The Lafayette advertiser. [volume] (Vermilionville [i.e. Lafayette], La.) 1865-19??, 1873-05-03
Cotton Stealing.
from the Opelousas Journal. I

About six o'clock on Saturday morn
ing o. last week, three colored men, with
four bales Of cotton in cart or wagon,
arrived at the store Of Mr.. Camille Roo. in
this place. and offered it for sale. Both
men and beasts we're sweaty and fatigued,
~ If they had travelled far and hurriedly.
The bagging' was torn from each end Of
all the bales and there were consequent
", If there ever had been, no "marks" up.
on them. Mr.. Roos' suspicious were i'm.
mediatelv excited that the cotton had been
stolen. They agreed to let him have two
Of the bales at fifteen and a half cents, and
unloaded and delivered them in his lot.
They said they would take the other two
bales to Washington where they would
get eighteen cents. He refused then to
pay them unless they would let him have
the other two bales at the same price
which they accordingly did. He then
stated to them that be believed the cotton
had been stolen, and declined to pay them
until they brought some proper person
Who would vouch TO the contrary. This
they could not do, As they knew no person
in Opelousas. They then went off. and
one or two Of them returned about eight
o'clock At night and tried to effect set-
Element, but with the same result. On
Sunday morning, Goth inst, they return
ed with = white man, who stated that
tho cotton belonged to the colored men,
aud demanded payment for them. But
he also was a stranger to NJ. Roos, and
payment was also declined on his vouch-
inc. He then said he was "Frsnchman," {"
and tried to 'bully" M. Roos into paying,
but without avail. They then all went
of, but one Of the colored men was obse.v-
ed to be changing about" was identified
As Emile Grader working for Mr.. Chas. F.
Burr ness Opelousas, and was arrested on
the affidavit of M. Chretien Mornhinveg,
Jr., who bad examined the cotton and the
manner of its sale, he was convinced that
it had been stolen.
F.om this one, Emile Grader. informa-
ton was obtained which led to the arrest
of the white man and one other colored
man-the third colored man, Joseph Cra-
der, nephew to the other and working at
the sssae place, having Immediately after
his uucle's arrest left on the boat for New
Orleanr.
Information was obtained from Mr..
Burr, that the two Graders borrowed his
wagon on Friday evening and left with it
about eight o'clock, ITO haul some things"
The next morning the cotton was brought
to Opelousas iu bis wagon as aforesaid.
NJ. Burr obtained from Grader in Jail, the
names Of the white man and of the other
colored man, which were respectively
AIexsnire Boulou ('Frenchman') Lying
at Ozeme B,eaux, and Joseph Ozeme liv-
ing at Armcgene Breaux'-both in Caran-
Gro neighborhood, parish Of Lafayette.
NJ. Jos. V. Roy, Of this place, and Mr..
Chas. F. Burr, armed with the proper
warrants, after some difficulty in finding
the places, succeeding in arresting them,
the "Frenchman" blowing in the field,
and the colored man at neighboring
blacksmith shop where he bad gone to
have some work done.
All three were lodged in Jail here. and
bound over to appear before the District
Court Of the parish Of Lafayette, the theft
having been committed 10 that parish.
The cotton was stolen from the gin oi
Messrs. CIemils Cormier aud Ursin Cor
mier. in Careucro, who identified and
claimed three Of the bales but osa Of the
thieves SAYS that they took them all FROM
the same gin. The two Grader had form
| .rlv i;v.d At CarancrO
All parties concerned in having the
thieves arrested, displayed commeniab'e
energy and public spirit. and deserve the
thanks Of the honest part Of the com
muuity.