New Orleans daily crescent., 1866-02-14

NgAtBER NINErEEN.

ah grants, white as well as caa0red aud black, we
M admitted into Louisiana, then territory under Il
u name OF Orleans Territory, and administered and
the Governorship of w, G. G. Claiborne, This cl
cau,stance, which at the time contrbutedina grei
Il measure to the improvement of the city'of Ne
i Orleans, requires some further ;eiucidatiol
I and the reader, no doubt will receive with sati
I faction some more details respecting this interes
ing feature in the past history of ourmetropolis.
Y 1t will be recollected by the historical student
4 that after the conclusion of a general peace i
Y Europe even with Great Britain, France, unde
Y the guidance ofthe first Napoleon, then First Con
sui of the French Republic, about the year 1901
! 2, had sent d large military expedition to th
island of st, Domingo Hayti, in order to sub
: nit this former colony to the authority of til,
mother country. In this object the expedition
for various reasons and causes, proved an entir,
failure one Of the principal causes being the fear
ful devastation by the yellow fever among til,
French unacclimated masses. When. therefore
this island had again relapsed into the, absolute
power of the:negroes and eolored people, blacl
king, Christopher by name, assumed the supreme
command. and about 1904 or IS began persecutins
the white and ,colored inhabitants that still had
perseyered in their, ,endeavors to make apeaceable
living IN their place of nativity orr colonial bode
| When, therefore, these cruel persecutiens had
driven . number Of them to the neishborine
island of Cuba, on the south side, towards the
Haytfen shore near Santiago de Cuba, these people
had formed new plantations and farms. being there
received with open arms, as well blythe Spanish
authorities as by the inhabitants Of the colonial
isle. But towards 1907 and u, when news was re!
ceived by the Spaniards Of the invasion. of their
mother country by the French Emperor. the de.
thronement of their legitimate Bourbon King, and
the violent proceeding against the Spanish nation,
there arose a bitter, hostile feeling against the
poor refugees from ST. Domingo, who were origin
ally Of French. extraction, and born under the
French flag, so that all the new farms w .ich thev
had hardly begun to cultivate, had again to be
abandoned and they were conveyed in several yes.
sells to the mouth of the Mississippi 1t was. then,
actually under circumstances of distress, that Cow
ernor Claiborne allowed these people to come up
to New Orleans, without waiting for formal per
mission from Congress or the Washington author
tiles; and when we reflect that communi
cations by mail would have taken d delay of
sky days, in order to receive an answer
nom the national capital, it was we'll that
the Governor of the territory assumed the, re,
sponsibility, (which was amply covered in the
sequel by full confirmation on the part Of the
then Executive, as well as the two branches of
congress, when this case was properly represented
70 tnem. Among the emigrants that thus had
sought q place of refuge from the Antilles were
also number of recently arrived Europeans,
whom the hazards Of war and adventure had
sfngutarly enough conducted to the Island of st.
Domingo, and afterwards to the newly formed set,
tlement OF Santiago de Cuba. We shall relate 4
most curious incident from one of the actors Of
shese moving scenes, who finally settled in our |
clty, and who mas left numerous posterity among |
us. during the times of the grand Warsof |
the continent OF Europe, people never felt secure
m Their business and those that had within them the
desire OF enterprise and adventure would come
over TO the United States with the idea of real
zlns Their plans, But it very often happened
that, IN the Northern cities, hard tunes or
superabundant population would afford no I
chance OF launching into fair business, un-
less les powerfully aided by either credit or
pecuniary assistance. In such circumstances
young men were then advised to try their fortunes
eYen IN the dangerous vicinity Of that almost
ireaded sanguinary sdespotisna Of the island of
iayt under the black King Christopher Start
ng, then, upon such an enterprise, our European
ayeler was thrown, as it were, with Others Of all
atIonaiities upon the shores of that island + II
A 4 l
Upon one occasion, conducted in presence of the
lack despot, the greater part Of these, when +
cognised as Of French origin, were immediately
'livered to the butcher guard, whilst our own In t.
rmant only escaped by being aeknao wledged as S
German birth. still was this not a sufficient
feguard, and he accepted, therefore, the 81
sistance of a friendly colored woman, who |tE
cceeded in passing him through the soldiers
les, by night time, towards the9 sea shore +,
here. happily he Just arrived in time d
AXE his escape, together with other refugees to B
e near island of Cuba. This was in the wear ii
"; and with amostno loss of time, from San OF
go de Cuba to Havana, our relator came over to
ulsiana with number Of others that afterwards E.
lped TO improve our environs. The arrivals Of NJ
immigrants made considerable stir inrthe then
alInptiye population Of our city, not counting NJ
ne than some 1000 or 5000 lin the old square) in vi
u. II may, therefore, well be imagined that Ibro
accession of force, and also SOME Capital for NJ
greater part of these refugees were provided an
III some monied means, helped along great -
ny local enterprises, Zone Of these was the ess GO
'lishment Of a coffeehonse, called the "cafe, Al
J refugaes," ]" in the neighborhood Of the old NJ
rket, between Dumaine and Isl. Phillip streets;l
> was long and for number Of years the head "a
irsers ofe1 rendezvous' of all the ancient e
olons & de 81 dominique, as they. were called,
here u was that the famous liquor, le pettt pla
w, was concocted, of which some Of our en-
ders may have tasted and remember its inyig W, W,
ting qualities. X f1sF - S j en5 an5
the same vicinity also was the "hotel de Ia Dis
flne,' the clearinghouse and rendezvous of all
adventurous spirits of those times, Here we
e found ourselves in presence of that old "Sa- S