The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1874-01-23
Romance of a New Orleans
Fruit Seller.
From the Dayton Journal.

evidently a foreigner, but it was diff
cult to determine to what nationality
he belonged, as he never communicated,
even to his most intimate acquaintance,
ANYTHING in regard to his history. He
was soon overtaken by ill-health, and
so reduced financially that he was COM
PEELED to seek an asylum in the county
infirmary, where he died in 1867, I'M
known, and since that time unthOught
of. But recently it has t%ranspired that
at the time Of Macke'S death he was en-
titled to the possession OF an estate OF
$$33, 900, 200, which makes his previous
history Of some consequence. The
name by which he was known in Day
ton. and at the county infrmary, was
an assumed One. His real name is said
to have been Alfonso BarranO, and he
was a native Of one of the Basque prov
inces of Spain, where every native con
siders himself a nobleman, and where
the proud spirit Of the people has never
vet been subdued 10y their cOnqucrers.
BarranO married in his native country,
and sOon after the birth of his first
child the young wife and mother died,
leaving the bereaved husband and IA
ther but one object to love, and that
was his daughter. 1t is to be supposed
he loved her most tenderly, for although
he was comparatively a poor man, in a
country where there were but few edu-
cational facilities, yet he gave her a fin
ished education, sending her to foreign
parts for that purpose. She grew up to
w0manhood, when she with her father
came to America, landing at New Or
leans, where they stopped and opened
a fruit stand. The beauty and cult
waited manners of the daughter attract
a good share Of custom, and among
others whose attention was directed to
the pretty fruit-girl of CarOndelet
street was q rich planter of Louisiana
by the name of GirOud, who spent his
winters in the city. AS file reader by
this time suspects, GirOud made the
humble f~ruit-dealer's daughter his wife.
These are the facts of the previous his
tory Of Macke, or Barrano as We
gather them from a gentleman of
this city who has been employed
by n member of the Spanish le-
CATION at Washington to Investigate
the circumstances of his residence and
death in this city and county, with a
view to establishing the fact that Ben
jamin Macke, who died in the intirmary
of this county in 1867, is the same Bar
rano who came from Biscay to New Or
leans, where his daughter married, as
above related. But to return to the
story. The poor fruit dealer was des-
tined to realize the ingratitude sharper
than a serpent's tooth.
After his daughter married, at the in
stance of her proud and wealthy hus-
band, she virtually renowned her father,
and sought to settle an annuity upon
him which would be amply sufficient to
keep him in comfortable circumstances
for the rest of his life. But as II of
the implied conditions of this generosi-
ty was that BarranO vas not to be
known or publicly recognized as the
father of his daughter, he Indignantly
spurned it, and with a desOlate and
heavy heart he left New Orleans and
went to Louisville, Kentucky, from
which point he wrote to his daughter,
Mrs. Giroud, requesting her to write
and address, him in the name of Benia-
min Macke. This gave her the clue by
which she has since probably traced
him to his miserable grave. From
Louisville Mr.. BarranO came to Dayton,
where he lived and died as has been re-
lated. But as time wore apace there
was a change in fortune with Mrs. Gil
roud. Her husband entered the South
ern army and was killed, and his
property, which consisted chiefly in
slaves, was swept away as one of
the results Of the struggle in which
he lost his life. The widow disposed
of the plantation for Confederate
was very poor. Her position as a fruit
dealers daughter would have been lux
ury in comparison with her position,
burdened as she was by the care Of two
children, the fruits of her marriage with
GirOud. She returned to New Orleans
and again opened a little fruit stand,
and wrote and advertised for her father
at every point where she thought a
communication would reach him, but
rOthing could be heard from him from
any source. She led a life m]onotonous
enough, until one day, scanning over
the list of advertised letters, her eve fell
upon a letter advertised for her maiden
name. She went to the post office, and
when the letter was delivered to her she
foundit was from a schOolmate who had
gone to school with herin France. The
communication contained some intelli-
gence about an unknown uncle and a
princely estate to which the Barrano
family of Biscay were entitled. And
as the reader by this time has began to
inquire in his mind where the estate to
which the Montgomery county pauper
was entitled comes in, we will go back
to the first and relate hOwitcame about.
1t seems that Alfonso BarranO had an
elder brother, who ran away from home
when q mere boy, and went to sea.
What his adventures were, or how he
got his start in the world is unknown,
but in 1856, it has been aScertained. he
died in one of the Philippine Islands, a
portion of the Spanish possessionsin the
East Indies, in possession of an estate
valued at 1888, 000, 900. If he had heirs
/, they were unknown, but rs it was as
certained that he had originally come
from one of the Basque provinces, the
fact Of his death and account of his es-
tate were communicated to the authori-
/ ties at Biscay. The matter there became
!, one OF great interest, and was probably
/ talked about very generally, and this
talk prompted the letter which we have
referred to. 1t was determined that Al
fonso BarranO, or his representatives
if living, were the legal heirs of the de-
ceased millionaire. Sothen commenced
the search for an heir, which has con.
tinued for years, and which is gradually
developing a true story, as thrilling in
interest as any recorded in the world OF
fiction. The representatives of the
Spanish government throughout the
world have been charged with the duty
of ~asckrtaining the whereabouts of AL
fonso Barrano, or his representatives
and it is possible that no clue would
ever have been obtained had it notbeer
for the letter which Mrs. Giroud re-
ceived from an associate of her youth
The establishment of the fact that
Macke, the man who died in the infrm-
airy in this city, is one and the same per,
son with Alfonso Barrano, of New Or