Southwest Louisiana Biographical & Historical by William Henry Perrin St. Martin Parish Chapter on History Chapter III File prepared by Jan Craven ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ************************************************ The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. Page 67 PARISH OF ST. MARTIN-INTRODUCTORY AND DESCRIPTIVE-EARLY HI8TORY-ITS TERRITORY LOPPED OFF To FORM OTHER CIVIL DIVISIONS-THE CIVIL WAR-SOLDIERS OF ST. MARTIN-DARK DAYS OF RECONSTRUCTION-CROP STATISTICS-RESOURCES, ETC.-PARISH GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS FROM 1811 TO 1861-CALAMITIES THAT VISITED THE TOWN- MANUFACTURING STATISTICS-FIRE DEPARTMENT-STORES, ETC.-CATHOLIC CHURCH-THE STORY OF EVANGELINE-PIONEER BAR OF ST. MARTIN-SOME PROMINENT LAWYERS-BREAUX BRIDGE. "-Non loin de la, au sud, les villages de St. Maur et St. Martin, sont situes; sur les rives du Teche. Le pays est admirable avec ses prairies ses forets d'aibor fruitiers ceux qui l'habitent Pont nomme l'Eden de lit Louisiane, avec son tapis de verdure emaiiie de fleurs, et son ciel des plus azures qui s'incline, et dont le dome s'appuie sur les murailles des forets.- Longfellow's Evangeline. IMMEDIATELY after the cession of Louisiana to the United States, it was organized as the Territory of Orleans. The population of the Attakapas district amounted then to 7369 souls. Numerous farms were in successful operation, and its pasturage grounds were covered with immense vacheries, constituting the wealth of most of the inhabitants, and abundant crops of cotton, corn, rice and tobacco were raised yearly and shipped to the New Orleans market. Stock and cattle raising had been eminently successful, and countless droves of cattle stocked the city market ever year, and were sold at high prices. The money market was easy, and it may truly be said that these were the halcyon days of the Attakapas region. In 1824 the territory of the parish of St. Martin was again curtailed by the formation of the parish of Lafayette. This division did not, however, check its prosperous career, as its wealth and population were now increasing rapidly. In the year 1844 the parish of Vermilion was formed, and again the parish of St. Martin was deprived of a large and valuable part of its territory. Notwithstanding the successive curtailments of its domain, the parish of St. Martin, now thickly peopled, held a distinguished rank among the richest par- ishes of the State. The banks of the Teche were embellished with the elegant residences of its planters, whose large estates yielded enormous and most valuable crops of sugar and cotton. Magnificent boats ploughed its water courses and an easy means of communication was now opened with the City of New Orleans. The value of the lands had increased tenfold. Such was the pros- perous condition of the parish in 1861 when. the great civil war broke out. The Page 68 citizens of the parish displayed a patriotism worthy of their ancestry, and flocked to the standards of the Confederate army. One of the first companies organized in the South left this parish early in June, i861, for the seat of war in Virginia, under the command of Captain Alcibiades DeBlanc, and was incorporated in the Eighth Louisiana Regiment as Company C. Its captain was subsequently promoted to the colonelcy of reg- iment for meritorious service on the battle field. That company took part in all the bloody battles that were fought in Virginia under the leadership of Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee. Another company, incorporated in the battalion of the Orleans Guards, won great distinction in a memorable charge at the battle of Shiloh. led by First Lieut. Alfred Voorhies--others enlisted in the Eighteenth and Twenty-sixth Louisiana regiments. The former was commanded by Col. Alfred Mouton, who was prornoted to Brigadier General for his bravery at the battle of Shiloh, and who was killed at the battle of Mansfield, won by his superior generalship. The Yellow jackets, Valsin A. Fournet, colonel, and Dupeire's battalion of cavalry, Maj. St. Leon Dupeire commanding, were also organized in the parish. During the four long years that the civil war was lasted, the lands remaine untilled, and the destruction of property in the parish by the enemy was simply appalling. The war closed, and the gallant Confederate soldiers returned only to witness the desolation of their homes, with ruin and poverty staring them in the face. The dark days of reconstruction added their gloom to this already gloomy state of affairs, and in 1868, St. Martin was again deprived of a part of its territory by the formation of the parish of Iberia. Crop Statistics and Resources.-The people of the parish of St. Martin were not disheartened by these many reverses and misfortunes, and displayed a remarkable energy under the trying circumstances. Men who had led the easy life of the gentleman before the war became tillers of the soil. New industries sprang up, and by degrees the parish became once more prosperous and wealthy. Its vast territory of yore has dwindled to the proportions of those of a small parish, and yet its population now numbers 18,381 souls- Its total area is 448,000 acres, 183,000 of which were cultivated as follows, in 1890, to-wit: In cane, 6000; in cotton, 30,000; in corn, 55,000; in rice, 700; in oats, 500; in hay, 9000; in sweet potatoes, 6000; in Irish potatoes, 1000. The yield has been: sugar, 7,000,000; pounds; molasses, 168,000 gallons; cotton, 14,000 bales ; corn, 500,000 bushels ; hay 20,000 bales; sweet potatoes, 250,000 bar- rels; Irish potatoes, 6000 bushels; rice, 30,000 barrels. Its commerce in eggs and poultry is also important. Seventy-five thousand acres of its tillable lands remained uncultivated in 1890, whilst, its 264,800 of swamp lands, out of which thousands of trees were floated, have produced an enormous revenue to their owners. Page 69 The parish of St. Martin is one of the alluvial parishes of the State, being situated in the Atchafalaya basin. The lands on the banks of the rivers and bayous are generally high lands that slope gently toward the back lands, which are several feet lower. The soil is of unsurpassed fertility, and its timbered lands are classed among the most valuable of the State. The Teche runs through the parish from north to south. It takes its source near the Courtableau, in the parish of St. Landry, and is the main channel through which the products of the land are shipped to the New Orleans market. It is navigable the year round to St. Martinsville, and during the high stage of the waters is navigable for small boats as far up as Leonville, sixty miles further up. Its banks average from sixteen to twenty feet above low water mark, but are not steep or precipitous, sloping gently to the water's edge. Stately oaks and graceful magnolias line its bank, and the green foliage and snowy blossoms of the latter add their freshness to the beauty of its scenery and landscapes. Although quite narrow at St. Martinsville, its width not exceeding eighty feet when low, it widens by degrees until it becomes a noble stream from Franklin to Pattersonville, where it loses itself in the Atchafalaya River. The parish is washed on the east by a chain of lakes, some of which by their size and depth are small inland seas. Parish Government.-The parish of St. Martin is administered by a Police Jury composed of one member from each one of its five wards, and which is a political corporation with powers clearly defined by the Legislature. The or- dinances are enforced by the courts when they do not clash with the provisions of the State laws. Their police powers are extensive. The raising of the parish tax is a part of their attributes and duties, but the collection of the tax is made by the sheriff, who is ex officio the State tax collector. When the tax is collected the amount is turned over to the parish for disbursement under the orders of the Police Jury. Police jurors receive as emoluments of office $5 a day, besides mileage, whilst they are holding their sessions. Police juries throughout the State are constituted boards of revision to revise and correct the assessment lists of State parish assessors. Public Schools.-Our system of public schools, remarkable for its simplicity, has given an impetus to education in Louisiana which has been productive of the best results. There is a marked amelioration in the organization of our schools and in the manner of conducting them. The selection of teachers has been most happy, and the school facilities afforded to the people for the diffusion of knowledge among them and for the enlightenment and cultivation of their minds are greater now than they have ever been in the State. The State Board of Education is composed of the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, the Secretary of State, the Attorney General, the State Superintend- ent of Public Education, and two citizens of the United States who have resided two years in the State. The Governor appoints the two citizens. Thus constituted, Page 70 the State School Board is a practical corporation possessing all the rights, prerogatives and powers which are the attributes of such corporations. It makes all needful rules and regulations for the government of free public schools, and for the examination and employment of teachers. It selects, chooses and recommends series of text books and apparatus, which shall be used in the schools. It prescribes forms for all statistical reports of any kind required of officers connected with the administration of the free public schools; appoints parish School Boards, to be composed of five and not more than nine members. The parish School Boards are political corporations, with the right of select- ing their own presidents, and to appoint parish school superintendents, which are ex offcio secretaries of the boards. Their duty is to divide the parishes into school districts, and to apportion the school funds among the several districts in proportion to the number of children between the ages of six and eighteen years. To require from each member a quarterly report to the board of the actual condition, prospects and needs of the schools of the ward in which he resides. To appoint committees to examine personally all candidates for teacherships in the schools. To provide school houses, furniture and apparatus for the schools. To adjust and fix the salaries of teachers. To dismiss any pupils from the free public schools for gross immorality, or persistent violation of the regulations of the school. To appoint all the teachers of the public schools, and lastly to wake to the State a yearly report containing a full and complete statement of the condition of the schools, and the number of pupils in attendance during the year. The general exercises in the public schools are conducted in the English language, and also the elementary branches taught therein. The school fund consists of (1) an annual poll tax of one dollar per capita upon every male inhabitant in the State over twenty-one years. (2) The interest on the proceeds of all public lands heretofore granted by the United States for school purposes or (3) which may be granted, bequeathed or donated hereafter for that purpose. (4) All funds or property other than unimproved lands bequeathed or granted to the State, not designated for other purposes. (5) The proceeds of vacant estates falling under the law to the State of Louisiana. (6) A certain amount set apart from the amount of State taxes collected; besides (7) a certain amount set apart from the amount of parish taxes collected. The number of schools in the parish is as follows: white schools, twelve; colored schools, twelve. There are no mixed schools in the parish. St. Martinsville from 1811 to 1861.--St. Martinsville, the seat of justice, had followed in the wake of the prosperity of the parish. From the obscure Poste des Attakapas it had grown to be a town of some importance in 1811. Its population increased steadily until the year 1843, when it was incorporated. Its situation at the head of navigation on the Teche, made it the commercial mart, not Page 71 only of the parish, but also of the adjoining parishes, which then did not possess the railroad facilities of to-day. The refinement of its people, their politeness and sociability, had won for it the name of "Le petit Paris," by which it was known throughout the State. It possessed a branch of the Louisiana State Bank, and had the neatness of a town and the appearance of a city. Hither the best creole families of the State re- paired every year, attracted by the gaieties of the place. Here also the artists of the New Orleans French Opera spent their vacations, regaling their audiences with selections from the best operas, and delighting them with the performance of the witty comedies of the French Repertoire. It was, in those times, a fashionable summer resort, and during the entire season there was a succession of amusements, the equal of which are seen only in great cities. Its prosperous condition, the great commercial advantages of its situation, every thing, seemed to point to a bright future for the rising city, but these promises soon vanished, and its prosperous career was checked and its com- merce crippled by a series of disasters which brought it to the very brink of ruin and of desolation. In 1855 it was visited by a yellow fever epidemic which decimated its population. The gloom of this calamity was scarcely being dispelled when a most disastrous fire swept away the entire business portion of the town. To complete the horror of the scene, fourteen persons perished miserably in the flames. The year following, on the 10th of August, a hurricane of untold violence destroyed the crops of the parish and scattered ruin and desolation in its path. Shortly afterward the civil war broke out. Alternately occupied by Federal and Confederate troops, during that eventful period its commerce was completely paralyzed. The bridge that spanned the Teche was burnt down by the Federal soldiers and the wanton destruction of the property of its inhabitants was the finishing blow to its prosperity. Since the war it has recovered slowly from these successive calamities. Although its growth has not been as rapid as that of the neighboring towns, it has progressed steadily and has more than doubled in size and population. Its commerce is increasing, and the branch road of the Southern Pacific, which taps the Teche, has made it the shipping point of all the freight of the parish. Its population now numbers 2000 souls. Besides the court house and other public buildings, there are in the town a public market, two private markets, seventy-eight stores, and two drug, stores. Its lodge of Knights of Honor is prosperous, and there are besides two colored benevolent associations. Its high school house is a substantial two storv-building with a large attendance of pupils. The convent of the Sisters of Mercy has an attendance of over three hundred children and bids fair to become one of the most important educational institutions of the State. Vigilance Committees.-Perhaps the most remarkable event that occurred Page 72 in ante-bellum days, in the Teche region, was the uprising of the people, their organization as vigilance committees, and the absolute power exercised by them over the district during six months, despite the interference of the Governor of the State, whose proclamation they heeded not, and whose orders they spurned. The causes which led to that revolution must have been grave ones indeed. A people will not resort to measures so extreme as to subvert the State government, and to constitute themselves a sovereign power with judicial and executive prerogatives, unless driven to this rash act by reasons of the most weighty nature. Without discussing those reasons, we will now attempt to chronicle the occurrences of that revolution, occurrences with a part of which we are familiar, having been an eye witness of their happening in those days of trouble and of turmoil. The following pages will contain the dark side of the picture that we have drawn of the Teche region. The rapid increase of the population in the Teche region was due, in a great measure, to an active immigration from the other States of the Union, as well as from the old European countries, principally France, Spain and Ger- many. These emigrants were mostly poor, but as a general rule they proved a valuable accession to the population, being either good mechanics or hard working and honest laborers. As much, however, can not be said of all these emigrants. Some of these new comers, socialists of the worst type, had brought along with them, across the Atlantic, those pernicious theories and principles which rendered their living impossible in the mother country. Having ingrati- ated themselves with the poor and ignorant element of the population, they were soon at work, inculcating in the minds of those people the beauties and advantages of socialism, the main principle of which is the elimination of the mine-and thine from the vocabulary of morality, and the substitution of the word ours in lieu thereof. Among the poor and ignorant class were men who bore the name of the most respected and withal respectable families of the State; but their hearts were demoralized by the withering influence of poverty and want, and they lent but too willing an ear to these poisonous theories. The bad instincts of their hearts were roused, They were singularly taken up with the principle that all things should be held in common. The diffusion of this pernicious doctrine among them produced the most disastrous effects. They began to look with distrust and jealousy on their more wealthy neighbors. They familiarized them- selves, by degrees, to the idea that they were justified in taking their neighbor's property, provided they could avoid detection. Between so flattering a theory and the carrying it out, there is but a step, an imaginary line. This line was soon obliterated. Small marauding parties were formed-the thieving was carried out on a small scale at first-a few cattle were stolen at night and either slain or sold to parties Page 73 residing in the neighboring parishes. But, as the marauders grew bolder by success, the thefts and robberies increased rapidly in number and magnitude. Other marauding parties were formed, their membership increased steadily, until by consolidating themselves together, they created an organization, whose ramifications extended over the whole Attakapas region. It was, in fact, a military organization, with its grand chief and subordinate officers. Thus equipped and disciplined, the marauders became more daring and aggressive. Although they prowled at night like wolves, sweeping the Attakapas prairies, they took no measures to avoid detection-whole herds of cattle were corralled, and driven to the market in broad daylight. The people of the district became alarmed at this state of affairs. The law had become powerless to check the evil, and things had assumed a most threat- ening aspect. Marauders detected in the act, and prosecuted criminally, had been acquitted by the jury, although the evidence of their guilt had been established beyond peradventure. The following anecdotes are illustrative of the situation in the district at that period: A planter came suddenly upon a thief, a neighbor of his, who had slain a cow, and who was in the act of carrying away the meat. This is my cow. " said the planter, I shall prosecute you for larceny." "Pshaw " said the thief, "you are too intelligent to do that." "Too intelligent! Why, do you mean to say this is not my cow?" "It may have been once," answered the neighbor, "but it is mine now." "What," said the planter, "this is your cow?" "Certainly it is; you have sold her to me, and I have paid you the price, in the presence of witnesses." "Monstrous! Your witnesses will swear to a lie! You know that this cow belongs to me! I will prosecute all the same:" "Do just as you please," said the neighbor, shrugging his shoulders, as lie went away with the meat. He was prosecuted, but true to his word, he produced in court seven witnesses, who swore that he had purchased the cow and had paid the price in their presence. He was acquitted. The favorite cow of a planter missing one morning, he walked over the prairie surrounding his farm, in quest of her. Having gone as far as a little store kept by a Frenchman on the highway four or five miles distant from his plantation, to his great surprise he found the hide of the cow, freshly skinned hanging on the fence. "Where did you get that hide?" said he to the merchant, "I have just bought it." "From whom? It is the hide of my cow that was stolen last night." "Had you come a little sooner, you would have seen yourself the person who sold it to me; he has just left, but I can not give his name." Page 74 Be careful," said the planter. "The hide is in your possession. This is a pretty strong presumption that you have stolen that cow; the more so that you refuse to give the name of him that sold the hide to you." "I can not give his name," repeated the merchant. "Very well," said the planter, "the grand jury will investigate this matter." The Frenchman was indicted for larceny. He was warned by his attorney to disclose the name of the thief, to avoid being convicted. He stubbornly refused to speak. The case was tried, the evidence was direct and conclusive and yet lie was acquitted. During the whole trial he had shown no nervousness: and his acquittal seemed to be no matter of surprise to him. Being asked by his counsel to explain how the jury could have rendered such a verdict, lie smiled and said: "I can speak now, although I will give no names. The man that sold me the hide was on that jury, and there was, besides him, five others who belong to this gang. I was sure of an acquittal. Had I given his name, my store would now be a mass of ashes, and I would probably be dead. I thought it more prudent to take my chances." These two anecdotes, well authenticated, serve to show the exact state of affairs in the Teche region in 1859. The courts, although presided over by honest and able judges, were powerless to reach the violators of the law, pro- tected as they were by perjured witnesses and corrupt jurors, and crime, parading its ugliness in broad daylight, went unwhipped of justice. The people, to their great dismay, had found that they were encompassed by an organization composed of bandits of the worst type, extending over the five Attakapas parishes, and having affiliations even in the ranks of the best society. This state of affairs demanded immediate and energetic action-unless checked, this growing evil might pervade the whole body, politic and social, and be productive of the most disastrous results. In this emergency the people did not hesitate, but rose in a body for self-protection, as well as to wage a merciless war upon the bandits who had thrown the gauntlet to society. They decided that henceforth no violator should be subjected to the judicial farce of a criminal trial before the State courts, but that these trials should be carried before the tribunals of the sovereign people. A code of laws, as short and almost as severe as the Draconean code, was adopted. Its provisions were easy of interpretation, and the penalties provided for, of easy application. The lash! Exile! The rope! The people had now organized as vigilance committees, to carry out their plan, and issued the following proclamation, in which their objects and purposes are concisely and clearly set forth. We translate from the original documents in our possession PROCLAMATION: Fellow Citizens! Having organized ourselves as vigilance committees, that is, having constituted ourselves as a tribunal, entirely independent of the other Page 75 tribunals created by the law, we owe it to ourselves, as well as to you, to give the reasons that have driven us into the revolutionary movement that we have inaugurated. We address ourselves to the honest people of the State, our peers in integrity, and who, like us, bow in sweet reverence to the laws enacted for the protection of society. We would blush to give any explanation either to the bandits who infest this district or to their friends and accomplices. We incline ourselves before that justice-that saintly justice that shields the innocent and strikes the guilty; we look in her face without fear, fellow citizens, because we have violated none of those duties that society imposes on its members. This being premised, we veil her statue so often insulted and spat upon by the bandits, and we say to those, who, like us, have at heart the prosperity of their native State: Fellow citizens, we have been subjected to a system of rapine and plunder without parallel in the history of this country ; our property is destroyed daily and hourly; our houses are burglarized and rifled of their contents; crime has its army in our midst, with its generals, officers and soldiers. We will tell you bluntly how it is that crime holds its high carnival in our midst. The jury has failed most miserably in its mission. It has been guilty in the face of God and of society of the abominable crime of perjury-for when jurors acquit those whose guilt is established beyond peradventure they commit the crime of perjury, and place themselves on a level with those they have acquitted. Is it not to your knowledge, fellow citizens, that such verdicts are of daily occurrence in our courts of justice? If this criminal indulgence of the jury had no other effect than that of saving a few miscreants from the penitentiary, we would qualify it merely as a weakness without a name. But verdicts rendered contrary to the most convincing evidence find an echo in the hearts of the corrupt people of the district; the acquittal of a bandit is a premium for the encouragement of vice, and opens a new field for the perpetration of crime. " He that sows the wind shall reap the whirlwind," says the Scripture. Our district is all eloquent proof of this. As soon as the law became powerless for the repression of crime, what have we seen? The boldest robberies committed at night; in the daytime, everywhere and at all times. We have seen the assassin and the incendiary following in the footsteps of the thief and of the robber; we pestilential stench to the very core of society. Do we exaggerate, fellow citizens? The bandits have a numerous and intelligent army, with chieftains, shrouded in the dark, but issuing orders that are obeyed without hesitation by the soldiers. It is a mixing of whites and blacks, a confused mass of thieves and assassins, standing shoulder to shoulder in their programme of rapine, of plunder and of incendiarism, each one concurring to the ultimate success of the organization-crops, cattle, everything in fact that constitutes the riches and welfare of our laborious population is exposed to the depredations of these bandits. Page 76 In this cruel emergency were we to await supinely for the action of the courts to check this growing evil, when every one knows that our courts are powerless to protect us with jurors who acquit the worst criminals, although there be superabundance of proof of their guilt? No! We have banded together for self-protection, and the law of self-protection is supreme -and armed henceforth with the sword of justice, we have organized temporarily as a tribunal for the trial of bandits and of violators of the law. We have called ourselves vigilance committees, and our programme contains but one word: chastisement. The lash and the rope shall be our arms-both terrible and dishonorable chastisements. Our organization is that of honesty against dis- honesty, of society against crime, and we fear neither the censure of men nor the wrath of our enemies. Now, fellow citizens, if you still hope to save from rapine and plunder that which you have earned by your labor, if you wish to restore our corrupt society to a healthy standard by branding with the infamy of exile or of the lash the men whose presence in our midst is an insult to public morality and a danger to our families, follow our example; fellow citizens, join us in our holy crusade against vice and immorality, against rapine and incendiarism, and let us, with the lash, print on the back of those wretches a catalogue of their crimes. March 26, 1859. BY THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. The effect produced by the issuance of this proclamation was immense, and it created a stir in the whole State. The action of these men was discussed by the whole press, which went wild on the question. The vigilants found warm supporters in the city press and to a large extent in the country press, but heeding neither friends nor foes they did not allow themselves to be deterred from the object they had in view. The proclamation struck terror in the ranks of the organized banditti, and many of them, without awaiting the action of the vigilants, sought their safety in flight. The step taken by the people was a bold one, and savored of revolution, but they must not be judged too harshly and with too much levity-a revolution, whether on a small or on a large scale, has always a parent cause, and that parent was certainly set forth in the proclamation issued by the vigilants. The investigations made by them developed startling facts, on which our restricted space does not allow us to comment. Enough of evidence was collected, however, to trace the disastrous fire that swept away the business portion of St. Martinsville in 1855, and in which fourteen persons perished miserably, to the parties who subsequently assumed the names of anti-vigilants. Vigilance committees were organized, not only in the parishes of St. Mar- tin and of Lafayette, but also in Vermilion, St. Landry and Calcasieu. The uprising was so great, that the organization could marshal from three to four Page 77 thousand men, well armed and disciplined. The most prominent citizens in those parishes took the lead in the movement, and the work of regeneration progressed rapidly. Many of the marauders underwent the penalty of the lash; others were driven away into exile, and during six months the whole Teche re- gion was on a war footing and in a state of feverish excitement. The bandits were demoralized, but the indiscreet zeal of certain officials, A and the interference of the Governor of the State, infused new life in their ranks; a quasi civil war ensued, which might have been productive if the most serious results had not the bandits lacked in manhood what they possessed in low and degrading instincts. On the 28th of May, 1359, the following procla- mation was issued by the Governor of Louisiana: PROCLAMATION. Whereas, official information has been conveyed to us by the District Attor- ney of the Fourteenth judicial District of Louisiana, that a certain number of persons of the parishes of Vermilion and of St. Martin, organized as vigilance committees, have in violation of the law committed sundry outrages on persons, and have been guilty of depredations on the property of citizens of these parishes, and have resisted the officers of the law who have attempted to put a stop to their illegal proceedings; and Whereas, it appears that the officers of courts of justice have been unable to bring these violators of the law before the courts, with the means within their reach. Now, therefore, I have thought proper to issue this my proclamation to invite these committees to disband and disperse, and I call on all the good citizens of the State to lend their assistance for the arrest and prosecution of these violators of the law. Given under our signature and the seal of the State at Baton Rouge, this 28th day of May, A. D. 1859, and the eighty-third year of the independence of the United States of America. By the Governor: ANDREW S. HERRON, Secretary of State. ROBERT C. WICKLIFFE. The people heeded not this proclamation, which had, however, a most disas- trous effect on that class of people who were in opposition to the vigilance committees. It was received by them with applause aud rejoicings. Imagining that the Governor was preparing to advance to their rescue with the State militia, they threw aside all reserve, and banding themselves together as anti-vigilants, prepared openly for an aggressive campaign against the vigilants. For this purpose they collected a large quantity of arm,, and ammunition on the farm of one Emilien Lagrange on Bayou Queue Tortue in the parish of St. Landry, this being also the place assigned for their rendezvous. Over eighteen hundred anti-vigilants, well armed and equipped, assembled there on the 3rd of September, 1859, ready for their onward march to the town of Lafayette, which was to Page 78 be burnt to ashes after having been abandoned to pillage and to all the hor- rors of a captured town in time of war. But while the antis were thus caressing fondly their dream of vengeance, the vigilants had been on the alert, and had watched their movements closely. On the third of September the vigilants, five hundred strong, sallied out of the town of Lafayette in three columns, under the leadership of Alfred Mouton, a graduate of West Point, he who subsequently died so gloriously on the battle field of Mansfield. They had with them a twenty-four brass pounder and one hundred rounds of ammunition. This little army was composed of detachments from the various companies of the organization, the chiefs having decided that this force was sufficient for the emergency. This gallant little band had sallied out before day, and had received orders to advance with the least possible noise, to avoid detection, as the plan was to take the antis by surprise, On its way it was reinforced by two hundred men from St. Landry, and the whole force now numbered seven hundred men. Owing to unavoidable delays on the road. It was broad daylight when Bayou Queue Tortue was reached, the antis, drawn up in battle array, seemingly ready to withstand the assault of their enemy. A deadly silence prevailed and a battle was imminent, when, for the purpose of avoiding a useless effusion of blood, Governor Alexander Mouton proposed to hold a parley with the chiefs of the antis. This was acceded to, and Governor Mouton, with Major St. Julien, Captain Valmont Richard and Lieutenant Steak, advanced toward the antis, walking up to the fence which enclosed Lagrange's house. This was a one-story house, surrounded by a shed. It was "cat and clayed," and pierced with loop holes. The shining barrels of guns could be seen pointed toward the new comers, ready to be fired at any moment. Lagrange and Jones, two anti chieftains, came to the fence "What do you wish, gentlemen?" said Lagrange. "We have come," said the Governor, "to find out the object of your meeting." "It is nothing but a political meeting," answered Lagrange. "A political meeting! Why, we have no elections this year. But I see that you are armed to the teeth. Political meetings are generally held without guns. It may be that you have cannons also?" "We are too poor to buy cannons," answered Jones, 'we meet here to-day because we have a constitutional right to do so." "Very well," said the Governor, "but you have among you men that have received orders to leave the State ; men that we intend to chastise severely for their disobedience to our orders." "We know not these men," answered Jones. "Then you refuse to deliver them up?" Lagrange answered evasively. Governor," said St. Julien, "what is the use of parleying with these men, Page 79 since they refuse to deliver their friends; let us return to our post and open fire at once." "Lagrange," said the Governor, "it were well that you should send away the women and children I see in your yard; we have come to fight men, and not children; " and then he added, "the responsibility of what follows is yours, not ours." The Governor and his escort returned to their posts, the little army, was deployed for action, the cannon was unmasked, and when the lighted match was about to be applied to it there followed in the camp of the antis a scene of confusion which beggars description. Panic stricken the antis fled in every direction; their army had melted away in the air; the sight of the cannon had produced that most unexpected result. The battle had been won without shedding a drop of blood. Then a helter-skelter race took place in the prairie, in the wood, along, the bayou, between the panic stricken antis and the vigilants, who captured over two hundred prisoners, and over a thousand small arms, guns and revolvers. The battle was over, and excepting eighty prisoners, the balance of the antis were released and allowed to return to their homes. The prisoners were closely examined separately and the testimony of each one of them coincided with that of the others, and, being condensed, established the fact that their plan was to overrun the parish of Lafayette, to incite the negroes to revolt against their masters, to burn and sack all the plantations on their way to Lafayette, and plunder the safes of Alexander Mouton, Emile Mouton, V. A. Martin, Gerassin Bernard, Alexandre Latcolais,, Camille Doucet, Francois D'Aigle and others, all of whom were doomed, besides, to a cruel death; and lastly to plunder the town of Lafayette and reduce it to ashes after having abandoned it to all the horrors of a town taken by assault. The vigilants, not wishing to use extreme measures against deluded men who had made a clean breast of their guilt, condemned them to the penalty of the lash, and then ordered them to leave the State. The battle of Queue Tortue, as this battle of the spurs is called, was a decisive blow to the pretensions of the antis, and secured forever the supremacy of the law in the Teche region. The end aimed at by the vigilance committees had been attained ; the bandit organization had been scattered to the four winds; peace and quiet had been restored; life and property were now protected, and these men, who had spurned the interference of the Governor in this crusade of virtue against crime, disbanded of their own accord. Manufacturing Industries.-Its oil mill and refinery of St. Martin is the largest in the state outside of the city of New Orleans. It runs day and night during eight months of the year and presses daily thirty five barrels of cotton seed oil, which are immediately clarified, whilst an immense quantity of oil cake and cotton seed meal is shipped to Liverpool and other foreign markets. There is also a steam .Page 80 cotton gin and a steam mill in successful operation in the town. The fire department is well organized and effective. There are three volunteer fire companies, and the town possesses a first-class fire engine, "Evangeline." The town council is composed of five trustees, elected yearly by the people. The meetings are presided over by the mayor. The mayor has judicial powers and sits as a magistrate on the trial of all police matters, and of violations of the town laws and ordinances. There are four practising physicians in the town. Travelers find necessary accomodations in its three large and commodious hotels. There are four churches in the town, a Catholic church, an Episcopalian church, these two belonging to white congregations, and a colored Methodist and a colored Baptist church. Breaux Bridge.-Breaux Bridge, the one other town of importance in the parish of St. Martin, is situated on the banks of the Teche, fifteen miles above St. Martinsville. Since the war it has increased rapidly in population and wealth. It is located in a highly cultivated and productive section of the parish, and is noted for the energy, politeness and hospitality of its inhabitants, who are mostly of French origin. Its school facilities are good, and the fondness of its people for theatrical performances and social gatherings bespeaks their refinement and sociability. There are two dramatic and literary associations in the town, each one possessing a large and capacious hall, with an elegant stage for the performance of their amateur theatricals. Its race track attracts sportsmen from the surrounding parishes, and a vast concourse of people assembles there to witness the races which take place several times during the year. The commerce of Breaux Bridge is extensive, and its merchants are noted for their enterprise and steadiness in business. Its municipal affairs are administered by trustees elected by the people. The mayor exercises powers similar to those of the mayor of St. Martinsville. There are four practising physicians living in the town. A wooden bridge spans the Teche, which is not navigable at this point during the low stage of the water. This is a great drawback to the prosperity of the town. There is, however, a scheme on foot to build locks at some points lower down the Teche for the purpose of improving its navigation. It is claimed that a system of locks would maintain five feet of water in the bayou the whole year round. Should this plan be carried out successfully, it would have the effect of enhancing greatly the value of the lands on the upper Teche, by affording great shipping facilities. Although the population amounts now to only 800, inhabitants, there is a bright future in store for this neat and thriving little town. The Catholic Church.-This is one of the oldest in the State. It was established in 1765 by Rev. Jean Francois, a Capuchin priest and missionary. We read Page 81 in the American state papers that the land on which the church was built had been donated by one Dauterive as his share or portion of the contribution for the construction and edification of the church and priest's house. The land donated was situated on both sides of the Teche and had a front six arpents by a depth of forty arpents. From 1765 to 1794 the following is a list of the names of the officiating priests: 1765, Jean Francois; 1782, Rev. Geneveaux; 1783, Rev. Gefrotain; 1787, Joseph Antoine ; 1789, Bernard de Deva; 1789, George Murphy; 1794, Father Viel. Father Viel, whose family name was Dirby, was born in St. Martin, and was a litterateur of the first order. His translation of Fenelon's masterpiece, Telemachus, in Latin verse, places him at the head of modern Latin poets. His verse has the sweetness and melody of that of Virgil, and Louisiana may indeed be proud of Viel, her gifted son, for he certainly was a man of genius. He died at Paris in the early part of this century. From 1794 to 1836 the following were the officiating priests of the St. Martin church: 1795, Rev. Barriere; 1804, Rev. Isabey, a Dominican, whose memory was long cherished in the colony; 1823, Rev. Marcel Borella. The church now standing owes its existence to his liberality. He willed the whole of his fortune to be used in its construction. His tomb, long neglected, has lately been transferred into the church, where his remains now rest in the chancel in front of the main altar. Front 1836 tile officiating priests were : 1836, Rev. Jean Brasseur; 1840, Henri de St. Aubin ; 1842, Rev. Martin, who consecrated the new church building; 1844, Rev. R. L. Lucas; 1845, Rev. L. Dufour, a most talented orator; 1848, Rev. Jacques Fonbonne; 1851, Rev. Felix. A. M. Jan. During the thirty-six years of his ministry, his many virtues and sterling qualities endeared him to the people, who venerated him as their spiritual father. After his death, to commemorate his virtues, and as a testimony of the love which they bore him, his parishioners have raised a bronze statue, which now graces the green in front of the church and which is an ornament to the town. His successor, Rev. Barth6lemy Langlois, is a worthy priest and a man of scientific attainments. He is reputed to be the best botanist of America. In 1765 and in the succeeding years the burial ground at the Poste des Attakapas was adjoining to the little church built by Rev. Jean Francois. There is hardly any vestige left of the old graves, and almost nothing remains of the old burial ground except the sweet memory of Evangeline, whose earthly remains were there entombed. Her modest grave under the large oak tree is no more seen, having been leveled with the ground by the hand of time. Who Evangeline was we may learn from the lips of one who knew her; who wept over her when death had closed her eyes, and who kept her grave green until she herself fell in turn under the scythe of relentless death. We here give in full the story of Evangeline as related by Mrs. Bordat, an Acadian exile, to her grand Page 82 children. We quote, and in her own words, from the "Reminiscences of an Old Acadian." The Story of Emmeline (Evangeline) Labiche.- " Emmeline Labiche, petiots, was an orphan girl, whose parents had died when she was quite a child. I had taken her to my house and raised her as my own daughter. How sweet tempered! how loving she was! She had grown to womanhood with all the attractions of her sex, and although not a beauty, in the sense usually given to this word, she was looked upon as the handsomest girl of St. Gabriel. Her fine, transparent hazel eyes mirrored faithfully her pure thoughts. Her bewitching smile; her dark brown hair waved in graceful undulations on her intelligent forehead and fell in ringlets on her shoulders ; her symmetrical shape, all contrived to make her an attractive picture of maiden's loveliness. " Emmeline had just completed her sixteenth year and was on the eve of marrying a deserving, laborious and well-to-do young man of St. Gabriel, named Louis Arceneaux. Their mutual love dated back to their earliest years and was concealed from no one. All agreed that Providence willed their union as man and wife-she the fairest young maiden, he the most deserving youth of St. Gabriel. Their bans had been published in the village church; the nuptial day was fixed and their long love dream was about to be realized when the barbarous scattering of our colony took place. Our oppressors had driven us toward the seashore, where their ships rode at anchor, and Louis, resisting with rage and despair, was wounded by them. Emmeline witnessed the whole scene. Her lover was carried on board of one of the ships; the anchor was weighed and a stiff breeze soon drove the ship out of sight. "Emmeline, tearless and speechless, stood fixed to the spot, motionless as a statue; and when the white sails vanished in the distance she uttered a wild and piercing shriek and fell fainting to the ground. When she recovered her senses she clasped me in her arms, and in an agony of grief she sobbed piteously. 'Mother, mother,' said she, in broken words, 'he is gone; they have killed him; what will become of me?' I soothed her grief with caresses and endearing names until she wept freely, which relieved her anguish. By degrees the violence of her grief subsided, but the sadness of her countenance betokened the sorrow that preyed on her heart. Henceforward she lived a quiet and retired life, mingling no more with her young companions, and taking no part in their amusements. The remembrance of her lost love remained enshrined in her heart, never to be contaminated by her love for another. Thus she lived in our midst, always sweet tempered, with such sadness depicted on her countenance and with smiles so sorrowful that we had come to look upon her as not of this earth, but rather as our guardian angel, and it was for this that we called her no longer Emmeline, but Evangeline, or God's little angel. The sequel of her Page 83 story is not gay, petiots, and my poor old heart breaks whenever I recall the misery of her fate; and while our grandmother spoke thus her whole figure was tremulous with emotion. " Emmeline, petiots, had been exiled to Maryland with us. She was, as I have told you, my adopted child, and I loved her with a mother's love. She dwelt with me and followed me in my long, weary overland route from Maryland to Louisiana. When we reached the Teche country, at the Poste des Attakapas, we found the whole population congregated there to welcome us. As we landed from the boat, Emmeline walked by my side, but seemed not to admire the beautiful landscape extending on all sides. Alas ! it was of no moment to her, whether she strolled on the poetical banks of the Teche or rambled in the pic- turesque sites of hospitable Maryland. She lived in the past, and her soul was absorbed in her mournful regrets. For her, the universe had lost the prestige of its beauties, of its splendor, of its freshness. The radiancy of her dreams was dimmed, and she breathed in an atmosphere of darkness and of desolation. She walked beside me with a measured step and grave countenance. Suddenly she grasped my hand, and, as if fascinated by a vision, she stood rooted to the spot. Her very heart's blood suffused her cheek with a crimson flush, and then, with the silvery tones of a voice vibrating with joy: 'Mother, Mother,' she cried, 'it is he, it is Louis!' pointing to the tall figure of a man reclining beneath a large oak. That man was Louis Arceneaux. With the rapidity of lightning she flew to his side, and, in an ecstacy of joy and love, cried : 'Louis, Louis, I am your Emmeline, your long lost Emmeline. Have you forgotten me?' Louis turned ashy pale and bung down his head, without uttering a word. "'Louis,' she said, painfully impressed by her lover's silence and coldness, 'why do you turn your eyes away from mine? I am still your Emmeline, your bethrothed, and I have kept pure and unsullied my plighted faith to you! Not a word of welcome, Louis,' she said, as the tears started to her eyes, 'tell me, do tell me, that you love me still, and that joy and surprise at meeting me have overcome you and stopped your utterance.' Louis Arceneaux, with quivering lips and trembling voice, answered: 'Emmeline, speak not so kindly to me, for I am unworthy of you. I can love you no longer; I have pledged my faith to another. Tear from your heart the remembrance of the past, and forgive me.' With a quick step lie walked away and disappeared in the forest. Poor Emmeline stood trembling like an aspen leaf. I took her hand; it was icy cold; a deadly pallor had overspread her countenance and her eye had a vacant stare. Emmeline, my dear girl, come, said I; and she followed me like a child without resistance. I clasped her in my arms and I wept bitterly: 'Emmeline, my dear child, be comforted ; there may yet be happiness in store for you.' 'Emmeline, Emmeline,' she muttered in an undertone, as if to recall that name then, looking in my face with fearfully shining eyes that made me shudder, Page 84 he said in a strange, unnatural voice: 'Who are you?' and turned away from me. Her mind was unhinged. This last shock had been too much for her broken heart; she was hopelessly insane. "Ah, petiots, how strange that beings like Emmeline, so pure and celestial, should be the sport of fate and be thus exposed to the shafts of adversity. Is it true, then, that the beloved of God are always visited by sore trials? Was it that our Evangeline was too ethereal a being for the world, and that God would have her in His sweet paradise? "Emmeline never recovered her reason, and deep melancholy possessed her. Her beautiful countenance was fitfully lighted by a sad smile, which made her all the fairer. She never recognized any one but me, and, nestling in my arms like a spoiled child, she would bestow on me the most endearing names and fondle me lovingly. As sweet and amiable as ever, everybody loved and pitied her. When she strolled on the banks of the Teche, plucking the wild flowers that strewed her pathway, singing in an undertone some Acadian song, those that met her wondered why a being so fair and gentle should have been visited with God's wrath. "She spoke of Acadia and of Louis in such loving tones that one could not listen to her words without shedding tears. She fancied herself to be still the sweet girl of sixteen, on the eve of marrying her chosen one, whom she loved with so much devotion and constancy, and listened with emotion to the tolling of the marriage bells from the village church tower, her countenance brightening and her frame trembling with ecstatic joy. In a sudden transition from joy to despair her countenance changed; she trembled convulsively, gasping and struggling for utterance, and pointing her finger at some invisible object; in shrill and piercing accents of agony, she would cry out, 'Mother, he is gone; they have killed him; What will become of me?' and, uttering a wild and unnatural shriek, she would fall senseless in my arms. Sinking at last under the ravages of her mental disease, she expired in my arms without a struggle, and with an angelic smile on her lips. She sleeps in her quiet grave, shadowed by the tall oak near the little church at the Poste des Attakapas, and that grave has been kept green as long as your grandmother has been able to visit it. Ah ! petiots, how sad was the fate of 'Evangeline, God's little angel?' and grandmother buried her face in her hands and wept and sobbed bitterly. Our hearts, too, swelled with emotion, and sympathetic tears rolled down our cheeks-we crept softly away, and left dear old grandmother alone, to think of and weep for her Evangeline, God's little angel." Pioneer Members of the Bar.- Prior to the adoption of the Louisiana Code of 1808, the practice of the law, although somewhat complicated, offered no material difficulty to the practitioner, who had a long string of precedents on Page 85 which to rely for the solution of the most knotty questions. After the cession of Louisiana to Spain, the Spanish law had superseded the French law, but had caused no inconvenience in the colony, as the only change brought about by its introduction related almost exclusively to municipal arrangements and to the titles to real estate. Contracts of a social nature, being more or less interwoven with the customs of the people and modified by them, were, to a certain extent, still governed by the French laws. Besides, the Spanish and French laws had a common origin, the Roman law. The rules governing matrimonial rights and the settlement of estates, whether cestamentary or otherwise, were alike, and the transition from the French to the Spanish law had hardly been felt in the colony. But the change operated in the practice of the law by the adoption of the Louisiana Code of 1808 was most material. It had been to a large extent copied almost verbatim from the Napoleon Code, but lately promulgated in France, and which had abrogated its droit coutumier (law of customs) for the purpose of harmonizing its whole system of laws by a code of positive or written laws. The Louisiana Code of 1808, better known as "a digest of the civil laws of the territory of Orleans, with alterations and amendments adapted to the present government," had been prepared with the idea of simplifying all legal proceedings by divesting them of unnecessary prolixity, and in this wise to save costs to the litigants; but it failed of its purpose and had the contrary effect. It repealed none of the laws that did not conflict with its provisions, and most of the laws and customs contained in the Spanish Partidas, Recopilaciones, Huero viejo, etc., remained in full force in the State. The confusion resulting from the blending of the two systems of law together may be better imagined than explained. The uncertainty of the law served to complicate legal matters, as the organization and working of the courts of justice under that system were faulty and cumbersome in the extreme. Judge Martin, speaking of the Superior Court of the territory of Orleans, of which he was one of the judges, says in the preface to the first volume of his reports dated October 30, A. D. 1811 : "No one could more earnestly deplore, for no one felt more distressingly the inconvenience of our judicial system. From the smallness of the number of judges of the Superior Court the remoteness of the places where it sits and the multiplicity of business, it has become indispensable to allow a quorum to consist of a single judge, who often finds himself compelled, alone and unaided, to determine the most intricate and important questions, both of law and fact, in cases of greater magnitude as to the object in dispute than are generally known in the State courts. While from the jurisprudence of this newly acquired territory, possessed at different periods by different nations, a number of foreign laws are to be examined and compared, and their compatibility with the general constitution and laws ascertained-an arduous task anywhere, but rendered extremely so here from the scarcity of works of foreign jurists." Page 86 As remarked by Judge Martin, the jurisprudence of the newly acquired territory, possessed as it had been at different periods by different nations; the number of foreign laws to be examined and compared, with a scarcity of the text books of these laws; the study necessary to reconcile seeming contradictions, all of this opened a wide field for the speculations and researches of the lawyer. To seek the spirit of those laws he had to grope his way in a maze of conflicting questions without a precedent as guide for their solution. These had to be reconciled; rules of practice for the future determination of cases similar or analogous to those that were being passed upon had to be fixed to serve as beacon lights to the practitioners at the bar; in fact, the entire jurisprudence of the State was to be created. The amount of labor, of study, of researches required to attain this result was simply appalling, and such was the task imposed on our pioneer bar and judiciary; in the early days of Louisiana. This evil called for a corrective, and the Civil Code, promulgated in 1825, was adopted for that purpose. It abrogated in a sweeping manner all the civil laws in force in Louisiana before its promulgation. But this abrogation, sweeping as it was meant to be, repealed none but the positive and written statutes of France and Spain, and left intact those principles of law which had been ingrafted on our jurisprudence by the decisions of our courts.* It followed from this that the decisions of our courts were the rules by which the bar was to be governed in the interpretation and application of the laws, and that, in the absence of a judicial decision, the courts and the practitioners were to rely solely on the general principles of the civil law. It is true, also, that shortly afterward a Code of Practice, remarkable for its simplicity and clearness, had been promulgated, but this did not, nevertheless, simplify the law questions which, for the reasons given by Judge Martin, remained unusually difficult and important. Notwithstanding the promulgation of the Code of Practice in 1825, grave and complicated litigation continued in our courts, where the practice bristled with difficulties without precedents to explain them away. It required the judicious labors of the judges of the Superior Court to brush off the law quibbles and fallacies which are the necessary result of this state of things. It required incessant work and study to harmonize our system of laws, to elucidate what appeared obscure in the body of those laws, and to rear by degrees the noble structure of the jurisprudence which remains an imperishable monument of the talents, learning and integrity of our Supreme judges. Their decisions are complete commentaries on almost every article of the Civil Code and Code of Practice; and the questions (if law which arise in the practice are now easily solved, as precedents are not wanting in our law books. *Thirteen Louisiana Reports (p. 123). Page 87 Our pioneer, lawyers were active participants in the good results effected by the judicious labors of our Superior Court. To their disquisitions on the law, their researches, industry and talents, are due the solution of the important questions which have been settled with so much distinction by our pioneer judges. The St. Martin bar, at that early period, was composed of men eminent for their learning, and who enjoyed a widespread reputation. Prominent among its members we must mention Alexander Porter. He was a native of Ireland, and was born near Omagh, county Tyrone, in 1786. In 1801 he emigrated to the United States, and settled in the Teche region in 1810, having previously been admitted to the bar in Tennessee. He was a scholar, and had that ready wit which characterizes the Irish people. With a glowing imagination, graceful diction and learned eloquence, he soon attained high eminence in his profession and was reputed the best lawyer of the St. Martin bar. He was promoted to Supreme judgeship in 1821, and held that position during twelve years, when resigned, having been elected to the United States Senate. He died in 1844. As a judge, Alexander Porter has had no superior in Louisiana. His decisions are remarkable for their clearness, depth of reasoning, and for purity and beauty of style. They have been several times quoted by the highest tribunal of France as authority in civil matters. It is related of him that, while he was a practising member of the St. Martin bar, his services were retained by a prisoner charged with passing counterfeited bank notes. The party accused was well educated, and his manners and good breeding were those of one who seemed to have moved in the high cirles of society. His story, as related by himself, was touching, and, withal, so truthful apparently, that judge Porter was convinced of his innocence. The case was tried before a jury and he was acquitted. The prisoner wept for joy, and as a mark of his gratitude for the valuable services of his attorney, he urged of him to accept $500 instead of the $250 that had been agreed upon a fee. The amount was paid and the discharged prisoner left for his home Texas. A few weeks afterward Judge Porter went to the city of New Orleans, his purse well stocked with the bank notes of his friend, the Texan. Having pur- chased some merchandise in a store on Chartres street, be handed over to the merchant one of these bank notes. The merchant, discovering that the bank note was a counterfeit, called in a police officer, who arrested Judge Porter for passing counterfeit bills. Despite his protests, he had to follow the officer to station, where his incarceration lasted only a few minutes. Having ascertained that all the bank notes be had received from his client were counterfeit, he related his experience with the Texan to the great merriment of the bystanders. Page 88 Edward Simon and Cornelius Voorhies became members of the St. Martin bar a few years after the promotion of Alexander Porter to the Supreme bench. Mr. Simon was a native of Belgium, and settled in the Teche region when quite a youth. He was well educated, of prepossessing appearance. He mastered the English language, and was no sooner admitted to the bar than he became one of its leading members. His eloquence, added to his profound knowledge of the law, made him a powerful debater, and no one knew better than he how to address and capture a jury. He was appointed judge of the Supreme Court, and maintained in that high position the reputation he had acquired at the bar. His decisions are noted for clearness and for soundness of reasoning. Cornelius Voorhies had to contend in his youth with the disadvantages of an insufficient education. By dint of study he overcame all difficulties, and his grasping mind had soon mastered, not only the English language, his vernacular, but also the French language, which he spoke elegantly and with a pure accent. His knowledge of the civil law was profound, and his eloquence was of that kind which sways the masses. His practice was very lucrative. He was exceedingly popular, and never experienced a defeat whenever he consented to become a candidate before the people. He was successively elected district attorney, district judge, and finally one of the judges of the Supreme Court under the Constitution of 1852. He was succeeded on the bench by his son, Albert Voorhies. His decisions denote great learning, and his style is elegant and simple. Isaac E. Morse, another member of that early bar, became Attorney General of the State of Louisiana, and filled that position with honor to himself and to the State. He once had a suit pending before the Supreme Court. It was a case of some importance, and had attracted a good deal of attention in the district. Judge Cornelius Voorhies was the adverse counsel. On the day of the trial Mr. Morse rose from his seat to address the court, when Judge Martin remarked: "Mr. Morse it is unnecessary; the court is with you. We will hear the adverse counsel. Mr. Morse bowed graciously to the court and resumed his seat, with a beam of complacency on his countenance. Nothing daunted by the opinion expressed so freely and openly by the court, Judge Voorhies argued his case with great fervor, ability and eloquence. To the great dismay of Attorney General Morse the court the next day brought in a decision in favor of Judge Voorhies' client. The year after, being about to argue one of his cases in the Supreme Court, he was again interrupted by the court, Judge Martin again remarking; "Mr. Morse, it is unnecessary; the court is with you." "Please the court, " answered Mr. Morse, "last year the court was with me in the Broussard case, and the decision went against my client. I prefer to argue my case if the court will allow it." This retort excited the Page 89 merriment of the bar in attendance. He was allowed to proceed with his argu- ment, and this time the court decided in his favor. John Bronson was a civilian of no mean order, and accumulated great wealth as a lawyer. He was a leading attorney in all land suits, which were of great importance by the frequent recurrence of disputed claims. Most of the land owners held their titles from the Spanish government, and errors of location occasioned a great deal of litigation. William Brent, also one of the pioneer lawyers of the St. Martin bar, was a of great ability and withal a powerful logician. His practice was large and lucrative, and he lived in affluence. He was a native of Maryland and had set- tled in the Teche region, which presented then a fine opening to the lawyer and a wide field for success. He descended from the Brent family that had extend such a generous and noble hospitality to the poor Acadian exiles cast away on the shores of Maryland by their British oppressors, and, who had subsequently emigrated to Louisiana. These Acadians had always felt the deepest gratitude for the kindness of the Brent family and the name of Brent had been in particular veneration and esteem by their descendants. No wonder that popularity of William Brent should have been so great with the Acadian population of the Teche Bayou. Edward Heard, Alexander Derbes, Joseph Parrot of the firm of Brent & Parrot, Augustus Magill, Thomas C. Nichols and Cesare Delahoussaye were also pioneer members of the St. Martin bar, and men of ability, coping with dis- tinguished honor with the several members of the bar of whom passing notice has been given. They were mostly met, of means who relied not on their pro- fession for a living. The St. Martin bar has held a distinguished rank in the legal fraternity of the State, and five of its members have successively occupied the Supreme Bench of Louisiana, to-wit: Alexander Porter, Edward Simon, Sr., Cornelius Voorhies, Albert Voorhies and Alcibiades DeBlanc. The St. Martin bar is now composed of C. H. Mouton, Edward Simon, Jr., Felix Voorhies, Robert Martin, Raphael DeBlanc, Dan. W. Voorhies, Louis J. Voorhies, James Simon and James E. Mouton, who is now the judge of the district.- Felix Voorhies.