New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1866-02-06

NUMBER SIXTEEN.

In the mention Of the village or faubourg st.
John, we have often had occasion to allude to the
palatial dwelling house of the late Daniel Clark
This arises from its prominent location at the fork
ing Of the two roads, one leading to the Bayou ST.
John, and the other, the GENTLY road, going to
the right, towards the Chef Menteur. AT the
present time, on the site formerly occupied by
this fine residence, stands public school building,
which has been actually formed out of public
market, called the Bretonne market but which
was found altogether superfuous in that isolated
locality, where everybody almost is provided with
/, vegetable garden, and from whence the other
provisions could easily be supplied by the return
ing city market CARTS For this reason this mar
ket only served plea of refuge and shelter for
the vagrant Indian families and hence its CONVEX
sion into public school building.
In 1916 the fine residence of Daniel Clark was in
very good state of repair, but being afterwards
abandoned to various negligent lessees, and often
times not tenanted at all, it fell into complete
ruin and gradually disappeared, every one in the
neighborhood taking q stick or plank from the
falling, dilapidating concern, Now, it may be
interesting to the reader to be informed how it
happened why so little care was taken of this
splendid residence of former greatness. Daniel
Clark had indeed been at one time the leading
spirit of New Orleans; that was Immediately
before the cession of the country in 1908. Hav-
ing, by his commercial connection with the great
house of Coke & Co., in Philadelphia, established
great credit under the Spanish government, and
being on good footing with the then authorities
in New Orleans, his relations with Havana, Vera
Cruz and other Spanish seaports, enabled him to
bnSi1p9 the n Ohpr
Of Africanlabor hands, desideratum of the utmost
Importance at that time to the planters of Louisi-
ana. Hence, when the country came into the
hands of the United States, this branch of the
commercial business sustained an immediate sus-
pense or check, which no doubt was unexpected
on the part of Daniel Clark, for it had been pre-
sumed that inasmuch as the introduction of Afr-
can slaves had been kept open in the other South
ernS States (Carolinas, Georgia, etc., the like favor
would have been extended to Louisiana, until the
expiration of the constitutional proviso that is to
the year 1903. Had this been the case--had not
Congress- in order to reconcile the extreme North
ern or New England States to the acquisition of
Louisiana, made that concession, to-wit: the pro-
hbtion of African slaves into the newly acquired
territory, there would have been chance of con-
tinung this lucrative traffic for five years longer,
or to 1903.
AS we stated already in former number this
stoppage to the introduction of the African labor
hands was cause of partial halt among the agri-
cultural improvements, and it was consequently
quite easy to foresee that although every one con-
nected with business was very well satisfied with
the general change or transfer of government
and had most ardently desired this transfer of the
country to the United States, still an opposition
sDr ioct tEn Of tba WaS rtn
cabinet with regard to Louisiana, one of which
measures was the just mentioned prohibition of
the tropical labor hands. }~David Clark had been
elected delegate from the territory of Orleans,
and if we mistake not, he was kept in this charge
up to the time that the territory was changed or
transformed into State government in 1912.
During all this time, that is to say from 1903 to
1872, we may well assume Daniel Clark was
the head of the opposition party in New
Orleans, and as such had more than one serious
alteration with the authorities acting under orders
from Washington. K
We must now recall to our memory that this
same public functionary, a former private resi-
dent had employed all his personal activity in
bringing about this happy change, the transfer of
the country from colonial dependency to an in
tegral part of the Union. Having then the sent
his feelings, he no doubt could not help consider
ing himself as neglected by the authorities, when
his advice or his wishes, which were, of course,
those of his friends, the opposition party were
rather made light of, and often unattended to. To
this we must ascribe the feelings of ascerbty,
which, it was sad had existed between him and
the late W. G. G. Claiborne, Governor of the Ter
ritory and which even led to hostile meeting be-
ttun ,,r,EIi lie hnT,,
been informed. When war broke out in 1872, the
commercial business of the late house of Coke,
Clark & Co. had long before been transferred
to new firm. This new firm was composed
of Richard Relf, late cashier of the Louisiana
State Bank, Beverly Chew, ex-Collector of Gus
toms, as active partners and Daniel Clark as the
partner in commendum. This firm having made
large advances to planters, which at once became
a complete dead weight by the blockade of the
mouth of the Mississippi, formed by English
cruisers in the Gulf the house had to suspend its
payments like the majority of the commercial
houses in New Orleans, together with all the then
existing banks. Under these circumstances, Daniel
Clark, who had the greater part of the time been
absent, attending Congress in his public capacity
delegate from the Territory, found his own pr
yate affairs involved by the misfortune of his com
mercial house. TEpe, his means were ample, his
acquired fortune idsaves, plantations, real estate
and lands quite corfaderaHav but notwithstanding
all these resources the hare ess tightness of the
market was such that he gould not procure the
pecuniary means to fulfil even the most indspen-
sable engagements which he had contracted. This
situation chafed his feelings, and although of very
robust and active temperament, still advanced age
had made some inroads already upon his former
vigor and inccssantlaborious career hence, when,
after the erection of Louisiana into State gov
eminent, his functions as delegate had ceased, and
he had resolved to come home to New Orleans, in
order to put his private and commercial affairs in
proper train of liquidation, sickness and death
surprised him-shortly after peace had been re-
established, if We mistake not. Now, when this
event took place, at his residence at the forks of
the Bayou Road and GENTLY, many of his old
friends-such as Mons. Dassuan Dc la Croix, of
whom already we have made mention as being the
successor in the contract for charging the Canal
Carondelet; Messrs. Chew and Relf; also, close
neighbor; old Mr.. Baron Boisfontane Mons.
Belchasse, and others-were present.
will or testament was found and approved by
the Probate Court, in which Messrs. Chew and
Relf were named the executors, and the mother of
the deceased Daniel Clark instituted sole heir,