Iberia County Louisiana Archives Obituaries.....Bessan, Achilles - March 10, 1899
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Mary K. Creamer marykcreamer@yahoo.com March 8, 2017, 11:58 pm



source: New Iberia Enterprise. (New Iberia, La.) 1885-1902, March 11, 1899, Image 3

The venerable and esteemed Mr. Achilles Bessan died at his home in this place, 
on Friday morning, aged 64 years. He had successively served the town in the 
capacity of chief police officer and councilman and in many other ways had 
been a good and useful citizen. His funeral took place to-day from the 
Catholic church, attended by sorrowing friends and relatives. This is the 
third death in the family within a brief space, and the community unites in 
extending to the surviving members heartfelt sympathy.




source: New Iberia Enterprise. (New Iberia, La.) 1885-1902, March 18, 1899, Image 2

To the Memory of a Departed Friend.

Another of New Iberia's old land marks has passed out of view, in the person of our
old friend, Achilles Bessan, who died at his home on the morning of the 10th of
March, 1899, at 5 o'clock, at the age of 65 years, and was buried on the following
day, at 10 o'clock.

The death of our long made firend recalls many memories of my youthful days, when
life was sweeter than it is now. I recollect well his first advent to our little town,
nearly 50 years ago. It was, I think, in the year 1851, that he came to New Iberia, with
his brother-in-law, Pierre Susan, who was the successor in the hotel business of J. D.
Swaim. The old hotel occupied a central position in the Duperier block, and with the
exception of the old frame building that was caticornered to the Main street, and occupied
by John DeValcourt, (long since gone to his fathers) as a dry goods store and in which the
post office was located, there was no other.

The hotel building was the only one on the square with a large open yard in front with a
corridore of orange trees, leading to the old hotel. In 1852, we had a heavy fall of snow,
the first the writer had ever seen; our then young and new made friend, full of life and
youthful vigor, and as active as an athlete, rolled an immense snow ball until it was fully
five feet in diameter, to the great amusement and delight of his newly made chums. The ball
remained for several weeks before it melted down.

We merely refer to the childish play as a reminiscence of the past happy days of boyhood, when
the future seemed to be painted in all the glowing colors of a fair promise - yes, it was in the
heyday of my youth, that I first met our departed friend.

"Lolo," as he was familiarly known, was a native of Lafayette. He was twice married. His first
wife was Eleonore Etie, widow of Oliver Swaim, whom he married in 1860, and from which marriage
three children were born to him - two sons and one daughter - two of whom are still living, and
the other has gone to the other shore.

The year after his marriage the war began and like all young men of that time, he had to play
his part in defence of his State and people. I will cite one instance which occurred during
that terriblewar, between the States. On one eventful evening, in 1864, he and my older brother
happened to be home and a courrier passed through town with the mail for headquarters, in which
there was a New Orleans paper that had come through the federal lines that day. As the courrier
had to change horses at the stand, they took advantage of the time, unfolded the newspaper, and
read the war news, little thinking that there was a spy looking over their shoulders.

The next day they were arrested and dragged to a camp in the piney woods, where Colonels Bringier's
and Vincent's commands were stationed; there imprisoned and guarded by a squad of cavalry. They were
fed on corn bread and sassafras tea, and for a change, they were given parched corn and sweet bay tea;
they both became very sick and had to be taken from the camp to better quarters, for if left where
they were, both would have died.

During their detention, friends were at work, using every influence they could bring to bear; finally,
after a good deal of pleading and financial greasing, in the shape of $20 gold pieces that my poor mother
had earned by the sweat of her brown to grease cormorants and blood suckers that were in and out of the
army for gain, they were released. These brave patriots would not accept the money of the poor dying
confederacy, that they were fighting for, but the filthy lucre had to be paid in gold. Had they not been
released, they would have been courtmarchaled and with Bringier to attend to their case they might have
passed "le bout du pain."

The war ended and all returned to home. Our friend re-entered business and prospered until the year 1867,
when the evil bird of contagion beat its wings and let fly its poisonous germ over a panic-stricken people;
when to evade the scourge, my bother and his family and "Lolo" and his wife and three children, hurriedly
left the town to escape the pestilence; but he did not know what sad affliction awaited him at the lonely
place of refuge. His wife took the fever and died leaving him sad and broken-hearted, with three small
children, who knew not what they had lost. During his widowhood, he intrusted his business to strangers,
who soon fleeced him of all he had, or crippled him so that he never regained his business prosperity.
"There is a tide in the fortune of men which taken at the flood, leads on to fortune; omitted, all the
voyage of their life is bound in shallows and in miseries."

"About the year 1869, he married his second wife, Elina LeBlanc, widow of Arthur Darby, from which marriage
seven children were born to them - three boys and four girls - five of whom still live to mourn the loss of
a devoted father.

Poor "Lolo" was sorely tried of late.

On the 24th of September last, his young son, Servat Bessan, gave up his promising life to his Redeemer.
It was a sad separation of father and son, as he was the pride of the household, and O. how he has been
sorely missed by those who loved him. A few months later, his young daughter, Regina, who had but a short
time before worn the wreath of a bride, was suddenly called up higher. The bereavement was more than this
weak frame could stand. These afflictions seemed to come out of the clouds without warning and broke his
poor heart. From that time on his life faded away like a sere and yellow leaf. "O, life! with its illusive
joys, of its deceptions, its griefs, and its sorrows;" make the weary traveler of 65 years, who has seen
the cold side of life, wish to lay down and rest, and at the last echo of the sundown bell, say, peace be still.

Whom the Lord loveth, He chastiseth; no suffering, no merit; no battle, no victory; no cross, no crown.
I saw him, some time since in humble prayer, appealing to his God and Master to forgive him of the many
foibles of life. He, no doubt realized that Christian truth, which holds forth the only hope of safety;
those childhood memories that rise up and assert its first lessons, received at the mother's knee, to
love and fear God, and keep His commandments. The last benevolent act that I assisted him in was preparing
the body of our good friend Seraphin Boudreaux, for burial, who died on the 2d of October last. He little
thought then that his time was so near.

His life's work is done; his mission on earth is ended. May he meet those he loved that had gone before,
and sing canticles of earthly praise, admiration and gratitude, and have realized by now that behind the
distant clouds is God's magnificent sunburst.

"Shall Jesus bear the cross alone, and all the 
the world go free?

No, there's a cross for everyone,
and there's a cross for me."

Give him, O Lord, eternal rest, and let perpetual light shine unto him, May he rest in peace. 

Amen. Wm. R. Burke.



Additional Comments: NOTE: www.findagrave.com memorial  # 177115579






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