Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1874-10-29

pripcely magnitude. He was Lacroix
the millionaire.
How his tax troubles commenced no
one seemed ex actly to understand.
fancy he has always been !. tax resister.
The city books show some very old
delinquencies The chronicles of the
city's litigations record a thousand
hard, fought battles wherein its victories
like those of Po,senna, were barely
short of ruin. Apparently he never
paid until the last moment, nor without
bitter conflict. Three years ago, how
ever, his case assumed prominence.
At that time the Lacroix city tax bills
had mounted up to some $4,000. He
tried as usual to evade it, but War
moths free lances were rough and hun
CRY, and they drove him hard. AT
last he gathered together the required
amount, and, so rumor says, gave it to
his son to make the settlement with
Here comes in the secret of the drama
They say the young man lost the money
or was cheated out of it in some way.
and weeks afterward the old man was
made suddenly aware that the $50, 900
was still unpaid, and his property
trembling in the balance. Then he
broke down. 1t was hard enough for
him to-part with money at the best of
times and this disaster filled his cup.
Report hath it that he cast the prodi..
gal forth with curses, and from that
moment fell into solid, obstinate in
action which nothing could arouse.
Numerous attempts were made to in.
duce him to some measures of self
protection. Bankers, brokers, who
liked him as relic of the good old
time, or wished, perhaps, to make a
reasonable profit on the job, offered the
funds necessary to release his property.
1t was of no avail. At the beginning
OF the present year the bills, state and
fthe present year the bills, state and CITY
fearbearance, the authorities moved, the
hammer was uplifted, aud Francis La
croix's colossal fortune began to crum>
bic.
| have dropped in once or twice al
the Auctioneers' Exchange to watch
the progress of the drama. All it's in
tere st centers in Lacroix himself. II,
sits Oh the steps of the rostrum a fool
ish and yet touching figure. Dressed
in shabby linen, with his home made
calico shirt open at the throat. smoking
always smoking-a wretched, disso.
lute-looking cigar, grinning vacantly
whenever the hammer falls, and never
by any chance meeting the spectators
eye, he is a picture at once forlorn anu
tragic. They ray he is crazy, that he
has deliberately furthered this sacra
fee in order to destroy his faithless
sons inheritance; his other son, the
darling on whom he lavished all his
love and generosity, was killed in the
Mechanics Institute riot Of 1866
do not know how this is. can
not quite make him out. His yellow
face seems very unmeaning. His stray
Cling white hairs are fraught with dig
nifty. He watches the dissipation OF
his superb fortune with apparent indifr
erence. Once, when some especially
beloved property was disposed of. he
gave way. He sobbed piteously, and
his hand hurried unsteadily to his eyes
for just one instant. That was the
only time. Before and since there La.
been no sign of feeling, or indeed OF
consciousness. He is too narrow and
suspicious to be hero, too selfish to be
a martyr, too ignorant to be strate.
gist. am bound to believe, as l see
him looking on unmoved while his pos
sessions go to sharpers as a gift, that
he is poor demented old man that age
and avarice have driven mad. He is
one of the last of the ancient class of
freeborn French colored men, and his
was enc OF the last of those superb es
tates which war and carpet bagers have
left in acknowledgements
Neac York Tribune.