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

old octoroon Francois Lacroix, last
week millionaire, to-day friendless
beggar, sold out tor taxes which he
could but would rot pay. He was the
owner of properties in the city and
adjoining parishes-stores, dwellings,,
and plantations, paying two months
ago an aggregate monthly rental Of
more than $4,000. Yesterday l saw
him sitting on the steps of the auc,
tioneers rostrum; smoking vile cigar,
and wagging his vacant old head while
the last remains Of his fortune were
being waited away on the echo of the
crier's voice.
Lacroix's history is ringularly in
teresting. A quarter of century ago
he was the fashionable tailor of New
Orleans. The popular shop of "Cor-
dieviile & Lacroix" was on St.
Charles street, one or two doors below
the present site of the St. Charles
Hotel Both were colored men. Cor
dieville was a fashy, snowy fellow,
quite an exquisite, prone to brawls and
duels, but polished artist In his line.
He affected France very greatly. had a
chateau neal Paris, where, during the
greater part of the year, he used to
maintain an establishment of great
luxury and splendor. Finally he with
drew from New Orleans to spend the
remainder of his life in his favorite
country. Lacroix was man of diff
ferent tastes and habits. An octoroon,
like Cordieville, he was, unlike him,
penurious, frugal, Flooding. Once a
year he went to la belle France for i've
or six weeks, and wild stories are told
OF hls extravaganza and dcbauchery on
those occasions; bnt here at home he
lived in positive meanness. His house
on Dumaiue street, in the French
quarter, where, by the way, he still
lives, is an old colonial structure, built
of wood, with high roof and long
dormer windows, rickety, infrm, aud
unlnviting. 1t is scarcely better than
the average plantation cabin, certainly
not half 80 cheerful and attractive.
went down aud took a look at it the
other day, though the survey was at
tended with difficulties. The interior
is picture of disorder and discomfort,
with four room in the main building,
divided off by partitions of what seemed
pasteboard-one.great room, SO far as
sound or smell might be concerned
The outer apartment, the only one l
gained access to, was crowded with
preposterous old furniture, NANCY look
ing bundles, boxe S, odds and ends. the
whole forming a collection which
negroes call "plunder" Enthroned
in the midst Of all this confusion, prop
ped in 3 huge and infirm rocking chair
was an appalling old woman --Lacroix s
mother, | had not expected this
Lacroix is a trife over 70 himself, and
I never anticipated beng called on to
confront his mother Much to my sur.
prise she spoke little broken English
much to my disappointment she in
formed me that her boy was sick and
invisible. / glanced around the room
"a perfect chaos of curiosities, useless
but ancient What anybody wanted
with such a lot of absurd old traps
cannot imagine. In only one instance
did l see. an article tn at pertained to
civilization or the nineteenth century.
That article was safe-an iron safe of
ancient pattern. II looked as though it
might have been purchased when
Lacroix was : growing infant, bought
in some extravagant outburst by his
father. suppose it contained title
deeds and so on. As bowed myself
out | observed Himalayan head dress
of yellow and red cotton surrounding
Lecroix mere
Here the miser lives and has lived
since the time when the now fashion.
able district of New Orleans was a
snipe ground. l suppose the annual
expenses of that establishment must
figure up as high as $500. This, with
whatever he spent in those Partisan
rerelries, made up the total of his ex
penditures; and all the rest, for nearly
half century has been going into new
lands, more lots, and additional houses.
lie made money at tremendous rate
thirty years ago. His shop was the
center of fashion. His coats were the
sine qua non of society. No dandy OF
that day could hope to shine in the
foyer Of the Orleans opera until La
crooks touch prepared him for the
effort. The bloods of Dauphine and
Royal streets never dreamed of strut
ting near the shadow of Cabildo OF the
Pontabla palace until Lacroix had
dressed his legs. Money was no object
then. 1t came easily to these young
roysterers and Lacroix had no great
modesty as to his charges. Making
immense sums and spending nothing
putting his accumulations into property
that rose every day in value, he grew
rich by almost magical advances.
IL