Sugar planter. [volume] (West Baton Rouge [i.e. Port Allen, West Baton Rouge Parish, La.]) 1856-1925, 1856-06-28
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The Date Tree IN Kew Orleans.

IN }of sitiated 1t the corner Of orleans
and bauphIn streets. in the civ Of New o.
. tears. there Is 4 tree which nobody looks al
without wondering how it cane tnere. Fer
4 .y@g tine, it was the Only one Of IS kind
/ kLown II .ho State. and from its Isolate posi-
.3oiI. It uas d. ways been cursed with s-eml!tT.
It reminds one Of the warm cline Of Africa
! or Asia, and wears the aspect Of 4 stranger Of
/ distraction driven iIoCI his native Country.
indeed, with is sharp, thin foliage signing
jaou 3t2i-y under tie blast Of o1.e ot our
November 1oGtberu winds, l. looks as SORROW
ia Is an exile. Its enormous trunk IS nothing
! but an aggI9Scration "t knots and bamTs,
, which each psSsing year seemed to have de-
posted there as mark Of age. and as a pro-
lection against the blows Of time aud Of the
world, Enquire for Is origin, and every one
vii! tell vou that il has stood there from tirne
! ir1memoTial. A sort Uj vague bat in 7pressIye
mystery it tattachet TO it, and it Is as superst.-
ti0gsty respected as one OF the Old oaks Of
! DUdona. Bold would be the axe that would
>trIck the first blow at their foreign patriarch;
and If it were prostrated 10 the ground by
protane hand. what native Of the city would
not mourn over It's fall and brand the act as
an unnatural and criminal deed So, long
i've the date-tree Of Orleans srreet-that
time nouoEe4 descendant Of Asiatic ances-
tors
In the beinni0g ocI-27. 4 French vessel Of
war landed at New Orleans. man of haggh-
ty mien. who wore a Turkish dress ana
whose Whole attendance was single servant
| He vas received by the Governor with the
/ highest distinction. and was conducted by
hIui to a small hut comfortable house with a
pretty garden, then existing al the corner oi
/ Orleans and Dauphin streets, and wIst h, from
the circumstances OF its being so distant from
other dwellings, might have been called
t"ral retreat, although situated in the limits
OF tue city. There the stranger. who was
understood to be prisoner OF State. lived In
greatest scclusion. and although neither he
nor his attendant could be guilty OF iGgIscre-
ton, because none understood their language,
ami although Governor perier severely re-
buked the slightest inquiry, yet it seemed to
be the settled conviction in Louisiana that
the mysterious stranger vas a brother Of the
sultan OF some great personage of the Otto
man Empire, who had fed from the anger OF
the yicegerent Of Mohamned, ard who bad
taken refuge in Fra.sst.
The Sultan had peremptoriIy demanded
the fugitive, and the French government,
thinking it derogatory to its dignity 10 com
ply with that request, but at the same time,
not wishing to expose It's friendly relations
with the M0slen monarch, and perhaps deslr
ing for political purpose, 70 keep in hostage
the important guest it had in It's hands, Rad
recourse 10 the expeGIent OF answering that
he had lied 70 Louisiana, which was 50 dis
tant country, that It might be looked upon
as the, grave, where. - it was suggested.
the fugitive might be suffered TO wit IN
peace for actual death. without danger or Of
tense 10 the Sultan. Whether this story he
true OF not IS matter OF SO little consequent
ce that it would not repay the trouble OF
strict historical investigation.
! he year 1927 was drawing to & close,
when on a dark ard stormy night, the how
ling and barking OF the numerous dogs IN the
streets Q! New Orleans we're observed TO be
fercer than usual, and some Of that class Of
individuals who pretend to know everything,
declared that by the vivid flashes OF llghtn~
ing. they had seen. swiftly and steaithlly
gliding. towards the house OF the unknown
body CT men VINO Ore the. se0Wling ap~
pearance ofnaletactors and ministers oi blood
There afterward came also 4 report that
piratical looking Turkish vessel had been
towering q few days previous in the bay OF @
Barataria.
Be it as It may on the next morning, the
house of the Stranger was deserted. iheTe
were no traces OF MORTAL struggle to be seen;
lut in the garden, the earth had been dug;
and there was the unmista kable indication OF
= recent crave. Soon, however, all doubts
were removed by all inscription, IN Arabic
characters which was affixed to a post, and
which was sent to France to be deciphered.
It ran thus. The Justice Of heaven rs salts
he'd, and the date-tres shall grow on the tral-
tors tomb The sublime Emperor OF Ihe
faithful the supporter OF the faith, the onh'Pc-
tent master and Sultan OF the world mas re-
deemed his VOW. God is great, and lAahoF'I-
ed is his prophet. AllahH Some time alter
this event foreign looking tree was seen ~
neeD out Of the SPOT where the corps muSs
have been deposited II that stormy nlghS'
when the rage of the elements yielded TO the
nitiless fury Of man. and thus it explain
ed in some degree this part OF the incrr-
ton, 'the date-tree shall grow on the Taltors
grave.3
Who was he, or what had he done, who
had provoked such relentless and 1ar-seeking
revenge Ask NemeSis---or, at that hoaF
when evil spirits were allowed to roam over
the earth. and magical invocations are made
go and interrogate the tree Of the death
The history Of the valley Of the Misslssip-
ri is full Of the elements Of poetry and 70
nance. Mr. Irving has faithfully record
ed the portion connected with DeSotos
expedition Mr. GayarEe's work aims to
sketch both the history and romance Of the
early settlement of Louisiana. Let on
western press gather, and let western hlsIe-~
rians record, and western outhogs faithfully
work the rich store of the historical legends
of the west. We need DeSotos, MaFqqettes
La Salles in literature, to explore the almost
tracklAs wilderness OF western romance, ana
open to US its wonderful reconrces,
REsoLUrToNs.-Nevert to resent asupposed