to every building more than one\\nstory high, and became matters not only of comfort, but\\nof beauty, with their burnished brass knobs placed at\\nshort intervals from each other.\\nRoyal street, between Conti and St. Philip, notwith-\\nstanding the inroads of time, still retains some well\\npreserved specimens of the architectural style of more\\nthan a century ago. The timber employed for building\\npurposes under the Spanish regime, was under the con-\\ntrol of police regulations, since it was forbidden to fell\\ntrees except at certain periods of the year and phases oi\\nthe moon. The wood was, therefore, extremely well\\nseasoned and entirely free from decay. As an illustra-\\ntion of this fact, I have now in my possession the sec-\\ntion of a post, taken from the old country residence of\\nDon Bernardo de Galvez, more than one hundred and\\ntwenty years old, in as perfect a state of preservation as\\nwhen it was first adjusted into its present shape by the\\ncarpenter s adze. The cement in use was also a subject\\nof government supervision, but the secret, like that of\\nthe Roman cement employed in the construction of the\\nVia Appia, is, I fear, unfortunately lost. No Schillinger\\nor any other process is comparable to what it was in\\nkardness or durability. When, some years ago, a por-", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0173.jp2"}, "174": {"fulltext": "154 ^EW ORLElANS AS IT WAS.\\ntion of the old Cathedral walls was torn down, owing to\\nthe fissures caused by the depression of the soil, the\\nmortar had become so firmly incrusted and blended with\\nthe brickwork as to have formed a concrete mass, which\\ndefied the repeated blows of the pick. Granite could\\nnot have been harder.\\nNow, a few words as to the suburbs. There, the\\nframe buildings were more modest in appearance, nota-\\nbly in the faubourg Marigny. That portion of the city\\nextended from Esplanade street to a considerable dis-\\ntance below, covering the whole acreage of the old\\nMarigny plantation. At the foot of Elysian Fields, just\\nwhere the Morgan Railroad depot is now situated, stood\\na saw-mill, propelled by water power supplied from the\\nriver. It was a very thriving establishment, the raw\\nmaterial being carried from the swamps through a canal,\\nrunning parallel with the present road-bed of the Pont-\\nchartrain Railway, and, continuing its course through\\nthe Metairie ridge, connected its waters with Bayou St.\\nJohn and the lakes by means of the Carondelet canal,\\ninto which it emptied. It was both deep and wide,\\naffording facilities for navigation to sloops and schooners\\nof a moderate size. Large rafts were daily hauled\\nthrough by mule power and cordelles, which kept the\\nmill busy, besides enhancing the value of the adjacent\\nproperty. This enterprise had originated with Bernard\\nMarigny s grandfather in the last quarter of the preced-\\ning century. In 1832 the mill was abandoned. The\\nnew railroad had killed it. The cavity was then filled\\nup as far as Greatmen street, and, by degrees, as high\\nas Claiborne street, where its rapidly filling channel is\\nyet distinctly to be seen. I remember that, in the days\\nof my boyhood, the banks of the sluggish stream, as far", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0174.jp2"}, "175": {"fulltext": "NEW ORLEANS UNDER DENIS PRIEUR. I55\\nback as the lyUzenberg Hospital, were lined on Sunday-\\nmornings by Gascons who, with hound and gun, were\\nin the habit of hunting a species of very large bull-\\nfrogs, named wararons by the French.\\nThe limits of faubourg Marigny extended originally\\nonly to Spain street, but in the course of time the thriv-\\ning section had completely absorbed all the lesser sub-\\nurbs below and behind it. In the rear it reached a little\\nbeyond Girod street, the ultima thule of civilization.\\nThe inhabitants consisted chiefly of Europeans of lyatin\\nextraction and of Creoles, white and black. People of\\nthe Saxon or Celtic race were few and far between.\\nRari nantes 171 giirgito vasfo.\\nThe frame houses were mostly one-story high and\\nsmall. Within its precincts the nomenclature of streets\\nunderwent an entire change. Thus, Chartres street,\\nwhich, below St. Peter street, was named Condi, be-\\ncame, below Esplanade, Moreaii street, in honor of the ex-\\niled general of that name, who had paid New Orleans a\\nhasty visit a short time before; Old lycvee, originally\\nCheniin Public, was transformed into Victory; Royal into\\nCasacalvo; Dauphine into Great men; Burgundy into\\nCraps, so-called, tradition says, because the strip of land\\nthrough which it had been opened had been lost by old\\nBernard Marigny at a game of craps, a game of cards\\nthen much in vogue; Rampart into Love; St. Claude,\\nnamed after Claude Treme, the founder of the suburb of\\nthat name, into Goodchildren and so on. Along the\\nlower side of Esplanade some nice residences were\\noccasionally to be seen, among others that of Judge\\nCanonge, at the corner of Casacalvo, but, as a general\\nrule, the buildings, though comfortably built for the\\nclimate and temperature, were of rude and cheap struct-\\nure. Small flower gardens, teeming with clusters of", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0175.jp2"}, "176": {"fulltext": "156 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\ncreeping Spanish jessamines, relieved the monotonous\\naspect of the quartier. Specimens of these old houses\\nare still to be seen in a state of decay on Bagatelle,\\nUnion and St. Anthony streets.\\nIn that part of New Orleans, style or etiquette was\\nunknown, the women being clad in homespun and in-\\ndiennes, and the matrons, especially the emigrees from\\nSt. Domingo, sported picturesque tignons, a sort of head-\\ngear, consisting of a fancy bandana handkerchief (Ma-\\ndras) tied around the upper part of the head a fashion\\nwhich some old Creoles follow even to this day. Though\\nunpretending in dress and appearance, they lived in\\nhappy unity and commerce, except when, now and then,\\nsome thoughtless or mischievous gossip (and they were\\nnot a few) would throw a brand of discord into the com-\\nmunity. Then women s tongues were set loose, and bits\\nof scandal rehearsed, as each took part with the contend-\\ning factions. Apart from these little mishaps, which\\nthe hand of time would effectually allay, it must be ad-\\nmitted they were a cheerful, contented and industrious\\nclass. Their great luxury was coffee, for the pot was\\neverlastingly simmering over the embers of the kitchen\\nhearth. This beverage was the first thing offered to a\\nvisitor. They were frugal also. A plate of gombo file,\\na dish of Jambalaya, of sagamite, a peculiar preparation\\nof corn, a chunk of salted meat, flanked by a salad, con-\\nstituted their usual day s meal They were the most\\nobliging people in the world, and as nurses could not\\nbe excelled. Whenever a neighbor got sick, or during\\nseasons of epidemics, it was a noble sight to see these\\npeople engaged in their holy ministry, and vying with\\none another in preparing medicinal antidotes, of many\\nof which the}^ possessed the secret. They were adepts\\nin the knowledge of the curative properties of certain", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0176.jp2"}, "177": {"fulltext": "NEW ORI.EANS UNDER DENIS PRIEUR. I57\\nherbs and roots. Not a cent would they ever charge or\\naccept for services of this nature. Reciprocity of favors\\nwas the only reward expected.\\nI have already spoken about the public park, known\\nas the Place d Annes. Perhaps my readers may wish to\\nknow something about the once much talked of Congo\\nSquare. I shall describe it, such as I knew it and\\nsaw it.\\nThis piece of ground was, I believe, originally donated\\nto the corporation by Claude Treme, out of the immense\\nreach of swamp lands he owned just beyond the rear\\nlimits of the city. In front of it were the remains of the\\nold fortifications erected by Carondelet, with their glacis\\nand partially filled trenches. Its original name was\\nCircus Square, and was so designated from its destina-\\ntion and use. For, here it was that the Soior Cayetano\\nheld high revel with his menagerie of wondrous ani-\\nmals, and retinue of clowns and daring horsemen. The\\nfollowing Creole doggerel commemorates his popularity\\nCest Michie Cayetane,\\nQui sorti la Havane\\nAvec so chouals et so macacs\\nlyC gagnin un homme qui danse dans sac;\\nLe gagnin qui danse si ye la main\\nLi gagnin zant a choual qui boi di vin\\nLe gagnin oussi un zeine zoli mamzelle.\\nQui monte choual sans bride et sans selle\\nPou di ton 9a mo pas cababe, etc.\\nIts popular name has always been that of Congo\\nSquare. It was the favorite rendezvous of our African\\nslaves on Sunday afternoons.\\nThere are hundredvS yet living in our midst who\\nremember what a gala day for these people was the\\nSabbath, and with what keen sense of relish and an-", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0177.jp2"}, "178": {"fulltext": "158 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nxiety they awaited its coming. Attired in their pict-\\nuresque and holiday dresses, they would gather by\\nthousands in the afternoon under the shade of the old\\nsycamores, and romp in African revelries to the accom-\\npaniment of the tam-tam and jaw-bones. Nothing\\ncould be more interesting than to see their wild and\\ngrotesque antics, their mimicry of courtly dames in the\\nact of making an obeisance, and the dances peculiar to\\ntheir country. In the midst of the ludicrous contortions\\nand gyrations of the Bamboula, not unlike those per-\\nformed in the equally famous Voudou dance, they\\nwould sing with a pleasing though somewhat monot-\\nonous rhythm strange Creole songs, the burden of one\\nof which, I remember, was:\\nDanse Calinda, bou doum, bou doum.\\nTo these festivities negres Mericains were not invited.\\nThere was no affinity between them. Here the noted\\ncharacters of the race were to be seen, from I,apin\\nthe chief of the Raquette players, to Bras Coupe, the\\nRobin Hood of the Swamp. The victor of the Pape-\\ngaud prize, a tournament in which a wooden rooster,\\ndecorated with floating ribbons, was the target, was\\nhere also made the recipient of boisterous applause.\\nEverything was tumult, motion and hilarity. Children\\nromped over the grass plats, and nurses looked com-\\nplacently on their gambols, while listening perhaps to\\nthe honeyed words of some dusky swains. Taken\\naltogether, it was a scene well worth visiting and the\\nlike of which we shall never see again.\\nAs soon as the shadows of approaching night began to\\ndeepen, the crowd would slowly disperse, singing in\\nchorus\\n^Bonsoir dance, soleil couched\\nWhite people, from motives of curiosity or fun, invari-", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0178.jp2"}, "179": {"fulltext": "NEW ORLKANS UNDER DENIS PRIEUR. 1 59\\nably attended these innocent pastimes. Their presence\\nalone was sufficient to repress any serious disorder an\\noccurrence extremely rare.\\nAlong the edges of the sidewalks and of the iron in-\\nclosure, rude deal tables were set out, screened from the\\nsun by overhanging cotton slips. From their tops long\\nstreamers fluttered in the breeze. Upon these impro-\\nvised counters was to be seen an imposing array of tum-\\nblers, pies, roasted peanuts and cakes, the esto?nac\\nnmldtre usually predominating among the latter. Nor\\nwas coffee wanting pure, fragrant and steaming such\\nas the Creoles alone can prepare. Presiding over these\\nrustic booths, colored women dispensed la bier re du pays\\nfrom bottles plunged in buckets of cold water. This\\nbeverage, a compound of fermented apples, ginger root\\nand mellow pines, furnished a palatable substitute for\\nale, and was an object of great demand by the little\\nchaps of that generation. It was a source of consider-\\nable profit to the marchandes. Li tout fiiii (no more\\nleft) was not an infrequent reply to requests for more.\\nAs no strong liquors or wines were allowed to be sold\\non the grounds, and no corner grocery hoodlums\\nwere allowed to flourish and thrive in those old-\\nfashioned and unprogressive days, breaches of the peace\\nat places of public reunions were seldom witnessed.\\nThere was then a pillory and whipping-post, which did\\nmore toward maintaining good order than all the fines\\nadministered to-day in our so-called courts of justice.\\nCongo Square, as I shall continue to call it, was at\\none time used for public executions also. On its grounds\\nseveral balloon ascensions to6k place, notwithstanding\\nthat the usual locality for such performances was within\\nthe yard of the present Archbishop s palace, or an\\nempty lot at the corner of Conde and Barracks. Many", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0179.jp2"}, "180": {"fulltext": "l6o NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\npeople will reraembei how egregiously duped they were\\nby one Petin, an aeronaut, in that very square. But to\\nthe circus man, with his side show of animals and mon-\\nsters, this spot was always an object of preference. It\\nwas, in every respect, the chosen ground for popular\\nexhibitions.\\nSpeaking of places of amusement, I must not omit\\nthe Saturday night balls. Some of these were unique\\naffairs. One was located in a long, dingy, frame build-\\ning on Conde street, between Maine and St. Philip,\\nat the extremity of which a public bathhouse was kept\\nopen during week days. The following advertisement,\\nwhich I textually copy from one of our local papers,\\nwill give the reader a clear insight into their character\\nCoNDfe Ball Room.\\nA Grand Ball.\\nAdmission one dollar. The ball will take place\\nevery Wednesday and Saturday.\\nThe subscriber having a small ball room, can not\\nreceive more people than what his apartment will con-\\ntain, he has made a regulation for a sufficient number of\\nladies for his room. The ball is not public for the\\nladies they will not be admitted without the invitation\\nof the subscriber, and where they will have a personal\\nticket that the subscriber will distribute himself, to be\\nmore secure. The ladies that will have a ticket of ad-\\nmittance are requested not to put themselves on the floor\\nfor the counter dance, and particularly those that have\\na handkerchief on their head. To avoid all inconven-\\niences at the door, the gentlemen are requested not to\\nforget their ticket on going out of the room. A par-\\nticular place is made at the entrance of door to put their\\ncloaks, hats, etc., for which the waiter will be responsi-", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0180.jp2"}, "181": {"fulltext": "NEW ORLEANS UNDER DENIS PRIEUR. l6l\\nble, after he will have delivered the number of tht\\narticle to each one.\\nThose who desire to subscribe for the balls can enter\\nat the ball room from 9 o clock in the morning until 9\\nin the evening. St. Martin.\\nSpedatum adnu ssi, risiim toieatis, aniicif\\nI leave it to the reader s imagination to conjecture\\nwhat lots of fun our youngsters must have had with\\ndamsels subjected to such primitive rules of social eti-\\nquette.\\nThere was also another ball room on St. Philip street,\\nbetween Royal and Bourbon, within the very walls oi\\nthe school now bearing that name, where the managers\\nadvertised to keep good harmony.\\nA more t-echerche \u00e2\u0096\u00a03i^2\\\\x was to be found at the corner ot\\nBourbon and Orleans streets, where the young bloods\\nwere wont to resort, and which subsequently became the\\ntheatre of many a difficulty, culminating in bloody\\nduels between the Creoles and les Americains. These\\nwere the celebrated quadroon balls.\\nThe only place of this character up town was to be\\nfound in the faubourg St. Mary, at the corner of New\\nLevee and Girod. If one may judge from the character\\nof the location, it must have been the resort of flatboat-\\nmen and hoosiers from the Western country, who, at\\ncertain seasons of the year, carried on a profitable and\\nextensive trade with our merchants. These strangers\\nusually tarried with us only a few days. After dispos-\\ning of their produce, which they had floated down in\\nrafts from the Ohio, they would lavish their money in\\nevery conceivable manner, paint the town red, see\\nall the sights, the elephant included, until,\\nstranded at last, they found themselves in the calaboose.", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0181.jp2"}, "182": {"fulltext": "l62 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nPaying their small fines, they would go home satisfied.\\nThey had been to Orlius.\\nSuch was the diversity of customs, religion and\\nlanguage, not to speak of the jealousy and distrust that\\nseparated the old settlers from the new comers of Saxon\\nand Celtic origin, that two hostile factions resolved\\nthem.selves into distinct camps, and it has required the\\ntriturating influences of several decades to mould these\\nconflicting interests into a homogeneous mass. Some\\ncurious letters addressed by Gov. Claiborne to his confi-\\ndential correspondent, Gen. Wilkinson, throw floods\\nof light upon a certain period in our State history, and,\\nif published, would furnish interesting reading matter.\\nWhen the English was adopted as the official lan-\\nguage of the country, it became a matter of serious\\nnecessity for our people of Spanish and French ancestry\\nto adapt themselves to the new rigime and to delve into\\nthe m5^steries of Anglo-Saxonism. The pronunciation\\nof its gutturals proved a serious drawback at first, and\\nprovoked many a malediction but, in the course ol\\ntime, they gradually acquired a sort of pot pourrf\\nmode of expression, which, though not Chesterfieldian,\\nstill enabled them to transact the ordinary affairs ol\\nlife with their more energetic neighbors. If not elegant\\nand refined, it had the merit, at least, of being intelligi-\\nble, as the reader may have already seen from the\\nspecimen of St. Martin s style. As a pendant oi com-\\npanion to it, I can not resist the temptation of placing\\non record the following advertisement, posted on Char-\\ntres street in my school-boj days, by a prominent auc-\\ntioneer\\nNOTISE\\nThese Estore Fort Sale.", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0182.jp2"}, "183": {"fulltext": "NEW ORLEANS UNDER DENIS PRIEUR. 1 63\\nApart from the unique spelling of this short produc-\\ntion, when it is borne in mind that the last two words\\nfort sale mean, when translated into English, very\\nfilthy, his abortive attempt at idiomatic composition\\nwas simply ridiculous.\\nThe people residing at a distance from the public\\nmarket v/ere usually furnished with provisions by a\\nclass of females, generally colored, called mar-\\nchandes. Their supplies were varied and reasonably\\ncheap. In addition to the choice cuts of meat which\\nthey purchased from the butcher stalls, they would\\nselect their vegetables direct from the gardens which\\ngirded the town. Hence, their stock was always fresh\\nand abundant. They filled all orders given them, and\\ncame regularly every morning to their customers doors.\\nThis system of daily delivery antedated the period of\\nAmerican occupation, and had its origin under the Span-\\niards of colonial days. They drove, no doubt, a profit-\\nable trade, iar their commodities were far superior to\\nthose of some of our private markets. This class of\\ntraders is now extinct. The Sicilians have crowded\\nthem out, as they have done our home folks in every\\ndepartment of industry in which they have engaged,\\nsubstituting therefor a nondescript and offen ive species\\nof peddling and dago shops, not only in antagc^nism\\nto traditional customs, but dangerous to public health.\\nThey are confessedly to-day nothing else but hot-beds of\\ninfection, disease and filth.\\nOf the police force I have already had occasion to\\nspeak. They were indistinctly called gendarmes or\\nCity Guard. Taken as a whole they were a worth-\\nless, lazy set, uniformed somewhat after the fashion of", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0183.jp2"}, "184": {"fulltext": "164 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nFalstaff s men in buckram. Sailors seem to have been\\ntheir special aversion, for, on arriving in port, they\\nnever failed to have a set-to or scrimmage with them.\\nJack Tar, it is well known, must have his fun on shore,\\nand, in resisting arrest, these hardy but rough fellows\\nwould unsheath the knives strapped to their belts and\\nrush upon their tormentors. Hence, battles royal would\\nensue, and as the police used their sabres or cutlasses,\\nthese affrays would inevitably terminate in the infliction\\nof severe gashes and sword thrusts. Many scenes of\\nthis kind have I witnessed in my childhood days.\\nNext to the performance of this duty, which thej- con-\\nsidered paramount and supreme, their occupation seemed\\nto consist in loitering about town, in lounging around\\ncabarets or in dozing away their time upon the benches\\nof the guardhouse. The night watchmen were no better,\\nalthough this branch of the service was occasionally\\nsupplemented by a citizen patrol. After sundown the\\nstreets became the property of footpads and garroters.\\nIncendiary fires were matters of almost nightly occur-\\nrence, as well as burglaries. People ventured out of\\ntheir houses after dark only at their peril and with\\ngreat apprehension, and never without a lantern.\\nIt is only since the consolidation of the different mu-\\nnicipalities, some forty years ago, that our police organ-\\nization assumed a better character, and, by laying aside\\nthe cutlass and rattle for a club and whistle, began its\\nonward march toward that degree of perfection which it\\nis far from having attained. In this general condemna-\\ntion of the old system I must cite as notable exceptions\\nCapts. Harper, Winter, Youennes and Mazerat. Here\\nand there, a tolerable policeman might have been found,\\nbut these were exceptional cases, and as doctors would\\nsay, isolated from the prevailing infection.", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0184.jp2"}, "185": {"fulltext": "NKW ORI^EANS UNDER DENIS PRIEUR. I65\\nDuring- the period of Denis Prieur s administration,\\ntwo deaths occurred which recalled to the old inhabi-\\ntants saintly works of charity, and memorable deeds\\nof war. One was that of Pere Antoine, the other\\nof Dominique You, whose record is outlined in these\\npages.\\nIn the year 1829 there died in this city a holy friar,\\nwho, for fifty years, had been the guide and consoler of\\nthe afflicted, rich and poor alike. The lowly cabin or\\nhut, thatched with palmetto leaves, which he had con-\\nstructed with his own hands, stood at the corner of the\\nvacant lot directly behind the Cathedral, and which\\nforms now the angle of Royal and St. Anthony alley.\\nI refer to Fra Antonio de Sedella, a capuchin of the\\nFranciscan order, better known as Pere Antoine.\\nThough his death was not quite unexpected, its an-\\nnouncement proved a terrible blow to the entire commu-\\nnity, for he was beloved by all, irrespective of creed or\\nnationality.\\nHis corpse was laid out during three days upon a gor-\\ngeously decked catafalque, in the centre aisle of the\\nchurch, attended by a civic and military guard. The\\nsurging masses had to be restrained. Viewed as a saint,\\nhis parishioners, in their desire to retain some relic of\\ntheir good pastor, had cut into small pieces his humble\\nserge cassock, and would have proceeded to further ex-\\ntremities but for the exertions of Mayor Prieur, who, in\\nperson, promptly restored order in the house of God,\\nand took measures to prevent their recurrence.\\nHis death was looked upon as a public calamity. All\\nthe public Iniildiogs were draped in mourning, and the\\nflags of foreign ships, of the various consulates, of the\\nbinks, etc., were hoisted at half mast. Crape was\\nhung on the doors of hundreds aud hundreds of private", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0185.jp2"}, "186": {"fulltext": "1 66 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nresidences, for every family seemed to feel that it had\\nlost a friend, a benefactor, a father.\\nThe City Council, the Legislature, the bench, the\\nlearned professors, even the Masons (whom the Catholic\\nChurch excommunicates), adopted in their several\\nplaces of meeting eulogistic resolutions, and signified\\ntheir desire to attend the obsequies. Edward Living-\\nston, though a free-thinker, pronounced a beautiful\\noration before the assembled barristers and judges.\\nThe funeral services were conducted with unusual pomp\\nand magnificence. Three thousand wax tapers illumi-\\nnated the sacred edifice. L Abbe Maenhaut, who suc-\\nceeded him afterward, delivered the funeral sermon.\\nThe whole military force of the city, including the far-\\nfamed Legion, were arrayed in front of the square.\\nWhen the procession took up its line of march through\\nthe streets, every church bell tolled the sad, solemn\\nparting knell, and few were the eyes unmoistened with\\ntears. If we are to believe tradition and contempora-\\nneous accounts, the pageant was one of the grandest\\nmanifestations of a people s grief ever witnessed in New\\nOrleans.", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0186.jp2"}, "187": {"fulltext": "CHAPTER IX.\\nTHE EXECUTION OF PAULINE.\\nAny slave who shall wilfully and maliciously strike\\nhis master or mistress, or his master s or mistress child,\\nor any white overseer appointed by his owner to super-\\nintend said owner s slaves, so as to cause a contusion or\\nshedding of blood, shall be punished with death or im-\\nprisonment at hard labor for a term of not less than ten\\nyears. Black Code, Sec. j.\\nI am about to relate one of the most revolting crimes\\nthat ever startled the community of New Orleans. The\\ndetails of the atrocitits to which a white and respectable\\nwoman of this city was actually being subjected by her\\nown slave, in her own house, when first unearthed;\\nthe fiendish barbarity with which this demon in human\\n.shape was discovered torturing and ill-treating her\\nmartyred mistress, was a crime so unprecedented even\\nin the darkest days of African servitude that the public\\nmind was literally appalled. And what added to the\\nhideousness of the spectacle was the fact that the crime\\nwas shown to have been authorized, nay instigated, by\\nthe husband him.self of the half-demented martyr. The\\nfacts present a remarkable pendant to the Lalaurie\\ncase, narrated in full in Chapter IV. Gleaned from\\ncontemporaneous sources, they furnish an authentic\\naccount both of the crime and of its expiation:\\n167", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0187.jp2"}, "188": {"fulltext": "l68 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nIn the early part of January, 1845, Edgard Montegut,\\nthen Mayor of this city, received through the postoffice,\\nan anonymous letter informing him that a white female\\nwas imprisoned in a house. No. 52 Bayou Road, a\\nprisoner of her own slave. The same missive also ap-\\nprised him that she, for some time past, had been\\ntreated in a most horrid manner. The Mayor, accom-\\npanied by Recorder Jos. Genois and some police officers,\\nimmediately repaired to the designated place, where\\nthey found a Mrs. Rabbaneck, the lady of the house,\\nwith three of her children, respectively aged seven, four\\nand two years, confined in a back cabinet. Their\\nclothing was worn to tatters and rags; they were cov-\\nered with filth and ulcers, and their limbs were shrunken\\nand emaciated. The body of Mrs. R. was covered with\\nbruises from head to foot, and in many places with lac-\\nerations, indicating where the lash had entered the\\nflesh. Her blackened eyes bore evidence of heavy\\nblows, and her hair was clotted with blood. The three\\nchildren presented nearly the same shocking appearance,\\nthe two eldest in particular. Upon being questioned by\\nthe Mayor as to the cause of her distress, Mrs. R. see-\\ning that her slave, Pauline, was present, answered that\\nher husband had beaten her. As she exhibited much\\ntrepidation whenever the eyes of her servant were bent\\nupon her, the Mayor ordered the latter s removal from\\nthe room, whereupon the woman acknowledged that\\nshe was afraid to make statements in her presence,\\ndreading death to herself and little ones. Her hus-\\nband, she stated, had been absent on a visit for the\\nlast six weeks to St. I^ouis, since which time Pauline\\nhad taken possession of the house and its contents,\\nand incarcerated her and children in a closet, where\\nthey had been beaten almost daily, sometimes with a", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0188.jp2"}, "189": {"fulltext": "Tim EXECUTION OF PAUIvINK. 169\\ncane, at others with a strap, and furnished with food\\nbarely sufficient to sustain life. Medical aid and attention\\nwere immediately given them at the Mayor s instance,\\nand. the negress was arrested and committed to prison.\\nA few days after, a preliminary examination was held\\nbefore Recorder Genois, and the above facts being fully\\nsubstantiated she was ordered to be tried before the Crim-\\ninal Court, under the provisions of the Black Code.\\nIt is needless to say that, on the day of trial, an im-\\nmense concourse of people had swarmed in and around\\nthe avenues of the court house to listen to the dramatic\\ndetails. To such a height had public excitement\\nreached that we may well wonder now how the wretched\\nculprit could have escaped, then and there, the fury of\\nan angry and avenging mob. But to the honor of the\\ncity authorities be it said, and the exertions of Monte-\\ngut, no serious outbreak occurred.\\nEverything being ready for trial. Judge Canonge ap-\\npointed N. Z. Latour, Esq., to defend the prisoner.\\nThe members of the special tribunal, six in number, were\\ncalled to the book and severally sworn by the judge,\\nupon the oath prescribed by the Code, the judge being in\\nturn also sworn in by one of the jurors as the presiding\\nofficer. The prisoner was then arraigned, entered a\\nplea of not guilty, and stated that she was ready for\\ntrial. The district attorney then read the indictment,\\nand explained to the jury the law of 18 14, under which\\nthe prosecution was instituted, and which inflicted the\\npenalty of death upon anj^ slave to strike his master,\\nmistress or any of their children, so as to cause a con-\\ntusion or shedding of blood also the amendment to the\\nabove act, passed in 1843, giving the jury the privilege\\nto commute the punishment to imprisonment at hard\\nlabor for life,", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0189.jp2"}, "190": {"fulltext": "lyo NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nThe testimony elicited on the part of the prosecution\\nwent to show that the slave Pauline had been purchased\\nby Peter Rabbeneck about two years previous from Mr.\\nFrancois Roubieu, who owned a plantation a short dis-\\ntance below Natchitoches, on which Rabbeneck had\\nbeen for some years acting as overseer. Rabbeneck\\nremoved to the city and rented one-half of a double\\ndwelling house, No. 52 Bayou Road, from Mr. Isenhart,\\nwho occupied the other half. About six weeks previous\\nto the occurrence, Rabbeneck, who had business to\\ntransact in St. lyouis, went up the river, leaving his\\nwife, whom he had represented to Isenhart and his\\ndaflghter to be crazy, and his children, together with\\nupward of $200 in money, in charge of Pauline, who\\nwas proven to be his paramour, and claimed to be about\\nto become a mother.\\nImmediately after Rabbeneck s departure, Pauline\\ntook possession of her mistress apartments, and re-\\nmoved her and the three children to the back cabinet,\\nwhich she had herself previously occupied. Mrs. Rab-\\nbeneck, who had sufficiently recovered to appear in\\ncourt, testified that, since her husband s absence, she\\nhad been subjected to the most cruel and barbarous\\ntreatment from her slave, who had beaten her at times\\nwith a cane or leather strap, as well as with her fist, and\\nhad obtained such a mastery over her will that she was\\nafraid, in case she disclosed to any one her sufferings,\\nthat her life would be taken. She also testified that\\nshe had a knowledge of her husband s intimacy with\\nPauline, which intimacy had caused much ill feeling\\nbetween them, and had resulted on several occasions in\\nher being struck by her husband. Mrs. R. also testified\\nto the cruel manner in which her children had been\\nbeaten by Pauline.", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0190.jp2"}, "191": {"fulltext": "THE EXECUTION OF PAULINE. 171\\nThis testimony was corroborated by a slave named\\nDinah, who, on or about Christmas, had been employed\\nby Pauline to work by the day to wash clothes. She\\nstated that on the second day after she had been em-\\nployed, upon Pauline s returning from market, and dis-\\ncovering that a biscuit was missing from the breakfast\\ntable, she charged the taking of it on Constance, the\\noldest child, who, upon denying the theft, was dread-\\nfully beaten with a leathern strap by Pauline, who alsc\\ntied the child s clothes over her head and forced her foi\\nsome time into a kneeling posture, with her knees rest-\\ning upon the rough edges of small pieces of brick,\\nwhich she had broken up for that cruel purpose. A few\\ndays after she heard Pauline abusing some one in the cabi-\\nnet, and upon the latter leaving the house she entered\\nthe room, and for the first time discovered that there\\nwas a person confined there. She raised a mosquito bai\\nand inquired if she could render Mrs. R. any assistance,\\nbut upon receiving no direct answer she paid no furthei\\nattention to the matter. On another occasion she again\\nheard Pauline in the cabinet cursing her mistress,\\ncalling her opprobrious names, and telling her if she did\\nnot get up and go to work she would whip her to death,\\nPauline at the same time dragging her mistress by the\\nhair out of bed upon the floor and beating her in the\\nface with her fist. Upon witness remonstrating with\\nPauline, she attempted to close the door of the cabinet\\nupon her, and forced the child Constance to hand\\nher a cane, with which she beat Mrs. R. in a most\\nshocking and cruel manner. The witness on the\\nsame day informed a gentleman, by whom she was\\noccasionally employed, of the above circumstances, who,\\non the next day, addressed an anonymous letter to\\nthe Mayor, which led to the arrest of Pauline and the", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0191.jp2"}, "192": {"fulltext": "172 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nrelease of the unfortunate family from their pitiful situ-\\nation.\\nThe testimony of the Mayor and of Dr. Beugnot, in\\nrelation to the condition of the sufferers, at the time ol\\nthe discovery of the crime, confirmed the above state-\\nments in every particular.\\nCatherine Isenhart, who occupied with her father a\\npart of the same dwelling with Mrs. Rabbeneck, testi-\\nfied that the only time she had seen Mrs. Rabbeneck\\nwas a day or two after she had first occupied the house.\\nMr. Rabbeneck told her, before leaving for St. Louis,\\nthat his wife was crazy, had permitted one of theii\\nchildren some years since to starve to death, and that he\\nhad been compelled to purchase Pauline to attend to his\\nchildren on that account. He also told her that his\\nwife would hardly ever speak to any person, not even\\nto him. The witness also testified as to the beating ol\\nthe child Constance on one occasion. She had fre-\\nquently heard Pauline cursing her mistress, but as\\nwitness was frequently absent from the house, if she had\\ninflicted blows upon her it must have been during her\\nabsence.\\nThe case was submitted to the jury without argument,\\nwho, after being instructed by the court in regard to the\\nlaw, returned the following verdict\\nWe, the undersigned, freeholders, forming the\\nspecial tribunal which was convoked and sworn to try\\nthe slave Pauline, belonging to Peter Rabbeneck, ac-\\ncused of striking her mistress so as to cause the shedding\\nof blood, do unanimously find her guilty and agree to\\nsentence, and do hereby sentence the said Pauline,\\nbelonging to Peter Rabbeneck, to death, and do hereby\\nunanimously fix and appoint the 21st day of February,\\n1845;, between the hours of 10 a. m. and 2 p. m., as the", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0192.jp2"}, "193": {"fulltext": "THE EXECUTION OF PAULINE. 1 73\\ntime when the said sentence of death shall be carried\\ninto effect, the place of execution to be opposite\\nthe Parish Prison. And inasmuch as we are given to\\nunderstand that the said Pauline is now enceinte,*\\nand this sentence can not be carried into execution\\nwhile she is in that situation, we, in such a case,\\ndo further unanimously order that said sentence of death\\nshall be executed at the same hour and place on the\\n28th day of March, 1846.\\nDuring the whole course of the proceedings Pauline s\\nattitude was entirel}- passive. She appeared to be about\\ntwentj^-eight years of age, of middle size, and with a\\nsulky, stubborn and revengeful look. It was bruited\\nabout that she was a Virginian by birth, and had at\\none time belonged to President Monroe. The throng\\nin the evening was as great as that in the morning, and\\nthe police had to resort to adroit devices to take the\\nprisoner back to jail, without passing through the\\ncrowds in waiting to see the wretch. A cab being in\\nreadiness, she was put into it and safely driven to her\\nprison quarters.\\nA committee of physicians was appointed by Judge\\nCanonge to examine the condition of Pauline, and, upon\\ntheir report, her execution was fixed for the 28th of\\nMarch, of the ensuing year. During nearly the whole\\nperiod of her incarceration she appeared indifferent to\\nor unconscious of the fate that awaited her, and her\\nstatement as to her delicate condition was proven by\\ntime to have been fictitious, and made only with the\\nview of extending her lease of life.\\nIn the meantime some kind souls residing in the\\nparish of Iberville, commiserating the condition and\\nabandonment in which she had been left by the brutality\\nand unfeeling conduct of her equally guilty husband,", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0193.jp2"}, "194": {"fulltext": "174 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nhad provided for Mrs. Rabbeneck a home in the town of\\nPlaquemine, where she was leading a life of usefulness\\nand retirement. But the wretch who had blighted her life\\nand sacrificed her love for the meretricious embraces of\\na slave-mistress, was not to be deprived of his prey, and,\\ndiscovering her new place of abode, went in pursuit of\\nher. But the people of that town, loath to have such a\\nreptile in their midst, soon checked his infamous career,\\nas I find in the following paragraph from the Plaque-\\nmine Gazette:\\nThe miscreant who ill-treated his wife so outrage-\\nously in New Orleans, last fall, and then left her and\\nchildren to the tender mercies of the slave, Pauline\\n(now under sentence of death for her barbarities toward\\nher mistress and children), was found prowling about\\nthe premises of one of our citizens Thursday night,\\nand was very properly arrested and put in jail. His\\nobject in hanging round the house in question was to\\nsee his wife, but whether with good or evil intent it is\\ndifficult to tell. He will hardly find a lawyer in this\\nplace who for the sake of a fee will undertake to shield\\nhim from justice.\\nThus wandered the wretch through the paths of life,\\nwith the curse and brand of Cain upon his brow Dis-\\ncharged from custody, he became an outcast, friendless\\nand despised.\\nOn Saturday, March 28, 1846, Pauline was hung pur-\\nsuant to her sentence. Orleans street, in front of the\\nprison, was blocked up by an immense crowd as early\\nas 8 o clock in the morning. At 11 o clock she was\\nrobed for the execution, confessed and took the sacra-\\nment. At 12:15 she was taken from the cell and con-\\nducted to the scaffold, erected on a platform connecting\\nthe Parish Prison with the Police Jail. I have witnessed", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0194.jp2"}, "195": {"fulltext": "THK EXECUTION OF PAULINE. 1 75\\nexecutions of different kinds, but I never saw such a\\nperfect example of firmness as that which she displayed.\\nSome would have called it indifference, but such was\\nnot the case. She died not only penitent and resigned,\\nbut exhibited great moral courage. When seated on\\nthe chair, the Abbe Louis said a praj-er in which she\\njoined with apparent eagerness and devotion. When\\nasked whether she desired anything, she replied in the\\nnegative nothing except a crucifix and a glass of water.\\nThe question was then put whether she was ready, and\\nshe calmly answered Yes. The drop fell, and she\\nsuffered three or four minutes ere she expired. When her\\nform was drawn back to the scaffold, it was found that\\nher neck had not been dislocated, and she must have died\\nfrom strangulation. There were no less than 4000 to 5000\\npersons to witness the execution, among whom serious and\\nsorrowful faces strangely contrasted with the boisterous\\nand merry. Bedizened courtesans flaunted their charms\\nin open carriages women of all descriptions were there\\non foot, young and old, of all colors. lyoud was the\\nlaugh and merry the jokes which provoked mirth among\\nthe lookers-on, and as I contemplated the swinging and\\ncircling form of the expiatory victim and the stolid in-\\ndifference of that heterogeneous crowd, I thought that\\na public execution was a beastly and barbarous exhibi-\\ntion a brutal privilege of the law to satisfy the morbid\\nappetite of those who delight in scenes of cruelty. The\\nzealous offices and Christian-like attentions of the Abbe\\nLouis and of Miss Madelaine Labertonniere to the con-\\ndemned were assiduous, and received great commen-\\ndation.\\nAfter hanging about twenty minutes, the culprit was\\npronounced dead, and the body lifted to the platform,\\nwhence it was taken back to the prison for interment-", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0195.jp2"}, "196": {"fulltext": "176 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nThe sheriff and officers under his direction performed\\ntheir duties well, and the press gave them much credit\\nfor the dignified and orderly manner in which the stern\\nbut just mandate of the law had been obeyed.\\nSuch was the ending of one of those phases of the\\ninstitution of slavery which furnished such a prolific\\ntheme for heated discussions.", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0196.jp2"}, "197": {"fulltext": "CHURCH OF ST. LOUIS.\\nAs Modifi-.d by Latrobe in IS 14, ana Le Richs in 1824.", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0197.jp2"}, "198": {"fulltext": "", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0198.jp2"}, "199": {"fulltext": "CHAPTER X.\\nLOUISIANA PLANTERS.\\nIn this ao^e of so-called advancement and progress,\\nwhen the primary principles of political economy are\\nbeing antagonized by speculations and theories of doubt-\\nful soundness, and under the specious and high-sound-\\ning phrases of tariff reform, one of the staple produc-\\ntions of Louisiana, and the main source of her prosper-\\nity and wealth, is being threatened with utter ruin, a\\nretrospective view of the sugar industry of our State,\\nand of our plantations in ante-bellum times, may not\\nprove to-day inappropriate or amiss.\\nA trip along the Mississippi coast never failed to\\nprove a visit of delight and pleasure. The beautiful\\nlight-green foliage, the regular and uniform color and\\ngrowth ot the cane, extending in an unbroken sea of\\nverdure as far as the eye could reach, rendered a cane\\nfield the most delightful sight which could greet the\\nvision of one who loved scenes of rural and agricultural\\nbeauty. At certain seasons, so sturdy, so thick, tangled\\nand towering seemed the stalks, that one could hardly\\nrefrain from pitying the poor blacks who. had to cut\\nthem down. And yet this task was to them a labor of\\nlove, and they appeared to enjoy the fun. Although\\nthe necessities of the crop demanded almost incessant\\nexertion, and allowed no time for rest or recreation, the\\n177", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0199.jp2"}, "200": {"fulltext": "178 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nslaves preferred it to any other employment, ai;d alwaj^s\\nlooked forward to the grinding season as a pleasant and\\nexciting holiday.\\nAlong the whole distance from New Orleans to Baton\\nRouge was a succession of most elegant villas, mostly in\\nthe French and Italian style of architecture, many of\\nthem on a scale of great magnificence. The residences\\nwere usually large, roomy and commodious, and a large\\nspace was always devoted to the duties of hospitality.\\nA room or two for invited guests, or the strange wa}^-\\nfarer, was the not uncommon appendage of a planter s\\nhouse. Their repasts were bounteous and recherche.\\nProfusion seemed to be the rule. Their domestic circle\\nwas emphatically the lares at which these typical Cre-\\noles sat and worshiped. Surrounded usually by a\\nlarge family, the planter felt an innate pride in the\\ntraining of his children, in the purity of his stock, and\\nin the culture of his flowers. His home was surely an\\nideal home.\\nA peculiarity of their plantation residences, and, by\\nthe way, one which proved of superior advantage over\\nthe homes of our Northern farmers, was the broad, airy\\nand lofty galleries, that rested on massive stuccoed\\ncolumns and encircled the four sides of the habitation,\\ninstead of the pretentious porches so frequently seen at\\nthe North. The rooms were, therefore, thoroughly ven-\\ntilated and cool, freely admitting the summer breezes\\nwafted from the lake and the Mississippi river, and\\nafforded ample room to the little ones during the rainy\\nseason to romp and play. The basement, converted in\\nsummer into a spacious dining room, was oftentimes the\\ncoolest portion of the house, while hammocks, sus-\\npended here and there, attested the habits of the family\\nand their fondness for the daily siesta.", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0200.jp2"}, "201": {"fulltext": "LOUISIANA PLANTERS. 179\\nAt some distance in the rear, midway between the\\nplanter s residence and the edge of the swamp, was to\\nbe seen a huge, massive pile, over which towered an\\nimmense chimney. This was the sugar mill, the pride\\nof the L,ouisiana planter. The cost of these structures,\\nwith their complete outfit of machinery, was in several\\ninstances enormous. They were built almost exclusively\\nof brick, and as fire-proof as possible. The expenses\\nfor running these establishments were then much greater\\nthan they are at the present day. With our now im-\\nproved system of granulating the juice of the cane, the\\nyield of the saccharine matter is not only much greater,\\nbut the desiccated bagasse furnishes an excellent substi-\\ntute for coal. Not so, in ante-bellum times. The\\nplanter had no other supply for fuel than in the swamp\\nback of his plantation. This apparently worthless piece\\nof land was his providence. It furnished him with\\ntimber of every description good, bad and indifferent.\\nBut the trouble to hew, haul and store away the hun-\\ndreds and sometimes thousands of cords necessary for\\nthe grinding season was very great and harassing, and\\nthe outlay became a matter of some consequence. This\\nindispensable work was usually done after the cane had\\nattained some degree of maturity.\\nNext to his sugar mill, the planter used to look with\\ncomplacency upon the quarters of his field hands.\\nThese were unique, picturesque, and constituted in\\nthemselves thriving villages. They were regularly laid\\nout in the form of a paralellogram, intersected by\\nnumerous streets, built generally of wood, freshly white-\\nwashed, with a small plat of ground attached for cul-\\ntivation by each occupant. The proceeds of this patch,\\nas well as those resulting from the sale of chickens and\\n^Sgs, were the property of the slaves, the policy of the", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0201.jp2"}, "202": {"fulltext": "I So NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nmaster being to encourage in them habits of thrift and\\nlove for work.\\nThe grounds surrounding the mansion house were\\nalwa5 s laid out with profuse and magnificent shrubbery.\\nThis was the spot which usually betrayed a woman s\\ntender care. A spacious avenue, leading from the resi-\\ndence to the gate facing the public road, was the first\\nfeature to attract attention. lyined with stately mag-\\nnolias, their umbrageous limbs diffused a cool tempera-\\nture, without obstructing the course of any current of air.\\nThe walks were hedged with jessamines and little groves\\nof myrtles and cedars, of arbor vitse and arbor call, with\\nlines of rose and pomegranate bushes marking off the\\nsquares, while now and then a huge-stalked banana tree\\nor a bristling cactus or Agave Americana would start up\\nand betray our vicinity to the tropical zone. Towering\\nabove all this diversified shrubbery were various wide-\\nspreading and well shaped pecan trees, or, perhaps, the\\njagged, twisted and gnarled limbs of that Spartan of the\\nforest, the live-oak. Completely encircling the whole\\nhouse, yard and garden was a rich dark hedge of orange\\ntrees, which, in the fall of the year, were nearly weighed\\ndown with the burden of their abundant fruit.\\nThis is only but a brief outline of the river planter s\\nhabitation and environments during the period which\\npreceded the war. But as to himself what pen can\\ngraphically describe his genial humor, his proverbial\\nhospitality, his innate sense of justice and his affection-\\nate treatment of his slaves Who can enter the inner\\ncircle of his private life, and see without admiration his\\ndevotion to wife, his solicitude for his children, his tem-\\nperate admonitions to his employes, his cheerful inter-\\ncourse with his neighbors, his delight in taking the\\nweary traveler by the hand and making him a welcome", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0202.jp2"}, "203": {"fulltext": "LOUISIANA PLANTERS. l8l\\nguest at his board Alas! that proud race of nature s\\nnobleraeu is, I fear, extinct forever.\\nThe river planter was a worker. Though raised and\\nnurtured in the lap of fortune, he had been made to ac-\\nquire in early youth habits of activity and industry,\\nwhich he retained through life. At early dawn, as soon\\nas the plantation bell was summoning the laborers to\\ntheir daily toil, he would be seen, mounted on his wiry\\nhorse, riding across the fields to see that his overseer\\nwas carrying out his orders. He was constantly busy\\nhere attending to a fallen fence, there to the deepening\\nof a trench, or again to the repair of a dangerous bridge.\\nBelieving in the old adage that the eye of the master\\nfattens the horse, his time was much engrossed in\\nsuperintending every detail. Thus it was that at some\\nseasons he realized large profits. But there were periods,\\nalso, when he was made to undergo serious reverses.\\nThose were the times when the crops failed, when pre-\\nmature frosts rendered abortive the labor of months of\\ntoil, or when financial depression hung over the country.\\nDuring the continued crash of banks and other moneyed\\ninstitutions which marked New Orleans history in the\\n30s, no one suffered more severely and resisted the over-\\nwhelming tide with more courage and persistence than\\nthe lyouisiana planter. Fortunes were swept away at\\none fell swoop, and heavy, oppressive mortgages were\\nthe result. As a general rule, the planter was a man of\\nrefinement and culture, educated in the best schools of\\nParis or America. The French Opera, during the gay\\nseason, was his special enjoyment. He delighted in\\nconvivial reunions, the pleasures of refined society, and,\\nabove all, in the attractions of the home circle. Taken\\nall in all, he was emphatically one of the mainstays of\\nthe country s wealth and progress.", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0203.jp2"}, "204": {"fulltext": "CHAPTER XI.\\nA STRANGE STORY OF THE SEA.\\nOn the morning of the 8th of June, 1841, the citizens\\nof New Orleans were startled by the appearance at one\\nof the city wharves of the ship Charles, of Bath, Me.,\\nCaptain Gorliam, which had left the city for Bordeaux on\\nthe evening of the ist previous with a cargo of 65,000\\nstaves, 75,000 feet of lumber, and a lot of heading and\\nwheel spokes. She was brought back to the city by the\\ntowboat Tiger. Her unexpected return was due to the\\nfollowing inexplicable circumstances\\nThe Charles had cleared on a Tuesday and gone\\ndown to the Balize the same evening, crossing the bar\\nand getting well into the Gulf on the morning follow-\\ning. During the whole of Wednesday and Thursday\\nthe Charles, as well as the L,ouis Quatorze, which had\\ngone out at the same time, was distinctly visible from\\nthe Balize, the weather being rather calm though it\\nwas observed that the Charles steered to the westward,\\nwhile the lyouis Quatorze headed to the east of the\\nSouthwest Pass. On Friday morning, at an early hour,\\nthe captain of the Tiger noticed a vessel apparently\\ndirecting her course for the Southwest Pass, and seem-\\ning at that distance as if her studding sails were set.\\nPresuming that the vessel was in want of a pilot, he\\ndirected his boat toward her. On nearing her he dis-\\n182", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0204.jp2"}, "205": {"fulltext": "A strakge story of the sea. 183\\ncovered it was the ship Charles. Nearly all her sails\\nhad been set, and the jib, which was flying loosely,\\nappeared to have been cut, probably to make an awning\\nfor one of the boats. Not a solitary being was on\\nboard.\\nOn descending into the cabin several bottles, which\\nhad contained porter and had had their necks knocked\\noff, were found on the table. Some of their contents\\nhad been spilled, and the froth looked quite fresh.\\nEvery particle of luggage had disappeared. Not a\\ntrunk, nor a mattress, nor any article of clothing, save an\\nold pair of boots, was to be seen. The apparel a^d\\nbedding of the captain, crew and passengers had evi-\\ndently been carried off also. On examining the vessel s\\ndecks, spots of blood having the appearance of having\\nbeing recently shed, together with eight or ten hand-\\nspikes, were seen on the starboard side. On the lar-\\nboard was a pool of blood running toward the scuppers,\\nand on the same side on the outer part of the vessel were\\neight stains of blood also, which had apparently flowed\\nfrom some wounded person being carried or forced over\\nthe ship s side.\\nIt must be borne in mind that this appalling discovery\\nwas made at an early hour in the morning. After fully\\nestablishing the facts just recited, the Tiger very prop-\\nerly put to sea and cruised for some five or six hours.\\nIn the course of this search, at a distance of about ten\\nmiles from the Charles, a boat, identified as one\\nbelonging to that vessel, and in it a dog said to have\\nbeen the property of one of the passengers, were picked\\nup. The animal appeared by no means exhausted, and\\nhad evidently not been long adrift, as when offered\\nwater he did not lap very eagerly.\\nAfter cruising some time lonjcr and finding nothing", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0205.jp2"}, "206": {"fulltext": "184 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nwhatever to clear ti] the mystery, Captain Crowell re-\\nturned to the vessel, fastened her in tow and brought her\\nto the city.\\nIt is needless to state that this singular discovery gave\\nrise to speculations of every kind. Horrid rumors of\\nmurder and piracy, mutiny and assassination, flew from\\nmouth to mouth with incredible rapidity. The preva-\\nlent supposition although about as vague as every\\nother was that the crew had rebelled, murdered the\\ncaptain and passengers, seized the baggage and valua-\\nbles on board and escaped in one of the yawls, which\\nwas found to be missing.\\nThe city authorities on the receipt of this news assem-\\nbled and counseled together. A meeting of the Council\\nof the Second Municipality (now First District) was\\nheld, at which decisive measures were adopted for the\\nelucidation of this dark and horrible enigma. The\\nsteamship Neptune was immediately chartered to cruise\\nin the Gulf, and a crew of sixty able-bodied seamen\\nwere engaged, fully armed and equipped, the whole un-\\nder the command of Captain Butler, harbormaster of that\\nsection of the port. A large number of citizens offered\\ntheir services to accompany this expedition, but as the\\nNeptune had already her full complement of men, the\\nproffer was declined. At her departure from our river\\nfront, the wharves were lined with eager spectators.\\nA further search of the Charles brought to light\\nadditional mystifying facts. In the steerage hatch of\\nthe now notorious craft, in a heap of rubbish and refuse\\nstuff, were found se^^eral articles of female wearing ap-\\nparel and a very good black coat. There was also the\\nupper portion of a lady s dress the skirt was missing.\\nThe inside portion of the right breast was stained with", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0206.jp2"}, "207": {"fulltext": "A STRANGE STORY OF THE SEA. 1 85\\nblood and revealed a small rent, as if it had been pierced\\nby a poignard. Said a local paper: Every additional\\ncircumstance appears to corroborate the belief that the\\nhelpless and unoffending victims on board this ill-fated\\nvessel have met with a bloody and watery grave.\\nImmediately following the Neptune, the Merchant\\nwith sixty men, and a schooner carrying twenty-five\\nothers, set off upon the same errand. The first was a\\nsteamboat plying on lyake Pontchartrain, on board of\\nwhich a number of volunteers had embarked under the\\ncommand of General Persifor F. Smith, who took the\\nlake route. After an absence of several days, she came\\nback to port with a startling account of her operations.\\nIt was substantially as follows\\nShortly after the arrival of the Merchant in the Gulf,\\nshe met the United States brig Consort, with which she\\ncruised some time in company, both of them scouring\\nthe coast from the mainland northw^Lrd to the Balize.\\nOn Tuesday, the 8th of April, a heavy firing was heard\\nby the Merchant and the Consort at the Balize. It was\\nlikewise heard by those on board the Neptune, but the\\nnoise sounded to them like that of distant thunder. On\\nthe Friday following, the Merchant left the Consort on\\nher way to the westward of the Passes, and returned to\\nthe Balize for water. The expedition there heard of a\\nmarauding party encamped on Lime Kiln Bayou, in the\\nvicinity of the Chandeleurs. The party immediately\\ndirected their course thither, and arrived at the bayou\\nat night.\\nThey made their way along the stream in boats, but\\nas the water became narrower and shallower at every\\nstep, the boats were obliged to follow each other in\\nS .igle file, the first being commanded by General Smith\\nin person, the second by Captain Hozey, and the third", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0207.jp2"}, "208": {"fulltext": "1 86 NE^W ORI.BANS AS iT WAS.\\nby Captain Thacker. After, traveling some time in this\\nfashion, the expedition came upon the encampment and,\\nthe night being dark, General Smith jumped ashore,\\nfollowed by the men of his company. In front of a tent\\nstood a sentinel with a musket. He was ordered to sur-\\nrender. He did so, but was thrown to the ground in\\norder that he might be pinioned. In the meantime\\nGeneral Smith had gone behind a tent to reconnoitre.\\nAt this moment an individual, said to have been the\\nbrother of the sentinel, hearing the noise, rushed out of\\nthe tent, armed with a bowie knife, and falling on the\\ntwo men outside wounded them both severely. One of\\nthe party rushed back into the water, exclaiming I\\nam stabbed, whereupon Captain Hozey s company\\nstepped on shore, and one of them, putting his musket\\nto the assailant s side, discharged its contents into his\\nbody. General Smith, hearing the tumult, sprang from\\nthe inside of the tent, which he was engaged in inspect-\\ning, sword in hand, and stumbling over the prostrate\\nbody of the dying man was stabbed by him on the fore-\\nhead and on both sides of the body. Fortunately, none\\nof the wounds proved dangerous. The survivors were\\nimmediately secured. They consisted in all of four men\\nand a boy. They were conveyed to the Balize and left\\nin charge of the authorities there.\\nThis is the sum of the statement which the officers of\\nthis volunteer expeditionary fdce condescended to fur-\\nnish the press on their arrival at New Orleans, and as\\npeople were conjecturing as to the cause of the attack\\nand the character of the people attacked, a new surprise\\nawaited them in the form of a judicial prosecution, in-\\nstituted by the relatives of the camping party. When\\ntheir names became known and their narrative given to\\nthe public, it was discovered that a terrible mistake had", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0208.jp2"}, "209": {"fulltext": "A STRANGE STORY OF THE) SKA. 1 8;\\nbeen committed and a deep and grievous wrong perpe-\\ntrated. A warrant, signed by the mayor, was issued for\\nthe arrest of Smith and Hozey.\\nNow arose another complication.\\nThe facts, as related by the prosecuting parties, maj^ be\\nthus summarized The latter consisted of Messrs. Paul\\nI^uscy, Klmire L,uscy, a boy and two friends, who, acting\\nunder medical advice, had repaired to the sea shore for\\na change of air. They had stopped at first on Bird\\nIsland, but a fisherman having offered to convey them\\nto another island, where trees and game were more\\nabundant, they had accepted the proposition. They\\nhad been living four days upon this spot, and had\\nerected thereon a camp tent, under which they habitu-\\nally slept, when, toward 9 o clock in the night-time, the\\ntwo lyuscys were surprised at hearing the sound of oars.\\nAware of what was being Said about pirates, Elmire\\nI^uscy took up his gun, and perceiving two boats com-\\ning toward their encampment, and suspecting that they\\nwere revenue ofiicers, he went directly to them, and\\noffered to give up his gun. The sequel is better related\\nby himself in the following communication, which ap-\\npeared in the French columns of the Bee:\\nI owe it to my family, my fellow-citizens and myseli\\nto publish the result of the cruise of the steamer Mer-\\nchant, Captain Griffin, which culminated in the assas-\\nsination of my brother, Paul lyuscy, who was the only\\nsupport of a numerous family.\\nOn the 3d instant, toward noon, a party consisting\\nof Paul I,uscy, Francois lyavergne, myself and my boy,\\naged nine years, left the city in a boat. Paul had been\\nadvised by Dr. Guesnard to take salt water baths, as he\\nwas in declining health. On our way out, we were met", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0209.jp2"}, "210": {"fulltext": "1 88 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nby Captain Taylor, who hailed us and wanted to know\\nwhere we were from, and whither we were bound.\\nAfter having informed him that we belonged to New\\nOrleans, and that we had just left Bird Island en route\\nfor Bayou lyimekiln, he warned us that a band of pirates\\nwere believed to be concealed in the neighborhood en-\\njoined us to keep a sharp lookout, and in the event of\\nour discovering their whereabouts not to fail to keep\\nhim advised. On the nth instant, we went out to fish\\noysters with Mr. Henry Price. At about 9 o clock at\\nnight we were all resting in our tent, when, hearing the\\nnoise of a boat approaching our camp, I left the tent,\\ngun in hand, and cried out Who is there? Without\\nanswering me a single word several men, running\\ntoward me, threw themselves upon me. I turned my gun\\nover to them, saying I am not a robber, believing at\\nthe time that they were Custom House officers. At the\\nsame time a number of other individuals jumped ashore,\\narmed with guns and bayonets. I rushed under the\\ntent, and, taking up my child in my arms, I cried out\\nI am not a robber Here, see my son Heedless of\\nmy protestations and of this living evidence of my inno-\\ncence, I, together with my young son, was thrown to\\nthe ground and covered with bayonets. In this melee I\\nreceived a wound in my right arm.\\nWhile imploring for the life of mj^ child I heard the\\ndischarge of a gun, and, notwithstanding the bayonets\\npointed at me, I exclaimed: Luscy, brother! His\\nanswer was I am a dead man. My brother had then\\nfallen into the bayou. I attempted to rise and go to his\\nassistance, but those who were holding me prevented\\nmy so doing. They were about twenty-five or thirty in\\nnumber. They said Catch the man in the water,\\nspeaking of my brother, who had just received a bullet", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0210.jp2"}, "211": {"fulltext": "A STRANGE STORY OF THE SEA. 1 89\\nthrough the abdomen, perforating the spinal column.\\nWhen taken out of the water, notwithstanding his\\nwounded condition, he was ordered to be pinioned\\nTie him Tie him I begged them to desist, as he\\nwas evidently dying. Then he fell into my arms and\\nsaid: I am lost. An individual, seemingly a physi-\\ncian, applied a small bandage to his wounds, saying\\nIt is useless he is dying. When all was over, these\\nbrave and chivalrous men began to busy themselves,\\nsome in eating the oysters that we had caught on that\\nday, others in breaking up our small tent and in search-\\ning for booty. They only found a pocket-book contain-\\ning two dollars and six bits, a silver watch and a powder-\\nhorn, which they took awa}-. At about 11 o clock p,\\nM. we were all stowed away in a yawl and taken to the\\nsteamer Merchant, in the Mississippi river.\\nWhen this steamer was about to leave, my brother\\nbesought them to carry him home and allow him to die\\nin the midst of his family, but this last consolation was\\nbrutally denied him, and he was left on shore at the\\nBalize, where he died at 5 o clock in the evening, on\\nSaturday, the 12th instant.\\nThis attacking expedition against an unoffending\\ntent and its sleeping occupants was commanded by that\\nbrave General, Persifor F. Smith, and Major C. F.\\nHozey.\\nAs a proof of the falsity of the statements daily pub-\\nlished in the papers of the Second Municipality, I refer\\nto the flattering terms, officially published in the /Vrt-\\n_j of Tuesday, 15th inst. in which the recorder and\\nthe aldermen of that municipality express themselves\\nanent the chivalrous conduct of Messieurs Smith and\\nHozey, whose sole meritorious act, prompted either\\nthrough cowardice or intoxication, seems to have", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0211.jp2"}, "212": {"fulltext": "I go NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nbeen the iinuder of the only mainstay of a numerous\\nfamily.\\n(Signed) Elmire Francois lyuscv.\\nThe Luscy family was one of the most honorable and\\nrespectable of the lower portion of Faubourg Marigny,\\nand the publication of the above card carried much\\nweight with it. While deploring the events that had\\nled to such a tragical ending, and giving the affair the\\nbenefit of every mitigating circumstance, the impartial\\npublic could not but appreciate the fact that a homicide\\nhad been committed in a hasty, unseemly and injudi-\\ncious manner, and that the affair ought to undergo a\\nthorough judicial investigation. As usual on occasions\\nof public importance, where sectional differences were\\nunnecessarily introduced, the press up and down town\\ntook opposite sides, and the controversy, without assum-\\ning an acrimonious character, was kept up with spirit.\\nTo the statement of Luscy, Gen. Persifor F. Smith\\nthought proper to issue a rejoinder, which had a good\\neffect. Here it is\\nTo the Editor of the Courier:\\nWill 3^ou be pleased to insert the following state-\\nment of facts, which I would not trouble you with had\\nnot Mr. E. F. Luscy, in this morning s Bee, published\\nso gross a perversion of them.\\nOn the night of the nth instant, with a party of\\nmen in boats, searching among the bays leading to Lime\\nKiln Bayou, I landed at a shell bank, on which was a\\nsmall tent. I went ashore at the same time with two of\\nthe men, and a third followed, the other boats not }\\\\av-\\ning yet come up. The two men who landed with me,\\napproaching the tent on the left side, were accosted by", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0212.jp2"}, "213": {"fulltext": "A STRANGE STORY OF THE SEA. IQI\\none of its occupants, who said: Gentlemen, I am no\\nrobber, take my gun. I was then passing by the other\\n(the right) side of the tent. As I came to the front of\\nit, on that side, the two men were receiving the gun he\\noffered, when his brother rushed out of the tent among\\nthem, stabbed the two men and turned toward the third.\\nThis one drew back and fired at him as the brother was\\nattempting to stab him. The two who were stabbed fell\\nback toward the water, crying out they were stabbed.\\nUpon receiving the shot Paul Luscy turned toward\\nme, who had at this moment fallen over the tent\\ncord, struck me with his knife and then ran into\\nthe bayou. As the men who were stabbed fell back,\\nthe second boat landed, and the men, hearing that\\ntheir comrades were wounded, jumped ashore and\\nrushed to the tent, but Major Hozey, who was with\\nthem, interfered and prevented any violence, and told\\nIvUscy to sit down on the ground, and that he would not\\npermit him to be hurt. His brother was then brought\\nout of the bayou, and was found to be seriously\\nwounded. Every possible attention was paid to him,\\nand he desired to be brought to town. He wished to\\nabandon all his effects, but they were carefully collected\\nand taken on board of the Merchant, and left with him\\nat the Balize. We were not returning to the city by\\nthe river, and we could not bring him up. He himself\\nlamented his mistake, and acknowledged that his own\\nviolence was the cause of his disaster, but excused him-\\nself by saying he had just awakened from sleep and did\\nnot know what had happened.\\nThere were no men but part of the crew of the first\\nboat on the bank until after the whole scuffle was over,\\nand these men had no bayonets. All that L,uscy relates\\nof the crowd around him could onlv have happened", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0213.jp2"}, "214": {"fulltext": "192 NEW ORI.EANS AS IT WAS.\\nafter the men were stabbed by bis brother, and the\\nothers, exasperated at the act, had landed from the\\nboats.\\nThere was nothing like violence attempted or\\noffered until Paul Luscy rushed out of the tent and\\nstabbed the two boatmen, who were in the very act of\\nreceiving the gun which I^uscy had offered up of his own\\naccord, and but for that act of violence they would not\\nhave been disturbed.\\nPersifor F. Smith.\\nJune 17, 1841.\\nAfter an examination before the Mayor, General\\nSmith and Major Hozey were held to bail in the sum oi\\n$5000 each for their appearance before the Criminal\\nCourt on a charge of manslaughter. It is needless to\\nsay that the grand jury subsequently ignored the bill,\\nand that they were honorably discharged.\\nThus ended a dramatic episode, connected with what\\nwas supposed to have been the tragic fate of the crew\\nand passengers of the ill-fated ship Charles. What had\\nbecome of them, and to what destiny they had been\\ndoomed still remained a mystery a mystery which it\\nwill be the province of the following pages to clear up.\\nThe judicial investigation that led to the enlargement\\nof the prisoners charged with the killing of poor Luscy,\\nhad in no wise tended to allay public excitement or\\ncuriosity. The mystery seemed as far from a solution\\nas on the day when the facts were first reported to the\\nauthorities. None of the various expeditionary forces,\\nset on foot, had been successful in discovering any, the\\nleast, clew to the singular affair, and comments and con-\\njectures flew about as wildly as ever. Even the French", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0214.jp2"}, "215": {"fulltext": "A STRANGE STORY OF THE SEA. I93\\nConsul had advised the war ships of his nation stationed\\nat Vera Cruz and Havana to be on the alert for the\\nmutinied crew or supposed pirates. The Dunois,\\nbeing the lightest vessel of the squadron, was accord-\\ningly detached. Of the various rumors set afloat, the\\nfollowing canard will serve as a no uncommon\\nspecimen. We copy from a contemporary\\nA gentleman of this city informs us that while en-\\ndeavoring to hire a boat on the levee Thursday last, the\\nmaster of the boat, for the hire of which he was in\\ntreaty, mentioned that he knew an individual who\\ncould furnish a better clew to the late piratical deeds\\nthan had been discovered by all the expeditions. On\\nbeing asked who that person was, he pointed out a\\nFrenchman on board another smack. He added that\\nthe Frenchman had been eight days coming up the\\nriver, and that a day or two previous to his starting on\\nhis return, he had discovered three dead bodies, two of\\nwhich were floating in a creek on a small island in the\\nvicinity of the Southwest Pass, and a third was half\\nburied in the marsh. On examining these bodies, it\\nwas seen that they bore the appearance of having been\\nstabbed with bowie knives, and had evidently not been\\ndead more than a few hours. He further stated that a\\nblack flag had been discovered on the island. The\\nfisherman, alarmed, left the spot and made the best of\\nhis way homeward.\\nThis statement our informant was obliged to receive\\nat second hand, as he was unable to speak French to the\\nindividual who furnished the information. At our re-\\nquest, the gentleman called yesterday on Recorder Bald-\\nwin, and laid before him the above narrative. The\\nFrenchman, who is master of the schooner boat Hornet,\\nwas immediately brought before the recorder and sub-", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0215.jp2"}, "216": {"fulltext": "194 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nstantiated the statements just made. The matter will\\ndoul tless undergo further examination.\\nAnother rumor, absurd and cruel in its character, ob-\\ntained crtdence with a certain class, and associated the\\nname of Captain Reybaud with the alleged act of piracy.\\nThe charge was repeated in one or two of our local\\npapers, and hn.d no other foundation than the well\\nknown character of the Mexican corsair for prowess and\\nacts of daring. It will be remembered that many years\\nprevious, the commodore and crew had been prosecuted\\nfor piracy in American waters, and this former incident\\nhad no doubt led to the belief that the one-armed tar\\nhad resumed his predatory habits. Reybaud had a host\\naf friends in the city, unwilling to allow this stigma to\\nrest upon his honor, and accordingly such men as Ar-\\nmand Pitot, Charles Boudousquie, C. E. Forstall, F.\\nG-rima, E. Montegut, G. Lafon, Amedee Ducatel and\\n[ohn ly. Lewis protested in the Coiirier against the ac-\\ncusation as groundless and uncharitable, and the more\\nreprehensible as being preferred against an absent man,\\nwho at that very time was in Mexico, in the capital of\\nthe new Republic of Yucatan, where he was discharg-\\ning the functions of Secretary of the Navy.\\nThus, for days and days, did perplexity succeed per-\\nplexity, and all hope of ever probing the mysterious\\ndepths of the transaction was fast passing away, when\\nat last, and unexpectedly, on the 25th of June, 1841,\\ntidings reached New Orleans through Charleston papers\\nthat Captain Gorham, late master of the ship Charles,\\nand his crew had arrived in the port of Charleston as\\npassengers in the schooner Ann, from Attakapas.\\nThey gave the following account of their adventures\\nThe ship Charles sailed from New Orleans on the ist of", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0216.jp2"}, "217": {"fulltext": "A STRANGE STORY OF THE SEA. I95\\nJune, with a cargo of timber and staves, and twenty\\npassengers for Bordeaux. On the night of the 3d, when\\nabout fifty miles from the bar, the ship sprang a leak,\\nand, in spite of incessant labor at the pumps, by 2 o clock\\nin the morning there was two and one-half feet of water\\nin the hold. The crew and passengers became terribly\\nalarmed. A consultation was held with them, and it\\nwas determined to return to New Orleans. The wind at\\nthe time was very light, at about north, the Balize bear-\\ning north b} west. A new fear arose. The crew were\\nwearied out with labor at the pumps, and, as the water\\nwas gaining on them, they thought the ship would fill\\nand go down before they could reach a port.\\nThe French ship Louis Quatorze was at the time bul\\na short distance off, and the passengers insisted on being\\nput on board of her. She was bound for Havre. A boat\\nwas immediately dispatched to her from the Charles to\\nascertain if the captain would receive them. He con-\\nsented, and also tendered the use of his boats to aid in\\nembarking them. This was all happily effected, bul\\ngave no sort of relief to the .ship Charles, as the watei\\nin the hold looked more gloomy and threatening. Aftei\\ntaking a long look at it, the captain and crew came to\\nthe unanimous determination to abandon the ship, which\\nthey accordinglj^ did on the morning of the 4th, and\\nproceeded on board the I^ouis Quatorze. Finding the\\nboats of the Charles insufficient in number to carry them\\nall to the nearest port. Captain Gorham desired the cap-\\ntain of the French ship to haul up, in hopes of meeting\\nsome vessel bound for New Orleans or some other port\\nof the Gulf. This he did for two hours, when, perceiv-\\ning no sail in sight, he concluded to bear away for Ha-\\nvana. On the morning of the loth they fell in with the\\nschooner Ann, from Attakapas for Portsmouth, N. H.,", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0217.jp2"}, "218": {"fulltext": "196 NEW ORI.EANS AS IT WAS.\\non board of which Captain Gorham and crew embarked.\\nBut their adventures were not yet ended. The Ann was\\nstruck by lightning off Cape Hatteras, and so seriously\\ninjured as to render it expedient to turn back to Charles-\\nton, where she arrived in a very leaky condition on the\\n1 8th.\\nSome of the passengers signed the following certifi-\\ncate:\\nThe undersigned passengers, on board the ship\\nCharles, Captain Gorham, declare that on the 3d of\\nJune, about 8 o clock p. m., a leak was discovered,\\nwhich increased so much in the night that they (the\\npassengers) demanded of the captain to send them on\\nboard the ship lyouis Quatorze, which was at a little\\ndistance. The danger was so imminent that Captain\\nGorham acceded at once to our demand, and was him-\\nself under the necessity of abandoning the ship.\\nThis is to certify that Captain Gorham did not\\nabandon the ship until he found it impossible to save\\nher, and that we have given him this paper to serve him\\nin case of necessity.\\nGiven on board the ship L,ouis Quatorze, in the Gulf\\nof Mexico, the loth of June, 1841,\\n(Signatures.\\nThe circumstances connected with the abandonment\\nof a ship, unable from the peculiar character of her\\nfreight to sink under the heaviest stress of weather, cre-\\nated in Charleston strong suspicions of an attempt at\\nbarratry. Captain Gorham, therefore, demanded an in-\\nvestigation, which was held before Judge Gilchrist, and\\nof which the following was the result\\nThe captain, his two mates and two of the crew were\\nexamined, as also a passenger on board the schooner", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0218.jp2"}, "219": {"fulltext": "A STRANGE STORY OP THK SKA. 1 97\\nand some of her crew, and the schooner herself was\\nsearched by the United States marshal. The Mayor was\\npresent at the examination, and the city attorney, G. B.\\nEckhard, assisted the United vStates district attorney.\\nKvery precaution, it was thought, was taken to obtain\\nthe truth. Every witness, except the one undergoing\\nexamination for the time, was excluded from the court-\\nroom. The inquiry occupied about four hours, and re-\\nsulted in the declaration of the judge that he was satis-\\nfied there was no ground for any imputation upon the\\ncaptain and crew. In the course of the proceedings it\\nappeared that several of the passengers of the lyouis\\nQuatorze had written letters to their friends in the\\nUnited States, and entrusted them to Captain Gorham\\nto be mailed at any port he should first reach. Three\\nof these letters were produced and offered to be opened,\\nif his honor thought the situation and circumstances of\\nCaptain Gorham required their seals to be broken. This,\\nhowever, the judge declined doing. A bill of exchange,\\ndrawn by Captain Gorham on board the Ivouis XIV, up-\\non the owners of the Charles, endorsed by the captain of\\nthat ship, was also produced to show how the matter had\\nbeen arranged for the conveyance of the passengers.\\nThe bill of exchange stated the object for which it was\\ndrawn, and Captain Gorham declared that the captain of\\nthe Louis Quatorze had entrusted it to him to forward to\\nher owners, the other two bills of the set having been\\nleft on board. The circumstances of the bill of ex-\\nchange and letters were brought out in a manner that\\nshowed that Captain Gorham was not conscious of their\\nimportance, he having closed his account of all the facts\\ndeemed important by him, without adverting to them.\\nAmong other things mentioned by the captain to the\\nauthorities of Charleston was an explanation to the effect", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0219.jp2"}, "220": {"fulltext": "198 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nthat the blood found in the cabin was the result of a cut\\nin his hand whilst breaking off the neck of a bottle of\\nporter, and the blood on the deck, near the scuttles, was\\nthat of the mate, who had wounde*.. himself while mak-\\ning a thole pm for the launch.\\nThough the mystery attending the fate of the crew\\nand passengers of the ship Charles was satisfactorily\\ncleared up, so far as the charge of mutiny or piracy was\\ninvolved, nothing could disabuse the public mind of the\\nsuspicion that there lurked at the bottom of the affair\\nsome evil design, which time would ultimately unearth.\\nOf the private character or antecedents of the Yankee\\nskipper nothing was positively known, bu\u00c2\u00abt no man in\\nhis senses could believe that a ship officer, without some\\nsinister purpose in view, would, within sight of the Ba-\\nlize, and with constant opportunities of communicating\\nhis condition to some of the towboats frequently cruising\\nabout, have adopted the preposterous resolution of\\nabandoning a vessel which, from the nature of her\\ncargo, could not sink, and of leaving her to be discov-\\nered under circumstances which naturally inspired the\\ndarkest forebodings. Said a New Orleans contempo-\\nrary\\nThe more we reflect on the conduct of Captain Gor-\\nham in abandoning his ship, the more we are astonished\\nand indignant. If we felt disposed to overlook his de-\\nsertion of the vessel under circumstances which, as a\\nseafaring man, he should have known, exempted him\\nfrom danger, we would still be compelled to condemn\\nhim for not leaving on board a single line by which the\\nfacts of the case might have been ascertained. A few\\nwords written in his logbook, a letter left on the table in\\nthe cabin, would have spared the friends and relatives\\nof the passengers the most cruel anguish, the city au-", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0220.jp2"}, "221": {"fulltext": "A STRANGE STORY OF THE SEA. 1 99\\nthorities a very heavy expense and an innocent indi-\\nvidual the loss of life by a deplorable mistake. For all\\nthis is Captain Gorham responsible. A fearful weight\\nof accountability attaches to his infamous conduct. If\\nwe have a counsel to offer him, it is to avoid Louisiana\\nin all his future peregrinations. We know not to what\\nextremities the execration of our citizens would impel\\nthem, if the guilty author of so much mischief were in\\ntheir power.\\nIn the course of time, as the name of Gorham acquired\\na world-wide notoriet)^ information began to reach us\\nfrom different sources bearing upon his reputation and\\nprevious conduct. The slang term crooked, now a\\npure Americanism, fully conveys the opinion in which\\nhe was held by those who knew him best. The papers\\nof the country continued to teem with occurrences of his\\npast life, and from them I cull the following extracts.\\nThe New York Evcnhip; Post thus describes him\\nIf the captain of the Charles be the same Captain\\nGorham, from Bangor, Me., who, a few years since, with\\nhis brother-in-law and some others, desperate characters,\\nmoved into Oswego, in this State, where his store was\\nfired under such circumstances e. to recover a large\\namount of insurance that public opinion compelled him\\nto leave the place who, subsequently, was indicted by a\\ngrand jury of Buffalo on a suspicion of murdering his\\nown child, by administering to it an excessive amount\\nof laudanum, and who was cleared by the non-appear-\\nance at the trial of his wife, who, it was supposed, he\\nattempted to kill with a dose of arsenic, to get rid of her\\nevidence we say, if this be the same individual, he is\\ncertainly not too good to have been engaged in such an\\naffair as the New Orleans capers describe.", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0221.jp2"}, "222": {"fulltext": "20O NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nJournal of Commerce (New York) furnishes the\\nfollowing contribution to the man s history:\\nThe nameof CaptainWm. Gorham, Jr., if the whole\\nand exclusive ownership of it belongs to one man, is\\nsomething of a treasure. For Captain Wm. Gorham,\\nJr., master of the brig Susan Elizabeth, in cominghome\\nfrom Buenos Ayres, in 1839, went ashore, near Bath,\\nMe. to the great damage of the underwriters in this\\ncity. The captain on that occasion acted, of course, as\\nagent for whoever it might concern, sold the vessel\\nand cargo, put the money in his pocket, and has not to\\nthis day proceeded further in his agency.\\nThat this consummate scoundrel had meditated a\\nbreach of trust, an act of barratry, to the prejudice of\\nhis employers, there can hardly be entertained an earthly\\ndoubt. His plan, after leaving the water-logged ship,\\nwas to proceed at once to some port within a short dis-\\ntance from this city, whence it would have been an easy\\nmatter to ascertain its movements, follow it to port, and\\nrealize the proceeds at an admiralty sale. Hence, when\\nthe opportunity of reaching Havana offered itself, he\\ngladly availed himself of it, but his subsequent transfer\\nto, and the stroke of lightning that arrested the course\\nof, the Attakapas craft also blasted and shattered his\\nhopes. For, weeks and weeks were consumed by the crip-\\npled vessel in reaching a harbor, and during that time\\nthe alarm had been sounded and suspicion aroused in\\nevery port. When he reached Charleston the authorities\\nwere already cognieaut of the singular facts attending the\\ncase, and, content with securing his liberty, Gorham was\\ncompelled to renounce his criminal project. Such is the\\ntheory which the affair naturally presents, and which\\nwas subsequently adopted by the press generally.", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0222.jp2"}, "223": {"fulltext": "A STRANGE STORY OF THE SEA. 20I\\nPiracy in those days was not a matter of such unfre-\\nquent occurrence as at this period we may be apt to\\nimagine, though this species of crime, owing to the\\nstern and repressive measures taken by the Federal\\ngovernment, had much abated. Hence the interest\\ntaken by our leading citizens and public functionaries\\nin levying forces and issuing armed expeditions. Gen-\\neral Persifor F. Smith was by no means an alarmist or\\na poetical dreamer, but a practical, matter-of-fact and\\ncourageous citizen. He knew from experience that the\\nGulf of Mexico and the Caribbean sea had swarmed in\\ntimes not very remote with armed vessels of a question-\\nable character, and whether sailing under a black flag\\nor the revolutionary pennant of some neighboring re-\\npublic, their deeds of blood and rapine had been equally\\natrocious. No one regretted more than he did the un-\\ntimely ending of the unfortunate lyuscy, for his heart\\nwas as kind and as soft as a woman s, though stern and\\nunrelenting to an enemy. lyouisianians are proud of\\nhim and of his fame, nobly achieved under the frowning\\nbattlements of Mexico s fortresses!", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0223.jp2"}, "224": {"fulltext": "CHAPTER XII.\\nLAFAYETTE SQUARE.\\nI propose in this chapter to recall old reminiscences\\nanent the square opposite to the City Hall, now the\\npride and glory of that magnificent faubourg which\\nsprang into existence like a helmeted giant in the arena\\nof Progress, through the genius and persevering indus-\\ntry of such hardy pioneers as Sam J. Peters, J. P. Cald-\\nwell, Wm. Freret and other kindred spirits.\\nAs far back as my personal recollections on this sub-\\nject reach, lyafayette Square in 1836 was a rural patch\\nin the motley quilt of brick and mortar, stone, wood and\\nmud that covered the superficies of the Second Munici-\\npality. It was a small but pretty landscape picture, set\\nin a frame composed of various and ill-assorted mate-\\nrials. But, limited in extent as it was, it was almost\\nthe only place within the burg which greeted the eye of\\nspring s approach in all its verdure and vitality; of sum-\\nmer s advent in the luxuriance of its foliage; of autumn s\\ndays of haze and subdued sunshine, and of winter s\\ncheerless nudity. As was tersely remarked by one of\\nthe members of the City Council, it was the only pan-\\norama which presented the up-town denizens with a\\npicture of the shiftings of the seasons, shmving winter s\\nsojourn to be the shortest, for\\nHere smiling spring its earliest visit pays,\\nAnd parting summer s lingering bloom delays.\\n202", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0224.jp2"}, "225": {"fulltext": "LAFAYETTE SQUARE. 203\\nConsidering the mania that prevailed for converting\\nevery spot of the new city to purposes of business\\nor uses of thrift, perhaps the people should have been\\nthankful that even this small area had been left them,\\nto remind them of God s blessed world abroad, and\\nto breathe an atmosphere not wholly noxious 01\\nvitiated.\\nIt was the resort of citizens of all ages and of all\\nclasses. It was the Parnassus of poets, the Mecca ol\\nloafers, the Elysian Fields of juveniles, the Sylvan\\nShade of lovers, and the Academic Grove of peripatetic\\nphilosophers.\\nIn the morning, shortly after the sun had emerged\\nfrom the horizon, this small plat of ground was made to\\nre-echo the cheery laughter of hundreds of the merry\\nbabes who, the owners of round, rosy faces in charge of\\nclean, attentive and affectionate nurses, made the square\\na scene of juvenile contentment, while others, gambol-\\ning under the sycamores, in the tall, rank grass, chased\\ngaudy-wanged butterflies or played a thousand of those\\nfantastic pranks from which childhood derives such in-\\nterest and amusement. At that time, too, it was not an\\nuncommon occurrence to see a few dyspeptic gentlemen\\nand ladies of an uncertain age promenading along the\\nfew graveled walks of the resort, some perusing a work\\non dietetics, others reading James last novel, or per-\\nhaps a work on woman s rights.\\nFrom twelve to one the square was all life, hilarity,\\nanimation. This was the hour when\\nNoisy children just let loose from school\\nmade it their play-ground, and when with all the hearty\\njoj ousness of uncaged birds, or the sportiveness of lamb-\\nkins, they frisked, leaped, romped and capered till their", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0225.jp2"}, "226": {"fulltext": "204 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nhour s school recess called them back to study. Here,\\na group playing leap-frog there, a party engaged at\\nbattledore. Here, a pair of juvenile gladiators wrestling,\\nand there again, during the Mexican war, a crowd play-\\ning at soldiers, divided into two opposite factions, of\\ncourse one led by a bluff, chubby boy, who not inaptly\\npersonated General Taylor the other, by a sallow,\\ndark-eyed youth, travestying Santa Anna. Happy days\\nof boyhood Who, in mature age, is he who, in witness-\\ning the gambols of those guileless youths, does not re-\\nmember that he, too, was once a boy, when not one of\\nthe world s dark clouds had cast their shadows before\\nhim?\\nAs a general rule, from noon till evening, the square,\\ncomparatively speaking, was deserted. Some poor,\\nfatigued laborer, in the meantime, might be seen taking\\nhis siesta under the shadow of one of its trees, or a loaf-\\ning habitue, lying on his back in the dense grass, con-\\ntemplating the blue firmament, wondering if the regions\\nbeyond it were inhabited, and if the people overhead\\ngot their liquor on tick. Toward evening, and when the\\nsun had abated much of his noontide vigor, the nurses\\nand their interesting young charges would again make\\ntheir appearance and move about the square, enlivening\\nthe scene with their merry shouts and joyous dancing.\\nThe scene was picturesque in the extreme, and hundreds\\nof staid old denizens, reclining on the old, worn-out rustic\\nbenches, martyrs of whittling propensities, would view\\nthe blithesome capers with unalloyed peals of laughter.\\nBut when the shades of night began to fall, when the\\ncerulean heavens became studded with nature s dia-\\nmonds, when the pale moon shone placidly on things\\nbelow, and when the light transparent clouds floated\\nabove, like the congealed breath of anarels. then was the", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0226.jp2"}, "227": {"fulltext": "tAFAYETTE SQUARE. 205\\ntime that Ivafayette Square was the point of attraction.\\nThen it was that\\nThe seats beneath the shade,\\nFor talking age and whispering lovers made,\\nhad their happy and busy occupants. Then it was that\\nthe poet, as he paced the less frequented walks wooed\\nthe muses and composed ballads to his mistress eye-\\nbrows. Then it was that scheming politicians, cross-\\ning over from the old, dingy municipal Hall on the op-\\nposite street, met to discuss and determine the plans\\nof the approaching campaign. Then it was that poor\\ncreatures, the exhausted state of whose finances made\\nit inconvenient for them to seek a private lodging, en-\\ndeavored to seek a cozy spot for the night. Then it was\\nthat non-paying boarders shaped and moulded into apol-\\nogetic forms excuses to their landladies for their invol-\\nuntary adoption of the credit system. Then it was that\\na couple of sagacious Ousel Owls a mysterious or-\\nganization much in vogue during the latter part of the\\n40s might be seen concerting their schemes for the ap-\\nproaching buffalo hunt in the Sierra Madre regions.\\nThen it was that Cupid, like an expert archer, sat con-\\ncealed among the branches of almost every tree, fixing\\narrows into the bosoms of votaries, who sat on the\\nbenches underneath. Then it was that many an Anglo-\\nSaxon Othello upbraided his Desdemona with incon-\\nstancy, and many a Romeo, under the guise of a brawny\\nCeltic drayman, poured, in impassioned but unvarnished\\naccents, the story of his love into the ear of a gentle\\nJuliet by his side, who had but just escaped from a\\nneighboring kitchen\\nAfter the firing of the cannon at g o clock, which was\\nthe curfew signal for honest people to repair to their\\nhomes, the crowds would begin perceptibly to thin.", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0227.jp2"}, "228": {"fulltext": "206 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nAfter midnight nothing was heard in the deserted park\\nsave the lively chirruping of the katydid or the hoarse,\\nnasal breathing of some poor houseless vagrant, asleep\\non a bench. Said the Delta, nearly a half century ago\\nIf the Scotchman blessed the Duke of Argyle for\\nerecting milestones in his country, we may well call for\\na benison on him who originated lyafayette Square, and\\non the Council which tends and beautifies it. Should\\nthat time ever come, so often predicted by a distin\\nguished financier (Samuel J. Peters), when our Council\\nwill have a surplus of revenue, we trust that due atten-\\ntion will be paid to Lafayette Square that founts of\\ncrystal waters will shoot forth their liquid streams from\\nits angles, and that marble statues of art s finest sculp-\\nture will ornament its centre.\\nThis prophecy has rrever been fully realized. To Mr.\\nFrank Howard is this park indebted for many improve-\\nments that we now behold the planting of exotic and\\nacclimated trees, and the perforation of an artesian well,\\nwhose limpid waters have unfortunately ceased to flow.\\nTo the energy of Thomas Agnew one of the most\\nzealous and honest administrators that the city has eve-\\npossessed are we indebted for the beautiful Schillingei\\nwalks wdiich now intersect it. A few more Howards\\nand a few more Agnews men of such calibre would in\\na few 3 ears place New Orleans in the fore rank of the\\nbeautiful cities of the Union. Pluck, energy and intelli-\\ngence are the only levers to reach this desideratum.\\nThe erection of the statue of Franklin in the centre of\\nthe square over twentj^ years ago is due almost exclu-\\nsively to the energy of Charles A. Weed, erstwhile\\nproprietor of the New Orleans Times, since merged with\\nthe Democrat, and his enterprising associate, the late", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0228.jp2"}, "229": {"fulltext": "LAFAYETTE SQUARE. 207\\nW. H. C. King. This work of art has a peculiar\\nhistory, and is the production of Hiram Powers genius.\\nWhen, many years ago, this American sculptor was\\nstruggling at Rome in the pursuit of his vocation,\\nyoung, inexperienced and comparatively friendless, but\\nevincing an aptitude that promised eventual success and\\nfame, several public-spirited citizens of New Orleans,\\nwith the view of encouraging his youthful efforts and\\nalleviating his pecuniary embarrassments, came together\\nand determined to subscribe the sum of $10,000, for a\\nstatue of the immortal sage and philosopher. The order\\nwas, in consequence, given and accepted, and the sum\\nof $5000 forwarded to the sculptor in part payment. As\\nyears rolled on. Powers, oblivious of his early New\\nOrleans friends, neglected his contract, and under one\\npretence or another among others, that of the uncer-\\ntainty of ever obtaining full remuneration flatly refused,\\nit is said, to comply with his agreement. It was at this\\njuncture that Mr. Weed forwarded the amount and\\nsecured the completion of the work.\\nThe physiognomy of the environments of Ivafayette\\nSquare is entirely different to-day from what it was a1\\nthat period. The City Hall, the Howard mansion, the\\nMoresque Building, Odd Fellows Hall, the old Criminal\\nCourt building are all structures of comparatively recent\\ndate. The City Hall was located where now stands\\nSoule s College, the Recorder s Court and Municipal\\nCouncil holding their sessions up stairs. The lower\\nfloor was occupied by the Department of Police, the\\ncaptain s office directly fronting St. Charles street,\\nwhile the rear was used as a station or temporary prison.\\nThis edifice has undergone outwardly but few modifica-\\ntions.\\nSuch is a brief historical outline of this beautiful little", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0229.jp2"}, "230": {"fulltext": "208 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\npark, so much admired by strangers. Under the careful\\ntraining and commendable attention of Administrator\\nGauche the place is daily improving, and the gay\\nflower shubs, together with the tropical plants that are\\nto be added, will soon offer us a picture most grateful to\\nthe eye.", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0230.jp2"}, "231": {"fulltext": "I mill\\nST. PHILIP STREET THEATRE, ISIO^\\nCopied from Design in City Library.\\nSTATE OR GOVERNMENT HOUSE, 176\\nFrom Design in City Library,", "height": "2942", "width": "1872", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0231.jp2"}, "232": {"fulltext": "", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0232.jp2"}, "233": {"fulltext": "CHAPTER XIII.\\nOLD LOUISIANA DAYS.\\nSTORY OF BRAS COUPE\u00e2\u0080\u0094 THE CUNNING OF A SLAVE\\nCABARETS REMINISCENCES OF THE OLD POLICE AN\\nINCIDENT ILLUSTRATING THE CUSTOMS OF THE CHOC-\\nTAWS THE FOURTH OF JULY IN THE CAMP STREET\\nTHEATRE YANKEE DOODLE ANECDOTE OF THE ELDER\\nBOOTH FANNY ELLSLER CHARIVARIED THE FRENCH\\nCRAZE LAST DAYS OF ROFFIGNAC.\\nAt a period when the institution of slavery, viewed\\nunder its most humanitarian aspect, had become one of\\nthe pillars of our prosperity and progress, fostered by a\\nspirit of benevolence and patriarchal affection, a salient\\nfeature of the times was the frequency with which our\\nAfrican bondsmen would hie themselves into the deep-\\nest recesses of our forests to escape thraldom for a short\\nspace of time, and enjoy a season of comparative rest.\\nWhile yet a boy, I distinctly remember the proximity\\nof the woods to the sparse habitations that fringed the\\noutskirts of the town. Marais street was then deemed\\nthe border land lying between terra firma and tremb-\\nling prairie, an impenetrable morass, beyond which\\nnone but experienced hunters or fugitives ventured to\\nenter. In the darkest parts of these thickets and along\\nthe margin of some sluggish bayou or coiUee, a rude hut\\n209", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0233.jp2"}, "234": {"fulltext": "2IO NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nwas occasionall}^ to be found, hastily thrown up with\\nwillow branches, and securely sheltered from wind and\\nrain by latanier or palmetto leaves, deftly worked into\\nthe roof. This was the usual habitation of the runaway\\nnegro, until he was driven to seek a new shelter by the\\nprofessional slave catcher with his pack of trained\\nbloodhounds.\\nEven when not pursued, these outlaws were com-\\npelled to emerge at night from their, solitary haunts in\\nquest of nourishment. Hence it was that New Orleans,\\ndespi4;e the efforts of an inadequate police, became the\\nscene of nocturnal thefts, robberies and assassinations.\\nWith the spoils and money thus obtained, a cabaret\\nwas always ready to supply the hunted-down outcast\\nwith powder, shot, whisky and such other articles as\\nwere required for his most pressing wants. It was only\\nwhen, in the course of years, the city had extended its\\nhabitable limits beyond Claiborne street that these bold\\nrefugees sought new quarters along the borders of Lake\\nPontchartrain, in the rear of the parishes of St. Bernard\\nand Jefferson.\\nOne of these I well remember, from the terror which\\nhe inspired into the stoutest hearts. His reputation for\\naudacity and deeds of ferocity was not inferior to that of\\nFra Diavolo, the hero of Italian romance, and, if the\\ntruth must be told, no one cared to face this bandit in\\nthe woods. The account given of him by Cable is pure\\nfiction. His name was Squier. He was owned by\\nGeneral William De Buys, than whom no kinder or\\nmore humane master ever lived. The General, in fact,\\nwho was greatly attached to him, had petted and com-\\npletely spoiled the fellow. Fond of field sports, he had\\nmade him his huntsman and usual attendant. He in-\\ndulged him in every one of those douceurs which", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0234.jp2"}, "235": {"fulltext": "OLD LOUIwSIANA DAYS. 211\\nfavorite servants were wont to enjoy but these acts of\\nkindness, instead of generating gratitude and love, only-\\nresulted, such was the negro s savage nature, in devel-\\noping a spirit of revolt and insubordination. To escape\\nfrom an existence of ease and indolence into one of strife\\nand constant danger became a chronic passion, and\\nalthough frequently caught and punished he would\\nrelapse as often into his inveterate habit. On one occa-\\nsion, when pursued by a patrol of white planters,\\nheaded by Mr. Fleitas, of St. Bernard, he bravely\\nstood at bay and defied capture, until he was laid low\\nby a heavy charge of buckshot. From the effect of the\\nwound his arm was amputated, and hence the origin of\\nthe surname of Bras Coupe, by which he was known\\nthereafter.\\nFor a series of years his escapes, adroit devices to baf-\\nfle pursuers, and manifold crimes were the subject of\\nentertainment not only in the public prints, but even in\\nthe home circle. He seemed to be endowed with the\\ngift of ubiquity. No hound could follow his scent, no\\nofficer keep on his trail. If seen in one place, he was\\nsoon to be met miles away, laughing at his would-be\\ncaptors. Even around the domestic hearth, his name of\\nBras Coupe became a familiar word, pronounced in\\nhushed and subdued tones to frighten children. Rewards\\nwere offered for his capture, dead or alive, but no one\\nhad as yet been found daring enough to confront the\\nfearless brigand.\\nOn April 7, 1837, the following notice appeared in\\none of the city prints The negro, Squier, notorious\\nfor the crimes and cruelties he has committed in the\\nneighborhood of the Bayou St. John, has at last atoned\\nfor them. Yesterday two men belonging to the guard\\nof the First Municipality were hunting rabbits on the", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0235.jp2"}, "236": {"fulltext": "212 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nland of Mr. L. Allard (now the Lower City Park), on\\nthe other side of the bayou. Impelled by the ardor of\\nthe chase, one of them pushed into the swamp some-\\nwhat further than his comrade. What was his surprise\\nto be stopped, not by the game he was pursuing, but by\\na stout fellow taking aim at him with a gun The gun\\nwas fired at a distance of fifteen paces, and fortunately\\nmissed its object. Not entirely a novice in these things,\\nthe guardsmen quickly returned the compliment, and\\nwith success. Squier, although severely wounded, at-\\ntempted to escape by running, but was soon overtaken,\\nand died under his blows. We understand that a de-\\ntachment of the guard will this day be dispatched to\\nfind the body.\\nThis announcement was received with satisfaction by\\nsome, with incredulity by others. Cunning and desperate\\nas Bras Coupe was known to be, it was generally believed\\nthat he had succeeded with his usual luck in effecting\\nhis escape, notwithstanding the severe blows which he\\nhad been reported to have received. On the follow-\\ning day an armed posse repaired to the spot, accompa-\\nnied by the police officers, but despite the most diligent\\nsearch through the devious paths of the cyprt^re, no\\ntrace of the criminal could be detected, although the\\nspot was searched where the conflict was said to have\\ntaken place. A trail of blood, soon lost in the slimy\\nwaters of the marsh, furnished the only evidence of his\\npresumed fate.\\nThis incident was put down as a police canard, and\\nfor some time the matter remained shrouded in mystery.\\nScouting parties, formed at intervals with the view of\\ndiscovering his retreat, had been sent out, but had inva-\\nriably returned, disappointed and worn out with fatigue.\\nWeek followed week without any additional disclosures,", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0236.jp2"}, "237": {"fulltext": "OLD LOUISIANA DAYS. 213\\nuntil the public mind, engaged in other subjects, had\\nbegun to forget the hero and his exploits, when reliable\\nnews of his tragic death unexpectedly reached New Or-\\nleans,\\nIt would be amusing to describe in detail the excite-\\nment which the event produced. Not only on change\\nor at Hewlett s, but in the workshops, markets, and\\neven among families was the subject discussed. A\\nstranger to our city and customs, judging from the gen-\\neral commotion, would have believed that some extra-\\nordinary event had just occurred. The daring, the in-\\nsolence and the utter contempt for law which Bras Coiipt\\nhad ever exhibited were freely commented upon. The\\nwound he had once received at the hands of Mr. Flei-\\ntas, and the circumstances connected with his formei\\ncapture, confinement and escape from the hospital were\\ncommon subjects of gossip. It was remembered how,\\nwhen lying prostrate after the surgical operation which\\nhad bereft him of a limb, and when reduced by an at-\\ntack of dysentery to the very verge of death, he had\\neluded the vigilance of the nurses by flinging himself\\nout of an open window. It was also related how, on\\nanother occasion, he had captured a negress who, on\\neffecting her escape from his camp, reported an act of\\nferocity of which she had been made an unwilling wit-\\nness. The story concerned the fate of an Irish woman\\nwhom he had forcibly carried into the woods, detained\\nfor several days, tied to a tree and finally shot to death.\\nIt was on a Monday, July 17, 1837, that one Fran-\\ncisco Garcia, while fishing at the mouth of lyittle river,\\non I^ake Pontchartrain, met the black desperado. The\\nformer had got out of his pirogue to reach for a fish car,\\nwhich he had temporarily left ashore, when, just as he\\nwas about to possess himself of the box, he heard the", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0237.jp2"}, "238": {"fulltext": "214 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nexplosion of a fulminating cap. Happening, fortu-\\nnately, to be holding an iron handspike, to which he was\\nin the habit of fastening his boat, he rushed forward\\nabout seven paces, and came upon a man concealed\\nbehind the trunk of a fallen tree, in the act of resetting\\na fresh cap, with his right hand and teeth. Losing no\\ntime, the Spanish fisherman struck him three times with\\nhis ponderous bar, and felled him dead to the ground.\\nSuch was the account given by Garcia, although there\\nwere many persons who, conversant with the charactei\\nof the slayer, affirmed that Bras Coupe s death was the\\nresult of treachery, as Garcia was his usual purveyoi\\nand friend. The conviction was that Garcia, seduced\\nby the hope of a large reward, had murdered the man\\nwhom he had promised to protect, and whom he had\\nfound asleep.\\nBe this as it may, the Spaniard, on accomplishing the\\ndeed, dumped his valuable freight into the boat and\\nproceeded with it to New Orleans. Reaching Milne-\\nburg, the body was thence conveyed to the front of the\\nMayor s office, where Denis Prieur, the then chief ex-\\necutive of the city, ordered it to be exposed to public\\nview on the Place d Amies, opposite. That thousands\\nand thousands rushed to that historic square to take a\\nlook at the ghastly remains is a matter of notoriety. No\\nMardi Gras procession, no special pageant that I know\\nof, ever attracted such surging crowds as were witnessed\\nunder that broiling, solstitial sun. Men, w omen, chil-\\ndren whites and blacks, freedmen and slaves pro-\\nfessional men and laborers in their working blouses, all\\nseemed to have gathered there to satisfy their morbid\\ncuriosity. The body, with its crushed and mangled\\nhead, in a state of rapid decomposition, remained in that\\ncondition from i o clock in the evening until the dark-", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0238.jp2"}, "239": {"fulltext": "OLD LOUISIANA DAYS, 21\\niiess of approaching night commanded its removal to\\nPotter s Field. The still unhealed and gaping wounds,\\nalleged to have been inflicted by the city guard, who\\nhad reported him dead, made the spectacle still more\\nhideous.\\nIt was generally believed at the time that the differenl\\nmunicipalities had offered liberal rewards for Bra^\\nCoupe s capture, dead or alive, and Garcia was much\\ncongratulated upon his good luck but, when the day\\nfor settling came, it was ascertained that only the sec-\\ntion below Esplanade street had made any provision foi\\nthe event, whereupon the sum of $250 was immediately\\npaid the claimant, as promised in the proclamation.\\nThis is a strange story, and it will read more strangely,\\nperhaps, in the eye of the present and growing genera-\\ntion but the institution of slavery was one pregnant\\nwith constantly recurring changes and new phases.\\nWithout entering into any discussion on the abstract\\nright and justice of keeping in bondage a class oi\\npeople, manifestly designed by the Creator to be draw-\\ners of water and hewers of wood, it is obvious that\\nthe form of servitude under which they lived, regarded\\nfrom the standpoint of practical philanthropy, was a\\nvast improvement on their original condition. It is\\ntrue that here and there a cruel and barbarous task-\\nmaster was occasionally to be fouud, but these instances,\\nit must be admitted, formed the exception and not the\\nrule, for every lyouisianian positively knows that the\\nplanters who thus erred, fell under the ban of social\\nreprobation for that very cause. Whoever attentively\\nreads the old Black Code will observe how stringent\\nwere the laws for the protection of the slave. And while\\nI am upon this subject, let me be permitted to say as an\\nhistorical fact that no master was ever more exacting.", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0239.jp2"}, "240": {"fulltext": "2l6 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\ndespotic, nay, cruel to the negro, than the planter or\\nfarmer of African extraction an anomaly, it is true,\\nbut still a fact.\\nBut a truce to digression. I shall now proceed to re-\\nlate another story. The inner character of slavery times\\ncan only be understood by illustrations. Here is a case\\nexemplifying the development of cunning and hypoc-\\nrisy in the negro race, which the institution encour-\\naged.\\nA certain mulatto, conceiving the design of escaping\\nservitude by concealing himself in one of the numerous\\npackets plying between this port and western cities, hit\\nupon an expedient to provisionally rid himself of his\\nmaster, whose presence was the only obstacle to his plan.\\nTo kill him or do him such bodily injury as might dis-\\nable him for a time was out of the question, but to put\\nhim out of the way by the operation of the law was a\\nmaster stroke worthy of his Senegambian ingenuity. It\\nhappened that New Orleans at that time (1832) was in-\\nfested by a band of expert counterfeiters, whose skill\\nhad baffled the lynx-eyed scrutiny of our bankers and\\nmerchant princes, and for the arrest of whom the offi-\\ncers of the United States Bank had offered a large re-\\nward. The trail of these criminals had been traced to\\nthis city, but the efforts of the police, as usual at that\\nperiod, had proved wholly ineffective.\\nOne day Denis Prieur, who, ensconced in his magis-\\nterial chair, was quietly pondering over the official re-\\nports of the City Guard anent these shrewd miscreants,\\nwas awakened from, his reverie by the appearance in his\\nsanctum of a colored man, respectably attired, who\\nwhispered to him that he desired to make a private and\\nconfidential communication. Being: requested to pro-", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0240.jp2"}, "241": {"fulltext": "OLD LOUISIANA DAYS. 217\\nceed with his statement, the darkey revealed his secret.\\nHe said he knew a certain man in the town who had ior\\nsome time been holding private interviews with these\\ncounterfeiters, and that many things led him to believe\\nthat the man was a suspect, who, if arrested, could\\nimpart valuable information. The Mayor was non-\\nplussed. He knew the party denounced to be a just\\nand upright citizen, but as his profession was that of a\\nprinter in the publishing office of the Bee, engaged occa-\\nsionally in lithography and engraving, he deemed it\\nprudent to dispatch a court o\u00c2\u00a35cer. Meanwhile, the in-\\nformant, contrary to his expectations, was forcibly de-\\ntained for the purpose of a confrontation, which, taking\\nplace a few moments afterward, revealed the strategem\\nso cunningly devised. The master stood aghast at the\\nimpudence of his slave, and Prieur, while enjoying a\\nhearty laugh over the ludicrous termination of the affair,\\nsentenced the abashed culprit to be publicly whipped\\nand pilloried. In his trousers pockets were found\\nforged letters of manumission.\\nI have had occasion in these reminiscences to advert\\nsometimes to the existence of cabarets. These\\npublic houses of entertainment were a great eyesore and\\na serious source of danger to the peace and good order\\nof society. They abounded in the vicinity of markets\\nand of such other places where negroes were wont to\\ncongregate. The cabaret was a species of grocery, dram\\nshop, gambling house and fence or depot for stolen\\ngoods, all combined. A contemporary, speaking of this\\ncommon nuisance, described them as follows\\nThe whole batch of cabarets in our city merits one\\nsweeping anathema. These groggeries are fruitful\\nnurseries of vice and crime. Felony holds there its", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0241.jp2"}, "242": {"fulltext": "2l8 N^W ORLElANS AS IT WAS.\\nheadquarters, and roguery of every kind finds a safe\\nretreat within these obscure recesses. We have good\\nreason to believe that one-half of the cases of robbery,\\nmurder and arson which occur in New Orleans are\\nhatched within these dens of iniquity. If they deserve\\ncensure from no other cause, the fact of vending liquoi\\nto slaves, of encouraging gambling among the Icwei\\nclasses, of conniving at pilfering and other delinquen-\\ncies, should be sufficient to subject them to a searching\\nscrutiny and to condign punishment whenever detection\\nfollows.\\nThese social pests were mostly controlled by foreign-\\ners of a low class, chiefly Catalans, whose predilec-\\ntion for negro concubines was scandalous. Several ac-\\ncumulated large fortunes and became prominent citizens.\\nOf the police force in Old Louisiana Days, the\\npreceding pages have given a sufiicient account. A\\nmore worthless and contemptible body of men never\\nassumed the functions of ofiice in any other city. The\\nfollowing examples, taken at random, will better illus-\\ntrate\\nOn the nth of July, 1831, two men, members of the\\nCity Guard, named Miro and Clure, were sentenced by\\nthe judge of the Criminal Court to two years hard labor,\\nwith ball and chain, on the public streets, for having,\\nunder the authority of a search warrant, stolen from the\\nproprietor of a cabaret the sum of $200, whieh they took\\nfrom the drawer. Having been sent back to their\\nprison quarters (then situated at the corner of St. Peter\\nand Chartres) to serve their term, they contrived to\\nbreak through the roof and descend to the street in the\\nrear. They were in full view of the guardhouse, where\\nno one seems to have observed them. Just as they", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0242.jp2"}, "243": {"fulltext": "OLD LOUISIANA DAYS. SIQ\\nwere about to effect their successful escape, tliey hap-\\npened to attract the attention of some laborers who were\\nat work on St. Anthony Square, just back of the\\nCathedral. One of them had a dagger in his hand, and\\nthreatened to kill whomever should attempt to stop him\\nbut the workmen, undismayed at the sight of the knife,\\nknocked him down with brickbats, and bore him off a\\nprisoner. These worthies had to serve their time.\\nAnother incident, which happened at a later date, and\\nwhich related to a projected attack upon the City Treas-\\nurer s safe is worthy of mention. The names of the\\nofficers implicated were Rockwell and Greenough. It\\nappears that the crime had been for a long time medi-\\ntated and discussed between the parties privy to it but\\nit also happened that during the interval every particu-\\nlar connected with the scheme had been communicated\\nto Captain Harper. Anxious to catch them in the act,\\nhe patiently awaited the development of their plans.\\nOn the 29th of May, 1841, he received private informa-\\ntion from one of his spies that the attempt would be\\nmade on that night. He accordingly secured the co-\\noperation of Lieutenant Winters, and together they\\nrepaired to Lafayette Square, where they lay per die in\\nthe tall grass. The municipal building occupied the\\nsite on which Soule s College now stands.\\nAfter the night had partly set in, their vigilance was\\nrewarded. Greenough and Rockwell, accompanied by\\nanother confederate, whose name is not given, appeared\\nupon the scene, seemingly in close consultation. Creep-\\ning cautiously toward them, the captain overheard their\\nconversation. It was then settled among themselves that\\nGreenough and the confederate were to pick the lock,\\nor, I should rather say, unlock it, (for they had pro-\\nvided themselves with a false key) and with an axe.", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0243.jp2"}, "244": {"fulltext": "220 NKW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nwhich they had brought with them, were to batter down\\nthe fragile depositary. But one obstacle was in their\\nway the night watchman, at the door of the building.\\nThis man happened to be a Dutchman, faithful to his\\ntrust. He was a thick-headed and honest fellow, in-\\nclined, however, to be exceedingly credulous. To\\nRockwell was assigned the difficult task of putting to\\nsleep the vigilance of this modern Cerberus, this model\\nwatch-dog of the Treasury. Rockwell went to him un-\\nhesitatingly, and engaged him in conversation. He\\nknew Rockwell as an officer of the force, and this cir-\\ncumstance alone dispelled all suspicion from his mind.\\nRockwell told him that some rowdies were disturbing\\nthe peace at the corner of Poydras and St. Charles, and\\nhe went to see about it, but hurried back to his post be-\\nfore the conspirators could effect their purpose. Then\\nother devices were resorted to in order to entrap the jan-\\nitor, but the latter was immovable. At last, incredible\\nas it may seem, Rockwell persuaded the soft-pated Teu-\\nton that there was a most extraordinary horse, of sur-\\npassing size and beauty, on exhibition on Camp street,\\nand offered to show it to him. Unsuspicious of any\\ntrickery, and fond probably of curiosities, he accepted\\nthe proposition, but, as the reader may imagine, this\\nphenomenal quadruped, this winged Pegasus, had taken\\nhis aerial flight. Disappointed, they retraced their steps,\\nand, as they were crossing the square, Rockwell induced\\nhis companion to look around for sleeping vagrants\\nand suspects. He agreed to this, and the first people\\nthey espied in the square were Captains Harper and\\nWinters, lying flat upon the grass. Here is a loafer,\\nexclaimed the Dutchman, as he poked Captain Harper s\\nribs with his wand of office, as a hint to get up and\\nmove toward the guardhouse. But as this course would", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0244.jp2"}, "245": {"fulltext": "OLD LOUISIANA DAYS. 221\\nhave brought the watchman close to the City Hall,\\nwhere the burglars were operating, Rockwell interposed,\\nNever mind their sleeping, leave them alone. So\\nsaying, he stooped over the prostrate form, and recog-\\nnized his own captain, who instantly sprang to his feet\\nand seized the criminal. On hearing the noise occa-\\nsioned by the arrest, Greenough and his accomplice in-\\ncontinently fled, but were subsequently lodged in jail.\\nThese and others, which I might relate, are extreme\\ncases, it is true, but if an estimate is to be formed from\\nthe withering terms in which the press were in the\\nhabit of denouncing the police in general, specially\\nduring the terms of office of Nicholas Girod, Rofhgnac\\nand Prieur, my criticisms will not be found unduly\\nsevere.\\nOne of the characteristic elements of which the motley\\npopulation of New Orleans was composed in ancient\\ntimes was the Indians of the tribe of Chactas\\n(Choctaws). When Louisiana was originally settled\\nby the French, the colonists found in the territory\\nincluded in the grant bestowed on Law, and subsequently\\non Crozat, a nation of these warlike savages, sufficiently\\npowerful to bring into the field force of nearly 20,000\\nbraves. They lived along the lake coast, including\\nBiloxi, as far as the country of the Alibamons. Under\\nthe influences of civilization that is to say, of whi.sky,\\npowder and tinseled jewelry these people were induced\\nto be friendly to the white settlers, and their allegiance\\noften proved efficacious and opportune in the w^ars\\nwaged against the Natchez and Chickasaws.\\nIn the course of time their nation, decimated by con-\\nstant warfare, disease and debauchery, dwindled away\\nto such infinitesimal proportions that their influence", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0245.jp2"}, "246": {"fulltext": "222 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nentirely ceased. Push-ma-ta-ha, the last of their chiefs,\\nfaithful in his friendship to the American government,\\nleft a brilliant and honorable record.\\nThe history of this race and of the savages who\\ninhabited Florida is an interesting study. Without\\nomitting to note the profound researches of I Abbe\\nRouquette, the subject, I may say, has been treated\\nwith a master hand by the late Dr. Charles Delery in a\\ncompendious work, which I had the privilege to read\\nsome time ago with great relish and profit, unfortunately\\nin manuscript form. It is to be hoped that the production\\nof this once prolific and versatile Creole author will see\\nthe light of day ere long.\\nFragments of this erratic race still exist. I have\\nseen some on the prairies of St. Landry and along the\\nbanks of the Teche, in the vicinity of Charenton; a few\\nare yet gathered in some portions of Avoyelles, but their\\nprincipal encampment seems to have been established\\nacross the lake, in the neighborhood of Covington.\\nThey used to flock to New Orleans at times in consid-\\nerable numbers, their usual places of resort in the day-\\ntime being the Place d Amies and lower markets, where\\nthey were wont to peddle their wares. In the night-\\ntime they usually pitched their camp along the Bayou\\nSt. John. The police never arrested them for misde-\\nmeanors or crimes, but turned the offenders over to the\\nchief of their tribe for punishment, the exemption, it\\nwas claimed, being based upon treat}^ stipulations or im-\\nmemorial usage. The following occurrence is a fact in\\npoint\\nIn the year 1832, the master of a schooner lying in\\nthe Old Basin, who was about to set sail for the Tche-\\nfuncta river, applied in the night-time to Captain Du-\\ntillet, of the City Guard, for assistance against a baud", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0246.jp2"}, "247": {"fulltext": "OLD LOUISIANA DAYS. 223\\nof Indians who had taken possession of his craft and\\nwanted to be conve3 ed to St. Tammany. Inquiries re-\\nvealeu the fact that the party consisted of a young fel-\\nlow, who had recently been adjudged guilty of homi-\\ncide, and that the others were the ancients and relatives\\nof the deceased, whose duty it was to carry out the de-\\ncree of death. According to their laws, the execution\\nwas to take pla.2 in the presence of the assembled tribe\\nto which the culprit belonged. Another law, bearing\\non the subject, was that should the criminal escape or\\nconceal himself, his next of kin was, as a matter of\\ncourse, to undergo his punishment. Compromises were\\npermissible, and ransom paid to the friends of the slain\\nwas recognized by their code.\\nThe skipper, as was to be expected, demurred under\\nthe circumstances to the forcible seizure of his vessel for\\nany such purpose. Aided by his lieutenant, Bouseig-\\nneur, Dutillet repaired to the Basin and effected the\\narrest or rathtr the release of the captive. He was\\ntaken to the guardhouse, where he told his story. He\\nwas cool and undemonstrative, and seemed to take in\\nthe situation as an ordinary occurrence. With the\\nphlegm befitting an Indian he related to the bystanders\\nin broken French that, having been attacked by three\\nworthless young bucks of his nation, he had shot one to\\ndeath and put the other two to flight. Me kill\\nIndian, me die. His name was Eh-he-lum-abe his\\ncountenance was kind and expressive. Much sympathy\\nwas manifested for his fate, but, aware of the fatal con-\\nsequences that might result to his father, brother or son,\\nhe deprecated every attempt offered to save his life.\\nHe begged to be taken back to the schooner, where his\\nsquaw and children had been left.\\nMoved by compassion, Dutillet proceeded to the", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0247.jp2"}, "248": {"fulltext": "2 24 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nvessel in quest of the Choctaw chiefs. After several\\nlong parlej^s they agreed to admit the Indian to ransom\\nin the sum of |ioo. Thereupon a subscription list was\\ncirculated among our people, the money collected and\\nthe prisoner released.\\nFrom these grave subjects let me turn for a moment\\nto the theatricals and amusements of the period.\\nAn incident which occurred in the Camp street\\ntheatre may be worth recording. It is certainly charac-\\nteristic of the times.\\nIt was a Fourth of July night, a holiday then cele-\\nbrated with greater eclat and outward manifestations of\\npatriotism than at the present day, that this temple of\\nThespis was filled to repletion with a crowd, the\\nmajority of whom were backwoodsmen from the Western\\ncountry. Great preparations had been set on foot by\\nthe manager to make the performance an acceptable and\\nrecherche affair, particularly to our musical dilettanti.\\nThe leader of the orchestra was an old Frenchman,\\nwhom I remember well. He was afflicted with almost\\ncomplete deafness, occasioned by the explosion of a\\ncaisson at the battle of New Orleans, and how he man-\\naged to direct his artists with such ability has ever been\\nto me an unfathomable mystery. For several weeks he\\nhad had his musicians rehearsing the overture of the\\nopera of L,a Dame Blanche a novelty then and\\nwhen, after many wearisome efforts to attain perfection,\\nhe saw the acme of his ambition about to be crowned\\nwith success, visions of entranced audiences, tumults of\\napplause and salvos of encore filled his imagination with\\nrapture. At last, the long desired occasion, fraught\\nwith such pleasing anticipations, finally arrived.\\nAs I have already said, the house was jammed. It", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0248.jp2"}, "249": {"fulltext": "OLD LOUISIANA DAYS. 225\\nwas a hilarious, promiscuous and uproarious audience.\\nThey had come to have fun, and fun they were deter-\\nmined to have.\\nSeated in front of the footlights, with waving baton in\\nhand, the bent form of old man Desforges was to be seen,\\ngiving the three consecrated raps. The magnificent\\nsymphony began. Never had the music of Boieldieu\\nbeen interpreted with such effects of pathos and sweet-\\nness, when, all of a sudden, a call for Yankee Doodle\\nwas heard from the galleries. Heedless of the interrup-\\ntion, the orchestra proceeded with the music, when the\\ncry of Yankee Doodle was taken up again, and be-\\ngan to resound from dome to pit. The deafenitig noise\\nreached old Desforges ears like the murmur of a gentle\\nbreeze, wafting upon its wings faint echoes of applause.\\nMistaking the cause of the uproar, the musical leader\\nwas delighted. He had attained, as he imagined, the\\ngoal of his ambition, and, throwing his whole soul into\\na supreme effort, was about to give additional language\\nand expression to his charmed violin, when crashes fol-\\nlowing crashes gave notice that the work of demolition\\nof benches and chairs had commenced, amid angry\\nshouts of Yankee Doodle.\\nAt this stage of pandemonium the curtain was pushed\\naside, and Mr. Caldwell made his appearance. Turn-\\ning to Mr. Desforges he shouted to him to stop. The\\npeople don t want that, he said, they want Yankee\\nDoodle.\\nThe old man realized the situation. He stood up in\\na stupor, and only had time to gasp out, Yankee\\nDude Then, stung to the quick by the affront put\\non him by the populace, he shrieked out in quick, pip-\\ning tones You want Yankee Dude? Well, you no", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0249.jp2"}, "250": {"fulltext": "226 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nhave Yankee Dude Because why Because not nec-\\nessair.\\nAt this outburst of rage and pluck, the audience\\nbroke out into plaudits and shouts of laughter, and the\\noverture ztvrs- finished without further interruption.\\nThey had had more fun than they had bargained for.\\nThis anecdote reminds me of another, the scene of\\nwhich occurred in the same theatre, about the year 1836,\\nand of which the elder Booth figured as the hero. This\\neminent tragedian, father of the gifted actor whose late\\ndeath has bereft the American stage of one of its proud-\\nest ornaments was, it may be remembered, addicted at\\ntimes to spells of inebriety, which brought on prolonged\\nattacks of mental failure. He had many friends and ac-\\nquaintances in New Orleans who admired his erratic\\ngenius and loved his sympathetic nature. When in one\\nof these convivial moods, he would indulge to such an\\nexcess as to completely lose all recollection of his profes-\\nsional engagements or appointments. I have had fre-\\nquent occasion to notice in the files of old papers\\nsevere and pungent criticisms upon his repeated failures\\nto appear in his advertised characters, necessitating the\\nsubstitution of one play for another. Whenever he was\\nannounced in the part of Richard III, his favorite char-\\nacter, the attendance was so large as to exclude even\\nstanding room.\\nIt was on the occasion of one of these debauches that\\nthe following occurrence, not posted on the bills, took\\nthe whole audience by surprise. He was playing to\\nCaldwell s Richmond, when, during the battle scene.\\nBooth, conceiving the duel to be a reality, fought long\\nand desperately, and attempted to slay his antagonist.\\nCaldwell realized his danger at once and skilfully par-\\nried all his thrusts, but, finding himself hotly pressed,", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0250.jp2"}, "251": {"fulltext": "OLD LOUISIANA DAYS. 227\\nwhispered to Booth, as a stage cue: Die, Mr. Booth,\\nit is time for you to fall. Straightening his apparently-\\nmisshapen form, and waving his gleaming sword on\\nhigh, he exclaimed with sonorous voice As long as\\nRichard wields this blade, he ll never die. The public\\nunderstood the situation, and the curtain was rung down\\namid peals of laughter.\\nFrom music and actors, I shall now turn to a theme\\ninteresting to the disciples of Terpsichore. The singu-\\nlar adventure which befell Fanu}- EUsler in New Or-\\nleans merits some attention.\\nIn the afternoon of May 11, 1841, a report was in-\\ndustriously circulated that the celebrated danseiise in-\\ntended to regale a party of choice spirits at the\\nordinary of the St. Charles Hotel with a magnificent\\nbanquet, after the close of her engagement at the\\ntheatre. With this proposed entertainment the general\\npublic had nothing to do, although, as it was then said,\\nit would have been in better taste had not pains been\\ntaken to spread the news. lyater in the afternoon, a\\nsecond report was started that such of her worshippers\\nas had not been included in the list of invited guests\\nhad determined upon giving her a grand serenade, while\\nthe feast was going on. Very little attention was paid\\nto either of these rumors until the preparations for the\\novation had begun, and, singular as it may appear, the\\nentrance into the barroom of the St. Charles Exchange\\n(the most frequented place in the city) was selected as\\nthe rendezvous for perfecting the necessary programme\\nfor the out-door part of the entertainment. This natur-\\nally attracted the attention of every passer-by, each of\\nwhom was given to understand that a public demonstra-\\ntion, similar to those that had been made in other cities.", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0251.jp2"}, "252": {"fulltext": "228 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nwas to be inaugurated as a token of the adoration of the\\npeople of New Orleans for the divine Sylph.\\nBut a number of persons, who recollected the dis-\\ngraceful scenes enacted in Baltimore, some time before,\\nwhen a score of toadies, converting themselves into\\nasses, had drawn her carriage through the streets, ob-\\njected to the city of New Orleans vying in such folly\\nwith any other town. They, therefore, determined to\\nbreak up the projected scheme, and to organize a\\ncounter serenade. The idea was a foolish one, perhaps,\\nbut nevertheless they supplied themselves with every\\ninstrument known as constituting the paraphernalia of\\na charivari band. No sooner had KHsler s admirers\\nbegun their musical fete than the opposition opened\\ntheir concert of discordant sounds. They continued the\\nperformance, until the serenading party were compelled\\nto stop. At this point, just when the contending parties\\nwere about coming to blows, a wag rang an alarm of\\nfire, and the engines rushed to the spot, with their bells\\nringing, and put an end to the conflict. This unex-\\npected reinforcement made the anti-EUsler people\\nmasters of the field. Shouting and screaming, com-\\nbined with the tooting of horns, the beating of drums,\\nthe blare of tin trumpets, enlivened the scene and drew\\nthousands of spectators thereto from every quarter.\\nThe fire laddies, suspected by the serenaders of com-\\nplicity in the plot, were assailed by the latter, but were\\nin turn supported by the rioters. The scrimmage that\\nensued then assumed enormous proportions, and was\\nonly quelled by the engines being put to work and\\npouring streams of river water upon the combatants.\\nWith the exception of a few battered hats and bloody\\nnoses, no great injuries were sustained in this serio-\\ncomic battle. From one of the upper windows of the", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0252.jp2"}, "253": {"fulltext": "OLD LOUISIANA DAYS. 229\\nonce famous caravansary, Fanny Ellsler, it is said, sur-\\nveyed with tearful eyes the discomfitiire of her crowd of\\nadmirers, and left the city on the following day, fully\\nimpressed with the conviction that, whatever their\\nfaults in other respects, our people would never tolerate\\nabject fawning or servile adoration.\\nThe French Revolution of 1830 les trois Jours de\\nJtiillet and the consequent accession of I,ouis Philippe\\nto the throne, as king of the French, threw our\\nfrien-ds of Gallic nativity into such a state of excitement\\nand frenzy that the feeling was properly denominated\\nthe French craze. Upon the receipt of the glad\\ntidings cannon were fired, bonfires lit at every street\\ncorner down town, and mass meetings held, in which\\nfurious bombast predominated over common sense. On\\npublic as well as on private buildings the tri-color\\nfloated beside our national emblem. Nothing was to be\\nheard except of the grand revolution that was to accom-\\nplish great wonders for France, and draw her into a\\ncloser alliance with republican America. The City\\nCouncil became infected with the prevailing fever, and\\nadopted a series of resolutions appropriate to the occa-\\nsion. Not even did our State Legislature, supposed to\\nbe a more conservative body, escape the contagion, for\\nthat august embodiment of concentrated wisdom went\\nto the lengths of adopting an address to the people of\\nFrance, congratulating them upon the restoration of\\ntheir liberties, and appointing W. C. C. Claiborne, one\\nof its members, as a messen.^er in charge of the precious\\ndocument. Not to be be iindhand in these manifesta-\\ntions of general rejoicing, our importers and merchants\\nsubscribed to a fund for a dinner to be given to the\\ncaptain of the first ship under the tri-color flag that", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0253.jp2"}, "254": {"fulltext": "230 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nshould reach this port. This part of the prograinine\\nwas not realized until the ensuing year, under the cir-\\ncumstances which I am now about to narrate.\\nIt was on the 7th of April, 1831, nearly nine months\\nsince tlie overthrow of the Bourbons, that the French\\nship Zelia, from Bordeaux, moored at her wharf oppo-\\nsite the Cathedral. She was the first French vessel which\\nhad made her appearance at our port since the glo-\\nrious achievement which, to use the jargon of the period,\\nhad restored to France her liberty and independence.\\nAgreeably to a resolution adopted by a number of citi-\\nzens, the battalion of artillery fired a salute of loi guns\\nin honor of the new flag. Nor was the banquet forgot-\\nten. It went off, of course, with the eclat usual on such\\noccasions and with an appropriate accompaniment of\\ntoasts and speeches. The Parisienne was sung in\\nthe midst of clashing goblets, and the succulent viands\\nwere literally devoured in commemoration of the\\nevent.\\nOn the day that the ship was about to leave port, on\\nher homeward voyage, a large delegation of French-\\nmen, headed by Messieurs Auguste Douce and Pierre\\nNogues, escorted Mr. Claiborne to the vessel. On cross-\\ning the gangway leading to the deck, the plank being\\nextremely narrow, Mr. Nogues, who was carrying a mag-\\nnificent silk flag, tumbled over into the river but the\\nwater being shallow and the flag bearer very tall, the\\npretty and costly emblem, a donation of our fair Cre-\\noles, escaped injury, save that caused by a slight im-\\nmersion in the turbid Mississippi. Mr. Claiborne took\\ncharge of the precious gift, as well as of the more pre-\\ncious parchment-engrossed Address, and proceeded\\non his mission.\\nSpeaking of the political errand of the last named gen-", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0254.jp2"}, "255": {"fulltext": "OLD LOUISIANA DAYS. 23 1\\ntleman, the Courier, a. leading French paper, not in-\\naptly said\\nThis measure, besides being rather tardy, is be-\\nlieved to be without a parallel in the local legislation of\\nthe Republic. The people in their elementary capacity\\nhave already given expression to their enthusiasm, and\\nhave not instructed their representatives to act in their\\nbehalf. It is, moreover, an usurpation of the rights of\\nthe Federal Government, which alone controls our Fed-\\neral relations.\\nThe last public act of Mayor Roffignac, in his character\\nof chief executive of New Orleans, will prove a fitting\\nclose to this chapter. The following letter and valedic-\\ntory throw strong rays of light upon the policy of his ad-\\nministration. They were both written and delivered on\\nthe e^ of his departure from his native country and\\nrepel the idea that our people were non-progressive in\\nearly days. To him, as I have already said in a former\\nsketch of his life and services, is due the impetus first\\ngiven to the wheels of government. His letter to the\\nCity Council was couched in the following terms:\\nNew Orleans, April 12, 1S28.\\nTo the President and 3 f embers of tJie City Council:\\nGentlemen If it were in my power to portray\\nhuman feeling, I would attempt to express to you the\\nlively sense of gratitude awakened in my breast hy the\\nflattering terms in which it has pleased the Honorable\\nCity Council to manifest its satisfaction with my efforts,\\nduring the last eight years, to merit the confidence re-\\nposed in me by my fellow-citizens. I would not, how-\\never, be doing justice either to the people who have,\\nduring that period, honored me with an almost unani-", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0255.jp2"}, "256": {"fulltext": "232 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nmous vote, or to you, gentlemen, whose wise counsels\\nhave so frequently guided my measures, were I not to\\nacknowledge how much assistance and support, in the\\nexercise of my functions, I have found in the general\\napproval of my constituents, and in the firmness of the\\nmagistrates who compose the Municipal Council.\\nIn the government of a city, just as in that of a\\nState, no useful forces can exist except such as are de-\\nrived from public opinion, and this opinion never man-\\nifests itself spontaneously, except when the measures\\nproposed are profitable to the mass of the citizens.\\nKeenly alive to the importance of this commercial city,\\nnow advancing in the front rank of the metropolitan\\ncentres of this Union, I have been anxious to introduce\\nall the improvements which the progress of the age has\\nplaced at our disposal. I have been of opinion that a\\nslow advance was not in keeping with the spirit of the\\nage, nor with the wants and interests of an active and\\nenterprising generation. I have thought, in other words,\\nthat this great mart of so many wealthy States should\\nbe in a position to offer to industry and commerce\\neverything needed to facilitate and hasten their opera-\\ntions. I have not shrunk, in order to bring about these\\nuseful results, from borrowing capital, as I am con-\\nvinced that the financial resources of an opulent city\\nlike ours, with its yearly increasing revenues, will suf-\\nfice to liquidate its liabilities through a funding system,\\nboth gradual and little onerous.\\nSuccess, gentlemen, has crowned our hopes, thanks\\nto your co-operation. New Orleans, at this day, offers\\nguarantees of prosperity that assure her future.\\nThe expressions of regret which you have so kindly\\nuttered are, believe me, reciprocated on my part.\\nUnited to you by common duties in full accord as to", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0256.jp2"}, "257": {"fulltext": "OLD LOUISIANA DAYS. 233\\nour intentions, although differing at times from the\\nmeans proposed, I have found, in your indulgence and\\nin the favor of my fellow-citizens, a full reward for my\\nservices. I am happy to carry away, in my temporary\\nseparation from this city, where my sweetest affections\\nand my fondest memories will ever cluster, the assur-\\nances of your friendship and of the esteem of my fellow-\\ncitizens. I pray you to accept the expression of the\\nsentiments of respect and attachment which will ever\\nbind me to you and to our people.\\nThis noble letter, at the time when he was about to\\nlay aside the cares of office to take a needed rest, was\\nread by the whole community with sincere sympathy,\\nas his resignation was felt to be a public loss. He had\\ndevoted eight years of his life to the service of the city\\nand thirty years to that of the State, in trying and diffi-\\ncult positions, from which he had always emerged as\\npure as refined gold. He was a model official in every\\nrespect.\\nOn the eve of his departure, he proceeded to the\\nCouncil Chamber, where preparations had been made for\\nhis reception. The recorder, as usual, presided. On\\nhis appearance, the members rose to their feet, and\\noffered him the seat of honor. This he declined, and\\nmodestly taking a position in the aisle, near the right-\\nhand row of chairs, he delivered the following remarks\\nGentlemen At the time when the relations which\\nhave so long bound us together are about to be severed,\\nI have deemed it my duty to repair to this hall to enjoy\\nonce more the pleasure of meeting those members of the\\nCity Council who have lent me their powerful assistance\\nin my difficult duties of mayor, and to thank you again\\nin person for the address which the Council has con-", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0257.jp2"}, "258": {"fulltext": "234 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\ndescended to transmit to me. Its contents affix the\\nstamp of honor on my official career.\\nThere are situations in life when the emotions\\nwhich one experiences become an obstacle to the ex-\\npression of thought. Such, gentlemen, is the position\\nin which I find myself at this moment.\\nEight years ago, this day, and at about the same\\nhour, I appeared for the first time within these precincts\\nto take the oath to support the law and do all in my\\npower for the interests and well-being of my constitu-\\nents. This oath, I declare to you, has been religiously\\nobserved, and I have seconded by every means at my\\ndisposal your patriotic views in the furtherance of the\\ngrowth and prosperity of this interesting capital.\\nI can not conceal from myself the fact that, in the\\ncourse of my career, I have committed many mistakes\\nbut they were involuntary and excusable, my intentions\\nbeing pure.\\nTo-morrow I shall resume once more the character\\nof a private citizen, and, in doing so, will feel great sat-\\nisfaction if the manner in which I have acquitted my-\\nself of my duties has earned for me the title of a good\\ncitizen. This last quality is eminently due to the gen-\\ntleman elected to succeed me, and whom public esteem\\nhas elevated to the position. I sincerely hope that he\\nwill escape the opposition of enemies, which a faithful\\ndischarge of public duty is likely to create. If this\\ngood luck has not been my lot, I have at least the con-\\nsolation of knowing that I harbor malice against none.\\nI trust, gentlemen, that you will be pleased to act\\nfor me as intermediaries with my constituency, and that\\nyou will repeat to them what I have just declared\\nwithin this hall, that if I have been so unfortunate as to\\ncommit errors, they were not the result of design.", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0258.jp2"}, "259": {"fulltext": "OLD LOUISIANA DAYS. 235\\nI am about to revisit the home of my birth. There,\\nas elsewhere, I shall ever carry in my heart the recol-\\nlection of lovely lyouisiana, my country by adoption\\nand be a.ssured that I shall neglect no means to shorten\\nthe absence which will separate me from her. I beg\\nyou, gentlemen, to accept the a.ssurance of the feelings\\nof sincere gratitude which your repeated acts of kind-\\nness have filled mj^ heart.\\nThe last expressed wishes of Rolfignac were never\\nrealized. He died a tragic death in his chateau in\\nFrance, a few years afterward, just as he was preparing\\nto return to the city he had loved and served so well.", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0259.jp2"}, "260": {"fulltext": "CHAPTER XIV.\\nOLD LOUISIANA DAYS.\\nNEW ORLEANS IN 1 788 ITS DESTRUCTION BY FIRE\\nNEW ORLEANS THREATENED WITH A GENERAL MASSA-\\nCRE SAVED BY A SLAVE GRANDJEAN THE CONSPIRA-\\nTOR THE LEGION ITS HISTORY A SHAM BATTLE\\nTHE FAUBOURG ST. MARY ITS ORIGIN AND PROGRESS\\nSAMUEL J. PETERS BERNARD MARIGNY DOUBLE\\nDEALING THE OLD GRAVIER CANAL ORLEANS NAVI-\\nGATION COMPANY ORGANIZATION OF THE POLICE THE\\nSTORY OF THE GIQUEL-BROOKS AFFAIR INTREPIDITY\\nOF JUDGE JOACHIM BERMUDEZ HEROISM OF HIS WIFE\\nTHE WASHINGTON GUARDS, THE NUCLEUS OP THE\\nWASHINGTON ARTILLERY.\\nTo one who loves to delve into the dust-begrimed,\\nworm-eaten and somewhat musty records of generations\\nlong gone by, the student frequently stumbles upon\\nunexpected revelations and surprises. No history fur-\\nnishes a wider field for romance, thrilling episodes and\\ndramatic incidents than that of our State. These have\\nnever been thoroughly and deftly written, since they\\nrequire the pen of a Macauley, a Thiers or a Motley to\\nbring them forth from their chiaro-oscuro recesses into\\nthe bright sunlight of the realistic.\\n2.^6", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0260.jp2"}, "261": {"fulltext": "OLD LOUISIANA DAYS. 237\\nWhat more beautiful and Van Dyke-like portraiture\\nof character can a historical writer select than that fur-\\nnished, for instance, by our public personages during the\\nfirst decade of the present century, including the period\\nof excitement and terror created by the Aaron Burr\\nfiasco. Here we would see Claiborne, halting, pro-\\ncrastinating and ever needing the rod of Wilkinson to\\nurge him on. There the General, whom Jackson, sus-\\npicious of treachery, had advised the Governor to watch\\nimperious, bombastic, but plucky to the core. Fur-\\nther on Daniel Clark, the libertine and shrewd money-\\nmaker, always bent on mischief and discord, suspecting\\neverybody and suspected by all. Then we would be\\nmade acquainted with lyivingston, Davezac, McDonogh,\\nHall, Derbigny, lyislet, Bellechasse, Macarty, Sauve,\\nDestrehan, and a host of others, without omitting Pere\\nAntoine as a central figure, not as they are dryly de-\\nlineated in the annals which we possess, but as they\\nlived, moved, spoke and thought.\\nThe warfare for supremacy, so long waged between\\nthe two antagonistic races Saxon against Gaul their\\ngradual intermixture and final harmonious blending,\\ndespite the prejudices engendered by religion, diversity\\nof customs and early training their rivalry in the fields\\nof politics, literature and commercial progress these\\nalso would constitute an instructive and yet an enter-\\ntaining and amusing theme, where the imagination,\\nwithout any disregard to truth, might be allowed to wing\\nits flight amid scenes of almost Acadian picturesqueness.\\nIs not this an unexplored mine, inviting and remuner-\\native to a diligent prospector\\nI am led to these remarks by the information that a\\nwork of this character is now progressing, and is in the\\nhands of one whose pre-eminence in the walks of science", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0261.jp2"}, "262": {"fulltext": "235 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nand of humanities fits him so well for the task. A re-\\nnowned ecclesiastic, whose whole life has been devoted\\nto the training of the 5^outh of the country, and whose\\nleisure hours are dedicated to the wooing of knowledge\\nand polite literature his undertaking should be looked\\nupon as an auspicious omen in the history of letters.\\nThe great fire that occurred in New Orleans, of which\\nthe following is the official account written by Gov.\\nMiro to His Majesty, the King of Spain, is far more\\ngraphic and pathetic than that given out by any of our\\nlocal writers, as a comparison of their merits will\\nreadily show. I need, therefore, no apology for having\\nrescued it from oblivion in its long sleep among our old\\narchives, and for publishing it iyi extcnso. The transla-\\ntion is a literal one\\nOn the evening of the 21st of March, 1788, at 1:30\\no clock, a fire broke out in the private residence of Don\\nVicente Jose Nunez, paymaster of the army. (This\\nbuilding was situated at the lower corner of Chartres\\nand Toulouse streets, on the woods side.) Eight huti-\\ndred and fifty -six buildings were reduced to ashes, in-\\ncluding all the business houses and principal mansions\\nof the city. A wind from the south, then blowing with\\nfury, thwarted every effort to arrest its progress. The\\nparochial church and presbytery (^casa de los air as\\nwere involved in the common disaster, together with\\nthe greater part of its archives. The Municipal build-\\ning i^casa capitular), the barracks and the armory, as\\nwell as the arms deposited therein, except 150 muskets,\\nmet the same fate. The public jail was also destroyed,\\nand hardly had we time to save the lives of the unfort-\\nunate prisoners.\\nWe succeeded in saving the Custom House, the", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0262.jp2"}, "263": {"fulltext": "OLD LOUISIANA DAYS. 239\\ntobacco warehouses, the Governor s and lutendent s\\nbuildings, the general supply store ot provisions and\\nblankets for the Indians, our park of artillery, the\\nRoyal Hospital, the Ursulines Convent, the barracks\\nset apart for the dragoons and resident regiment, and\\nseveral private edifices fronting the river.\\nAs soon as we perceived that the progress of the\\nfire was being hastened by unceasing gusts of wind, and\\nthat the whole city was evidently in danger of destruc-\\ntion, our principal aim was directed toward the removal\\nof our supply depot (^almacen de viveres), as this was\\nour sole dependence for future .subsistence. We had\\npreviously taken out of the artillery quarters every im-\\nplement necessary to cut ofif the fire. We carried off\\nfrom the treasury and deposited on the river banks all\\nof your Majesty s treasures, in currency and silver,\\nover which a guard was kept, attended by that care\\nagainst risk consequent on the confusion and dis-\\norder which necessarily occur at such a time. The\\npapers belonging to ths Auditor s (^contadiiria) and\\nSecretary s departments were transferred to places of\\nsafety, and, when subsequently returned to their re-\\nspective custodians, none were found missing. With\\nthe exception of some slight injury to the armory and a\\nsmall quantity of war materials left in the park of\\nthe mislaying of some articles in the storehouse at the\\ntime when we took out some artillery implements (not\\nan unexpected contingency) of the loss of a small\\nquantity of flour that had been worked into biscuits for\\ndelivery at Natchez, and of a little damage to the build-\\ning that had been purchased for experiments in the\\nmanufacture of snuff, the loss of your Majesty has been\\ntrifling.\\nHemmed in on every side by the raging flames,", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0263.jp2"}, "264": {"fulltext": "24p NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nand mindful of the obligation we were under of extin-\\nguishing the conflagration and cutting off its further\\ncommunications, we could not close our eyes to the dire\\nnecessity staring us in the face a dearth of provisions\\nfor the morrow. On the spur of the moment, we took\\nevery measure suggested by humanity and our sense of\\nduty to prevent the pangs of hunger from being added\\nto the sufferings of the helpless victims of this terrible\\ncalamity, and, with this object in view, I ordered that\\nthe stock of biscuits that had been rescued from the de-\\nvouring element should be distributed among the needy\\napplicants, inasmuch as most of the bakeries had been\\nswept from existence.\\nIf the imagination could describe what our senses\\nenable us to feel from sight and touch, reason itself\\nwould recoil in horror, and it is no easy matter to say\\nwhether the sight of an entire city in flames was more\\nhorrible to behold than the suffering and pitiable condi-\\ntion in which every one was involved. Mothers, in\\nsearch of a sanctuary or refuge for their little ones, and\\nabandoning their earthly goods to the greed of the re-\\nlentless enemy, would retire to out-of-the-way places\\nrather than be witnesses of their utter ruin. Fathers\\nand husbands were busy in saving whatever objects the\\nrapidly spreading flames would permit them to bear off,\\nwhile the general bewilderment was such as to prevent\\nthem from finding even for these a place of security.\\nThe obscurity of the night coming on threw its mantle\\nfor awhile over the saddening spectacle but more hor-\\nrible still was the sight, when day began to dawn, of\\nentire families pouring forth into the public highways,\\nyielding to their lamentations and despair, who, but a\\nfew hours before, had been basking in the enjoyment of\\nmore than the ordinary comforts of life. The tears, the", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0264.jp2"}, "265": {"fulltext": "OLD LOUISIANA DAYS.\\n241\\nheart-breaking soIjs and the pallid faces of these wretched\\npeople mirrored the dire fatality that had overcome a\\ncity, now in ruins, transformed within the space of five\\nhours into an arid and fearful desert. Such was the sad\\nending of a work of death, the result of seventy years\\nof industry. I herewith enclose to your Majesty a plan\\nexhibiting the actual condition of the city.\\nim\\nlEH^nflOHP\\nf^ititt (X^U\\n-7C\\nA. Ceme erv.\\nB. Prison.\\nC. Church.\\nD. Capuchins Quarters.\\nE. King s Storas.\\nF. Ursulines Convent.\\nG. Royal Hospital.\\nH. Barracks.\\nI. Government Building s\\nNote. All the buildings fronting the river were saved. The settled part;\\nof the town are indicated by the black squares the others were open town lots\\nTo alleviate in part their immediate wants, camping\\ntents were distributed to those who applied for them,\\nand we agreed to distribute daily one ration of rice, on\\nyour Majesty s account, to every one, without distiuc-", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0265.jp2"}, "266": {"fulltext": "242 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\ntion, who solicited the same. The number of these\\npersons amounts to 700, who will continue to be pro-\\nvided for during the continuance of their extreme necessi-\\nties. Many have taken temporary lodgings with families\\nthat were so fortunate as to escape unscathed, and to\\nsuch an extent have the compassionate feelings of the\\nlatter shone forth that on the following day there was\\nnot a single human being without shelter.\\nOne of my first measures was the sending of three\\nships to Philadelphia, directed to the care of our resi-\\ndent minister, besides the issuing of several permits, to\\nenable us, within the shortest possible delay, to receive\\na supply of provisions, nails, medicines and other ar-\\nticles of first necessity, at reasonable prices, for which\\npurpose we drew from your royal coffers at this point\\nthe sum of $24,000 on account, for the payment of 3000\\nbarrels of flour, which I have already ordered.\\nThe people not embraced in this general misfortune\\nhave in general voluntarily offered to subscribe to a fund\\nfor the rebuilding of the edifices most needed. The\\necclesiastical corps, represented by their vicar, has sup-\\npressed for the time being the collection of all parochial\\ntithes. Colonel Maxent has exhibited on this occasion\\nevidences of the most considerate charit}^ having afforded\\na home and maintenance to a very large number of fami-\\nlies, who had sought a place of refuge at his residence.\\nHe sold me the stock of rice and tobacco that he had\\non hand at the market prices ruling before the fire, and\\neven offered to go up to the post of Pointe Coupee\\npiiesto de Punta Cortada), for the purpose of getting the\\nsignatures of those who might be willing to subscribe\\nfor the relief of the needy.\\nThe loss occasioned by the destruction of the build-\\nings has been estimated at $1,080,000, exclusive of mer-", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0266.jp2"}, "267": {"fulltext": "OLT) LOUIvSIANA DAYS. 243\\nchandise and personal effects and as this fact can not\\nnow be ascertained with anj degree of certaint3^ unless\\nthrough the declarations of parties interested, we have\\nissued an edict prescribing that, within a delay of eight\\ndays, every victim shall furnish me with a, detailed state-\\nment of his loss. This order has not been complied with\\nas yet, for the reason that many families have retired to\\na distance of eight and ten leagues from this capital, and\\nhave not been apprised of it in time. Hence, I must\\nsuspend until next mail a statement of our total loss,\\nwhich, we suppose, will exceed $3,000,000.\\nThe mind of every one to-day is chiefly absorbed\\nin the expectation of that relief which the benevo-\\nlent disposition of your Majesty gives them cause to hope\\nfor. Opinions are divided into two classes one is that\\nof the landed proprietors, the other that of the mer-\\nchants. The first want free trade in this province, and\\nask that foreign crafts, whatever their nationality, may\\nbe allowed ingress into our port. The second, aware\\nthat the point had already been mooted in the Provincial\\nCouncil {Ayinitamioito) of this city by one of the mem-\\nbers {regidores) with the approval of his colleagues,\\nhave presented us with a memorial, the object of which is\\nto induce us to influence your Majesty against the sugges-\\ntion, and in this demand they, too, go to extremes.\\nThey solicit me to crave your permission to allow the\\ninhabitants, in general of these provinces to bring car-\\ngoes here from any European port without any distinc-\\ntion whatever. There is no doubt in my mind that\\neither of these concessions would rapidly develop the\\nprosperity of the colony, and build up in a short\\ntime this now desolate capital Init, as the first pro-\\nject is wholly opposed to our policy of not allowing\\nin the Gulf of Mexico of any ship not bearing our (li^,", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0267.jp2"}, "268": {"fulltext": "244 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nunder the pretext of only coming to the river and,\\nfurthermore, as regards the second, inasmuch as the\\ninterests of the monarchy may require that preference\\nshould be given to some foreign nation, France for in-\\nstance a friei?d allied to us by such strong ties I\\nmerely confine myself to recommend the prorogation of\\ncommerce granted by the royal letters patent {cedula) of\\nJanuar)^ 22, 1782, with the privilege that during the\\nspace of three years the people here may avail them-\\nselves of foreign crafts, with the same exemption from du-\\nties as is conceded by Art. 5 of said royal letters patent.\\nThe loss by this terribly destructive fire, as officially\\nascertained and made known to the Spanish Cabinet\\nafterward, was declared to amount to the sum of $2,-\\n595,561.\\nThe foregoing letter loses much of its idiomatic force\\nand beauty through the free translation which the genius\\nof the Spanish language compels one to adopt, although\\nsome passages therein must forcibly remind the scholar\\nof some of the imaginary scenes depicted by Defoe in his\\nPlague of London. Governor Miro was not only a\\nthorough diplomat, but a polished classic.\\nWhile conning, some time ago, over the pages of our\\nancient municipal records, my eyes chanced to stray\\nupon certain passages of a message forwarded to the\\naldermen of the city, b}^ Mayor John Watkins, on Sep-\\ntember 28, 1805. As their contents are not referred to\\nby Mr. Gayarre in his work on I,ouisiana, I think it\\nwill be both interesting and instructive to reproduce\\nthem in their entiretj^\\nGentlemen of the Council Agreeably to my\\npromise, some time ago, permit me to enter into the\\nparticulars of some of the circumstances relative to the", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0268.jp2"}, "269": {"fulltext": "01,D LOUISIANA DAYS. 245\\nconspiracy which had for its object to call to arms the\\nnegro slaves in our midst to burn down our cit} and to\\nslaughter its inhabitants. A mulatto, named Celestin,\\nwas the first man to give warning of the existence of\\nthis abominable project.\\nIt seems that a white man, a fresh importation from\\nSt, Domingo (where he has doubtless served an appren-\\nticeship to the crimes which have precipitated that un-\\nfortunate island into an abyss of destruction), had been\\nfor some time employed as a workman in the shop of\\nMr. Duverne, a respectable citizen of the faubourg St.\\nMary, at whose place Celestin also had been engaged to\\nwork. One day the wretch, whose name is Grandjean,\\nconfided to the latter a plan relative to a general insur-\\nrection of the slaves, the success of which was to be se-\\ncured at the cost of the lives and fortunes of the whites.\\nCelestin, guided by natural sentiments of humanity, like\\na faithful slave, and without loss of time, imparted the\\ninformation, with all its details to Mr. Duverne, who, in\\nturn and conjointly with Celestin, apprised me of it,\\naccompanied for that purpo.se by Colonel Dorciere.\\nMeasures were immediately taken to not only discon-\\ncert the plot and arrest the author, but to secure also\\nsufficient proof to convict him of the atrocious crime\\nwhich he was meditating against the peace of the Terri-\\ntory. With this object in view, we advised several free\\ncolored people, both intelligent and of excellent charac-\\nter, to get themselves introduced to Grandjean as persons\\nwell disposed to second him in his undertaking, and\\nwho were, under this cloak, to draw from him all the\\nparticulars of his conspiracy, in order to qualify them-\\nselves to testify eventually before the courts. The plan\\nproved a success, for Grandjean opened himself fully ta\\nthem, and explained his plans, which were to be car-", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0269.jp2"}, "270": {"fulltext": "246 NEW OkLKANS AS iT WAS.\\nried ovit in the follow ng manner He said that, being\\nthe principal agent, he was to be known only to ten\\npersons, who were to be the apparent leaders. The.se\\nten chiefs were to communicate the secret to ten others,\\nand so an ad in^inituvi. Couriers were to be sent to\\nthe blacks at Natchez and to those of adjoining points.\\nCommandeurs or negro drivers particularly were to be\\nwon over, and on a given day, at an appointed hour, the\\ndecisive blow was to be struck. The insurgents were to\\nmake themselves masters of the different streets of the\\ncity, take forcible possession of the soldiers barracks\\nand of the different public stores, surprise the State\\nHou.se aud other government buildings, massacre every\\none who offered resistance, and finally set the city \u00c2\u00a9n\\nfire, if it could not be reduced to subjection otherwise.\\nThese particulars once known, it became necessary to\\ntake steps to inform the whites of the situation, without\\ncreating unnecessary alarm. In consequence. Colonels\\nBellechasse and Uorciere, Mr. Duverne and myself,\\nwent at an hour agreed upon with a detachment of gen-\\ndarmerie and surrounded the house. Colonel Bellechasse,\\nwho had fortunatelj- screened himself completely for the\\npurpose, was able to hear from the lips of Grandjean\\nhimself the .substance oJ the Ivorrible things that I have\\nbeen relating. We then made an irruption into the\\napartment Grandjean was taken and led to the jail,\\nwhere he is now detained while waiting for his trial and\\nthe just punishment which he deserves.\\nWith regard to the reward to be awarded to Celestin,\\nthere is no doubt that application to that effect should be\\nmade to the Territorial government but, while awaiting\\nits decision, and in the uncertainty of its final action, if\\nthe recollection of his important services has not faded\\naway through lapse of time, it must behoove you, it seems", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0270.jp2"}, "271": {"fulltext": "OLD tOUlSlANA DAYS. 247\\nto me, gentlemen, to break the fetters which now bind\\nthis faithful servant, and to invest him with that dignity\\nof freedom which he refused to accept at the price of\\nyour blood.\\nWith regard to the colored people who have so nobly\\ncontributed toward the discovery of the plot, they will\\nfind an adequate reward in some honorable testimonial\\nof yoni esteem and acknowledgment of their claim on\\npublic gratitude.\\nActing upon these suggestions, the City Council ap-\\npointed two of its members, Messrs. Pedesclaux and\\nArnaud, to confer with Mr. Robelot, Celestin s master,\\nin reference to his manumission. In consideration of\\nthe sum of $2000, agreed upon by experts and paid by\\nthe corporation, Celestin became a free man, and an\\nobject of envy and admiration to blacks and whites\\nalike.\\nNor were the colored men forgotten, who had so\\nfirmly stood by the citizens of New Orleans. Not only\\nwere eulogistic resolutions adopted by the Board of\\nCouncilmen, but more substantial favors and tokens of\\nconsideration were bestowed upon them. This class of\\nour population, it must be said to their credit, not-\\nwithstanding the anomalous condition which they oc-\\ncupied, invariably proved theiMselves honest, industrious\\nand conservative citizens. In periods of public calamity\\nthey were always to be seen in the front ranks cheerfully\\nperforming every service assigned to them. During\\nepidemics, the females braved every danger and were\\nconsidered by our physicians as the most competent\\nand attentive nurses in the world. The acts of heroism\\ndisplayed by the free men of color at the battle of New\\nOrleans, under the command of Savary, D Aquin and\\nlyacoste, extorted the admiration of Jackson and fill a", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0271.jp2"}, "272": {"fulltext": "24 S NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nglorious page of Louisiana history. These lines are but\\na small tribute to their worthy past.\\nBut what of Grancljean As he had committed no\\novert act to incite the slaves to insurrection he escaped\\nthe death penalty, but was convicted of the lesser of-\\nfence, and sentenced to .serve a life sentence in the chain\\ngang employed upon our public streets. Exposed at the\\npillory and whipping post with the convict s red bonnet\\nand parti-colored trowsers and jacket, and dragging a\\nfifty-pound ball attached to his ankles, he was for many\\nyears to be seen, toiling and panting with other crimi-\\nnals, in cleaning gutters and grading our highways with\\nbatture sand.\\nThe most thoroughly equipped and disciplined body\\nof citizen soldiery that Louisiana ever possessed in ante-\\nbellum times was, without doubt, the organization pop-\\nularly known as the lyCgion. Its origin dates from\\nthe period of our territorial government. At that time,\\nseveral companies, composed of Creoles and of French-\\nmen who had seen active service in Europe, were\\nformed and consolidated. Governor Claiborne, in his\\ncorrespondence with the President, when lyouisiana\\nwas threatened with invasion by Burr s adherents, men-\\ntions them as bodies that could be depended upon in\\ncase of an emergency. They constituted the nucleus,\\naround which gathered in subsequent years other or-\\nganizations of a similar character, so that, when in 1814\\nthe British invaded our soil, a body of troops, known as\\nthe Battalion of Orleans Volunteers, stepped into the field\\nfully armed and equipped for action. They proved\\nthemselves trained veterans, and their prowess and effi-\\nciency are now a part of our country s history.\\nIn the progress of time, this small corps increased in", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0272.jp2"}, "273": {"fulltext": "OLD LOUISIANA DAYS. 249\\nStrength and stability with such rapidity that it became\\nnecessary to incorporate it into a Legion, which was\\nsuccessively commanded by generals of repute, such as\\nCuvellier, DeBuys, Lewis and Augustin. Such is the\\noutline of its formation. Nearly every nationality was\\nrepresented in this organization. The Germans had\\ntheir Yaegers, the Spaniards their Cazadores, the\\nFrench their Voltigeurs, Cuirassiers and Lanciers, the\\nAmericans their Washington Guards and Louisiana\\nGrays, the Creoles their Grenadiers, their Sappers and\\nMiners, the Irish their Emmett Guards, each appareled\\nin gaudy and appropriate uniforms. There was even a\\nmounted corps of Mamelukes. The Orleans Battalion\\nof Artillery, set on foot by such veteran ofhcers as Dom-\\ninique You, Major Gaily and Gen. Benj. Buisson, and\\ncomposed of the elite of our Creole young bloods, was\\nperfect in every detail and always ready for immediate\\nservice.\\nBy a special act of the Legislature, the Legion was\\nrequired to assist the Mayor in all cases of tunuilt, ivhen\\nthe police found themselves 7inable to preserve the public\\npeace, and in April, 1830, the city voted it a yearly al-\\nlowance of $2000 in compensation for the service.\\nIt was about that time that the Louisiana Legion\\nturned out for the first time in a body to go through the\\nevolutions of a ^7^ r or sham battle, in Marig-\\nny s field, jointly with the uniformed bodies of the First\\nBrigade, which had been invited for the occasion.\\nAbout 120 men of the Fourth Regiment of United\\nStates Regulars, stationed in the city under Major\\nTwiggs, appeared and formed a reserve corps in the\\nrear of three columns of attack, headed by Lieutenant\\nColonel Cuvellier and directed against a point which\\nwas defended by a corps of infantry and two field pieces.", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0273.jp2"}, "274": {"fulltext": "250 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nunder the command of Major Daunoy. The onset being\\nsuccessful, a pontoon bridge was thrown by the latter\\nover Marigny s canal. A retreat was ordered. This\\noperation enabled him to take a new position on the op-\\nposite bank, and to resist with advantage a body of\\ntroops much stronger than his own, supported by two\\nfield pieces and two troops of cavalry under Captains\\nVignie and Ed. Ducros.\\nThe mimic conflict was admirably planned and con-\\nducted, and after the firing had ceased, a copious break-\\nfast charnpetre offered to the general staff, the United\\nStates troops and the uniformed companies of the bri-\\ngade, terminated a military feast, which was marred by\\nno accident and attended throughout by the most\\nhearty good nature and cordiality. In addition to two\\ncavalry companies from the parish of Jefferson, there\\nwere two companies from St. Bernard, the Louisiana\\nGuards, the Lafayette Riflemen and the Cadets, who,\\nwith the United States troops and the Legion, formed a\\ntotal of nearly 2500 men, of all arms, when they re-\\nturned to the city.\\nWhen the war with Mexico first broke out, and vol-\\nunteers were being called upon to proceed at once to the\\nassistance of our beleaguered men on the Rio Grande,\\nthe Legion answered the call within twenty-four hours.\\nIt readily furnished the contingent required, which was\\namong the first to reach the scene of operations.\\nThe object of the Legion was to encourage military\\nardor and discipline. Every holiday or State occasion\\nwas taken advantage of to display this spirit. Thus on\\nthe feast of St. Barbe, the patroness of Artillerists, the\\nOrleans Battalion were wont to turn out in splendid ar-\\nray, with a bouquet of flowers inserted in their mo7isque-\\ntons, and proceeded to the Cathedral to hear mass and", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0274.jp2"}, "275": {"fulltext": "OLD LOUISIANA DAYS. 25 1\\ntake up a subscription for our orphans asylums. This\\nyearly practice was religiously observed every 8th of\\nDecember. Their flags and banners were usually\\nblessed by the bishop during these public ceremonies.\\nEvery Sunday witnessed some marked display or pro-\\ncession, either a drill on the Place d Armes or an ex-\\ncursion to some rural retreat.\\nThe days of the Legion are now things of the past,\\nbut they yet linger in the recollections of old inhabit-\\nants like faded and regretted glories.\\nMuch space has been devoted in these preceding\\npages to accounts of the foundation and gradual devel-\\nopment of the city proper carre de la Ville\\nthough frequent references have been made to its sub-\\nurbs. I now propose to give a faint outline of the rise\\nand progress of the faubourg St. Mary, now composing\\nthe First District of New Orleans.\\nTo two citizens of alien birth and parentage, James\\nH. Caldwell and Samuel J. Peters, are mainly due the\\ncreation and commercial prosperity of this now famous\\ncentre of our metropolis. The first was the soul of en-\\nterprise, the latter the embodiment of financial skill and\\ndaring. One was the designer, the other the architect.\\nWhile leading and wealthy Creoles, such as Marigny,\\nVignie, Montegut, Millaudon, DeBuys, DeFeriet, and a\\nhost of others were listlessly dreaming of the possibil-\\nities in store for their native city, the Anglo-Saxons,\\nunder the guidance of audacious speculators and far-\\nseeing prospectors, were at work with tireless energy in\\nlaying out the ground.\\nIt is related, and the story rests upon authenticated\\ntradition, that these two gentlemen had originally made\\nchoice of the lower faubourg as the future theatre of", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0275.jp2"}, "276": {"fulltext": "252 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\ntheir financial operations. The harbor of that part of\\nthe city offered advantages which no other point pre-\\nsented, not only on account of its great depth of water\\nand the security of its levees, but of the cheap con-\\nstruction of wharves. To attract the shipping to that\\nlocality by means of warehouses and cotton presses; to\\nerect on Elysian Fields, opposite the terminus of the\\nPontchartrain railroad, a first-class hotel; to construct in\\nthat vicinity a larger theatre, and to locate there their\\ngas and waterworks plants these were the first schemes,\\nprecursors of still greater, projected by these prescient\\nand public-spirited men. With this object in view,\\nBernard Marigny was approached by the parties, and,\\nafter considerable haggling, consented to yield, at a\\nfabulous price, a large space of territory, constituting\\nnearly the whole of his ancestral plantation. When\\nevery necessary document had been drawn up, all the\\nparties in interest met at the notary s office to ratify the\\nagreement and conclude the sale, except Mrs. Marigny,\\nwho, it was surmised, had purposely absented herself at\\nher husband s suggestion. As lier dotal and parapher-\\nnal rights were involved in this matter of transfer, her\\nrefusal to ratify the contract broke up the project. Mr.\\nPeters, it is said, was so enraged at this act, which he\\nbluntly denounced as double-dealing, that, turning to\\nthe Saxon-hating Creole, he cried out I shall live,\\nby God, to see the day when rank grass shall choke up\\nthe streets of your old faubourg, a prophecy that has\\nunfortunately been verified to the letter\\nThe reader must not suppose from this incident that\\nthe Creole population blindly indulged in the senseless\\nprejudices of their once popular tribune or approved his\\nopposition tactics. On the contrary, they upbraided\\nhim for his course in bitter terms, both in conversation", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0276.jp2"}, "277": {"fulltext": "OLD LOUISIANA DAYS. 253\\nand in print, and this fact drew upon him in after years\\nthat strong opposition which checked his political aspi-\\nration, and lost him the governorship. It was evident\\nto them that he was no safe adviser or leader. But, as\\na matter of fact, this evidence of a narrow-sighted policy\\nonly served to widen the breach between the antag-\\nonistic races, and to add fuel to the continuance of those\\nunfortunate broils and encounters, then so frequent and\\nfatal.\\nCanal street was not by any means, as some people\\nsuppose, the dividing line of the contending factions,\\ninasmuch as many of the most enterprising American\\nmerchants and business men of the period, including\\nMr. Peters himself, had their principal establishments\\nin the French quarter. Chartres street, the great thor-\\noughfare of the day, was dotted as far down as Tou-\\nlouse, with magnificent and attractive stores, among\\nwhich the jewelry bazaar of Messrs. Hyde Goodrich\\nwill long be remembered by old-timers. The firm of\\nPeters Millard, doing then an extensive grocery busi-\\nness, was located on Old Levee street, not far from\\nBienville, while such merchants and bankers as Saul,\\nMontgomery, Zacharie, etc., were all domiciled down\\ntown.\\nThe refusal of Mr. Bernard Marigny to participate in\\nthe advantages offered by the financial magnates not\\nonly sealed the doom of his own immediate section and\\nbrought about the eventual decline of the Uarrc de la\\nville, but was the event from which dates the surpris-\\ning transformation of that once gigantic quagmire,\\nknown to-day as the First District, into a new and won-\\nderful city, the centre of progress, wealth and refine-\\nment, with its attractive public buildings, immense\\nwarehouses and stores and palatial residences for its", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0277.jp2"}, "278": {"fulltext": "254 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nmerchant princes. The New. Canal, the Waterworks,\\nthe St. Charles and Verandah hotels, the Gas Works,\\nthe St. Charles theatre, the introduction of square stone\\npavements, were not a few, although among the first, of\\nthe improvements inaugurated by those men of iron,\\nand notwithstanding the financial crash of 1836-37,\\nwhich, for the nonce, paralyzed every industry, the\\nwork of progress and go-aheaditiveness steadily went on.\\nIn order to attract further trade to that fast growing\\nportion of the city, the subject of improving and widen-\\ning the old Gravier canal, now the New Basin, to its\\nopening at the lyake, became a vital question. The\\nMarigny canal on El3^sian Fields street, and the Caron-\\ndelet afforded ample water-ways, it is true, for commer-\\ncial communications with the L,ake and Gulf ports, but\\nthe inhabitants up town complained that they derived\\nno immediate advantage therefrom, and were completely\\nshut out from the traffic by pretended monopolistic\\nprivileges and legislative grants. This was in 1830.\\nThe act of the legislative council of the Territory of\\nOrleans, passed in 1805, incorporating the Navigation\\nCompany for the purpose of improving the internal nav-\\nigation of the Territory, had failed to produce the bene-\\nficial effects expected from its provisions. Although\\ntwenty-five years had elapsed since the incorporation of\\nthat company, its operations had been limited to the\\nkeeping of the Bayou St. John in an imperfectly nav-\\nigable state, and to the opening of the canal and basin,\\npreviously constructed by the Baron Carondelet. Pre-\\ntending to an exclusive right to improve the navigation\\nof the Island of Orleans, the object of this company ap-\\npeared not to have been to make improvements, but to\\ndistribute enormous dividends among themselves. It was\\nnearly ten years since this company had purchased the", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0278.jp2"}, "279": {"fulltext": "OLD LOUISIANA DAYS. 255\\nCanal Gravier, for an insignificant sum, and although\\nexcessive dividends had been constautl} declared since\\nthat time, no proposition seemed to have been offered\\nfor the opening of that canal. By an act of Congress,\\npassed on the i6th da} of April, 1816, a large square of\\nground was donated to the Navigation Company, for\\nthe purpose, it was presumed, of enabling it to make\\nfurther improvements. This tract of land was divided\\ninto lots and sold, but the proceeds were not applied to\\nthe facilities of navigation, but distributed, it was\\nreported, among the stockholders. Little, however, as\\nhad been done by the company in the way of meliora-\\ntion, much had been done in the way of exacting tolls.\\nThese were so large as to keep down the commerce of\\nthe lakes, to depress the industry and retard the growth\\nof all that part of the State which lay to the eastward of\\nLake Pontchartrain, and to cause loud and just com-\\nplaints from the people of the adjacent States and Ter-\\nritories.\\nDescanting upon this subject, a paper said\\nThe most sanguine calculations would insufficiently\\nappreciate the advantages to arise from the making of a\\nsafe, ea.sy and cheap communication between the city\\nand the Lake. To the city this advantage would be\\nfound in the greatly increasing quantity and cheapness\\nof all building materials and in the cost of the articles\\nof first necessity in the additional commerce which\\nwill be drawn from the neighboring States, and in af-\\nfording ample protection against inundation from the\\nbreaking of the levee at any point above the line of the\\ncanal. The advantages of that part of the Gulf which\\nsends its produce to market through the Lake are too\\nobvious to be mentioned, and the whole State must nec-\\nessarily derive benefit from the increasing population", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0279.jp2"}, "280": {"fulltext": "256 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nand wealth of any part. With this view a railroad\\ncompany has been incorporated. Whether the applica-\\ntion for an incorporation for the purpose of constructing\\na railroad instead of a canal proceeds from an idea of the\\nsuperiority of the former for the conveyance of pas-\\nsengers and merchandise, or was founded on a misty\\nnotion with respect to the rights of the Orleans Naviga-\\ntion Company, is a matter of conjecture. Much has\\nbeen written and various opinions entertained in rela-\\ntion to the superior advantages offered by the different\\nmodes of transportation. Greater expedition must be\\nconceded to railroads, and those will probably be pre-\\nferred for the conveyance of persons. But for the trans-\\nportation of bricks, lime, shells, sand, lumber, firewood,\\netc., it is believed that a straight canal from the Lake\\nshore to some convenient spot in the upper part of the\\ncity of New Orleans, by which these articles could be\\nlanded there, from the same vessel in which they have\\nbeen first laden, is preferable. The opinion which seems\\nat this time generally prevalent is rather more favor-\\nable even to the canal and bayou of the navigation com-\\npany for the transportation of these articles than to the\\nrailroad. Still, it is believed that the stockholders in\\nthe railroad company will be fully remunerated without\\nextending their exclusive privileges beyond the limits of\\ntheir charter. They have the exclusive right of con-\\nstructing railroads to the city but we ask for the priv-\\nilege of making a canal, the same to revert to the State\\nat the expiration of twenty-five years.\\nThe foregoing remarks, trite and commonplace as they\\nmay appear to us at the present time, were the expres-\\nsion of that far-sighted policy which brought about the\\nreclamation of thousands of acres of swamp lands. The\\nstruggle for the construction of this important water-way", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0280.jp2"}, "281": {"fulltext": "", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0281.jp2"}, "282": {"fulltext": "", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0282.jp2"}, "283": {"fulltext": "OLD LOUISIANA DAYS. 257\\nwas long and painful, and, when won, contributed be-\\nyond measure in settling and thickly populating with\\nhardy and industrious citizens all that territory which\\nextended from Baronne street to the uninhabitable\\nmorass bej ond. The Third Ward, as it stands to-day,\\nis the product of that noble work accomplished by per-\\nsevering and spirited citizens, whose race seems now ex-\\ntinct. The manual labor and engineering work, it may\\nbe observed here, were intrusted to Simon Cameron, of\\nPennsylvania, a notorious hater of the South, who sub-\\nsequently became a United States Senator. .In those daj^s\\nhe was a contractor of national reputation, and as he was\\nvery careful in concealing his negrophilistic propensi-\\nties, the contract was readil}^ awarded him. Hundreds,\\nnot to say thousands, of laborers and mechanics were\\nemployed from abroad to inaugurate the work, but, when\\n:he yellow fever set in, a dreadful pestilence broke out\\namong the unacclimated strangers, and hecatombs of de-\\ncaying carcasses were to be daily found along the banks\\nof the stream now lining our erstwhile renowned Shell\\nRoad. For a time obstacle after obstacle seemed to\\nseriously impede the successful performance of the con-\\ntract, but, with the vim and energy characteristic of the\\nSaxon and Celtic races, every obstacle was finally over-\\ncome and a new route opened to Lakes Maurepas, Pont-\\nchartrain and the Gulf of Mexico. The Milnebur.g rail-\\nroad, a triumph for the Marigny followers, be it said en\\nt assant, destroyed all further hopes of carrying on the\\nrailway scheme.\\nAs no community can thrive, prosper and expand\\nwithout adequate protection to person and property, an\\nimportant resolution relative to a new organization of\\nthe city guard was adopted by the Council. Under its", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0283.jp2"}, "284": {"fulltext": "258 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\noperation the members of that body were required to be\\nacquainted with both the languages then in vogue, to-\\nwit the English and French, to establish satisfactorily\\ntheir moral character, and to prove a residence of not\\nless than one ear in the city.\\nFor 5 ears past, the insufficiency, the laziness, the in-\\nsolence and the tyrann)^ of the cit)^ guard had been con-\\nstant themes of complaint. In the performance of their\\nduties they were either culpably remiss or daringly des-\\npotic. On the one hand, acts of open villainy were\\nperpetrated within the limits of the municipality, and\\nalmost before the ej-es of the guard, without the least\\nimpediment being afforded to their successful accom-\\nplishment. On the other, indiscreet but unoffending\\ncitizens were not infrequently aggrieved and outraged\\nby those stupid and impudent hirelings. In short, the\\npolice system was as loose in discipline, injurious in its\\noperations, and contemptible in its character as any that\\never disgraced an enlightened city. It was not difficult\\nto trace those abuses to their source. The old city\\nguard was composed principally of foreigners, the lees\\nand refuse of the town, of individuals picked up in the\\nlowest haunts of vice, and admitted as members of that\\ndepartment of government without the slightest moral\\nqualification and without inquiry into their fitness for\\nthe station they assumed. Generally acquainted with but\\none of the two languages most in vogue, and several, in\\nsome instances, ignorant of both utterly regardless of\\nthe responsible character of the duties which devolved\\nupon them, anu totally unfit by habits, manners and\\nbirth for their new occupations, they constituted in gen-\\neral a most worthless and infamous pack of fools and\\nknaves, without the slightest value in regard to the per-\\nformance of their functions, and yet formidable to the", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0284.jp2"}, "285": {"fulltext": "OLD LOUISIANA DAYS. 259\\ncitizens, on account of their acts of unprovoked and law-\\nless oppression. It was evident that little could be ex-\\npected from such a motley assortment of French, Span-\\nish, German and Swiss adventurers, nine-tenths of whom\\nhad been but a short time in the country.\\nNotwithstanding every attempt to remodel the force\\non a stable and efficient footing, such was the prejudice\\nentertained by honest citizens against an organization\\nthat was looked upon by the whole community with\\nunqualified opprobrium, that many years elapsed before,\\nby slow gradations, the corps was improved with com-\\npetent officers. To be a policeman was a badge of\\ndegradation, and it was not before Recorder Baldwin s\\nfirst advent to office that the body was noticeably\\nbettered. Winters, up town Youennes, in the Second\\nDistrict now, and Eugene Mazerat, in the Third, gave\\ntone and character to the organizations under their con-\\ntrol, and when Mayor Grossman assumed the reins of\\ngovernment he was enabled through their instrumen-\\ntality to reconstruct a force respectable in numbers and\\nreputation, which subsequently became the nucleus\\naround which has gathered the present police.\\nIt cannot be expected that within the compass of a\\nfew pages the subject which I have so imperfectly\\nbroached should be fully developed. The history of the\\nFirst District is one of wonderful achievements\\nand surprises. Pluck, genius and sagacity are the\\ngroundwork upon which its commercial importance\\nand ilan were founded.\\nA tragical event, connected with the defence of a\\nmagistrate s habitation and home, attracted, in 1836,\\ngeneral attention and became the subject of universal\\ninterest. The story is worth relating.", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0285.jp2"}, "286": {"fulltext": "26o NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nThis deplorable catastrophe was the outgrowth of a\\njudicial decision in a case in which much sectional and\\nracial feeling had been displayed. It was termed the\\nGiquel Brooks affair. It seems that in a rencoyitre that\\ntook place on Royal street, the latter had been shot\\nto death under circumstances denoting malice and pre-\\nmeditation. Serious troubles had previously existed\\nbetween the parties. A trip to Mexico, undertaken by\\nBrooks, had put a temporary stop to their quarrel, but,\\non his return, after an interval of several months, he\\nresolved to definitely settle the matter. An interview\\nwas, therefore, agreed upon, during which Mr. Giquel\\nindulged in very provoking language. It only served\\nto widen the breach. Irritated by this conduct, the\\ndeceased withdrew, and immediately sent a friend with\\na demand for satisfaction. The reply was a request\\nfor fifteen minutes time for deliberation, which was\\ngranted, but, instead of awaiting the return of the mes-\\nsenger and delivering his promised answer, the chal-\\nlenged party forthwith repaired to the office of the Re-\\ncorder of the Second Municipality and preferred a\\ncharge against Brooks.\\nThus stood matters, when the adversaries again met\\nin Royal street, near St. Peter. An affraj resulted, and\\nthe unfortunate Brooks, shot through the heart, lay\\nstretched upon the pavement. Giquel was conveyed to\\nthe Mayor s ofiice and admitted to bail on an appear-\\nance bond.\\nThis unfortunate occurrence threw the whole city\\ninto a state of great commotion, for the deceased was\\ngenerally liked and esteemed. He was buried the same\\nevening, and his funeral cortege \\\\\\\\2iS followed to the grave\\nby a large concourse of friends and citizen soldiers.\\nAt the close of the judicial proceedings before the", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0286.jp2"}, "287": {"fulltext": "OLD LOUISIANA DAYS. 26 1\\ncommitting magistrate, the privilege of bail was re-\\nvoked whereupon, he was committed to prison on the\\ncharge of murder.\\nPublic opinion was pretty equally divided as to the\\npropriety of the course of Judge Preval in withholding\\nfrom him the benefit of, what some deemed, a constitu-\\ntional right the people up town, who had taken sides,\\nas usual, against the Creole, warmly espousing the\\nformer s ruling. Among the military organizations a\\ncrack one, by the way which, from its character and\\nhigh-toned membership, exercised a great influence\\nin the upper section of the city, was the Washington\\nGuards, of which Brooks for some time had been an\\nactive and highly esteemed member. They had at-\\ntended his funeral in a body, and had vowed- over his\\ngrave that justice should be meted out at any and every\\ncost. The friends of Giquel, on the other hand, were\\nnot less active or persevering. They engaged eminent\\ncounsel, and resolved to exhaust every legal remedy\\nbefore giving up the straggle. It was evident that the\\nantagonistic parties were terribly in earnest, and rea-\\nsonable men began to apprehend mischief.\\nThus stood matters, when, on September 2, 1836, a\\nwrit of habeas corpus was applied for before Joachim\\nBermudez, judge of the parish court, and father of our\\nlamented late Chief Justice. Upon the bench, he was\\nthe ideal of the upright magistrate. Cold, austere, and\\nyet scrupulously attentive, he kept under perfect control\\nthe impulses of a naturally passionate and impression-\\nable temperament heedless of friend or foe, and un-\\nswervingly obedient to the call of duty and honor. Out\\nof court, he was one of the most amiable, entertaining\\nand amusing raconteurs I evtr knew. Brave to a fault,\\nhe had been engaged in his earlier years in several", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0287.jp2"}, "288": {"fulltext": "262 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\naffairs of honor, and was known to be as expert with\\nthe pistol as he was lamiliar with his Civil Code. He\\nwas prond of his noble Spanish lineage, of his race and\\nof its traditions.\\nSuch was the man before whuse tribunal angry faces\\nsoon grouped themselves. The atmosphere of the court\\nroom was filled with threatening rumors and dire men-\\naces, and, as the judge calmly surveyed the turbulent\\nelement before him, he inwardly smiled at the idea that\\nany populace should ever conceive the idea of frighten-\\ning him from the performance of his judicial functions.\\nAfter the traditional bj cs, oyez, oyes of the sheriff had\\nbeen commanded, the attorneys, after offering evidence,\\ncommenced the argument, which was prolonged not only\\nduring that day, but continued to the following. No\\nman in that room was a more attentive listener than the\\njudge, who, note book in hand, jotted down every au-\\nthority cited and each salient point. Upon his strong\\nand impressive face, in his jet-black eyes, set under\\nshaggy eye-brows, not a trace of emotion, not a clue to\\nthe inward workings of his intellect could be traced.\\nWhen the case was finally submitted, leisurely taking\\nup the papers, he calmly informed the lawyers that he\\nwished to deliberately read the evidence before announc-\\ning his opinion, which, he added, was nearly made up.\\nTwo hours afterward, amid the muttered curses of the\\nbafHed enemies of Giquel, the latter was released from\\nconfinement on a fifteen thousand dollars bond.\\nTo a casual observer it was evident that trouble was\\nbrewing, and that the life of the intrepid judge was in\\ngreat peril. Friends crowded around him to afford him\\nprotection, but these he quietly dismissed, simply re-\\nmarking that the only danger he apprehended was a\\nskulking assassin s bullet. Face to face he feared no man.", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0288.jp2"}, "289": {"fulltext": "OLD LOUISIANA DAYS. 263\\nOn the evening of the 5th of September, 1836, while\\nquietly enjoying a smoke at home by the side\\nof his devoted wife, a violent ringing of the door\\nbell apprised them of the presence of visitors. These\\nconsi.sted of three friends, one of whom was Toutant\\nBeauregard, a young dentist, who had come in haste\\nto inform him that a party of desperate men were band-\\ning together to lynch the judge, and offering their\\nservices for his protection. Bermudez said nothing,\\nbut there was something grim and terrible in his smile\\nat this attempt to overawe the independence of the\\njudiciary. Absenting himself for a few moments, he\\nreturned with his household weapons. Delivering a\\nbeautifully chased double-barreled shotgun to Beaure-\\ngard, he simpiy remarked It is loaded. Then plac-\\ning his broad-sword against the mantel-piece corner, he\\nquietly resumed his seat by a side table, on which were\\nresting two formidable cavalry pistols, and added:\\nNow let them come. Of the five persons composing\\nthe group in the parlor of that silent mansion on Bayou\\nRoad, between Rampart and Burgundy, none appeared\\nso cool and unconcerned as the intended victim. As\\nthe hours sped on every neck was craned to catch the\\nleast suspicious sound. The night was hushed in death-\\nlike stillness, and, save the hurried pace of some be-\\nlated wayfarer, nothing seemed to denote the proximity\\nof danger. All of a sudden a crash was heard at the\\ndoor, which flew wide open from the violence of an\\nunseen pressure. As quick as thought, Beauregard\\nrushed to the spot with gun in hand, but a heavy\\nstroke from a cutlass bore the weapon down, which was\\nharmlessly discharged. An enraged crowd then poured\\ninto the sitting-room, but were dumfounded at the\\nsight of Mrs. Bermudez, who, grasping her husband s", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0289.jp2"}, "290": {"fulltext": "264 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nsabre, had placed herself between the latter and his\\nassailants, and by frequent and well directed blows was\\ncompelling them to retreat in shame.\\nMeanwhile the judge was not idle, as a corpse on the\\ncarpet and the escaping form of a mortally wounded\\naggressor fully attested. His brace of pistols had done\\ntheir deadly work. Beauregard and his two companions\\nfollowed in pursuit, and must have done some service,\\nas several were wounded in this disgraceful affray. A\\ndead body was discovered later on in Esplanade street.\\nOne of the victims was a member of the Washington\\nGuards. Fearing that if a military parade attended\\nthe funeral some disturbance might again disturb the\\npublic peace. Captain Hozey, who was a man of nerve\\nand sound judgment, ordered the soldier companions of\\nthe deceased to turn out in citizens clothes. He was a\\nthorough disciplinarian, and, after the obsequies were\\nover, so confident was he of the fidelity of his men to\\nthe cause of law and order, that he proffered their\\nservices to the Mayor as a guard to the judge s residence.\\nBut the proposition was gratefully declined, as public\\nopinion had too strongly set in against any renewed dis-\\norders. Peace and calm reflection had reassumed their\\nmastery.\\nSuch are the sad details of an affair which, forming\\npart of the history of our judiciary, has been long a sub-\\nject of comment among the older members of the bar.\\nJudge Bermudez seldom spoke of the subject, and onl)\\nwhen questioned by intimate friends. I believe no one\\nregretted the occurrence more than he did, for he was\\nkind, chivalrous and humane, never exhibiting anger\\nexcept under strong provocation.", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0290.jp2"}, "291": {"fulltext": "CHAPTER XV.\\nOLD LOUISIANA DAYS.\\nA UNIQUE SCENE IN COURT ZACHARY TAYLOR AND\\nWM. O. BUTLER KENTUCKY TROOPS ASKING FOR THEIR\\nDISCHARGE JEAN GRAVIER HIS EARLY HISTORY AND\\nMISERABLE DEATH A SAD RECORD OF INGRATITUDE\\nHISTORY OF THE BATTURE CASE THE CLAY MONUMENT\\nTHE LAYING OF THE CORNER STONE MASONIC CERE-\\nMONIES PUBLIC ADDRESSES, ETC. THE INQUISITION\\nIN LOUISIANA PRINCES IN EXILE LOUIS PHILIPPE IN\\nNEW ORLEANS THE MARIGNYS IN PARIS AN EDITOR\\nMOBBED HIS PRINTING OFFICE GUTTED THE TROOPS\\nCALLKD OUT.\\nThe Fifth District Court of New Orleans was, on Fri-\\nday, July 7, 1848, the scene of a singular occurrence.\\nOn that occasion there appeared as litigants before Judge\\nA. M. Buchanan no less personages than the Whig can-\\ndidate for the Presidency of the United States and the\\nDemocratic nominee for the Vice Presidency. I allude\\nto Major Generals Zachary Taylor and William O. Butler,\\nThe judge looked unusually dignified and impressed,\\nand appeared to be struck by the peculiar coincidence.\\nThese two distinguished postulants for the highest offices\\nin the gift of the people, heroes on many glorious battle\\nfields, were dressed in the simple garb of citizens, and\\n265", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0291.jp2"}, "292": {"fulltext": "266 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nacted as though they recognized their amenability to the\\ntribunals of the country. Cedant arma togce. It was a\\ngrateful and practical illustration of our republican in-\\nstitutions. A large concourse of spectators were in at-\\ntendance, among whom were officers of the army and\\nmembers of the bar, attracted by the novel character of\\nthe proceedings. Such a thing as the candidates of the\\ntwo great political parties being brought into court\\nhad never happened within the memory of the oldest\\nclerk or sheriff, and they never expected to look upon\\nthe like again.\\nThe cause of the appearance of these illustrious officers\\nbefore our judiciary originated in this wise Some of the\\nvolunteers who had recently arrived from Mexico, tired\\nof the dull routine of camp duty and the strictness of\\nmilitary service, had determined to obtain their dis-\\ncharge by an application to the courts. Accordingly a\\npetition was prepared and presented to Judge Buchanan,\\nwhich set forth, in substance, that George W. Eames,\\nWm. P. Payne, Thomas M. Davis, etc., of the Fourth\\nRegiment of Kentucky Volunteers, had enlisted and\\nbeen mustered into the service of the United States for\\nthe term of the war with Mexico that on the 2d of\\nJune, 1848, at the city of Mexico, General Butler, then\\ncommander in chief of the army, published general or-\\nders to the brigade in which petitioners were serving,\\nthat the war was ended that petitioners marched to\\nVera Cruz, and were thence transported to New Orleans,\\nwhere they arrived on the 5th of July and, after de-\\nmand and refusal of their discharge, they, in pursuance\\nof their rights and privileges as citizens of the United\\nStates, which they enjoyed in common with every other\\ncitizen under the Constitution and laws of the United\\nStates, entered the city of New Orleans without asking", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0292.jp2"}, "293": {"fulltext": "OLD LOUISIANA DAYS. 267\\nthe permission or consent of Col. John S. Williams\\n(colonel of their regiment) Gen. Wm. O. Butler or Gen.\\nZ. Taylor in consequence of this act they had been\\narrested and placed in the custody of Sergeant Proctor,\\nand are now in his custody and defrauded of their rights\\nthat, by the terms of their enlistment and contract, on\\nthe 4th of October, 1847, they had bound themselves to\\nserve the United States faithfully for and during the\\nterm of the then existing war with Mexico, but for a no\\nlonger period that the war with Mexico had expired\\nthat they had been duly notified of this fact by a general\\norder issued and published at Ayutla, in the Republic\\nof Mexico, on the 2d of June, 1848, by Major General\\nButler that this was the only way known to the laws\\nof the United States by which, as soldiers, they could\\nbe officially notified of the expiration of their term of\\nservice.\\nThey therefore respectfully asked that a writ of\\nhabeas corpus might issue in their behalf, directed to\\nJohn S. Williams, colonel of the Fourth Regiment\\nKentucky Volunteers Major General Wm. O. Butler,\\nMajor General Zachary Taylor and Brevet Brigadier\\nGeneral Geo. M. Brooks, by whose joint orders and\\nauthority they had been deprived of their liberty and\\nkept in custody and that they might receive their full\\nand final release, and further their final discharge from\\nthe service of the United States as soldiers thereof.\\nThe answer or more technically speaking, the re-\\nturn of General Taylor to the writ, set forth in sub-\\nstance that the said compl-aiuants were soldiers of the\\nUnited States, by voluntary enlistment, and as such\\nbelonged exclusively to the command of General But-\\nler, who was now in court and ready to answer for their\\nsupposed illegal capture and detention. He further", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0293.jp2"}, "294": {"fulltext": "268 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nsaid that he had not at the time of the issuing of the\\nsaid writ, nor had he at any time since, in any way\\ndisturbed or restrained the personal liberty of the said\\ncomplainants, and prayed to be hence discharged. Gen-\\neral Brooks answer was similar, and disclaimed any\\ninterference with their personal freedom.\\nThe answer of General Butler was a square and unre-\\nserved denial of the right of the volunteers to the relief\\napplied for.\\nThe case of the complainants had been entrusted\\nto S. S. Prentiss, the most fervid, eloquent and brilliant\\norator of the South. His effort was masterly.\\nThe points involved were two-fold i. Could the war\\nbe said to have terminated before official proclamation\\nof a treaty of peace? 2. At what place were the troops\\nto be disbanded At the place of their enlistment or\\nat the first point of American territory reached\\nJudge Buchanan decided the case against the appli-\\ncants. After an exhaustive review of the salient objec-\\ntions offered, he thus concluded his opinion:\\nIn the meantime, and pending the unavoidable de-\\nlays attending the mustering out of the service and pay-\\ning off of the different corps enlisted for the war, it ap-\\npears to me absolutely indispensable that the military\\norganization should be preserved. Without the salu-\\ntary restraints of military discipline, an army degener-\\nates into a mob, and the worst of mobs, the terror of any\\ncommunity which may be unfortunate enough to be in\\ncontact with it. The military organization seems tome\\nno less indispensable in the interest of the soldier him-\\nself during the necessary delays which must elapse be-\\ntween the landing of the Fourth Kentucky Regiment,\\nfor example, at New Orleans, and its discharge at Lou-\\nisville. For. how can the muster rolls be verified at", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0294.jp2"}, "295": {"fulltext": "OLD LOUISIANA DAYS. 269\\nL/Ouisville, unless the men are kept together in New Or-\\nleans, and on the passage up the rivers Mississippi and\\nOhio\\nIn conclusion, I may be permitted to say that I do\\nnot see any good reason for the anticipation of evil ex-\\npressed by the eloquent counsel of the petitioners,\\nshould the orders of the War Department be allowed to\\ntake effect in relation to the volunteers. The eulogium\\nwhich that gentleman has passed upon the care and at-\\ntention bestowed by the distinguished Commander in\\nChief of the army in Mexico upon the comfort and\\nwants of his troops is no less just than exacted. The\\ntroops have certainly been forwarded thus far on their\\nway home with unexampled dispatch, and we are fully\\nwarranted in believing that the concluding stages of\\ntheir return route will be equally expeditious. Should\\nI grant the prayer of these petitioners, I might find my-\\nself obliged to add to my already somewhat onerous\\nduties those of mustering officer and paymaster of the\\nforces. I doubt whether our gallant soldiers would\\nbenefit by my assumption of these novel judicial duties.\\nBut, without any jest (which is, perhaps, misplaced\\nupon this really important occasion), my interference\\nin the premises, it appears to me, would be liable to the\\ngrave charge of unconstitutionality, by trenching upon\\nthe special department of the executive authority of the\\nnation.\\nThese proceedings, so novel in their character, and so\\nfar-reaching in their effects, had become a quasi na-\\ntional question, and had assumed to some extent the\\ncharacter of an important factor in the presidential cam-\\npaign, then pending. Prentiss, as it is well known, was\\na strong, if not an original supporter of the gallant hero\\nof Palo Alto and Buena Vista, and the capture of the", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0295.jp2"}, "296": {"fulltext": "270 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nKentucky vote and adjoining States was a matter of\\ndeep concern to the Whigs. Viewed in that light, the\\ncase was semi-political.\\nA peculiar feature of this application for a writ of\\nhabeas corpus was its striking analogy to the question\\ninvolved in the defence of General Jackson before Judge\\nDominick A. Hall, when charged with flagrant con-\\ntempt. The reader will remember that on that occa-\\nsion, the French citizens, who had enlisted to defend\\nlyouisiana from invasion, claimed their discharge on\\nthe ground that the enemy had retired from our terri-\\ntory, and that a treaty of peace had been concluded\\nbetween the belligerent powers. General Jackson re-\\nfused their request, basing his action upon the fact\\nthat if such was the fact, the same had never been\\nofficially promulgated or made known to him by his\\ngovernment. Then it was that Louallier, a French-\\nman by birth, but a patriotic member of our State\\nI^egislature, energetically protested against this view of\\nthe case, in an able but rather intemperate article pub-\\nlished in the lyouisiana Courier. Thereupon Jackson\\ncaused him to be arrested. A writ of habeas corpus was\\nissued in his behalf in Judge Hall s court. Old Hick-\\nory, to use his characteristic expression, jugged the\\njudge, and sent him out of his lines. Thus it will be\\nperceived, one of the main incidental points of the\\nquestion, as to the effect of the treaty, rested upon its\\npromulgation.\\nThe decision of the court was acquiesced in cheer-\\nfully and promptly by all parties in interest, and warmly\\ncommended by the Federal authorities in Washington.\\nThough harshly dealt with as they thought the Ken-\\ntuckians remained within their barracks, attentive to\\ntheir duties and obedient to the orders of their su-", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0296.jp2"}, "297": {"fulltext": "OLD LOUISIANA DAYS. 27 1\\nperiors, thus giving the highest evidence of their pa-\\ntriotism and respect for the laws of their country.\\nIn a dingy cabin, situated in the most retired spot of\\nthe obscurest portion of the faubourg St. Mary, passed\\naway from life on the ist day of October, 1834, at the\\nage of ninety-five years, Jean Gravier, a native of Ber-\\ngerac, department of Dordogne, France. He had been\\na resident of New Orleans for nearly half a century, and\\nwas known by everybody for the heavy monetary trans-\\nactions in which he had been engaged, and the vast\\nland speculations into which he had plunged. He had\\nbeen the possessor of untold thousands, accumulated by\\ndint of thrift, sagacity and scrupulous honesty a wealth\\nsubsequently scattered to the winds by envious, artful\\nand dishonorable schemers. After having been the\\nlord and master of that vast extent of territory, which\\nonce formed the faubourg St. Mary, besides its valuable\\nbanlieu, as it was then termed, he died in a condition\\nof abject indigence, occasioned by vexatious law suits\\ninstituted by former beneficiaries of his unbounded\\ncharity and munificence, and only left muniments and\\nevidences of title to very large estates.\\nLouisianians may well afford to throw a few flowers,\\nI will not say upon his tomb, for he had none, but\\nover the memory of one of our most remarkable city\\nfounders. Though reviled and derided by people whose\\nlow instincts precluded them forming a just apprecia-\\ntion of his character\u00e2\u0080\u0094 he was in the Christian\\nmeaning of the term the type of a good Samaritan.\\nWith his emaciated body was also interred the recollec-\\ntion of his many good deeds. During the last period of\\nhis earthly career he had been the object of attack from\\ndesigning ingrates, who sought by every means known", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0297.jp2"}, "298": {"fulltext": "272 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nto the law to dispossess him of his long-acquired acres,\\nand to precipitate him in his decrepid and imbecile state\\ninto a condition of hopeless embarrassment. Those who\\nenjoyed his friendship and confidence invariably avowed\\nthat notwithstanding these cruel persecutions, he never\\nrecriminated or injured any one, but bore his misfor-\\ntunes with fortitude and resignation. In fact, at the very\\ntime when perfidious advisers were urging him on to his\\nruin, he never brought suit against any of his debtors,\\nalthough it was a well-known fact that many among\\nthem were in a condition to easily liquidate their liabil-\\nities, and by so doing have relieved him of his pressing\\nnecessities.\\nThough reduced to penury and abandonment by the\\nwretches whom he had enriched, it can not be denied\\nthat in every situation in life, his doors were ever open\\nto the needy and the unfortunate. A fact not generally\\nknown is that he was a physician by profession. Com-\\nbining a thorough knowledge of chemistry with a long\\nmedical experience, he had devoted a large portion of\\nhis life to the successful treatment of the sick, not for\\nthe sake of lucre and speculation, but solely in the in-\\nterest of suffering humanity. Notwithstanding the\\nweight of advancing age, he would hie himself on foot\\nwherever called, and unlike certain members of the\\nfaculty that we all wot of, never looked around the poor\\nman s bedroom to ascertain the value of his furniture.\\nIn the cholera and yellow fever epidemics that preceded\\nhis death, and scourged New Orleans with such a mer-\\nciless hand, his efforts night and day were unceasing,\\nand to his superior knowledge in the science of healing\\n\u00e2\u0080\u00a2is probably due, during that eventful period, the pre-\\nservation of the writer s maternal grandmother s life.\\nWhat adds humiliation to the catastrophe which de-", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0298.jp2"}, "299": {"fulltext": "OLD LOUISIANA DAYS. 273\\nprived the community of this virtuous citizen, was the\\nstate of complete want into which he had fallen, being\\ndestitute of the most ordinary necessaries of life. Not\\none among the hundreds whom he had frequently suc-\\ncored through the sad vicissitudes of life, ever came to\\nhis deserted habitation, or offered him the least com-\\nfort or relief. Hungry, helpless and unhelped, they al-\\nlowed him to die like a dog I know of no expression\\nmore applicable to his fate without even the last rites\\nof religion. And yet among these were some who\\nowned properties derived from his benevolence others,\\nwho had purchased from him entire squares of ground for\\na mere pittance, though of great value, paid in cotton\\nseed, old clothes, and other rubbish others, incarnate\\nShy locks, who had foreclosed their mortgages on large\\nplantations, at the very period when his financial straits\\nrendered it materially impossible for him to redeem his\\nengagements. They fell upon him like birds of prey\\nupon the dying soldier on the battle-field, and never\\nceased their tormenting attacks upon his quivering\\nframe until life itself had become extinct.\\nBut I am mistaken when I say no one visited him in\\nhis dying moments. Several lawyers with litigating\\nclaimants at their heels attended his agony, and ob-\\ntruded their noxious presence upon the privacy and\\nsanctity of his last hours on earth, without bestowing a\\nsingle thought upon his comfort, spiritual or physical.\\nThey had come to witness his demise, as a matter of\\njudicial form, and to affix the seal of the law to his\\npapers and effects. What cared they for his body or its\\nproper inhumation Is it needless to say that they never\\ngave a thought to his funeral one worthy of a man\\nwho had played such an Important part in the city s\\nhistory except to convey the information of his death", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0299.jp2"}, "300": {"fulltext": "274 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nto the town sexton. Fearing to be called upon to con-\\ntribute a few dollars, they notified none of his friends,\\nso that Jean Gravier, who had been thrice a millionaire,\\nwas buried in a pauper s grave. His corpse, covered\\nwith the vermin-eaten rags that had enveloped his\\nbody during his long, lingering sickness, was thrust\\ninto a rude cypress coffin, thrown upon a dray, taken\\nout without any attendants to the old Catholic cem-\\netery, and there literally dumped into a slimy hole,\\nwhich had been dug with difficulty through the decay-\\ning and crumbling fragments of those who had preceded\\nhim in that last dismal abode. Not even a cross or\\nwooden tablet was erected to mark his final resting\\nplace, where friend or wayfarer might have stopped to\\nponder over the strange fortunes of a man who had\\nexceeded by a quarter of a century the span of life\\nallotted to frail mortality a life spent in alternate sea-\\nsons of opulence and squalid poverty. Forcibly does\\nhis fate recall to mind the lines of the poet\\nOptima quoque dies miseris mortalibus,\\nPrima fugit; subeunt morbi, tristisque senectus,\\nEt labor, et duro rapit inclementia mortis!\\nConnected with the growth and incipient development\\nof the city of New Orleans, the life of Jean Gravier is\\nreplete with historic interest. His long and celebrated\\nlitigation, begun in 1806, and involving the right of\\nownership in and to the batture in front of the city,\\nabove Canal street, constitutes in our jurisprudence an\\nera as marked and distinct as that which subsequently\\ncharacterized the Gaines Case a case which, in the\\nopinion of ancient denizens, yet living and cognizant of\\nfacts of universal notoriety, dispossessed thousands of\\ntheir rightful properties and of their honest earnings.", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0300.jp2"}, "301": {"fulltext": "OLD LOUISIANA DAYS. 275\\nNot SO with the batture case referred to, which now\\nforms part of the domain of our State history, and the\\nparticulars of which are described in an entertaining\\nmanner by Mr. Gayarre in his treatise on the Ameri-\\ncan Domination of Louisiana. This immense and\\nvaluable tract, acquired in part by Edward Livingston,\\nas transferee of Gravier and in consideration of profes-\\nsional services rendered, was a piece of land of com-\\nparatively recent formation. It had been occupied,\\nsays that author, as a common by the city for many\\nyears previous, and the title which the city had to it\\nwas, in the opinion of the inhabitants, unquestionable.\\nIt had happened, however, that Livingston had prose-\\ncuted with success his claim, and in pursuance of a de-\\ncree of the Superior Court of the Territory, the plain-\\ntiff had been put in possession by the sheriff. A few\\ndays afterward Livingston employed a number of ne-\\ngroes to commence the digging of a canal which he\\nprojected to make in a part of the laud decreed to him\\nby the court, but the citizens assembled in considerable\\nforce and drove him off. On the day following, Living-\\nston went again to the land in question with a view of\\nexercising his rights of ownership, but was again op-\\nposed by the citizens.\\nThe history to the title to this most valuable piece of\\npropertv is little known, though connected with an\\nevent fraught with interest to the Catholic church. It\\nhad been originally owned by the Jesuits and purchased\\nin parcels. The first acquisition was made in 1726\\nfrom Bienville, Governor of the province the second\\nfrom the same party in 1728, and the residue in 1743.\\nfrom a Mr. LeBreton.\\nIn the year 1763, the order of the Jesuits having been\\nabolished by a Papal bull, all their estates were for-", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0301.jp2"}, "302": {"fulltext": "276 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nfelted to the crown. Although the province had been\\nalready ceded by France to Spain, yet as the treaty had\\nbeen kept a profound secret and was not put into execu-\\ntion until six years thereafter, the edict of confiscation\\nwas enforced for the benefit of the former nation only,\\nand under it the property was seized and disposed of.\\nThe portion of this land, adjudged to the city, was pur-\\nchased by persons from whom it passed to Bertrand\\nGravier, Jean s brother, who cultivated it as a planta-\\ntion.\\nThe various phases which the contention over this\\npossession of our river front assumed are fully described\\nin our several histories, to which the reader must refer\\nfor details and particulars. Suffice it to say, that Gravier s\\nclaim to the ownership of the land was finally confirmed.\\nIt was worth millions of dollars. Engaged meanwhile\\nin interminable law suits, the natural offshoot of this\\nprotracted litigation, he found himself compelled, as we\\nhave already seen, to dispose by piecemeal, and for\\ntrifling values, large sections in that growing part of\\nour city.\\nSome time ago, while looking over a lot of old musty\\nrecords, my eyes chanced to fall upon a partial list of\\nproperty advertised at his succession sale. I say partial,\\nfor the estate to be disposed of then comprised only that\\nportion extending from Dryades street back to Bolivar.\\nThis was several years after his death. What disposi-\\ntion was made of the residue of his property I am unable\\nto say, but the records of the old Probate Court are\\nstill attainable, I believe. One thing however is un-\\ndoubted, that at the time of his demise, he was possessed\\nof a fortune sufficiently large to have warranted the out-\\nlay necessary to have furnished his prostrate frame with\\nproper nourishment, and his verm in -covered body with", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0302.jp2"}, "303": {"fulltext": "OLD LOUISIANA DAYS. 277\\na decent Christian burial Gravier street is now the\\nonly reminder left of his name and good deeds.\\nA remarkable event in the history of New Orleans was\\nthe laying and dedication of the corner stone to the mon-\\nument of Henry Clay, at the intersection of Canal and\\nRoyal streets. Under the auspices of the Clay Monu-\\nmental Association, of which I happened to be an\\nhumble member, this tribute to the memory of a great\\nand good American was raised in commemoration of\\nheroic deeds achieved in the councils of the nation, on\\nbehalf of American industry, nationality and honor.\\nIt is needless to say who Henry Clay was. No one\\ncame nearer in touch with the people than he. He was\\nnot only a typical Southerner, with all his vices and\\nfoibles, but a statesmen above the prejudices of section,\\ncaste or sectionalism. His eloquence was magnetic.\\nHis popularity was immense. Under the spell of his\\nsilvery voice, thousands were attracted under his banner,\\nand unswervingly stood by him. In Louisiana, where he\\nwas a frequent visitor, and in which state his daughter\\nhad been married to a member of the Duralde family, he\\nwas looked upon as one to the manner born. His\\nfrequent sojourns with his intimate friend. Judge Alex-\\nander Porter, of St. Mary, are well remembered bj the\\nold time inhabitants of Franklin, and have furnished\\nmaterial for very pleasant reminiscences.\\nSaturday, April 12, 1856, the anniversary of the illus-\\ntrious orator s birth, was the day selected for the com-\\nmemorative manifestation. It was a great occasion of\\ngala in New Orleans. At dawn loud peals of artillery\\nawoke the slumbering city and announced the approach\\nof the auspicious event. Manual work and trade were\\npractically suspended, and the town seemed to have", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0303.jp2"}, "304": {"fulltext": "278 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nturned out en masse to enjoy the delightful spring time\\nand do honor to the event. Early in the morning\\nour streets began to be thronged with people, and mili-\\ntary companies with music and banners, as well as civic\\nsocieties, were to be seen moving from every direction.\\nThe galleries on Canal street, especially those in the\\nvicinity of Royal street, were crowded with beautiful\\nand gayly attired ladies. Difficult would be the task of\\ndescribing at length the brilliant pageant which was to\\nbe seen along every avenue leading to the spot about to\\nbe consecrated to the memory of the illustrious orator\\nand sage. In the procession our uniformed companies,\\nfiremen, benevolent societies and trades unions had been\\nassigned appropriate positions. At i o clock p. m.\\nwhen the ceremonies were about to proceed, the large\\nplatform erected for the accommodation of the Clay\\nAssociation and invited guests was surrounded by a\\ncompact mass of upturned faces.\\nThe laying of the corner stone was entrusted to the\\nMasonic fraternity of which Henry Clay had been an\\nactive and illustrious member.\\nThe ceremonies began by the officers of the Grand\\nlyodge, clad in their appropriate regalia, reading the\\nManual Prayer, after which, in a cavity of the stone,\\nthe following memoranda were placed\\n1. Life of Henry Clay, by George D. Prentice.\\n2. Life and Times of Henry Clay, by Calvin Cotton.\\n3. Private correspondence of Henry Clay.\\n4. The names of the President of the United States\\nand his Cabinet, of the Governor of Louisiana and State\\nofficers, of the Mayor of the city of New Orleans and\\ncity officers, the officers of the customs, and the oflScers\\nof the Cla)^ Monumental Association; also copies of the\\ndaily papers of New Orleans, April 12, 1856, a copy of", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0304.jp2"}, "305": {"fulltext": "OI,D LOUISIANA DAYS. 279\\nthe Civil Code of Louisiana, and one of the several\\ncoins of the United States.\\n5. A brass plate bearing the incription\\nThis corner stone of a monument erected to the\\nmemory of Henry Clay was laid on the 12th day of\\nApril, A. D. 1856, A. L. 5856, by the M. W. G. Lodge\\nof Free and Accepted Masons of the State of Louisiana\\nW. M. Perkins, Grand Master H. H. Dorson, D. G. M.;\\nS. O. Scruggs, J. G. W. L. Texada, S. G. W. S. C.\\nMitchell, G. T.; Samuel G. Risk, Grand Secretary.\\nAt the conclusion of this ceremonial a portion of the\\nmilitia, tired with marching and exposure to the sun,\\nfiled off toward their armories. The spectacle presented\\nas they moved away in the distance, with music and\\nflaunting banners was grand. Then came the singing\\nof a French ode, composed by that gifted Creole poet,\\nDominique Rouquette, set to music by Prevost, the leader\\nof the French Opera, in which the entire troupe of ar-\\ntists, accompanied by their orchestra, participated. List-\\nened to with enthusiastic applause, it was one of the\\ngreat surprises of the occasion.\\nJudge Theodore McCaleb then delivered the oration.\\nAs might have been expected, the distinguished\\norator handled his fruitful theme in a masterly manner.\\nHe began by reviewing the present grandeur, prosperity\\nand power of the American Republic, and the influence\\nwhich the wise counsels of Clay and our other great\\nstatesmen of the last fifty years had exercised in bring-\\ning about this glorious consummation continued by an\\nallusion to the power of the sculptor s art in ancient and\\nmodern times to perpetuate grand and heroic deeds,\\nand to inspire the j^outh of the countrj with ambitious\\nthoughts compared the lives and achievements of Clay\\nand Jackson reviewed the evidences of the love for the", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0305.jp2"}, "306": {"fulltext": "28o NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nUnion which still throbbed in the hearts of the Ameri-\\ncan people, and concluded by an eloquent appeal, in the\\ncourse of which he denounced the proposition, which\\nwas being actively discussed, of forming a great South-\\nern party to resist the aggressions of the North.\\nThe discourse of Judge McCaleb was succeeded by an\\naddress from that accomplished daughter of Alabama,\\nMme. Octavia Walton L,e Vert, which was read in a very\\neffective style by the popular young orator, Charles D.\\nDreux after which the festival concluded with the\\nreading, by the author, M. F. Bigney, Esq., of an in-\\nteresting ode. I regret that space prevents me from\\npublishing it in its entirety. It began as follows\\nLonely the mill boy wends his weary way,\\nToo soon inured to toil. A mother s wants\\nA widowed mother s claim his young regard,\\nAnd labor is a pleasure. Sometimes thoughts\\nProphetic of the future, start his soul.\\nAnd give ambition wings. Golden and grand,\\nThe hills of Fatne, in the dim distance, rise\\nAll spangled o er with triumphs, and he feels\\nThat he can mount with an earnest tread,\\nAnd wreath a fad-less chaplet for his brow;\\nNature is his instructor\u00e2\u0080\u0094 trees and flowers;\\nThe sparkling gems in Night s cerulean dome;\\nThe springtime warblers, and th insensate clod,\\nAll teach him wondrous love. Bright as the sheen\\nOf an archangel s wing, his thoughts take form\\nIn rudimental beauty, but his tongue,\\nAs yet unskilled in verbal witcheries,\\nAll vainly strives to give them fitting speech.\\nIt concluded as follows\\nGone is the peerless commoner, self-made.\\nWhose acts were all a triumph; who, to gain\\nThe proudest honors in a nation s gift,\\nWould ne er forsake the right; and now, his praise\\nFalls from all lips in heart-felt gratitude.", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0306.jp2"}, "307": {"fulltext": "OLD LOUISIANA DAYS. 28 1\\nFitting it his cenotaph to rear\\nIn view o\u00c2\u00a3 the glad waters of that tide\\nWhose V inmerce speaks his constant eulogy;\\nThis ib the corner stone; and here to-day\\nAsserrjled thousands see it fairly laid.\\nAbov^, to bear his fame to latest time\\nIn monumental marble, shall arise\\nTht faint translation of a grateful thought\\nW. iich swells in every breast for Henry Clay.\\nA detachment of the Mobile military, consisting of\\nthe Mobile Cadets, infantry and rifles, under the com-\\nmands of Captains Sands, Chamberlain and Bissell,\\nwhich had arrived in the morning, assisted in celebrat-\\ning the day. Quarters were provided for them at the\\nSt. Ivouis Hotel by the Continentals, and a number\\nof invited guests, including Governor Wickliffe, ex-\\nGovernor Hebert, Mayor lycwis, and other representa-\\ntive gentlemen, sat down to a sumptuous banquet at\\nthat noted hostelry. Numerous toasts were drank and\\nspeeches made, and the feast of reason and the flow\\nof soul was kept up for several hours, when the\\ngreater part of the company repaired to the St. Charles\\nTheatre, by invitation of Manager Ben. DeBar.\\nThus ended the ceremonies of the laying of the corner\\nstone of a monument, which for nearly four decades has\\nbeen a proud landmark in the history of New Orleans.\\nIt is to be regretted that so much has been said about\\nthe removal of the statue. It is not long ago that the\\nfiat went forth. Whether the mandate will be obeyed\\nor not, is, at the time I am writing these lines, a\\nmatter of conjecture. Monopolies usually carry the\\nday over patriotic attachments. Iconoclasts are not\\nlacking in this generation. The almighty dollar\\nseems to have invaded the sanctuaries consecrated by\\nthe affections of our fathers, and to have exDelled there-", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0307.jp2"}, "308": {"fulltext": "282 NKW ORLEANS AS IT W\\nfrom those holy memories which sanctit. as it were,\\nthe glorious past. Around the base of thut bronze a\\ncounterfeit presentment of a pure and great American\\npatriot, cluster events not easily forgottei\\\\, not the\\nleast important of which was the congregation of that\\nnoble band who, in 1874, under the inspiri.,ion of a\\nMarr, and the fervid appeals of an KUis and ai\\\\ Ogden,\\nsummoned an oppressed community to arms, and taught\\ntyrants how frail was their tenure upon the feal y and\\nrespect of the people.\\nIt was in later years, a very short time before the in-\\nternecine war between the States, that the bronze\\nstatue of Henry Clay, molded and executed by Hart,\\na native Kentuckian, was placed upon its pedestal.\\nIf it be a grateful duty on the part of a historian to\\nrescue from oblivion the meritorious deeds of men, who\\nhave contributed to the cause of humanity and civiliza-\\ntion, far more noble is the task which conscience im-\\nposes upon him to turn aside the shafts levelesd by the\\nhand of calumny. A long suffering victim from this\\nsystem of persecution was P(Sre Antoine, the weak and\\ncharitable monk who, for more than fifty years, oflficiated\\nin our midst. What makes his case more deserving of\\nsympathy is the fact that the thrusts directed against\\nhis good name and religious character should have been\\naimed at him in the very house of his friends, and by per-\\nsons high in authority in the church itself. The charges\\nthat have been preferred against his ministry are numer-\\nous and are even now recorded in the archives of the\\npropaganda at Rome. Of this fact no doubt exists.\\nHence, the wide divergence in opinion which now exists,\\nnot only among the laity of Louisiana, but on the part of\\nthe Catholic clergy at large, as to the verity of the ac-", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0308.jp2"}, "309": {"fulltext": "OLD LOUISIANA DAYS. 283\\ncusatious laid to his charge. Among these is that of\\nhis attempt to introduce the Inquisition in the colony,\\nwhich so alarmed the fears and con.science of the Span-\\nish governor as to induce that functionary to exile the\\nfanatical priest beyond the jurisdiction of the territory.\\nIn this matter there is an intermixture of truth with\\nfiction, which gives a far more sombre coloring to this\\nepi.sode than the facts will justify, and this I propo.se\\nclearly to demonstrate to the most obtuse and pre-\\njudiced reader. Let a plain, unvarnished statement of\\nthe facts unfold the tale. It is a historical fact that wher-\\never Spain exerci.sed dominion, whether in Mexico, Peru,\\nCuba, or her North American po.s.sessions, the pecu-\\nliar institutions of the mother country were engrafted\\nupon it a;:d became a part and ])arcel of her colonial\\nsystem of government, subject only to .such limitations\\nand modifications as might be imposed by the King.\\nState and church, of which the vSanta Hermandad\\nformed a not inconsiderable part, being blended to-\\ngether by almost indissoluble ties, the Inquisition by the\\nmere transfer of the territory from France to Spain,\\nbecame ipso facto incorporated into its i)olitical ma-\\nchinery. Thus we find that in 1769, immediately after\\nthe unfortunate execution of the Louisiana patriots and\\nthe unfurling of the Spanish flag upon the Plaza de\\nArmas, Governor O Reilly, in assuming charge of the\\nnew acquisition of his royal master, issued his Ba^ido de\\nGobierno, or rules, for the government of the people, in\\nwhich edict, among other equally important matters, I\\nfind the following article: The principal object of\\nthe institution of the tribunal of the Santa Hermandad\\nbeing to repress disorder and to prevent the robberies\\nand assassinations committed in unfrequented places\\nby vagabonds and delin(|uents who conceal themselves", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0309.jp2"}, "310": {"fulltext": "384 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nin the woods, from which they sally and attack trav-\\nelers and the neighboring inhabitants, the Alcalde\\nMayor Provincial shall assemble a sufficient number\\nof members or brothers of the Santa Hermandad (In-\\nquisition) to clear his jurisdiction of the perpetrators\\nof such evil deeds, by pursuing them with spirit, seiz-\\ning or putting them to death. This was on the 25th\\nof November, 1769. Now, when we bear in mind that\\nPere Antoine landed in New Orleans in the year 1779,\\nten years after the event above recorded that he was\\ninstituted curate of the Parochial Church of St. Louis\\non the 25th of November, 1785, and was sent back to\\nSpain by Governor Miro in the beginning of 1789 for\\nan alleged attempt to introduce the Inquisition here,\\nthe charge naturally falls to the ground. As instituted,\\ndefined and limited by General O Reilly s supreme\\nedict, we clearly see that the formidable society whose\\nerstwhile excesses in Europe and America had sown so\\nmany seeds of discord even in the bosom of the church\\nitself, had been shorn of all its former powers and en-\\ntrusted solely with duties preservative of peace, order\\nand government. This fact should always be borne in\\nmind if we desire to arrive at the exact truth and to\\nanalyze fairly and conscientiously the motives of the act\\nwhich led to his expulsion from the colony. O Reilly s\\nBando de Gobierno was never repealed, and such being\\nthe case, was as obligatory upon the Governor as it\\nwas upon the humblest layman. Another fact which\\nit may be well here to notice is that in Spain the duties\\nof the Holy Office were relegated to the Capuchin\\nmonks, of which order Pere Antoine was a member.\\nHence, it can not be a source of much surprise that he\\nshould have been commissioned by the superior of the\\nfraternity in the mother country, to whom he owed re-", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0310.jp2"}, "311": {"fulltext": "OLD LOUISIANA DAYS. 285\\nspect and obedience, with the duty of putting into\\noperation the existing law. This letter he received on\\nthe 5th of December, 1788. It caused him much anx-\\niety and trouble. The duties imposed upon him by his\\nbeloved parish church were onerous and demanded all\\nhis care and time. In this perturbed condition of\\nmind he kept his appointment secret, and it was only\\nin the beginning of the following year that he con-\\ncluded to apprise Gov. Miro of the fact by laying before\\nhim his commission as the head of the Holy Inquisi-\\ntion in Ivouisiana and the instructions which he had\\nreceived from Spain.\\nFrom all the facts which I can glean from contem-\\nporaneous data, the attitude of Pere Antoine toward\\nthe chief of the civil authority of the colony was hum-\\nble, respectful and by no means intolerant. He in-\\nformed that functionary that he had been urged in a\\nletter received by him from the competent authorities\\nto discharge his new duties with the greatest fidelity\\nand zeal, and in conformity with the royal zvill. To\\ngive effect to the mission entrusted to his fidelity he\\nrequested the Governor to furnish him with a posse, as\\nrequired by the rules laid down by O Reilly. To this\\ncourse Miro was averse. As the secular arm was neces-\\nsary to enforce the law, a simple, manly refusal on his\\npart would have sufficed to strike the proceeding with\\nnullity. But he followed a different course. He re-\\nceived the friar with apparent cordiality, promised to\\ngrant him his request, at the very time that in his mind\\nhe was planning the ruin of his unsuspecting country-\\nman. In this whole transaction the conduct of Miro\\nwas insincere, unjust; arbitrary and unworthy of the\\nreputation of one of lyouisiana s most enlightened gov-\\nernors. When Pere Antoine went back to his parish,", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0311.jp2"}, "312": {"fulltext": "286 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nhis mind was apparently relieved, unsuspicious of any\\nlurking danger. But within twenty-four hours after\\nthe interview, a platoon ot soldiers filed into his bed-\\nroom and forcibly carried him to a ship about to sail\\nfor Cadiz. This was done in accordance with orders\\nissued from headquarters. Thus, like a common male-\\nfactor or convicted felon, was the priest transported\\nbeyond the seas.\\nMiro, in a special report bearing date June 3, 1789,\\nthus speaks of the affair When I read the communi-\\ncation of that Capuchin, I shuddered. His Majesty has\\nordered me to foster the increase of population in this\\nprovince Xhe mere mention of the Inquisition\\nuttered in New Orleans would be sufficient not only to\\ncheck immigration, which is successfully progressing,\\nbut would also be capable of driving away those who\\nhave recently come, and, I even fear that in spite of my\\nhaving sent out of the country Father Sedella, the most\\nfrightful consequences may ensue from the mere sus-\\npicion of the cause of his dismissal.\\nSuch is, I believe, a correct version of the humiliating\\ndifficulty in wjiich the good and, perhaps, misguided old\\nman became involved. As to the Inquisition itself, al-\\nthough constituting a part of the governmental ma-\\nchinery of State, its existence in our State was merely\\nnominal. I do not think that O Reilly s ordinance was\\never enforced. If so, it must have been under another\\ndesignation, and under a different system.\\nAs the general reader is aware. New Orleans was\\nvisited, in 1798, during the administration of the Mar-\\nquis de Casa Calvo, by the exiled Orleans princes, one\\nof whom, traveling under the name of Philippe de Co-", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0312.jp2"}, "313": {"fulltext": "OLD LOUISIANA DAYS. 287\\nmine, subsequently became known as Louis-Philippe,\\nKing of the French.\\nDuring his sojourn among us, which was of several\\nmonths duration, he was a familiar figure in our\\nstreets, and in his association with our people was un-\\npretending and democratic. His early training had\\nserved him in good stead, not to speak of the rough\\nedges which a w^andering life had tossed him against.\\nHe had taken up his residence with Philip Marigny,\\nfather of Bernard and grandfather of Mandeville, whose\\nlate demise has been so deeply regretted, and enjoyed\\nthe hospitalities of the neighboring gentry, who strove\\nto make him and his brothers as happy and comfortable\\nas possible. He was also for some time the guest of\\nJulien Poydras, whom he accompanied to his home in\\nPointe Coupee, with the view of studying the inner his-\\ntory of plantation life and African slavery. Whatever\\nmay have been his conclusions in relation thereto I\\nhave had no means of determining, but, if one may be\\npermitted to judge from his subsequent actions, there is\\nreason to believe that the rigidity and sternness with\\nwhich through his fleet, armed cruisers, he enforced the\\nsuppression of the traffic in human flesh off the coast of\\nAfrica in after years, were in some measure prompted by\\nhis early reminiscences and experience in Louisiana.\\nHis associates and cicerones in his rambles\\naround the city and suburbs were the D Aunoys, the\\nDeClouets, Col. Bellechasse, and, last, though not least,\\nthe gritty Irishman named Daniel Clark, who was then\\noccupying the important post of American consul.\\nThese gentlemen, together with the Spanish Governor\\nof the province, introduced him as well as his brothers\\ninto polite society, where he was charmed by the graces\\nand the captivating manners of our Creole beauties.", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0313.jp2"}, "314": {"fulltext": "388 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nWhen they left New Orleans for Havana, such was the\\naffection entertained by our people toward those\\nunassuming and grateful scions of royalty that several\\nof their most intimate acquaintances escorted them on\\nboard of their ship as far as the Balize, where they\\nparted with unaffected regret. A belief long prevailed\\nhere that Mandeville Marigny was I^ouis Philippe s\\ngodson. Such was not the fact, and no one would\\nlaugh more heartily over the story than Mandeville\\nhimself. The fact is, that on the occasion referred to\\nthe Colonel was not yet born, and his father a boy not\\nyet out of his teens. The following are the facts from\\nwhich the mistake originated Many years ago, I\\ncan not remember how long, old Bernard, once a four-\\nfold millionaire, having wasted his patrimony in wine,\\nwomen and cards, bethought himself of repairing to\\nFrance and of reminding the reigning king of certain\\nobligations, some pecuniary as well, which he had\\nincurred toward the Marigny family. Louis Philippe\\nreceived him with open arms at the Tuileries, lodged\\nhim royally, allowed him a seat at the family dinner\\ntable, and otherwise treated him with the greatest con-\\ndescension. But that was all. Louis Philippe, in his\\nold age, had become as miserly and penurious as Ber-\\nnard had been shiftless and prodigal in his younger\\nyears. At the mere mention of a pecuniary payment\\nor the suggestion of an annuity, the avaricious king\\npricked his ears and opened wide his e5^es in utter\\nastonishment. The fortune hunter had brought along\\nwith him one of his sons, Mandeville, and through him\\npeace between the two courteous disputants was\\nbrought about. He was to enter the French army, and,\\nthrough the patronage of his royal protector, it was\\nthought he would soon ascend every rung of the", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0314.jp2"}, "315": {"fulltext": "OLD LOUISIANA DAYS. 289\\nmilitary ladder. This proposal met the acceptance of\\nthe parties in interest and the youth was at once sent\\nto the College of St. Cyr, which he left, a few years\\nlater, a full fledged lieutenant in a crack cavalry corps.\\nBut the young Creole soon tired of the service.\\nAccustomed from early youth to a life of activity,\\nadventure and rough exercise, he soon became fatigued\\nwith the dull routine of a city garrison in times of\\npeace, and longed for the broad savannas, the tangled\\nforests, the impenetrable marshes, the mighty rivers of\\nhis Louisiana home. Had France been at war with\\nsome foreign power at that time, the case might have\\nbeen different, perhaps. Besides, there were ominous\\nsigns in the political sky. The international difficulty\\nover the French spoliation bill was exciting a very\\nacrimonious debate in the French House of Deputies,\\nand the trend of public opinion was becoming insult-\\ningly hostile to the United States. American tourists\\nin Paris were placed in a very awkward position at\\ntimes from uncomplimentary remarks uttered in cafes,\\nrestaurants, theaters and even salo7is; and duels result-\\ning therefrom were not uncommon. In this condition\\nof affairs, after attending his cousin, Bosque, who,\\nthough a cripple, had the good fortune to vanquish\\non the field of honor one of the traducers of his\\ncountry s good name, Mandeville shook the dust of\\nParis from off his feet, and returned home without\\ndelay.\\nIt was on a beautiful Sunday morning, on the 30th of\\nAugust, 1835, that a multitude of excited mechanics\\ngathered on the grass-covered grounds of the Place\\nd Armes. Thtir object, as far as could be learned, was\\nto protest against the further employment of slave labor", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0315.jp2"}, "316": {"fulltext": "290 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nin workshops or factories of any kind. The first speech\\ndelivered at that meeting having had a tendency, by\\nreason of its revolutionary sentiments, to provoke a gen-\\neral disturbance of the peace, Mr. John Culbertson, then\\nfilling the duties of mayor ad interim, ordered the police\\nto at once arrest the speaker and disperse the unruly as-\\nsemblage. The order was executed to the very letter.\\nBut other large crowds having in the meantime gather-\\ned in various quarters of the city, particularly in the\\nfaubourg St. Mary, where the standard of revolt had\\nbeen openly planted, several companies were detached\\nfrom the Ivouisiana L,egion for service, and succeeded\\nafter some resistance in quelling the disturbance. Three\\nor four of the ringleaders were taken into custody on\\nthe charge of inciting riots. A judicial inquiry hav-\\ning been determined upon and held, the conduct of\\nthe acting mayor was fully approved. During four days\\nthe city was kept in a state of ferment and excitement,\\nand violence was only repressed by the efforts of the po-\\nlice and the firm attitude of our citizen soldiery.\\nIt was not long, however, before the smouldering\\nembers of discontent and anger burst forth anew with\\ngreater intensity among those who had battled on be-\\nhalf of law and order. It was an outbreak of general\\nindignation, and had Ibeen occasioned by an ill-timed\\nand inconsiderate squib which had appeared in the edi-\\ntorial columns of the Advertiser a widely circulated\\nsheet, against the members of the L,egion. These were\\ntaunted with their foreign birth and were plainly told\\nthat if a war were ever declared against France, they\\nwould prove recreant and traitors. Such was not the\\ntruth, for the greater part of our Creole chivalry and\\nmanhood had honorable representatives in that organ-\\nization. The real gravamen of their offending consist-", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0316.jp2"}, "317": {"fulltext": "OLD LOUISIANA DAYS. 29 1\\ned in the fact that they had taken arms on the side of\\nthe government against an unruly mob.\\nThe soldiery were, of course, incensed at this direct\\ninsult, while the feelings of their friends were no less\\ninflamed. Groups congregated around street corners\\nto discuss the situation, and the angry effects of wound-\\ned honor were not long in manifesting themselves.\\nThey therefore repaired to the office of the obnoxious\\npaper, in Chartres street, to arrest the parties connected\\nwith the outrage. They there found Mr. J. C. Pren-\\ndergast, one of the proprietors, whom they compelled\\nto lead them to the residence of Dr. Vernon, the re-\\nsponsible editor, but finding that the libeler had effected\\nhis escape, they conducted Prendergast to the police\\nstation, where he was seized by the crowd and threat-\\nened with death. Such most surely would have been\\nhis fate had not the active intervention of the Mayor,\\nthe Attorney General, the judge of the criminal court\\nand of many members of the Legion itself, rescued him\\nfrom his peril.\\nPrendergast was thus saved from the fury of an\\nangry populace, while on their way to the public\\nsquare, with a halter round his neck. He was put into\\nthe jail for safekeeping. Vernon had escaped. On the\\nfirst intimation of a popular outbreak, the thoroughly\\naffrighted editor had taken to flight, and, reaching Lake\\nPontchartrain, hastened to Mobile, from which propi-\\ntious haven he never emerged until the storm had\\nspent its fury. Pending these events, surging crowds\\nhad gathered in thousands around the now doomed\\nnewspaper office and had proceeded to wreak their ven-\\ngeance. The building was partially gutted, the presses\\noverturned and large quantities of type hurled through\\nthe windows into the street. Whatever fell under the", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0317.jp2"}, "318": {"fulltext": "292 NEW ORIvEANS AS IT WAS.\\nhands of the almost ungovernable multitude was dam-\\naged, if not wholly destroyed. Again were the city\\nand State authorities called upon to interpose their\\npower and influence, but their efforts proved partially\\nsuccessful. The arrival of the U. S. troops, under\\nCol. Twiggs, which had been hastily summoned from\\ntheir garrison at Bay St. lyouis, finally restored peace\\nand relieved the community of the moral and physical\\nstrain to which it had for several days been subjected.\\nThe sequel is easily told. Prendergast, having made\\na suitable explanation and apology, was restored to\\npublic favor. Dr. Vernon, the author of the senseless\\npasquinade, returned from his place of confinement.\\nThe negroes were put to work, as they had done before,\\nwithout further molestation, and peace reigned in\\nWarsaw once more.\\nI knew Prendergast well in later years. He was a\\ngenial, warm-hearted Irishman, brave as a lion and\\ngentle as a child. In politics he was an enthusiast.\\nLocofoco-ism was his bete noire, and, unlike the major-\\nity of his countrymen, was ever readj^ to defend, extol\\nand propagate the tenets of Whiggery. When he left\\nthe sanctum of the Advertiser he cast his fortunes\\nwith the Tropic, one of the sprightliest, most tren-\\nchant and aggressive papers that ever appeared in New\\nOrleans. The chief editor was the celebrated Col.\\nMcArdle, of Mississippi, who wielded a caustic and\\npowerful pen. All of its editors were fighting men who\\nrecognized the Code as the supreme arbiter of per-\\nsonal differences. Prendergast remained some time with\\nthem, and, being a practical printer, was of great\\nassistance to the concern. Tiring, a few years after, of\\nthe financially unproductive connection, he determined\\nto launch out on his own account in the Third District,", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0318.jp2"}, "319": {"fulltext": "OLD LOUISIANA DAYS. 293\\nand established the Orleariian, in the Marigny buildings,\\non the levee. This paper he conducted with signal\\nability during the rest of his life, which closed some\\nshort time after the war. During and after the famine\\nof 1845-46 in Ireland, when the exodus from that un-\\nfortunate island first began, and thousands sought a\\nhome in our city, Prendergast was indefatigable in his\\nefforts to alleviate the distress and relieve the necessi-\\nties of such of his countrymen as needed immediate\\nassistance. He caused temporary quarters to be estab-\\nlished in the row of three-story buildings in which his\\nprinting office was situated for the reception of the\\nemigrants, where committees, appointed for the purpose,\\nacted the part of good Samaritans and obtained for\\nthem employment at once. His paper was, of course,\\nthe medium through which this important work was\\naccomplished. The Orleanian was the official journal\\nof the Third Municipality until the consolidation of the\\ncity in 1852, and had the contract for all the public\\nprinting in that rather impoverished section. For years\\nhe manfully fought the battle of adversity, and when\\ndeath overtook him in his journey through life, it\\ncarried off a poor, but fearless and honest man.", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0319.jp2"}, "320": {"fulltext": "CHAPTER XVI.\\nOLD LOUISIANA DAYS.\\nCOLORED MECHA.NICS THE SLAVE TRADE NEGRO\\nDANCES THE GAME OF RAQUETTES THE ST. DOMINGO\\nREFUGEES LE CAFE DES REFUGIES L HOTEL DE LA\\nMARINE THE LAFITTES WERE THEY PIRATES? THE\\nSTORY PLAINLY TOLD ANCIENT BUILDINGS PERE AN-\\nTOINE S baker THE OLD PONTALBA BUILDINGS\\nTHE governor s RESIDENCE THE COLONIAL STATE\\nHOUSE L HOTEL TREMOULET LE VEAU QUI TETE\\nTHE VOYAGEURS TRAVELING ON THE MISSISSIPPI\\nKEEL BOATS A WORD ABOUT TIGNONS THE OLD\\nFORTIFICATIONS THE ORLEANS COLLEGE THE FRENCH\\nBARRACKS REMINISCENCES OF THE BATTLE OP NEW\\nORLEANS.\\nDuring the two or three decades that followed the\\ntransfer of Louisiana to the United States, the tide of\\nimmigration was slow and uncertain. Several causes\\nhad contributed to this result, one of which was the\\nstagnation of business occasioned by our war with Eng-\\nland. A scarcity of white manual labor having ensued,\\nit became necessary to substitute slaves and free colored\\npeople in all mechanical pursuits. Thus it was that in\\nour factories and blacksmith shops bosses or foremen\\nwould be whites, while the operatives were either blacks\\n294", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0320.jp2"}, "321": {"fulltext": "OLD LOUISIANA DAYS. 295\\nor nuilattoes. And so with other trades, such as brick-\\nlayers or masons, carpenters, painters, tinsmiths, butch-\\ners, bakers, tailors, etc. In fact, had not the progress\\nof the country, from the condition of unrest under which\\nit had been laboring, developed itself into the propor-\\ntions which it has since assumed, there can not be the\\nleast doubt but that all the lower mechanical arts would\\nhave been monopolized in the course of time by the\\nAfrican race. But the reverse fortunately took place, by\\nreason of the influx of white immigrants, so that even\\nthe branches of industry, which had by common consent\\nsurrendered to the colored population as too menial for\\nthe white race, were wrested from them b}^ the encroach-\\nments of foreign labor.\\nIt was at this phase of our municipal history that the\\nproblem began to manifest its latent difficulties, and that\\nthe excessive amount of European labor in our glutted\\nmarket brought about that reduction of wages that has\\nto-day pauperized the houest American mechanic. This\\nevil weighed heavily on the community at the time, and\\nso continued for 3^ears, until, just immediately before\\nthe breaking out of hostilities, the owners of slaves raised\\nto a trade were compelled to dispose of them to sugar\\nand cotton planters, in regions where rivalry with the\\nwhite industrial class was not so disadvantageous. But\\neven there all mechanical professions were soon filled\\nby immigrants, who, being stimulated by the spur of\\nnecessity, consented to work at scab rates and carried\\noff tie palm of industry.\\nOn board of the pilot boats of the Balize were a num-\\nber of black and colored boatmen, than whom no smarter\\nsailors or rowers could be found. Their songs, while\\ndeftly feathering their oars, were an indispensable ac-\\ncompaniment to their fatiguing labors. The blacks", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0321.jp2"}, "322": {"fulltext": "296 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nwere generally composed of newly landed Africans, as\\nthe slave trade was still secretly being carried on. It is\\na well established fact that such philanthropists and\\nnegrophilists, as John McDonogh eventually proved\\nto be, were by no means behind the times in dealing\\nwith human flesh, as fast as it was imported to our shores\\nfrom the coast of Africa, as can be shown by referring\\nto their business advertisements in the Moniteur of 1 806.\\nEven at a much later period, these kidnaped victims\\nwere openly smuggled into the Mississippi waters, either\\nby the way of Barataria, Lafourche or other bayous. A\\nchronicler of that period says\\nWe can attest that upon a plantation belonging to\\nthe United States authorities we saw a number of newly\\narrived negroes from the coast of Guinea, who had been\\ncarried into the Mississippi in 18 16, as captured prizes,\\nby United States armed vessels, and who were afterward\\ndisposed of hy public sale, under the Marshal s hammer,\\nto the highest bidder, in accordance with the prevailing\\nlaw for the disposal of captured slaves.\\nSubsequently, Congress altered this policy, and cap-\\ntured Africans were transferred to lyiberia. When speak-\\ning to one another they would make use of no other tongue\\nthan their own Congo calabash, of which, of course, a\\nstranger could not understand a word but, being\\nvery quick of ear, they soon learned the Creole idiom,\\nthen spoken by everybody. They could never master\\nthe pure French, which was mostly in vogue among the\\nFranco- American population.\\nThere were among these Africans, both among the\\nmales as well as the females, several magnificent speci-\\nmens, who were justly considered as models of physical\\ndevelopment. They were generally reverenced among\\ntheir countrymen as kings or princes. They claimed to", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0322.jp2"}, "323": {"fulltext": "OLD I.OUISIANA DAYS. 297\\nhave been the offspring of sovereigns in their African\\nwilds, and to have thence been ruthlessly abducted by-\\ntraders, who had brought them over the sea. Whether\\ndescendants from princes or not, it is to be acknowledged\\nthat certain fellows pointed out in the Congo dances\\nwere distinguished by something of a royal bearing.\\nThey were of robust frame, broad shouldered and mus-\\ncular. When attired in scant costume for the hamboiila\\ntheir almost herculean conformation was noticeable.\\nTwo of these that I saw were blacksmiths, and were\\ncalled by all the African womanhood candios, which\\nmeans kings.\\nThese illustrious ebony-hued personages were looked\\nupon as the great dancers of the circle, the leading spirits\\nin the mazes of the Congo Saturnalia. They inaugurated\\nthe universal hubbub by a signal given to the tam-tam\\nbeaters. Selecting their female mates, the}^ would place\\nthemselves in the midst of a ring of yelling, yelping and\\nstamping crowds, who looked upon their saltatory feats\\nwith every manifestation of delight. The public ex-\\nhibition was continued until, fairly exhausted, they\\nwould sink to the ground. Judging them by these per-\\nformances, one would have said if in their country those\\nonly were elected kings who could jump the highest\\nand dance the longest, their kingship was no sinecure.\\nHe would have been astounded also by their supernatural\\nextravagances, their unnatural contortions, and by the\\nband of weird-looking Bacchantes, each of whom seemed\\nto vie with the others in ridiculous capers. Their music,\\nas the reader is already aware, consisted in beating long\\ndrums, called tam.-tams, made of empty barrels with a\\nsheep-skin cover, in the rattling of the jaw-bones of\\nhorses or mules, and the tooting of wooden horns shaped\\nlike those of a cow. To these tambourine was some-", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0323.jp2"}, "324": {"fulltext": "298 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\ntimes added, but the article was evidently a modern\\ninnovation.\\nWhat made these dances so odd and peculiar was the\\nvibratory motions of the by-standers, who in different\\nstyles contributed to the lascivious effect of the scene,\\nwhile the principal characters were going through the\\nfigures. The performances were usually greeted by the\\nvociferous acclamations and clapping of hands of all the\\nassistants, and toward the close there followed such a\\nwhirling of the whole mass that one might have imagined\\na group of serpents interlacing one another, and casting\\na charm upon the throng of dancers and spectators.\\nWhile speaking of Congo amusements, I must not\\nomit to mention the game of raqicettes, as it was played\\namong us in our city s early days. L/Ct the reader trans-\\nport himself in imagination to one of those wide, level\\nmeadows that were to be seen extending from the Bayou\\nroad to Elysian Fields. In these wild and unobstructed\\npastures the two parties, into which the company of\\nplayers had first divided themselves, would select a\\npiece of ground and measure out the distance between\\ntheir respective quarters or stations, usually half a mile.\\nAt the extremities of this line two poles were erected,\\nand the intervening space was covered by a paper frame,\\nwhich had to be pierced by a ball before a victory could\\nbe claimed. This game had originated with the Indians,\\nparticularly with the Choctaws. The contending clans\\nwere known as the Bayo2is and the La Villes. The Lat-\\nter were the players of the city proper the former rep-\\nresented the Bayou St. John settlements. The con-\\ntestants were picked out by the opposite leaders, and\\nthe number of members equalized as nearly as possible.\\nThe ball was about two inches in diameter, and the", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0324.jp2"}, "325": {"fulltext": "OLD LOUISIANA DAYS. 299\\nSpoon-shaped raquettes were proportioned to the size of\\nthe missile. Their handles were about eighteen to\\ntwenty inches long. The ball could only be thrown\\nwith the raquettes, as the use of the hand was strictly\\nprohibited. Wrestling and throwing one another down\\nconstituted part of the exercises. Frequently it would\\nhappen that just as a player was about to strike the goal,\\nhe would be unexpectedly hurled to the ground by a\\nmore alert antagonist. All fighting, beating or box-\\ning was expressly forbidden. After the first throw in\\nthe air, which was called the bamboula, the whole crowd\\nwould eagerly watch the descent of the ball and rush for\\nit. The game was then fairly started. From that mo-\\nment the projectile was to be seen speeding through\\nspace from one end of the field to the other groups\\nwould become interlocked in their efforts to reach it,\\nand many in consequence would suffer from severe falls.\\nIt would sometimes happen that in this general scram-\\nble, when contestants were unable to extricate them-\\nselves from one another, a new bambonla would be de-\\nmanded by both sides. Then the ball was again tossed\\nin the air, and to the player it was the most exciting\\npart of the pastime.\\nThese games were played on regular days. They al-\\nways began in the afternoon, when the sun was on its\\ndecline, say from 4 to 7 p. m. in the summer season.\\nThe running, wrestling and dexterity of the players were\\nnot only very exciting spectacles, but the eager crowd\\nof spectators and acquaintances, running into the thou-\\nsands, that usually gathered on the raquette green,\\nmade such occasions a source of social entertainment.\\nThe vicinity of the grounds was covered with improvised\\nplaces of refreshment, small booths for all sorts of cakes,\\nfruits, sweet beer, ice cream, etc. Indeed, there could", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0325.jp2"}, "326": {"fulltext": "300 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nnot be a more pleasant evening spent than in attending\\nthese erstwhile popular games and amusements. There\\nwere also contests played between whites and Indians,\\nthe latter belonging to the party of the Bayous. The\\ncolored people were very much devoted to this enter-\\ntainment, in which many of them excelled. Among\\nthese every old-timer will remember lyapin, so\\nnamed from his nirableness of foot. When the contest\\nwas over, they would go home singing doggerel rhymes\\nof their own composition, in mockery of the losing\\nparty. As the prize usually consisted of a pretty silk\\nflag, of fanciful design, the trophy was borne along at\\nthe head of a procession, as it slowly wended its way\\ntoward the city. The whites took a great interest in\\nthese field sports, encouraged them with their cheers,\\nand always evinced the kindest feeling toward them.\\nDuring the year 1809 many immigrants, numbering\\neight thousand, white as well as black, made their way\\ninto Ivouisiana, then known as the Territory of Orleans.\\nThis incident, which so much contributed to the ex-\\npansion and improvement of the city of New Orleans,\\ndemands some explanation, as it forms an interesting\\nfeature in the annals of our metropolis.\\nIt will be remembered that, after the general treaty of\\npeace concluded at Amiens, France, under the guidanee\\nof the First Consul, had sent a large military force to\\nthe island of St. Domingo for the purpose of subduing\\nthe revolted colony to the authority of the mother\\ncountry. Of the failure of this expedition the historical\\nreader is cognizant, which was owing to the ravages of\\nyellow fever among the unaccliraated troops. Upon the\\nretirement of the latter, the country lapsed into the\\npower of the Africans, who, under Christophe, waged", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0326.jp2"}, "327": {"fulltext": "OLD I.OUISIANA DAYS. 3OI\\na war of extermination, not only against the Caucasian\\nrace, but against the mulattoes and griffs as well. The\\nstruggle continued for a considerable time, when, over-\\npowered by superior numbers, the Europeans and the\\ncolored people were forced into exile.\\nThey sought and found a refuge in the island of Cuba,\\non the south side, toward the coast of Hayti. The\\npoint they selected was Santiago de Cuba. Being re-\\nceived with open arms, not only by the Spanish author-\\nities, but by the inhabitants of the country, they set\\nabout repairing their fallen fortunes and establishing\\nfarms and plantations, with the aid of the few faithful\\nslaves who had adhered to them in their adversity.\\nMatters prospered with them for a time, but, just as\\nthey were beginning to reap the fruits of their industry\\nand thrift, a thunderbolt fell at their feet. This was the\\nannouncement of the invasion of Spain by Napoleon,\\nthe imprisonment of King Ferdinand at Bayonne and\\nthe rupture of friendly relations between the two coun-\\ntries. Under such circumstances, these French subjects\\nwere ordered either to leave the island or abjure their\\nnationality. They preferred the former, and for a second\\ntime prepared to emigrate. Packed in narrow spaces,\\nin leaky and uuseaworthy ships, these victims of adverse\\ndestiny were shipped to New Orleans, with barely the\\nnecessaries of life allowed them.\\nThe importation into the territory of slaves from\\nabroad without special permission from our government\\nwas an act forbidden under heavy pains and penalties\\nby Congress, and as many of these expelled colonists\\nwere attended by a large retinue of their bondsmen, it\\nbecame a matter of anxious consideration to determine\\nwhether they should be allowed to land or not. In-\\ncluded in the prohibition was a large number of colored", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0327.jp2"}, "328": {"fulltext": "302 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nfreedmen, who afterward became useful and houored\\ncitizens, as was testified by the valor they displayed\\nduring the battle of New Orleans, under the leadership of\\ntheir compatriots, D Aquin and Savary. Governor Clai-\\nborne- severed the Gordian knot by informing them that\\nthey would be permitted to come on shore conditionally.\\nHe ordered their release, therefore, from the quarantine\\nstation and submitted the whole matter to the Federal\\nExecutive.\\nViewing the question as a casus necessitatis, the Pres-\\nident confirmed the course of his pro-consul in lyouis-\\niana, and his action was afterward approved by the two\\nbranches of Congress. The accession of this large\\nnumber of immigrants caused a considerable stir, as\\nthe reader may imagine, in the ranks of our little com-\\nmunity, whose population within the narrow bounds of\\nthe city proper, in iSio, did not exceed eight thousand\\nsouls. These contributed in the course of time, with\\nthe means they had brought with them, in forwarding\\nseveral improvements, not the least of which was the\\nerection of an elegant theatre on St. Philip street.\\nAnother was the establishment of a coffee house,\\ncalled the Cafe des Refiigies, in the neighborhood of the\\nold market, between Maine and St. Philip. This place\\nbecame during a number of years the recognized head-\\nquarters of the Colo)is de St. Domi^igue, as they were\\ncalled, and here it was that the famous liquor, le petit\\nGouave, was also concocted, whose invigorating quali-\\nties some of our people may yet remember.\\nAdjoining it was the Hotel de la Marine, the boarding\\nhouse and rendezvous of all the adventurous spirits of\\nthose times. It was in that building that dozens of\\nSicilians were butchered in 1857, on the occasion of the\\nKnow-nothing riots on Orleans street, when Norbert", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0328.jp2"}, "329": {"fulltext": "OLD LOUISIANA DAYS. 303\\nTrepagnier was almost cut to pieces by Italian Demo-\\ncrats, lu the course of a few years the establishment\\nwas enlarged, and in 18 15 Mr. F. Turpin became its\\nproprietor, and advertised it as follows\\nNavy Hotkl.\\nCoffeehouse, Public Baths, Table d Hote and Board\\ning House.\\nIt seems that the worthy manager not only catered to\\nthe inner comforts of his patrons, but also contritnited\\npabulum to the amusements of the general public, as\\nmay be seen from this characteristic notice\\nRop?: Dancing.\\nOn the Tight and Slack Rope.\\nMr. Medrano has the honor of informing the inhabit-\\nants of New Orleans and its vicinity that, on Sunday\\nevening next, 6th instant, he will give another exhibi-\\nbition of rope dancing at the Navy Hotel.\\nHe will execute the same feat as on last Sunday, of\\nstanding on his head, with his legs crossed, on a pole\\nthirty feet high but instead of having one circle cJf\\nfireworks at his feet, he will have three, one on his feet\\nand one on each hand.\\nHe will dance on the tight rope divers steps, and\\nexecute many extraordinary feats too tedious to men-\\ntion. He will appear on the rope in man s clothes an\\nempty bag will be given him, into which he will enter,\\nwhen it will be tied above his head he will then be seen\\nto come out in the character of an old woman of eighty,\\nand in that dress dance to the tune of Yankee Doodle.\\nOn the slack rope, with fireworks to each arm, he\\nwill represent a windmill, and turn with such velocity\\nas to render it impossible to distinguish his form with", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0329.jp2"}, "330": {"fulltext": "304 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\na number of feats equally surprising, that can not fail to\\nplease the public.\\nThese exhibitions were given in the immense court-\\nyard, which can still be seen at this late date, together\\nwith the old sleeping apartments above the galleries.\\nIn this quaint hostelry was frequently to be seen on\\nan evening the familiar figure of the dashing General\\nHumbert, who had become an intimate of mine host,\\nTurpin. Here it was that in his declining years he was\\nin the habit of conversing anent those times of the French\\nRepublic, in the affairs of which he had taken a con-\\nspicuous part, or of relating amusing incidents of the\\nfight at Chalmette, or of expatiating upon the brilliant\\nprospects of his friends, Morelos and Hidalgo, to achieve\\nthe independence of Mexico. The men, who had fought\\nunder I^afitte, and Dominique You and Beluche, would\\ncrowd around him and crane their necks with delight as\\nthey listened to his stories of war and d^eds of daring.\\nThe bronze faced veteran, with rubicund nose, was as\\nvigorous as ever, and as addicted to his cup. His mind\\nwas filled with military schemes and expeditions. He\\nwas intent at that period on undertaking some grand\\nmilitary enterprise in favor or South American inde-\\npendence, the struggle of the colonies with the mother\\ncountry having reached its climax.\\nAnd now that I have mentioned the names of Lafitte\\nand his desperate crew, I shall say a few v.^ords con-\\ncerning their real character and pursuits that is to say,\\nbefore they were pardoned by President Madison, inas-\\nmuch as their subsequent career reveals another story.\\nThere has been such a glamor of romance blended with\\nfiction thrown around them that the whole truth should\\nas well be told.", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0330.jp2"}, "331": {"fulltext": "", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0331.jp2"}, "332": {"fulltext": "", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0332.jp2"}, "333": {"fulltext": "OLD LOUISIANA DAYS. 305\\nWe must first bear in mind that the bulk of the mer-\\ncantile class of New Orleans at the time these men en-\\ngaged in their operations consisted of people of French\\nextraction, either of European birth or natives of the\\nFrench West India islands. Hence, during the long\\nwars that were waged between France and Great Britain,\\nthose who comprised that portion of the population of\\nLouisiana viewed the enemies of their race with feelings\\nof undisguised llostilit3^ fiwd although the American\\ngovernment was not actually at war with the English\\nnation before the year 181 2, still so deeply seated was\\nthe irritation caused by her haughty and arrogant bear-\\ning on the ocean that our authorities winked, as it were,\\nat every naval enterprise undertaken by French mer-\\nchants or ship owners against British commerce or navi-\\ngation in the West Indies or in Mexican waters. In\\nthis state of affairs and actuated by such feelings, sundry\\nnaval expeditions from the coast of Ivouisiana, and more\\nparticularly from the harbor of Barataria were fitted\\nout, some of the most influential and respectable French\\ncommercial firms being interested in these naval arma-\\nments. The vessels sailed under the authority of French\\nletters of marque, as cruisers.\\nWhen, in the course of time, the English had captured\\nall the French West India islands, Guadeloupe, Mar-\\ntinique, etc., these privateers were deprived thereby of\\nfrendly harbors and markets for disposing of their\\ncaptured prizes.\\nIn consequence of this new condition of things, the\\ncorsairs, Lafitte among them, bethought themselves of\\nobtaining letters of marque from the government of\\nCartagena, and of establishing intercourse with the\\nmerchants of New Orleans through the Barataria Canal.\\nNow, it was impossible for the United States Govern-", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0333.jp2"}, "334": {"fulltext": "306 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nmeut openly to encourage the introduction of goods\\nand merchandise into the territory, coming, as they\\ndid, from an illicit source, inasmuch as, not having yet\\nbroken off all friendly relations with Great Britain, they\\ncould not sanction any contravention to our neutrality\\nlaws. The privateers were willing and anxious to pay\\nthe customs import duties for the goods thus thrown\\nupon the New Orleans market, but they were precluded\\nfrom so doing by these considerations and the instruc-\\ntions emanating from Washington.\\nHence, a system of smuggling merchandise into\\nthe Barataria market grew up, and the practice was\\nkept up so openly and undisguisedly that the very con-\\ntractors of the United States army, engaged in the pur-\\nchase di clothing for men and officers, were in the habit\\nof repairing to the mouth of the Barataria Canal, and\\nof there receiving cloth for transportation in carts and\\nother vehicles to the city proper. In this manner the\\nFederal officials connived at the introduction of contra-\\nband goods. When, in later years, an expedition was\\nundertaken against the privateers of Barataria, and\\nPierre Lafitte was made a prisoner, no proceedings\\nwere instituted against any of them on the charge of\\npiracy. They were merely indicted for violating the\\nrevenue laws.\\nIt is not my purpose here to enter into details as to\\nthe salient features of the lives of the Lafittes and of\\nthose who were attached to their fortunes. Martin, De\\nBouchel and Gayarre, in their respective works, have\\nfully accomplished this duty, that is, so far as our own\\nlocal history is concerned. The question Were they\\npirates is one that is frequently asked and unsatisfac-\\ntorily answered. From my researches, and they extend\\nto contemporaneous publications, executive documents,", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0334.jp2"}, "335": {"fulltext": "OLD LOUISIANA DAYS. S^?\\nofficial reports from local authorities, Federal navy reg-\\nisters, and other authentic sources, I have been forced\\nto the conclusion that they became j)irates and outlaws\\nas soon as they left the jurisdiction of the United States\\nand took up their abode in the province of Texas. The\\nproof is incontrovertible.\\nAfter their establishment had been broken up by\\nCommodore Patterson, notwithstanding their heroic ser-\\nvices at the battle of New Orleans, they were looked\\nupon with distrust by the American authorities in gen-\\neral, and by Beverly Chew in paiticular, who was\\nthen the collector of this port. Barataria, closely\\nwatched, had ceased to afford them shelter and im-\\nmunity. They began, therefore, to cast about for new\\nscenes of operations, and, having purchased through\\ntheir financial agents, Sauvinet and Laporte, the eight\\nvessels which had been captured from them and sold as\\nprizes, they embarked for Port au Prince, vowing\\nvengeance against the inhospitable Americans. There\\ncan be no doubt that from that moment they had re-\\nsolved upon a course of piracy. Dominique You, one\\nof their leaders, was himself a Creole of St. Domingo,\\nand expected to be received by the government officials\\nof that island with open arms. But such anticipations\\nproved futile. Their reputation had preceded them,\\nand this fact, coupled with various suspicious captures,\\nattributed to them, caused the Haytiens to close their\\nports. They were only allowed to revictual their ships,\\nbut no other indulgence could be obtained. Thus frus-\\ntrated, they determined to repair to Galveston and occupy\\nthat sandy waste. The place had just been abandoned by\\nAury, who, together with Gen. Long, were the leaders\\nin the movement of Texas independence. Forty of them\\nmet together on board of a Mexican rebel ship, and.", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0335.jp2"}, "336": {"fulltext": "308 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nhaving gone through some nondescript naturalization\\nceremony, in a document which they all signed, they\\nproclaimed a provisional government and appointed\\nthemselves its officers. They at once unfurled the black\\nflag, the red flag, the Mexican flag, the Cartagena flag,\\nand every other flag which ingenuit}^ could devise. It\\nwas not long before their crimes were heralded through-\\nout the world, and provoked a special proclamation from\\nthe President. Armed cruisers were sent in pursuit of\\nthe wretches the Lynx, the Porpoise and the Enter-\\nprise, being the fleetest, were in constant service. Their\\ndepredations were carried on not only in the Gulf\\nand Caribbean sea, but extended over the Atlantic coast\\nas far as Charleston and Savannah. Their favorite\\nplace of operations was around the island of Cuba,\\nwhose numerous inlets served them as favorite lurking\\nplaces. Not even was the coast of Ivouisiana spared, as\\nthe numerous forays in the bays of Calcasieu amply\\nevidence. It was on the occasion of one of those expe-\\nditions that Lafitte was compelled, by order of the com-\\nmander of the Enterprise, to hang a fellow. Brown, in\\nGalveston, from the yard arm of one of his schooners,\\nand to deliver the rest of his fellow-pirates for trial in\\nNew Orleans. During the whole period embraced\\nwathin the years 1 817-21, Lafitte was directing these\\ndepredations, under his lieutenants, Dominique,\\nBeluche and Gamble, surnamed Nez Coupe, the most\\nbrutral and cowardly assassin of the band. A man by\\nthe name of Desfarges, together with eighteen other\\nconfederates, was caught red-handed ofl the mouth of the\\nBalize, b)^ a United States cruiser, and brought to New\\nOrleans to be judged. Upon hearing this, Lafitte\\nhurried to the city, engaged counsel, John R. Gr3-mes,\\nfor his defence, and was not idle in working up a sen-", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0336.jp2"}, "337": {"fulltext": "OLD LOUISIANA DAYS. 3^9\\ntiment among the rabble in favor of the imprisoned par-\\nties. A howling mob of scoundrels in our midst rallied\\naround the rickety prison, adjoining the arsenal, and\\nthreatened to tear it down. Several companies of the\\nLegion were called out by the Governor, and kept guard\\nover the building during several weeks. Balked in this\\nattempt, they threatened to set the whole city on fire,\\nand, notwithstanding the vigilance of extra patrols,\\nactually succeeded in applying the torch to the State\\narmory and in destroying several buildings in the\\nvicinity of the jail. Meanwhile, the pirates were\\nbrought to the United States District Court to be tried,\\nand, notwithstanding the persistent efforts of their able\\nlawyers, were adjudged guilty and sentenced to be hung.\\nOn hearing this result, Lafitte, armed with letters of\\nrecommendation from some of the most influential mer-\\nchants and politicians, lost no time in taking passage\\nfor Washington, to see the President. Being amply\\nprovided with means, he cut a conspicuous feature in\\nthe capital for some time, and with the assistance of lyiv-\\ningston and Davezac, who held high positions at court,\\nsucceeded in obtaining an audience. What means he\\nused to attain his end is impossible to explain at this\\nlate day, but the fact is that he was enabled to secure\\nthe liberation of all, with the exception, of Desfarges,\\nwho, being their captain, it was thought should be\\nmade an example. As to the latter, the decision of the\\nPresident was carried out, and he was hanged nt the\\nfoot of St. Anne street, from the yard-arm of one of our\\ncruisers.\\nA particular circumstance connected with the leniency\\nexhibited toward these ruffians was the fact that, several\\nweeks after their liberation, many of them were again ar-\\nrested on the high seas, for deeds of a like piratical", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0337.jp2"}, "338": {"fulltext": "3IO NSW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\ncharacter. Of course, the press was incensed aga ust\\nthe chief executive, as we read in the papers of the\\nperiod.\\nLafitte s prestige was gone. On his return to Galves-\\nton, of which he pretended to be the Governor under\\nthe authority of the Mexican Congress, he was quietly\\ngiven to understand by the captain of the United States\\narmed schooner Enterprise, that he would have to\\ndecamp, if he wished to avoid a bombardment. This\\nhe finally consented to do, after having vainly at-\\ntempted to seduce the officer from his line of duty by a\\nprofuse hospitalit5^ The establishment was broken up,\\nsome eight hundred in number. The common property\\nwas divided into shares, and the crew disbanded.\\nThis was in 1821. Some followed L,afitte into the\\nwaters of Yucatan others, like Beluche, who rose to\\nthe rank of Commodore in the Bolivian navy, went with\\nhim to Cartagena others, like Gamble, doomed to as-\\nsassination at the hands of his own men, returned to\\nBarataria, expecting something to turn up, while the\\nbalance, resolved to lead new lives with Dominique\\nYou in New Orleans, went back to their old homes, and\\nfinally died in our midst, converted into useful citizens.\\nOne of the most ancient buildings of New Orleans was\\nthe bakery of Cadet, at the corner of St. Peter and\\nRoyal, who was succeeded by Joseph Vincent, and is at\\npresent occupied by Manessier as a confectionery store.\\nIt was then a one-story structure, with a Spanish tile\\nroof. Cadet used to be Pere Antoine s purveyor of\\nbread for the poor, and the last receipted account which\\nwas found among the latter s effects after his death ag-\\ngregated a little over thirteen hundred dollars. This\\nsingle item furnishes, more than any panegyric which", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0338.jp2"}, "339": {"fulltext": "OLD LOUISIANA DAYS. 3 II\\nmy pen can bestow, a sample of the extent and measure\\nof the holy man s benevolence. Not very many years\\nago, the outlandish appearance of the upper part of the\\nrear building would attract the eye of the stranger. It\\nwas a remnant of the abandoned old bakery, and with\\nits quaint old chimney was used as a sort of mill for\\ngrinding coarse flour to a finer grade.\\nIn the year 1794 another fire broke out in the city,\\nwhich, though not quite as disastrous as that which\\npreceded it six years before, was a source of great afflic-\\ntion and misery to the humble classes. According to\\nthe statements of eye-witnesses, we know that several\\nthousands were left homeless and became dependents\\nupon public charity. That year signalized several im-\\nportant events in our history, among which may be\\nmentioned the completion of our Cathedral Church,\\nthe inauguration of our sugar industry and, lastly,\\nthe construction of the Carondelet Canal. The names\\nof Bore, Baron Carondelet and Almonester are\\nthe names of that period. To the latter especially\\nis the honor of public liberality attached. On each\\nside of the Place d Armes were rows of stores\\nand dwelling houses. They were constructed dur-\\ning the short period of O Reilly s administration.\\nThey were in the style known as briquetSs entre\\npoteaux, i. partly of bricks, between posts. The\\nroofs were covered with tiles, baked or burned in kilns\\nof domestic manufacture, before the introduction of\\nflat tiles from Nantes and Havre. They were, indeed,\\nrelics of the earliest improvements of the Louisiana\\ncolony. I may say incidentally that the character of\\nsome of our roofs is an unerring indication of their age\\nor of the regime under which they were constructed.", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0339.jp2"}, "340": {"fulltext": "312 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nThe most ancient or primitive were covered with cypress\\nshingles. Again, in order of time, followed the hollow\\nred brick tile, after which again, for a long number of\\nyears, the French flat tile came into vogue. It is only\\nwithin a comparatively short space that slate coverings\\nhave been generally adopted. One of the most ancient\\nbrick buildings in that quarter of the town stands at\\nthe corner of St. Peter and Chartres, opposite the old\\nCity Hall, or former Cabildo. It is erroneously supposed\\nthat this quaint structure, so decidedly Moorish in its\\ndesign and style of architecture, was formerly the resi-\\ndence of our Spanish Governors, and that it was within\\nits walls the festival was given by O Reilly, during whicli\\nthe unfortunate I^afreniere and his co-conspirators were\\narrested, to be from thence transferred to their gloomy\\ndungeons. The palace, which these dignitaries then\\ninhabited, fronted the river, and was situated on Levee\\nstreet, between Toulouse and St. Louis. The Governor s\\nofficial residence was at the corner of Toulouse, further\\ndown the street, and had been constructed during the\\nFrench domination. It is more than probable that\\nthe house about which I am now writing was used for\\nthe accomodation of the officers connected with the\\nCabildo. Early in the present century it was a place of\\npublic entertainment for travelers, as was also the\\nTremoulet House, opposite the river landing, at the\\ncorner of Old Levee and St. Peter, afterward Baron\\nPontalba s residence. This old moresque edifice, at the\\ntime that General Jackson reached the city in 1814, to\\ntake charge of its defence, was a restaurant and lodging\\nhouse combined, and its proprietor received none but\\npeople of condition and quality. He was a jolly old\\nFrenchman, and a Vatel in the culinary line. Its name\\nwas unique: Le veaii qui tete, the Sucking Calf.", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0340.jp2"}, "341": {"fulltext": "OLD LOUISIANA DAYS. 313\\nOue who used to patronize this establishment in his\\nyounger days once told me that its customers were the\\ncream of our bourgeoisie. There was a continual ebb\\nand flow of guests in the upper salons, where visitors\\nwere wont to take their meals upon small, neatly covered\\ntables, attended by polite waiters. These rooms were\\nappropriated for dinners h la carte exclusively. There\\nwas, besides, a table d hole, where repasts were served\\nat fixed hours. To a stranger no fitter place could be\\nfound, if he was desirous of initiating himself into New\\nOrleans French society, into that part of it, at least,\\nwhich constituted the moving, active, mercantile portion,\\nas busy as bees, traveling up and down the river coast\\nfrom what were called its posts. These were settle-\\nments, such as the post of Opelousas or the post of\\nNatchitoches, which were current expressions, handed\\ndown from the times of the colonial regime, to de-\\nnote the various trading and military points along the\\nmargin of the Mississippi.\\nIn those days, it was not the North American advent-\\nurers that were the pioneers in the commercial estab-\\nlishments then extending throughout our State. Trad-\\ning was the special branch of French immigrants. These\\nwere indefatigable in organizing mercantile agencies\\nover the rural sections of lower Louisiana, even in the\\nnooks and recesses of inland bayous, and of far away\\nstretching piney wood ridges. In later years, when\\nthe appliances of steam had opened new avenues to\\nmore active operations in the inland water courses and\\ntributary streams of our great river, North American\\nmerchants and traders began to establish branches\\nthroughout the country. The natives of the soil were\\nnot inclined to follow commercial pursuits. Agriculture", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0341.jp2"}, "342": {"fulltext": "314 NEW orle;ans as it was.\\nwas their sole occupation. In this respect, the son\\nfollowed the example of his father, and of his ancestors.\\nThe earth furnished him with comfort, wealth and even\\nluxury. Hence foreigners, les noiiveaux deballes, as\\nthey were called, enjoyed an undisputed monopoly.\\nNavigation and trade with the parishes and posts of the\\ninterior were carried on mostly in what were then\\nknown as coasting boats. But when more distant\\nregions were to be reached, as, for instance, the posts oi\\nNatchitoches, or of Opelousas, or of Ouachita, barges,\\nwhich had been constructed on the upper Mississippi,\\nthe Wabash, the Ohio or Illinois rivers, and brought tc\\nthe city with their Canadian crews, were the convey-\\nances most usually employed. These flat-bottomed boats,\\nvery long and nari ow, were splendidly adapted to trav-\\neling in sinuous, crooked bayous, such as those that\\nconstituted the Red river branches, and the numerous\\nand intricate water courses which lead, in the season oi\\nhigh floods, from the Mississippi to the Atchafalaya,\\nOpelousas and Attakapas settlements. These barges or\\nlong keel boats were partly covered with raw ox hides,\\nwound or bent in the form of a tunnel over a wooden\\nframework, so as to protect the freight or cargo from\\nsun and rain, and to shelter passengers and crews while\\ntaking their meals or indulging in rest. This mode ol\\nlocomotion was romantic, and not devoid of a certain\\ncharm. It was the primitive conveyance in which the\\nascent or descent of the river was accomplished from\\nNew Orleans as high as Pittsburg. These voyages\\nwould consume generally forty or fifty days, when un-\\ndertaken with the current, and at the stages of low\\nwater the danger from snags, stumps and sawyers was\\nfrequently imminent. Before the use of steam power,\\nthe crossing of the Mississippi from point to point", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0342.jp2"}, "343": {"fulltext": "OLD LOUISIANA DAYS. 315\\nagainst the current was the most diflScult part of naviga-\\ntion, and this was done by means of a large square\\nrigged sail. When a point had to be doubled, the crew\\nwere put on shore, and a long cordclle, or rope, was\\nslung around the breast of every man, who was made to\\npull the craft, like a beast of burden, while a couple of\\nhands on board the vessel, armed with long poles\\nwould keep it at a convenient distance from the shore,\\nand aid its course by occasional pushes or pulls. In the\\nevening the crew, being completely worn out, as the\\nreader may conjecture, the boat was made fast to the\\nriver bank, and a hot supper would be prepared ashore,\\nwhere the men would stretch themselves out on the cool\\nground or furze, by the side of a blazing fire, whose\\nsmoke would drive away the usual swarms of buzzing\\nmosquitoes. Such were, in part, the hardships of our\\nearly navigation, endured by the brawny Canadian voya-\\ngeurs.\\nFrom this subject let me now digress to another.\\nWhen the Spanish Governor, Estevan Miro, in 1786,\\ntook command of the province of Louisiana, he pub-\\nlished, in accordance with the practice pursued by his\\npredecessors, a sort of manifesto or message, called un\\nBando de buen Gobierno, in other words, rules for the\\npeople. In this document various observances were\\nenjoined. Among others, it was declared that people\\nwould be punished with the greatest severity who were\\nfound living outside of the lawful relations of the matri-\\nmonial state, and that persons of color, particularly\\nwomen, would be vigorously prosecuted should they\\nnot abandon their lax and idle mode of living. Nay,\\nthis Governor, whose administration proved him to have\\nbeen a mild and tolerant official went so far in his edict", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0343.jp2"}, "344": {"fulltext": "3l6 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nas to forbid this class of females to wear any jewels or\\nornaments of value, or to adorn their hair with feathers\\nse coiffer de pimnes. In lieu thereof, he ordered the use\\nof a handkerchief or bandana. The custom ot wearing\\nthis sort of headgear was almost universal among the\\nindustrial classes in olden times. It was called the\\ntig7l01l.\\nAfter the arrival of Carondelet as Governor of Louis-\\niana, and during that part of his administration which\\ncovered the period from 1792 to 1796, the city of New\\nOrleans was strongly entrenched within a line of fortifi-\\ncations, and enclosed with ramparts, deep ditches and\\npicket revetments. These protections had been thrown\\nup against the possible incursions of hostile Indians\\nand servile insurrections in adjoining parishes. There\\nwere no issues from the little town except through\\nthree main gates the Tchoupitoulas, the Bayou Road\\nand the c/iemin public, the latter skirting the river front\\nfrom the actual location of the United States Mint, down-\\nward. At or near each one of these gates sentries were\\nstationed night and day, keeping ward and vigil over\\nthe safety of the people. After the American govern-\\nment took possession of the country, these works were\\nallowed to crumble into decay, and I find in my\\nresearches into the citj^ s archives that, as early as in\\n1805 and 1806, under the administrations of Mayors\\nJames Pitot, and John Watkins, the revetments were\\nbeing used in the filling up of the trenches, which had\\nbecome dangerous to public health. As late as 1816\\nthere were left few traces of their existence, with the\\nexception of a little coquettish looking fort, called St.\\nCharles, at the foot of Esplanade stieet. It was dis-\\nmantled some time in the year 182 1, and the ground", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0344.jp2"}, "345": {"fulltext": "OLD LOUISIANA DAYS. 317\\nceded temporarily to the corporation. As to the old\\nbastions once standing at the four corners of the old\\ncarre, they were completely razed to the ground. The\\ngate leading to the Bayou Road overlooked a drawbridge\\nwhich spanned a wide and deep ditch at that point. In\\nmy boyhood days the place was still called la porte du\\nbayoti. Under the masterly and energetic hand of\\nJames Pitot, our first elected Mayor, the spirit of enter-\\nprise developed itself to a surprising degree in the first\\ndecade of the present century. Among other beneficial\\nresults was the encouragement given to immigration,\\nwhose tide began to flow in with unabated rapidity.\\nIn 181 2 was erected, immediately on the outskirts of\\nthe city proper, the building known as the Orleans\\nCollege, out of which nursery of education sprang into\\nthe world a number of Louisianians that have been\\njustly esteemed for their intellectual attainments. This\\ninstitution faced St. Claude street, which had been\\nrecently laid down upon the plan of the contemplated\\nextension of the city as a thoroughfare behind Rampart\\nstreet. The object of the authorities in opening this\\nnew street was to group around it a certain number of\\nresidences, or, in other words, the colonization of a new\\nfaubourg. But the project proved futile, and for a\\nnumber of years the college continued in its isolated\\nposition for, being surrounded by an almost unfathom-\\nable morass, the people were loath to locate their\\ndomiciles in this noisome neighborhood. How many\\ncai loads of cotton seed it took to fill up this dismal\\nswamp, it would be difficult to say. In the course of\\ntime, as terra firma was steadily advancing, improve-\\nmeats were pushed beyond the structure. It then\\nbecame necessary to demolish a part of the college\\nbuilding in order to open Ursulines street through St.", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0345.jp2"}, "346": {"fulltext": "3l8 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nClaude. For this reason one may see the two extremi-\\nties or wings of that ancient building (the college),\\neach resting on the edges of the two streets above men-\\ntioned.\\nOn leaving the city proper from Fort St. Charles,\\nat the foot of Esplanade street, and following the\\nmain road along the Mississippi river, with a view\\nof visiting the battle fields of 1 8 14- 15, one would me^t\\ntwo lines of defence before reaching the spot. The first\\nline ran along to the woods on the ground occupied by\\nthe late Touro s unfinished almshouse. There a sort of\\ntete de poJit had been thrown up to protect the public\\nroad. A ditch or canal, of considerable depth and\\nextent, with a low earthen breastwork on its front, was\\nstill to be seen in 1816. The second defensive line, about\\none mile distant from the former, had been constructed\\nin the immediate neighborhood of the spot where the\\nUnited States Barracks stand to-day. There was a line\\nof breastworks connected with bastions, one of which\\nformed also a tHe de pont, to cover the public road.\\nThat locality, for long years thereafter, was converted\\ninto an open-air public garden, on the river front,\\nenclosed with a beautiful orange hedge, and from which\\nDue could enjoy delightful breezes as well as a mag-\\nnificent view of the stream as far as the eye could\\nreach. All along this route, the main road for pedes-\\ntrians was on the summit of the levee. It was dotted\\nwith a continuous row of fine country houses. The\\nslope of the lands from the bank of the river toward the\\nswamps was very gradual and immediately behind the\\ncultivated fields, mostly covered with stalks of Indian\\ncorn, were the open pasture grounds in which numer-\\nous herds of neat cattle, sheep and goats were seen\\nbrowsing.", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0346.jp2"}, "347": {"fulltext": "OLD LOUISIANA DAYS. 319\\nFrom this second fortified or rallying point and pro-\\nceeding two miles lower, the visitor would reach the\\nbattle scene and the famous entrenchments, which, in\\n1815, the British on the 8th of January unsuccessfully-\\nattempted to storm. Here in 18 16 part of the works\\nwas already dismantled. That portion which had formed\\nthe bastion or small fortalice by the edge of the river\\nwas barely recognizable. The breastworks of the line,\\nthe/osses, the banquette, the glacis, were still in a good\\nstate of preservation. Only a few months had elapsed\\nsince the chivalry of Kngland had there met with such\\nsignal defeat, and already the hand of man had been\\nengaged in converting those appliances of misery, war\\nand desolation into fields of peace, plenty and pros-\\nperity. And yet a few years later they were all swept\\naway.\\nThe old Barracks constructed by the French were com-\\npleted in the year 1758. These buildings, fronting the river\\nfrom the rear of the Ursulines Convent to Barracks street,\\nwere in a good state of preservation when taken possession\\nof by the American government. Their record is historical.\\nHere had been stationed in regular succession the French\\nregiments of the line, until in 1763 L,ouisiana was ceded\\nto the Spanish monarchy. Then came their occupation\\nin 1769 by the troops of the cruel O Reilly and his suc-\\ncessors then their transfer in 1800 to Laussat, the Pre-\\nfect, and three years thereafter their delivery to Com-\\nmissioner Wilkinson. The Barracks proper formed a\\nsingle building, nearly a square and a half in length,\\ntwo stories high, built of brick, plastered with a coating\\nof lime, and having on its front as well as in its rear a\\nwide gallery supported by a row of strong, square pil-\\nlars, also constructed with the same material, i. e., bricks", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0347.jp2"}, "348": {"fulltext": "320 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nplastered with cement made of mussel shell lime. A\\nremnant of these most ancient military quarters, at the\\nintersection of Chartres and Barracks streets, is still\\none of the salient features of the neighborhood, having\\nfirst been converted into a private dwelling house, the\\nerstwhile family residence of the Charbonnet family,\\nafterward the domicile of a Catholic seminary, and\\nlately the scene of a terrible Sicilian vendetta. With\\nthe exception of this building, the Barracks were en-\\ntirely demolished to make room for modern stores and\\nhouses. Between the high walls of masonry enclosing\\nthe area of the structures and the levee or river bank\\nthere was an open plaza, or parade ground upon which\\nthe garrison troops were wont to drill whenever the\\nusual review and inspection within the enclosure were\\nomitted. This open space constitutes now the site of\\nthe two squares of buildings traversed by Gallatin\\nstreet, the most noted cesspool of immorality, assassina-\\ntion and crime ever known in New Orleans in ante-\\nbellum times. It was upon that spot and not in the\\nPlace d Armes, as is popularly believed and authorita-\\ntively asserted by several writers, that Lafreniere and\\nhis associates in martyrdom were publicly shot to death\\nby Spanish soldiers, in the presence of the cruel and\\nbloody O Reilly. It was, also, within the walls of\\nthose gloomy barracks that the judicial farce, called a\\ntrial, was enacted, and the warrant for their execution\\nprobably sealed and signed by the tyrant.", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0348.jp2"}, "349": {"fulltext": "CHAPTER XVII.\\nOLD LOUISIANA DAYS.\\nTHE INDIGO CULTURE REMINISCENCES OF FAUBOURG\\nST. MARY JEAN GRAVIER THE DISMAL SWAMP LE\\nQUARTIER DES DAMNES THE MACARTY CREVASSE\\nTHE SHELL ROAD MICHOUD s HUNTING GROUND\\nSKETCH OP EARLY SETTLEMENTS THE BAYOU ST. JOHN\\nLA TERRE AUX LEPREUX THE LEVEE FRONT FAU-\\nBOURG LIVAUDAIS, NOW THE FOURTH DISTRICT ^REMI-\\nNISCENCES OF DANIEL CLARK ALEXANDER MILNE S\\nOLD CASTLE.\\nDuring the administrations of Governors Galvez and\\nCarondelet, the tract of land which became thereafter\\nknown as the Fa^iboiir^ Ste. Marie consisted of a large\\nplantation owned by Jean Gravier, who acquired his\\ntitle from the government sales that took place after the\\nexpulsion of the Jesuit fathers from the colony. The\\nlatter had purchased the same by notarial act, in Paris,\\nfrom Bienville himself, and it is evident that the confis-\\ncation of their property was an act of arbitrary spoliation.\\nThis immense estate, extending on its front from Canal\\nto Delord streets, had been for a number of years devoted\\nto the culture of the sugar cane and of indigo. This last\\nbranch of industry was then being extensively carried on\\nalong the lower coast of the Mississippi delta, in the\\n321", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0349.jp2"}, "350": {"fulltext": "322 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nRed river parishes, and upon the boundless prairies of\\nsouthwest lyouisiaua, where this tropical plant may still\\nbe seen growing in wild luxuriance. Its frequent de-\\nstruction by swarms of locusts and parasitic insects was\\nthe main cause why this former staple product of our\\nState was made to yield to the supremacy of sugar,\\nwhich, besides being a surer crop, was also far more re-\\nmunerative. But one of the reasons which greatly con-\\ntributed to this result, eight years before the cession ol\\nthe territory, was the extremely unwholesome condition i\\nof the process for its fabrication and the consequent\\nprevalence of disease among the slaves at certain seasons\\nof the year. The great mortality which ensued was at-\\ntributed to the peculiar exhalations that poisoned the\\natmosphere during the whole period of fermentation.\\nThis was a great drawback, as may naturally be sup-\\nposed, and constituted an important factor in the con-\\nsideration of profits. The quality of the lyouisiana\\nindigo was rated in the commercial marts of the world\\nas next to that of Guatemala, which was estimated as\\nsuperior to that of India.\\nIn the rear of the Faubourg St. Mary, in close prox-\\nimity to the site of the once well known Freret cotton\\npresses, on Poydras street, lived, in 1816, the only sur-\\nviving brother of the elder Gravier, one of the original\\npurchasers of the plantation, which, a little before the\\nyear 1803, was laid out, as per plans, into a suburb.\\nCalled by his neighbors Doctor Gravier, because he\\nattended the sick without remuneration, and effected\\ncures by means of simples and Indian herbs, this singu-\\nlar old man led a hermit s life, forsaken by the world, in\\nan old shanty surrounded by weeping willows, amid the\\nghastly scenery of a Louisiana swamp. To the casual", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0350.jp2"}, "351": {"fulltext": "OLD LOUISIANA DAYS. 323\\nobserver he always looked like one absorbed in the solu-\\ntion of some moral problem, or in the sorrows of a bitter\\ndisappointment.\\nNo ordinary courage was required to venture alone\\nwithin the precincts of that forbidding and desolate\\n-spot. Encircled, as it then was, by low cemeteries,\\nalong the edges of the fathomless morass, the dismal\\nwillows could be heard uttering plaintive sounds with\\nevery gust of wind, as it rushed through closely inter-\\nlocked cypress thickets. There were still to be seen\\nfragments of old indigo vats and other vestiges of that\\nindustry. No wonder, then, that this remote part of the\\ntown was invested with the glamour of romance. With\\nmany it was associated with scenes of foul deeds and\\nrnidnight murders. Some would assert that hunters\\nhad stumbled by accident upon overturned trees, within\\nwhose cavities human skeletons had been discovered.\\nOthers pretended that fire-flies or ignes fatui were to be\\nseen in the warm summer nights flitting or hovering\\nover the graves of departed spirits, while others, still\\nmore timorous and superstitious, shuddered with\\naffright at the portentous hootings of owls in the small\\nhours of the morning.\\nNow, all these gloomy forebodings of ignorant people\\nhad their origin, of course, in the very nature of the\\nlocality. Bats and other night birds were to be ex-\\npected in such surroundings. As io feux follets, they\\nwere indigenous to swamps inaccessible to the tread of\\nman, and impregnated with a petroleum-like substance\\noozing out of decayed stumps. The marsh was alive\\nwith slimy, dangerous and shining reptiles of every\\nspecies. The croaking of bull-frogs, from the avuncular\\nwararroyi to the diminutive and adolescent grenouille\\nwas incessant, and, to complete the description of this", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0351.jp2"}, "352": {"fulltext": "324 NEW ORI.EANS AS IT WAS.\\nscene of misery and martyrdom, the swarming and buz-\\nzing of insects and the shrill cries of sea gulls, joining\\nin a demon s chorus, made a residence in such a waste\\na matter of utter impossibility.\\nFrom the foregoing statement the reader will easily\\ninfer how it was that this portion of the outskirts\\nof the Faubourg St. Mary was looked upon by the com-\\nmunity as unhallbwed ground a Golgotha, where the\\ncarcasses of men and animals had been heaped together,\\nas in a charnel house. For a long time it was studiously\\nshunned for residential purposes by many decent families;\\nbut, in the course of years, the stories of buried treas-\\nures by pirates, of midnight assemblies of desperadoes\\nand other legends of a similar character were forgotten\\nor scouted at, and, at the present day, few of the old\\nsurvivors of that period would remember them, were not\\ntheir memories occasionally jogged. Although the old\\nwillow trees have disappeared from our sight, still is\\ntheir recollection preserved by the name of the street\\nwhich intersects their former location. The Workhouse\\nand the several cotton presses established at the crossing\\nof Claiborne and Poydras streets stand now in the very\\nmidst of the quarter once known as le quartier des\\ndatnnes. I must not omit to mention, in connection\\nwith this subject, that a canal, named after Poydras,\\nran through this tract of land a cesspool of pestilen-\\ntial effluvia and a menace to the salubrity of the cor-\\nporation.\\nIt was in the spring of the year 181 6 that a crevasse\\noccurred at the upper end of Macarty s plantation (now\\nthe town of Carrollton or rather the Seventh Municipal\\nDistrict of New Orleans) which inundated the rear\\nportions of the plantations which extended from that", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0352.jp2"}, "353": {"fulltext": "OLD LOUISIANA DAYS. 325\\npoint to the city. The waters, surcharged with the calcar-\\neous and slimy particles peculiar to the Mississippi river,\\nwere spread over the whole space covered by our swamps\\nand reached as far as the corner of Canal and Bourbon.\\nIn the city proper it appeared all along Dauphine street,\\nwhere it apparently found its level. By this casualty\\nall the low and depressed parts of our city environs\\nwere marked by a line which appeared upon the walls\\nand fences, after the subsidence of the overflow and the\\nretiring of the element into the lake and adjacent\\nbayous. This incident provided a valuable and accurate\\ntopographical survey. Everywhere was this water\\nmark distinctly visible. Thus the fact was ascertained\\nthat the greatest depression was to be found all along\\nCanal street, which has since required an incredible\\namount of filling to bring up to a level with the\\nother parts of the town. The Bayou Road, on the con-\\ntrary, in the neighborhood of Claiborne avenue, as well\\nas several other isolated tracts, were ascertained to be\\nthe most elevated, having escaped the almost universal\\nsubmersion.\\nThe beautiful shell road which leads from the New\\nBasin to the lake, and which in ante-bellum times was\\nthe proper drive for our sporting gentry, was opened\\nthrough the almost impenetrable swamp during the\\nyears 1830-32, after the herculean task of hewing out the\\nnew canal had been completed. As the lower part of\\nthe city already enjoyed the old Carondelet, the idea of\\nopening another outlet to the lake originated with an\\nassociation of enterprising citizens, foremost among\\nwhom may be cited, Beverly Chew, an ex-collector of\\ncustoms; ex-Senator Burthe, Samuel Jarvis Peters, the\\ngreat city financier Hodge, of the Bulletin^ and several", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0353.jp2"}, "354": {"fulltext": "326 NEW ORLEA.NS AS IT WAS.\\nOther equally spirited notables. Deeming that their\\nsection would be wonderfully benefited by direct inter-\\ncourse with the people of Bay St. L,ouis, Mobile and\\nPensacola, they determined to organize themselves into\\na banking corporation, styled the New Canal Banking\\nAssociation, which, having been incorporated by the\\nIvCgislature, soon went into operation.\\nOn the topographical chart of Latourette the reader\\nwill find the boundaries of the more than princely pos-\\nsessions of Antoine Michoud, erstwhile Sardinian con-\\nsul. These stretched from Lake Pontchartrain to the\\nedge of L,ake Borgne, and extended several miles on\\nboth banks of Bayou Gentilly or Sauvage to within a\\nshort distance from Fort Pike, on the Chef Menteur. A\\nNimrod in his younger days, Michoud entertained a\\nparticular predilection for this valuable tract, on account\\nof the great quantity and variety of game with which\\nit was always stocked. At the opening of every hunt-\\ning season he would never fail, through the papers, to\\nissue warning notices to trespassers, as he claimed the\\nownership of the countless flocks of wild geese and\\nducks that were wont to settle, during the winter months,\\nin the immense lagoons and canebrakes which covered\\nhis land.\\nNow, as no quantity of fences could possibly enclose\\nsuch a vast extent of open meadows, forests and marshes,\\nit may well be imagined that these fulminations on paper\\nwere disregarded and ridiculed. Notwithstanding his\\nrage and inane threats, the amateur sportsmen of the city\\nand neighborhood continued their encroachments upon\\nhis preserves, a practice which obtains even at the present\\nday, for this locality has always been noted for its excel-\\nlent hunting grounds.", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0354.jp2"}, "355": {"fulltext": "OLD LOUISIANA DAYS. 327\\nWhen Bienville, in the early part of 1700, first ex-\\nplored the nooks, recesses and meanderings of the Bayou\\nSt. John, in the primitive pirogues of the friendly Cola-\\npissas, nothing interesting met his view save a few low,\\nthatched, rough huts peering through the midst of a\\ndense, tangled forest, surrounded on every side bj^ seem-\\ningly impenetrable morasses, and gloomy, dismal cy-\\npress marshes. This sluggish sheet of water was the\\nnatural drain or outlet of a great swamp which formed\\nthe background of the vast territory that extended from\\nthe river bank to the lake. There were neither pathways\\nnor roads leading through the gloomy wilderness, as the\\nfew Indians who lived in these regions were accustomed to\\ntravel from place to place, whether engaged in the chase\\nor fishing, in light and swift canoes. From this general\\ndescription we must, however, except some more favored\\nlocalities those, for instance, bordering Bayou Metairie,\\nand Bayou Sauvage, upon which bountiful nature had\\nscattered centenary trees, such as the ash and the live oak,\\nand a profusion of valuable shrubs and esculents. These\\nchoice and fertile spots had been formed by slow degrees\\nfrom the alluvial deposits of the Mississippi, when, during\\nits yearly overflows, it spread over the wide expanse of\\nthe adjacent lowlands. Hence it is we find that one\\nof the first back settlements of the city was established\\nupon these ridges, and that another had been located in\\nthat part which stands midway between the river front\\nand the lake, on the Bayou St. John. The tourist who\\nwill take the street car will soon reach this interesting\\nlocality, now enlivened by beautiful villas and a spacious\\npark. Across the draw or spring bridge that spans the\\nbayou near that point he will see a historic spot, once\\nknown as the Magnolia Garden, in front of which\\nBienville first set foot ashore. In those days it was the", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0355.jp2"}, "356": {"fulltext": "328 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nsite of a camping ground consisting of a few Indian\\nhuts, whence a foot-path or trail led by a cut-off to the\\nsettlements of the Tchoupitoulas, another small Indian\\ntribe, who lived in cabins huddled together along the\\nriver bank below the present town of CarroUton.\\nAt the period when these rural establishments were\\nbeing formed, in the last century, the Jesuit Fathers, with\\nthe energy and rare intelligence characteristic of their\\norder, selected large tracts upon the high lands facing the\\nBayous Sauvage and Gentilly for agricultural purposes.\\nSome of the buildings constructed on their wide domains\\nwithstood the tooth of time for more than a hundred years,\\nas a few of them were still to be seen not very many\\nyears ago. These stood in the vicinity of the point\\nwhere the ly. N. railroad crosses the Gentilly as it\\ncontinues to follow the meanderings of the bayou of\\nthat name to its final junction with the pretty stream\\nknown as the Chef Meyiteur.\\nThis water course, which alternatively flows from I^ake\\nPonchartrain into I^ake Borgne, z.n^vicevers according\\nto the stand of the waters in these two lakes, and ac-\\ncording also to the prevailing winds or to the ebb and flow\\nof the tide, is for this reason called a rigolet, which sig-\\nnifies in the nautical parlance of that period a stream\\nflowing both ways. Old people used to say that the In-\\ndians gave it the name of Big Liar, because it talked\\ndeceivingly. Be this as it may, this stream is the most\\nbeautiful one in the vicinity of New Orleans. The water\\nis as pellucid as crystal, and its borders are decorated\\nwith a gorgeous forest vegetation which has ever at-\\ntracted the admiration of the sportsman and naturalist.\\nAs I have already stated, a few Indian huts existed\\nalong the Bayou St. John. There may have been a few\\nmore on Bayou Sauvage, for, in the immediate vicinity", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0356.jp2"}, "357": {"fulltext": "OLD I^OUISIANA DAYS. 329\\nof Daniel Clark s residence, at the intersection of the\\nBayou and Gentilly roads, an Indian graveyard was\\nonce to be seen. It was a small tract of very elevated\\nground. But the number of the aborigines around\\nthe city mvist have been very insignificant, indeed,\\nfor the reason that nowhere have they left any monu-\\nments of their existence. In fact, they seem to have\\nsuddenly disappeared from their primitive abodes, be-\\nfore the advance of the white man nobody knows how\\nor where.\\nWhile this was the case with the small tribes of the\\nCollapissas and Tchoupitoulas, there were annual visits\\nof Choctaws and Natchez from over the lake and above\\nthe river, who were in the habit of repairing hither on\\nNew Year s Day to exchange compliments with the\\nGovernor and city authorities, and especially to receive\\nthe customary presents, which in ancien^. times ]iad been\\nstipulated by treaty. When by the lapse of lime and\\nthe effect of prescription these resources were not forth-\\ncoming, the Indians would resort to padfj^ann shooting.\\nThe sport consisted in carrying about a wooden rooster\\ndecked with ribbons for target practice, around which\\nthey would dance and shout, begging from house to\\nhouse a few picayunes for the powder and shot\\nnecessary to the warriors and squaws. That meant\\nwhisky and rations. They were wont to keep up\\nthese carousals for several days in the outskirts or\\nsuburbs of the town. The same performances accom-\\npanied their Indian weddings and other ceremonies, from\\nwhich they reaped rich harvests, as their exhibitions\\nnaturally attracted throngs of sojourners and sightseers.\\nThe space of dry land upon which the city of New\\nOrleans was originally built was extremely limited, and", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0357.jp2"}, "358": {"fulltext": "330 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nthis may be better illustrated from the fact that the\\nauthorities were compelled to dig a draining canal\\nthrough the middle of Bourbon street, on the very spot\\nwhere now stands the French Opera House. It is not gen-\\nerally known that the location of a site for a city upon\\nthe banks of the Mississippi was for a considerable time\\na subject of serious contention between Bienville and\\nhis engineer. They were both agreed upon the neces-\\nsity of selecting a point easy of access to, and of com-\\nmunication with, their early settlements and posts at\\nBiloxi and in the Mississippi Sound and Gulf. This\\nwas an advantage which New Orleans offered. By\\nmeans of the Bayou St. John the opening to Lake\\nPontchartrain was always convenient, and a con-\\nstant intercourse with the colonies planted across the\\nlake was available. But New Orleans was low, marshy,\\nunhealthy and subject to periodical inundations. Here\\nwas the drawback. To remedy this evil, Manchac was\\nsuggested. The proposed site was high, comparatively\\nsalubrious,*and offered, through the bayou of that name,\\nsince called the Iberville river, an outlet to the Gulf\\nby the way of Lakes Maurepas and Pontchartrain.\\nBienville meditated long upon the availability of this\\nlocation, and finally rejected the suggestion. The route\\nwas long, circuitous and dangerous. Besides it would\\nhave removed him at too great a distance from the\\nmouth of the river, which it was his obvious policy to\\nmaintain, defend and secure at all hazards.\\nHis will prevailed over all opposition, and the carrS de\\nla ville was laid out. It was a cesspool. The streets, few\\nin number, had to be filled with the sand taken from the\\nbattures in front, and a sort of breastwork or dike\\nwas thrown up along the margin of the river to stem\\nthe force of the current. Reverting to the historical", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0358.jp2"}, "359": {"fulltext": "OLD LOUISIANA DAYS, 331\\nfact that our drainage system began from Bourbon\\nstreet toward the rear, is it not possible, as some\\nhave asserted, that the original founders intended to\\nhave intersected the cit}- with navigable canals, fed\\nby the great river flowing at our doors? This supposi-\\ntion is not totally groundless, as we know of cities in\\ntropical climates that are actually cut up by such appli-\\nances, and suffer no inconvenience either to health or\\nmercantile pursuits.\\nSo slimy was the character of the soil in and around\\nNew Orleans that Bienville, in his peregrinations around\\nthe surrounding country, if he did not ascend one of\\nthe branches of the Bayou St. John to the vicinity of\\nRampart street, to which its several arteries generally\\nconverged (immediately behind Congo Square), Bien-\\nville, I say, must have taken the Indian trail from the\\nMagnolia Garden station, through the dense forest ex-\\ntending along the ridge, and emerged into the Bayou\\nRoad, on both sides of which were planted the first fruit\\ngardens and vegetable patches. This was the only ridge\\nof high ground by which the Indians usually reached\\nthe river bank.\\nI believe that the project of introducing, by a system\\nof sluices and canals, the Mississippi river waters into\\nour city, was seriously contemplated, and this fact is\\nbest proved by the prospectus of the company, which\\nwas incorporated under the name of the Navigation\\nCompany, one of whose achievements was to have con-\\nducted through Broad street the waters of the river into\\nthe basin of Canal Carondelet. But this scheme was\\nnever carried out, owing both to financial depression\\nand the opposition of speculators or interested parties.\\nThere could be no doubt about its feasibility.\\nWitness the old Marigny canal, of which I have made", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0359.jp2"}, "360": {"fulltext": "332 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nmention, which opened a direct communication with the\\nsea. The vestiges and ruins of this gigantic undertak-\\ning were visible as far back as 1816 at the lower end of\\nthe city, and occupied precisely the present location of\\nthe Pontchartrain railroad track. At the spot where\\nnow stands the company s ticket office, on Elysian\\nFields and Victory, were to be seen the massive walls,\\nbuilt of solid masonry, which had been used as supports\\nto the sluice gates or locks that admitted the waters\\nof the river. This canal, turning at an angle or elbow,\\nat a short distance from where the first mile-stone is\\nstanding now, conveyed its waters across the Gen-\\ntilly road toward the Bayou St. John. At present, as I\\nhave already said, the railroad track runs along a sec-\\ntion of the former Marigny canal, which started from the\\nriver s edge. There is hardly a remnant left of it now,\\nexcept a small draining ditch, near Claiborne street.\\nThe branch, which proceeds toward the Bayou St. John\\nthrough the woods and marshes, has been improved by\\nthe Draining Company, and now forms, I think, a part\\nof that system.\\nIn the first decades of this century, the briny water\\nresort during the summer months was located near the\\nmouth of the Bayou St. John. There, and not over the\\nlake nor on the gulf coast, would the ilite of New\\nOrleans society spend their leisure hours. They took\\nbaths in the then clear and limpid waters of the bayou.,\\nwhich was constantly refreshed and replenished by the\\ninflux of the lake s swelling tide. There also were\\nmany sailing and rowing boats for amateurs, who took\\npleasure in excursions to the Fort. The grounds for\\ndeep-sea swimming were around the lighthouse. It was\\nonly later, some time in the 40s, that a smooth and\\nbeautiful shell road was laid out, thus enabling thou-", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0360.jp2"}, "361": {"fulltext": "OLD LOUISIANA DAYS. 333\\nsands to reach in buggies the small fishermen s village\\nat the entrance of the bayou, once noted by old gourmets\\nfor its restaurants and hostelries.\\nA small tract of high ground, covered with latanier or\\nwild palm a certain indication, by the way, that the\\nsoil is not subject to annual immersions was to be\\nfound between the Canal Carondelet and the Bayou\\nRoad Ridge. That portion of it which now lies almost\\ncontiguous to Galvez street was denominated la terre\\naux lepreiix Leper s I/and because, under the\\nadministration of Galvez, this fell and malignant dis-\\nease had raged with violence. To stamp it out, or\\nrather to arrest its further progress, the patients had\\nbeen removed to this distant and solitary waste, and\\nwere secluded from all communication with the outer\\nworld. They were regularly supplied with provisions\\nand water, but no one was permitted, under the penalty\\nof perpetual seclusion, to approach any of these out-\\ncasts.\\nUnder the administration of Baron Carondelet, in\\n1794, the scheme of uniting New Orleans by means of\\na navigable canal with the Bayou St. John was first\\nconceived and partially carried out. The drainage\\ncanal, which had been extended from Bourbon street,\\nhad gradually been enlarged and prolonged through\\nthe cypress forest, connecting with one of the main\\narteries of the bayou. In the course of time, the re-\\nquirements of trade demanded that it should be\\nwidened and deepened so as to admit sailing vessels of\\ngreater tonnage, capable of undertaking voyages to\\nthe West Indies.\\nThus it was that, after the subsidence of the flood\\nfrom the crevasse at Macarty s Point, in 1816, a number\\nof African slaves were put to work in pumping out the", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0361.jp2"}, "362": {"fulltext": "334 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nwater from one compartment into the other. The whole\\nlength of the canal had to be divided and subdivided,\\nbefore it could be separated into sections bj^ piles and\\nstrong dams. Never was a severer task or more astonish-\\ning work ever imposed. Although the herciilean labor\\nof perforating the New Canal, which had been performed\\nby Irishmen, was attended by great sickness and\\nan incredible sacrifice of life, nothing of the kind oc-\\ncurred in the construction of the works done by slave\\nhands. There was no loss of life or health among\\nthem. On the contrarj^ the black people, all of whom\\nwere imported Africans, grew quite stout and lusty.\\nThey spoke nothing but their native language (Congo),\\nand seemed to know, as if by instinct, the utility\\nof the enterprise. Never was work performed with\\nmore cheerfulness and alacrity, for there were used no\\ndrivers, or whips, but plenty of rations, and occasionally\\na pull at the tafia jug. K filet, that is to saj^ a dram of\\nstrong liquor, was what the slaves cared for above\\nall things. In all other respects they were very sober.\\nTheir favorite beverage was a species of small beer, made\\nof Indian corn. In the extreme heat of the summer\\nsolstice, with only their cotton trousers on, bared breasts\\nand shoulders, protected from the sun by large straw\\nhats or tignons merely, they would delve into the midst\\nof our murky swamps, hewing out with pickaxes enor-\\nmous stumps, and spading and throwing up immense\\nclods of dirt without any apparent effort.\\nThey had no machinery, no steam contrivance to\\nassist them in these arduous labors. Even the driving\\nof the piles had to be done by hand. The carpenters\\nand educated mechanics were whites and mulattoes,\\nand thus was this huge undertaking carried out toward\\nthe main branch of the Bayou St. John. It may be", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0362.jp2"}, "363": {"fulltext": "OI.D I^OUISIANA DAYS. 335\\nsaid to have been the great initial step toward the\\ndrainage of the immense territory, known later as the\\nFaubourg Treme.\\nFrom the moment that large sea-going schooners\\nwere enabled to reach the city by this new conduit,\\nbusiness in the thriving little town located on the banks\\nof the bayou at once declined, and notwithstanding j\\nthat grounds had been laid out for building lots\\nand that streets had been regularly traced out, yet for\\na long time afterward this settlement or suburb of the\\ncity dropped into a lethargic sleep. A great many\\ndairies in successful operation are now to be seen. Its in-\\ndustry there consists in gardening, shingle and picket\\nmaking, and, I believe, in pottery works. As I have\\nalready said, this was the most ancient establishment,\\noutside of the city proper, since as some of its\\noldest buildings date as far back as the period of the\\nFrench occupation, and some of the titles to property,\\nif we mistake not, descend from grants of the earliest\\ncolonial settlers. Hereabouts, no doubt, was the spot\\nwhere the first explorers from Biloxi alighted from\\ntheir frail crafts, partook of their meals and stretched\\ntheir limbs under umbrageous oaks and magnolias\\nbefore undertaking their perilous march across the\\nwoods and swamps to the banks of the Mississippi.\\nThen it was that their eyes feasted on the aspect of the\\nmighty river, le fleuve St. Louis, as they called it, or\\nLe Mechacebe, enriched by forests and canebrakes alive\\nwith game, for, if the statement of one of Bienville s\\ncompanions is to be credited, wild turkeys settled on\\nthe tops of the trees and were so tame as to be caught\\nwith their hands.\\nBefore the period of American occupation, as we all\\nknow, there were no paved streets or even passable", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0363.jp2"}, "364": {"fulltext": "330 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nroads. Very often, during the rainy winter months, or\\nafter a succession of long, wet weather, communication\\nby land was no easy matter. The people were almost\\nshut out from the outer world. But in the course of\\ntime a transformation began to manifest itself, and,\\nunder the administrations of Pitot, Watkins and Girod,\\ndecided improvements were steadily inaugurated. Stage\\ncoaches an unheard-of innovation had been intro-\\nduced from the North, and in the few livery stables\\nscattered about the town, in addition to saddle horses,\\nsome odd conveyance, as an old country caleche, might\\noccasionally be secured. Whenever, however, these\\nconveniences failed to materialize, the traveler would\\navail himself of an ordinary market ox cart, when\\nbound to some country seat. Yet walking was the\\nsimpler way for short distances, and the one generally\\nin vogue. There was but one highway leading above\\nthe river, and this was the Tchoupitoulas road.\\nUnder the colonial reghne, the city being completely\\nsurrounded by a deep and wide moat, the only route\\nto the settlements above the city was through this\\nroad, the opening of which was guarded by a fort, es-\\ntablished on Canal street, near the levee. No one\\nfrom without could enter the city except through\\nfortified gates, situated at the apexes of the four angles\\nof the parallelogram, upon which the carre de la ville\\nwas built. Along this road, commencing about Delord\\nstreet, the upper extremity of the Faubourg Ste.\\nMarie, and extending toward the magnificent lyivau-\\ndais plantation, was a succession of beautifully located\\nvillas and agricultural establishments.\\nAll along Tchoupitoulas street there ran a low levee\\nplanted with willow trees, and during the season of\\nhigh water, when the batture which was then forming", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0364.jp2"}, "365": {"fulltext": "OLD LOUISIANA DAYS. 337\\nwas thoroughly immersed, the long Western keelboats\\nand barges, as well as the unseemly flatboats, or cha-\\nlayids, would make fast to these trees, and thence dis-\\ncharge their cargoes. Sometimes their contents were\\nretailed upon the pier. After the receding of the spring\\nand summer floods, those flatboats, of enormous con-\\nstruction, and unfit for a return voyage, would be left\\nhigh and dry upon the batture front, and then be broken\\nup for fuel and building purposes. The strong side\\npieces, or gunwales, were used in the suburbs as foot-\\npaths or side banquettes in lieu of our present brick-\\npaved sidewalks. Upon these wooden trails, as it were,\\npedestrians had to make their way through immense\\nvacant spaces, for there were but few buildings toward\\nthe rural precincts leading to the Livaudais plantation,\\nwhich constituted that portion of New Orleans which\\nnow forms the Fourth District.\\nAs already stated, on the way to that wealthy estate\\nthe river front was lined with a continuous series of\\ndelightful rural residences, surrounded with orange\\nhedges, orchards and well-tended gardens. Although\\nno staple crops were raised on these lands, the owners,\\nwith the assistance of a numerous retinue of African\\nslaves, derived a considerable income from theirdairies,\\ntheir orchards, gardens, timber and poultry. Sheep-\\nraising was also a source of traffic. All these branches\\nof industry and husbandry were exceedingly lucrative,\\nby reason of the close proximity of our market, where\\na steadily increasing population afforded a ready sale\\nfor these necessary commodities.\\nThe great Macarty crevasse, in the spring of 1816,\\nsubmerged the rear portions of the numerous planta-\\ntions existing between Carrolltou and the city proper.\\nThe I^ivaudais estate was one of the heaviest sufferers", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0365.jp2"}, "366": {"fulltext": "338 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nfrom this calamity. I borrow from the rough but valu-\\nable note-book of an old-time merchant of this city,\\nnow dead, his recollections of that event. He says:\\nWhen we reached the fine sugar estate of the late\\nFrangois L,ivaudais we were put in possession of the\\ndevastation which this inundation had wrought upon\\nthe greater part of ground under culture of this farm.\\nAll the lower or backward parts of the sugar lands had\\nbeen completely covered, and the planting of a crop of\\nseveral hundred hogsheads of sugar would not yield\\nthe tenth part of an ordinary crop.\\nSo it resulted; for it so happened that the com-\\nmercial house in whose employ I then was became in\\nthe fall of that year the purchaser of the entire crop ot\\nsugar, of very fine quality no doubt, but only giving\\ntwenty-eight hogsheads. Now this, for the moment,\\nwas no doubt a great misfortune for the owner, the\\nworthy Mr. Francois Livaudais, with whom, in after\\ntime, we had a much nearer acquaintance, and it was\\none of the causes why the splendid residence of his,\\ncommenced about that time and never finished, afforded\\neven unto these latter days the spectacle of an aban-\\ndoned castle, so much so that it went afterward by the\\nname of the Haunted House (near Washington\\navenue) but yet this very circumstance of the whole of\\nthe back part of the plantation area being covered by\\nthe Macarty crevasse waters finally turned out a most\\nbeneficial accident, in raising the same ground several\\nfeet by the remaining deposit or alluvial sediment of\\nthe Mississippi water. It was then that the value of\\nthis plantation became greatly enhanced on account of\\nits being high and dry land to its uttermost limits\\ntoward the woods, and when, some years after, a com-\\npany of speculators acquired by purchase a great part of", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0366.jp2"}, "367": {"fulltext": "OLD LOUISIANA DAYS. 339\\nthis estate, the now beautiful Garden District, or the\\nFourth, took its rise from this very circumstance of the\\noverflow.\\nWhile speaking of the settlements on the Bayou St.\\nJohn, I had occasion to refer to the residence of the\\nonce merchant prince and politician, Daniel Clark,\\nfather of the celebrated Mrs. Myra Gaines. It was situ-\\nated at the fork of two roads one leading directly to the\\nbayou, and the other to the Gentilly Road on the way\\nto the Chef Menteur. Near the site formerly occupied\\nby this mansion now stands the Bretonne market, some-\\ntimes called the Indian market, from the fact that it\\nwas once the bivouac of the vagrant Indians that\\nabounded in that vicinity. As far back as 1816, the\\ngrand old house was in a very good state of preserva-\\ntion but, being afterward turned over to negligent\\ntenants, it fell into complete ruin and gradually disap-\\npeared from view, having become the prey of covetous\\nneighbors, who removed every vestige of brick or lum-\\nber from the dilapidated concern.\\nAs it may be of interest to the reader to know how it\\nhappened that this historical relict of a past era was per-\\nmitted to fall into such a state of decay, a few words\\nconcerning the wealthy proprietor may not prove out of\\nplace.\\nIt is a well known fact that Daniel Clark was at one\\ntime the leading spirit of our city. I refer to the period\\nimmediately antedating the cession of 1803. Having\\nby his commercial connection with the large house of\\nCoxe Co., in Philadelphia, established an extensive\\ncredit under the Spanish government, of which he was\\na sort of under secretary, and become a special favorite\\nwith the authorities, his relations with Havana, Vera\\nCruz and other Hispano- American seaports enabled him", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0367.jp2"}, "368": {"fulltext": "340 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nto introduce into the territory not only the romnioJities\\nof those countries, but a large number also of African\\nlabor hands, known as bozales. These proved a valuable\\nacquisition to the planters of Louisiana. But as soon as\\nthe country was purchased by the United States, this\\nbranch of traffic was suppressed by the government.\\nThe check put upon this enormous source of wealth to\\nthe old colonists was an unexpected blow to Daniel\\nClark, inasmuch as there was every reason to presume\\nthat the same privilege which had been conceded to\\nSouth Carolina, Georgia and other States would have\\nbeen extended, until 1808, to Louisiana. Had this dou-\\nceur been allowed had not Congress, in order to recon-\\ncile the extreme Northern States to the acquisition of\\nthe new domain, lent a willing ear to their demand for\\nthe prohibition of negro importations into it, Clark\\nwould have had a chance of continuing his occupation\\nas a slave trader for a further period of five years. The\\nhalt produced by this determined resolve of Congress\\nbecame the cause of serious injury and annoyance to the\\nplanting interest, and hence a bitter opposition sprung\\nup against the policy of the Washington cabinet among\\nmany Louisianians.\\nDaniel Clark had been elected a delegate to Congress,\\nand from 1803 until 181 2 he became the head and front\\nof the opposition in Louisiana, and as such had more\\nthan one serious altercation with the State authorities.\\nHaving been originally a warm partisan of Jefferson\\nin his diplomatic efforts to secure by purchase the im-\\nmense tract of land embraced under the general name of\\nLouisiana, and having been also, in his capacit) of\\nAmerican Consul at New Orleans, an active co-laborer\\nin backing up the efforts of the administration in that\\ndirection, he no doubt felt himself slighted and", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0368.jp2"}, "369": {"fulltext": "OLD LOUISIANA DAYS. 34 1\\nneglected when he perceived that his influence was\\nunderrated, and that his advice and suggestions were not\\nheeded. Hence arose those acrid feelings which sprung\\nup between him and the Governor, and finally culmi-\\nnated into a hostile meeting on the field of honor.\\nWhen the war broke out in i8r2 the business of the\\nhouse of Coxe, Clark Co. had been transferred to a\\nnew firm. It was composed of Richard Relf, late\\ncashier of the Louisiana State Bank; Beverly Chew,\\nex-Collector of Customs, as active partners, and Daniel\\nClark as the partner in comniendani. This association\\nhaving made large advances to planters, now became a\\nheavy dead weight owing to the blockade of the mouth of\\nthe Mississippi by English cruisers, and was compelled\\nto suspend its payments, as was the case with the ma-\\njority of the commercial houses of New Orleans, as\\nwell as all of the existing banks. Under these circum-\\nstances Daniel Clark, who had the greater part of the\\ntime been absent and attending to his duties in Con-\\ngress, found his private affairs involved by the pecu-\\nniary difficulties of his commercial house. Although\\nhis means were ample and his fortune, which consisted\\nin slaves, plantations, improved real estate and vacant\\nlands, was quite considerable, yet such was the strin-\\ngency of our markets that he was unable to procure at\\ntimes even the necessary means to meet indispensable\\nobligations. This humiliating situation chafed his\\nspirit. Notwithstanding a very robust and active tem-\\nperament, age had made inroads upon his former vigor\\nand stalwart frame. Hence, when, after the erection\\nof Louisiana into a State, his functions as a Delegate\\nhad ceased, he resolved to return home and put his\\nprivate and commercial affairs in a proper train of\\nliquidation. Sickness and death overtook him in the", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0369.jp2"}, "370": {"fulltext": "342 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nmidst of his affliction. When this event took place, at\\nhis residence on the Bayou St. John road, many of his\\nold friends, such as Dussuau de la Croix, who had\\nsucceeded in the contract for enlarging Canal Caron-\\ndelet Messrs. Chew and Relf, close neighbors old\\nMr. Baron Boisfonlaine, Colonel Bellechasse and others\\nattended his bedside. A will was found in which\\nMessrs. Chew and Relf were named executors, and the\\nmother of the deceased was instituted sole heiress. After\\nthe lapse of several years another testament was dis-\\ncovered, in which the above named Dussuau dela Croix,\\nBaron Boisfontaine and Colonel Bellechasse were\\ndeclared executors, and his daughter, Myra, then living\\nwith her grandmother in Philadelphia, was recognized\\nas his sole heiress and possessor of his estate. I shall\\nnot enter into a history of the trouble which these two\\nwills occasioned, nor wallow into the scandals which\\nentertained the wondering public during the whole pe-\\nriod of the prolonged litigation that ensued. It is only\\nnecessary to say here that during its pendenc}- all of\\nhis property was neglected. The reader can well im-\\nagine how it was that such a fine building, with its\\nbeautifully laid gardens, orchards, flower partej-res,\\nkiosks, statues and fountains was permitted to crumble\\nto pieces. In the course of time it was rumored that\\nthe house was haunted, and that ghosts had been seen\\nstalking in the dead of night along its corridors, and\\nno respectable tenant could be found willing to occupy\\nthe premises. Such is the story of a building of which\\nno traces now remain!\\nPerhaps some of my readers may have noticed an an-\\ntiquated building some fifty years ago, standing inside of\\nthe yard midway from the corner of Ba5^ou Road and", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0370.jp2"}, "371": {"fulltext": "OLD LOUISIANA DAYS. 343\\nClaiborne avenue. This was the residence of the great\\nScotch philanthropist and millionaire, Alexander Milne,\\nafter whom was named the once thriving little village on\\nLake Pontchartrain. It was a singular looking build-\\ning, frequently mistaken for the abode of some colonial\\nSpanish governor. It was flanked on either side by what\\nseemed to be battlements made of solid granite and of\\nunhewn stones cemented with rock mortar. The enclos-\\nures, as well as the heavy massive doorways were com-\\nposed of the same durable materials. The gardens were\\nornamented by a great number of fine fruit trees, shrub-\\nbery and arbors, which it had required years to bring to\\nabsolute perfection. Converted in later years into an\\nasylum or hospital by a French charitable society, all\\ntraces of the peculiar architectural traits of this relic of\\ngenerations long gone by have been removed by inno-\\nvating hands, and naught now remains of its original\\nstructure and appearance, save its massive walls. The\\nwork of renovation has been complete. Alexander\\nMilne was a most remarkable man. He arrived here\\nin Louisiana some time during the period of Galvez\\nadministration, about 1776. Having outlived the old-\\nest inhabitant, although not his usefulness, he left be-\\nhind him few data upon which to construct an accurate\\nbiography. What his profession in the old country\\nmay have been was a riddle, but here in New Orleans,\\nin addition to the hardware business in which he was\\nengaged, he had devoted himself to the manufacture of\\ncountry bricks, and with the assistance of his negro\\nhands had amassed a colossal fortune. Whether in\\nthis enterprise he was assisted by the Spanish authori-\\nties, or not, is a matter of conjecture but he must cer-\\ntainly have been upon an intimate footing with them to\\nhave obtained the valuable and vast tracts which he left", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0371.jp2"}, "372": {"fulltext": "344 NEW ORLEANS AS IT WAS.\\nat the time of his death. These lay around the Gen-\\ntilly farms, without including those that fronted the\\nlake, from the present terminus of the railway up to\\nthe mouth of Bayou St. John, and even beyond, as old\\nmaps of the city indicate.\\nThis singular old man lived by himself in that old\\ncastellated home, without a single white person in his\\nemploy, in the midst of his slaves. He was eighty\\nyears of age at the time of his death. Contempo-\\nraries describe him as small in stature, with head hang-\\ning down, eyes always bent on the ground, oblivious of\\nstreet surroundings and dressed in the seedy vestments\\nof a beggar, for whom he was often mistaken by stran-\\ngers. He left at his death, besides a large number of\\nslaves, nearly a hundred thousand dollars in ready\\ncash, and property in every faubourg in the city. The\\nvillage of Milneburg, on the lake shore, was constructed\\non a part of his domain. He bequeathed in his will\\nthe bulk of his fortune to his native town in Scotland.\\nHis slaves were manumitted, and to prevent their prov-\\ning a burden upon themselves or the parish, he made\\nample provision for their future maintenance. He set\\napart, also, a portion of his fortune toward the erection\\nand support of a school and asylum for boys and girls,\\nbut his benevolent intentions were never carried into\\neffect, as the revenues were squandered by faithless and\\nrapacious stewards and intermediaries.", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0372.jp2"}, "373": {"fulltext": "OI^D I^OUISIANA DAYS. 345\\nL ENVOI,\\nAnd now my work is done. It remains for the pub-\\nlic to say whether I shall ever be induced to again make\\nmy bow before it. The theme I have selected is a pro-\\nlific one, and the materials for its proper treatment,\\nthough not easy of access, are still available. To use\\nthe words of our own Washington Irving, I must can-\\ndidly acknowledge that should my writings, with all\\ntheir imperfections, be received with favor, it will prove\\na source of the purest gratification, for though I do not\\naspire to those high honors which are the rewards of\\nloftier intellects, yet it is the dearest wish of my heart\\nto have a cozy, though humble, corner in the good\\nopinions and kind feelings of my countrymen. Va/e.", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0373.jp2"}, "374": {"fulltext": "", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0374.jp2"}, "375": {"fulltext": "NDEX\\nPage.\\nAntommarchi, Dr. F 74\\nAbril and Bayona 115\\nAbbe Louis 175\\nAgnew, Thomas..., 206\\nAllard, L 212\\nAugustin, Gen. D 249\\nBossier, Gen. Placide i\\nBouligny, Gustave 7\\nBaton Rouge Gazette 13\\nBurr, Aaron 21\\nBarracks, American 25\\nBarracks, French 319\\nBaratarians, The 40\\nBajon, Jerome 53\\nBlanque, Jean 60\\nBertin and Capdeville 121\\nBermudez, Judge Edward 121\\nBanks 150\\nBayou Sauvage 151, 327\\nBall Rooms 160\\nBeugnot, Dr 172\\nBoudousquie, Charles 194\\nBras Coupe, True Ac-\\ncount of 210\\nBooth, the Elder 226\\nBellechasse, J. Desgoutin\\n246, 287\\nBuisson, Gen. Be j 249\\nBermudez, Judge Joachim ..261\\nBeauregard, J. Toutant 263\\nBuchanan, Judge A. M 265\\nButler, Gen W. 265\\nBatture Case, the 274\\nBignej, M. F 2S0\\nBuildings 311\\nBajou Metairie 327\\nBayou St. John 327, 332, 333\\nClaiborne, Gov. W. C. C\u00e2\u0080\u0094\\n21, 44. 24S\\nPage.\\nCoulon, George 26\\nCanonge, Judge J. F....53, 57, 169\\nCambre, Antoine, his death. no\\nCaliste s wonderful escape....: 17\\nCrimes 13^\\nCathedral, the Old 143\\nCafe del Aguila 144\\nChurches 149\\nCustom House 150\\nCanal street 150\\nCanal Carondelet 151\\nCanal Marigny 151, 154,332\\nClark, Daniel 151, 287,339\\nCongo square 157, 159\\nCongo dances 15S, 297\\nCreoles, the 162, 178, 252\\nCaldwell, J P 202, 225, 251\\nCabarets 217\\nClaiborne, W. C. C, Jr 217\\nCelestin, a slave, fidelity of. .245\\nCuvellier, Gen 249\\nCanal, the new 254, 3126\\nCameron, Hon. Simon 257\\nGrossman, Mayor A. D 2!;9\\nClay monument, the 277\\nCat6 des Rt^fugies 302\\nChew, Beverly 307\\nCadet Moulon s bakery 310\\nCaro delet. Baron de 316\\nCrevasse of 1816 32^\\nChef Menteur 328\\nCity under Bienville 330\\nClark s house 339\\nDawson, Gon i\\nDufrocq, J. R n\\nDerbigny, Pierre 20, 24\\nDavezac, Auguste 45, 309\\nDoctor John, the vou-\\ndou 96\\nDoctor Alexander 99", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0375.jp2"}, "376": {"fulltext": "34 INDEX.\\nPage.\\nDelille and Adam (their\\ncrime) 105\\nDufour, Cyprien 115\\nDeschamps Dr., conviction 127\\nDelerj, Dr. Charles 135, 222\\nDucatel, Amedee 194\\nDeBuys, Gen. Wm 210, 249\\nDutillet, Captain 223\\nDesforges, the artist 225\\nDouce, Auguste 230\\nDorciere, Colonel 245\\nDuverne, J 246\\nD Aunoy, Major 250\\nDucros, Capt. Ed 250\\nDreux, Charles D 2S0\\nD Aunoy, Col. Fabre 287\\nDe Clouet, Chevalier 287\\nDesfarges, the pirate, hanged 308\\nDrainage of city 330\\nElam, Judge i\\nEllsler, Fanny 227\\nFire engines 23\\nFormento, Dr 77\\nFire department 13S\\nFrench market 146\\nForstall, C. E 194\\nFreret, Wm 202\\nFaubourgs, the\\n147. 154, iS5 156, 251\\nFleitas, Mr 211\\nFrench Craze, the 229\\nFortifications, City 316, 31S, 319\\nFort St. Charles 316\\nGrymes, Col. John R..4, 45, 308\\nGuillotte, Arthur 7\\nGanucheau, Edmond 7\\nGenois, Joseph 7, 9, 16S\\nGamblers and gambling.. 16, 141\\nGirod, Nicholas 19, 14S\\nGuenard, Ilortaire 26\\nGibson, John 134\\nGrima, F 194\\nGorham, Capt. Wm 194.\\nGauche, Taylor 208\\nGarcia, Francisco alias Rey..2i3\\nGaily, Major H 249\\nPage.\\nGiquel-Brooks affair 260\\nGravier, Jean 271, 322\\nGravier, Bertrand 275\\nGalveston, Lafitte in 308, 31a\\nGamble, alias Nez Coupe.. ..308\\nGovernor s residence 312\\nGovernment building 20, 312\\nHueston s duel i\\nHagan, Richard 9\\nHumbert, Gen 28, 304\\nHolland, John 56\\nHarper, William 136\\nHouses, how built ^52\\nHozey, Capt 185, 264\\nHoward, Frank 206\\nHotel de la Marine 302\\nHotel, Tremoulet 312\\nIncendiaries 17, 138\\nIberville parish 173\\nIndians, the 221, 328, 329\\nInsurrections of slaves 245\\nInquisition in Louisiana, the 283\\nIndigo culture, the 321\\nJackson, Gen. Andrew\\n21, 45j 141. 148\\nKing, W. H. C 207\\nLabranche, Alcee i\\nLewis, Gen. John L..9, 194, 249\\nLevee, Construction of 19\\nLighting of city 19\\nLivingston, Edward\\n70, 45, 166, 275\\nLouallier, Senator 49\\nLalaurte, Madame 53\\nLouis Philippe, King 67, 286.\\nLakanal, Joseph 60\\nLa Fayette, Gen 72\\nLafitte, the pirate\\n88, 151, 304, 309\\nLaveau, Marie, the voudou\\nqueen i, 97, 113\\nLeonard, f. m. c, Suicide of\\n114\\nLe Monier, Dr. Yves 147\\nLabertonniere, Miss Made-\\nlaine 175", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0376.jp2"}, "377": {"fulltext": "INDEX.\\n349\\nPaf?e.\\nLime Kiln Bayou 1S5\\nLuscy, Paul and Elmire 1S7\\nLafon, G., the engineer 194\\nLafayette Square 202\\nLegion, the 248\\nLevert, Mme. Octavie Wal-\\nton 280\\nLabor troubles 289\\nLabor question, the 307\\nLaporte, Lafitte s agent 312\\nLe veau qui tete 312\\nLepers land 333\\nLivaudais plantation 337\\nMoore, Judge John i\\nMcArdle, Col. W. S 9, 292\\nMontgomery, Alderman 19\\nMarigny, Bernard de\\n39, 252, 2S8\\nMazureau, Etienne 54\\nMoreau, Gen. Victor 63, 71\\nMarigny, Mandeville..67, 79, 2SS\\nMaurian, Judge 77\\nMariquita 80\\nMazerat, Capt. Eugene\\n99, 106, 259\\nMassacre of Italians 132\\nMaspero s Exchange 148\\nMarchandes, The 193\\nMontegut, Edgar 168, 194\\nMaxent, Col 242\\nMcCaleb, Judge Theodore. ...279\\nMiro, Gov. Estevan 2S6, 315\\nMarigny, Philip de 287\\nMcDonogh, John 296\\nMarin Hotel de la 303\\nMichoud s Plantation 326\\nMilne s House 342\\nMilne, Alexander 243\\nNew Orleans under Bienville\\n(17-20 320\\nNew Orleans destroyed by\\nfire fi788) 23S\\nNew Orleans on fire (1794). .310\\nNew Orleans (in 1828) 142\\nNapoleon s intended resi-\\ndence 1 48\\nNunneries 149\\nNogues, Pierre 230\\nrage.\\nNunez, Don Vicente Jose 238\\nOld Man of the Cathedral 83\\nOrphan Asylums 151\\nOrleans College 217\\nPaving, first city 19\\nPontalba, Baron de 21\\nPorter, Judge Alexander. .34, 277\\nPetit Gouave 39\\nPreval, Judge Gallien 57, 261\\nPrieur, Denis\\n78, 104, 135, 214, 216\\nParish Prison 103\\nPauline, a slave, hanging of\\n104, 167\\nPeychaud, A 131;\\nPolice, the 13S, 163, 218, 258\\nPere Antoine 144, 165, 2S2\\nPontalba buildings 144, 311\\nPrison, old Spanish 147.\\nPlantation life 177\\nPirates iSS, 201\\nPitot, Armand 194\\nPeters, Sam. J 202, 251\\nPowers, Hiram 207\\nPrentiss, S. S 268\\nPoydras, Julien 287\\nPendergast, J. C 291\\nPosts, trading 313\\nPitot, James 317\\nRogers. George K i\\nRofiignac, L. P 14, 231\\nRiver front 145\\nReybaud, Commodore 194\\nRunaway slaves 213, 216\\nRouquette, Abbe Adrien 222\\nRouquette, Dominique 279\\nRaquettes, the game of.... 298\\nRiver boats 314, 337\\nSlidell, John i\\nStone, Dr. Warren 11\\nSt. Mary s Banner i2\\nState house 25\\nSchool, Central 22\\nSanti Petri 24\\nSeuzeneau, Pierre 40", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0377.jp2"}, "378": {"fulltext": "350\\nINDKX.\\nSt. Geme, Major 45, 72\\nSpanish dungeons 103\\nStreets, the 152, 155, 33s\\nSmith, Gen. Persifor F 185\\nSham battles 249\\nSlave trade, the 296\\nSt. Domingo retugees 300\\nSauvinet 307\\nSwamp, the dismal 323\\nShell road, the new 325\\nTrees, first planting of 19\\nThiot, le Pere 39\\nTurpin s cabaret 40, 303\\nTouzac, Chevalier de 49\\nTheatres, the 150,224, 302\\nThacker, Captain 186\\nTaylor, Gen. Z 265\\nTwiggs, Colonel 292\\nTremoulet House, the 312\\nPage.\\nUrsulines convent, old 24\\nUrsulines chapel, old 24\\nVoudous, the loi\\nVigni(5, Captain 250\\nVernon, Dr 291\\nVillas, country 318\\nWhite, Gov. E. D i\\nWilkinson, Gen. James 21\\nWickliffe, Gov. Robr. C 112\\nWagner, Peter K 134\\nWeed, Charles A 206\\nWatkins, Mayor John 244\\nWinters, Capt. J. L 259\\nYou, Capt. Dominick\\n87, 148* 307\\nYouennes, Capt. John 259\\nZacharie, the bank cashier.... 151", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0378.jp2"}, "379": {"fulltext": "", "height": "2942", "width": "1661", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0379.jp2"}, "380": {"fulltext": "", "height": "2869", "width": "1814", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0380.jp2"}, "381": {"fulltext": "", "height": "2900", "width": "1851", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0381.jp2"}, "382": {"fulltext": "", "height": "2964", "width": "1845", "jp2-path": "neworleansasitwa00cast_0382.jp2"}}