The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1874-03-06
A PITEOUS APPEAL.

tnaC pace WIlcu Iue LOulSIdnd COu1cE
cnce was organized, and were claEmed
with its situation. The people We're then
prosperOus-but alas! how is the scene
changed. They are now in q state of
great destitutiOn-and must have help.
Our correspondent writes:
The disasters of the past year were doubly Sc
we're. Incessant rains, spring and summer, rtI-
ined the early crops; thencalne the c0ttOI-WOrIn,
blasting every leaf Of promise. Thus, you see.
the poor are reduced to extreme want! Many
cry out in pitiful tones, "Meat!" All we have
not seen any for months. The planters are in a
fearful state, for the commission merchants can
not advance. The inlpOtident negro lays moth
ing mp for future aced. Therefore we would
most earnestly appeal To those whom a bOuntiful
Providence has blessed with plentiful crops, to
send MS q crumb of their abundance. Nothing
is safe, for the negro says he VIII steal rather
than starve. o pray for us that our trtsti in God
thing sent should be directed Care OF Rev.
T0ht. J. Harp, New Orleans, La" Who will for
ward on to eur steamboat landing, Barres
Barou, Co~rtobleu-street, St. Landry Parish, La.
Dr.. Trippett, the newly stationed
Methodist minister at this place, has
furnished us with the paper containing
the above.
This is the first intimatiOn we have
Ind that there were starving people
among us. This town sent considerable
money to the Shreveport " sufferers )" it
recently filled up Dan Riee's circus to
overlooking, and the circus performed
at several other places in the parish,
probably with equal success; and right
ON the heels of that, two boats loaded
with our distressed, INDECENT and stary-
ing people, left for the Carnival in New
Orleans, where they had to pay their
way, cash on the spot-and some OF
them have not returned yet, which may
be considered a sign of the length of
their purses. Now to get the payment
of an honest debt out of some of these
circus-going, carnivai-going people,
would be about as difficult as extracting
blood from a turnip; but if there is a
ptrticle of humanity left in their hearts,
tINy ought to reduce the expenses of
their luxuries, pleasures, follies and
designations, and come to the relief of
Sufferer We doubt not that some
Of them would do it, il they had an
opportunity and we know some that
do not belong to the above class, who
will assist Sufferer keep him from
starving at any rate, il he is the real
sufferer he represents himself to be.
To this end we hope that Sufferer
will make himself known, that aid may
be given him. The address: "A Suf-
fcrer, Barres Bayou, Cortobleu-street,
st. Landry Parish, La.,n will not do;
the real sufferer viii have to present
himself in person. Let the Howard
Association here be Immediately re-
organized, to furnish relief to such
sufferers.
lit is not known here that there are
many paupers in this large parish of
over thirty thousand souls. Only four
or five very old or crippled persons, we
believe, are relieved annually by the
Police Jury and without that relief
they would not starve, bat find some
thing to eat among their neighbors
nearer than Nashville, Tennessee.
We have always heard of "Hard
Times,s and expect Hard Times,9 to
live as long as this globe is inhabited by
the race now on it, atleast until the mil
lellnium comes; but the times are on
sidcred d little harder now than usual,
especially in regard to- money matters.
This is the ease everywhere. 0neofOnr
citizens who has recently returned from
q visit I'd Kentucky, says the farmers
there have full cribs and full barns and
qsmoke-houses, and plenty OF everything
for the + inner man that a farmer there
.cam raise; but they can not sell their
surplus, money is scarce and " they can
not mise q dollar" But there is nodan-
ger of their starving. They raise their
own supplies and do not depend upon
the advances Of commission merch-
ants. Here itisdifferent. Many neglect
to raise bread and meat. They expect
these articles of prime necessity to be
advanced by merchants, to be paid for
out of the coming crop. Bitter expe-
Renee and necessity have taught the
merchants that wholesale advancing is
not safe; hence some complain Of hay
ing no meat, at least the writer Of this
letter does.
The rims last spring and summer did
not interfere with the rice crop. and rice
il bread. This crop was reaterin Louis
lana last year than ever before; and it
will continue to increase. We know
some planters and farmers here who are
now using eorn Of che crop Of 1872, and
they'also sold 4 good deal Of the same
crop. One .of them made more and d
better crop in 1873, thanthe year before.
Oar prairies are covered with cattle
thatafe never fed, and they have re-
manned fat 81 ii good condition ali win
ter. We hare hunted considerably ii
Che prairie this winter, and have rarely
seen the carcass OF even a calf. To
b raise cattle here without limit costs but
the trouble.
hardening here cam be carried on all
winter, especially could it have been
this last one. in cur ourneyings about
fhc parish we have seen but one decent
turnip patch, besides our own and TINT
belonged tosone OF the planters above
mentioned, who has an abundance of
corr every year.. Ne have had appli-
eatiens for tnrnips Ill winter, not only
from residents of tile town, but from
some iii the country. white and col0red.
FnxaA - &ghEGM