New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-02-07

, It's only left that tenderly
Ny thought retrace the thought that stirs
IN these mute words. The lutte may lie
Untouched;its music can not die!
i PORT VINCENT.
The Present Seat Of Justice of 1.-THE FIR.
state of Livingston.''
u We are kindly permitted to copy the 70
lowing extrscts from a letter from an Of
resident of the parish of Livingston to
friend in this city:
i. As this place has, within the last two Q
three years, attracted to itself an attentio
not due either to it's size or commercial i'm
portance, l will give you q sketch of it.
The place was erst landing place o.
the river Amite; where lived, until re
Gently, an old and venerable Italian Gale,
Vincent Scivique. This old Italian lon
navigated with his schooner or schooner
certain of the rivers and lakes of Louisiana
in connection with small store at thi
truth, one OF the relatives or allies OF tn
famous pirate Lafte-a charge mad,
against every Italian or Spanish trader O
those times.
But whether ever pirate or not, know
old Scivique myself pretty intimately fo
some thirty odd years, and must say tina
it ever, then and there or any where else
he did anything that did not comport will
the character of an enterprising, charitable
humane and honest man, that thing never
came to my knowledge.
But the old mans soul has now passed
away, although his mortal remains sell
| rest at Port Vincent under q shelter, neal
by to small chapel built out of his own
private means.
Upon the old mars death, the place Don
changed hands. and soon began also to rise;
and finally from the enterprise of the new
proprietor, increased in size 90 tremendous.
| ~, as to have one or two additional stores,
| with about the same number of residences,
| in which dwelt the enterprising individuals
| who had started the stores; together with
the inevitable grog-shOp or doggery, as
such places are commonly called.
Then came q charter for a town and a
skeleton map, in which squares and lots
were marked down, named and numbered
Liberal grants or donations we're also pro-
Jected Tor churches. cathedrals. synagogues,
schools, colleges, lyceums, gymnasiums, etc.,
all OF which to person thousand miles off
must have appeared excessively liberal and
grand-and already certainty.
Then came lust for empire; and after
getting passed an act of the Legislature to
take the sense of the people in an election
therein prescribed, as to whether the court
house for the parish should or should not be
located there, the now owners of the place
ascertained the fact that in their favor
there was only minority. Upon that they
set to work again, and got another law
passed, which declared, even while referring
to that minority, that, nevertheless, the
courthouse should be thither removed. See
act No. 81, approved June a, 1872.
1t is true that at the election referred to
Port Vincent got plurality of the votes
actually cast--that is to say, if the election
was held fairly, which very much doubt,
and which many assert it certainly was not;
but that fact of there being a plurality,
even, was owing to the way in which the
question was put to the voters; the question
put being simply as to where the court
should be for the future; the consequence
of which was that there were many
places voted for, every man voting for
some point as near as possible to his own
house. Had the question been simply,
"Shall the courthouse be removed to Port
Vincent, or shall it remain at Springfield"
the majority in favor of Springfield would
have been large one, indeed. Among
other tricks of the Port Vincent advocates,
it was given out by them that the court |
house had to be removed from Springfield |
to somewhere else; and this was believed |
by many of those who had not themselves |
seen the act quoted. which not one out of |
every hundred, perhaps, had seen; and
thus, many voted for Port Vincent who far |
preferred Springfield.
But this arbitrary act of the Legislature |
being passed, the Port Vincent prOprietors
erected, on a credit. partly at their own ex-
pense, or rather their own risk, and partly /
1t the expense of the taxpayers building
Tor courthouse, which any bungler. or
oungler's apprentice would laugh at at first |
tight, and then sought the records. In |
toing this latter act they set out for Spring
ield, just as burglars and thieves commonly
commence their operations by night, SO that
when daylight appeared at Springfield,
IN armed band of men also ap-
aneOusly with steamboat at the landing,
when the records, having been during that
light, secretly packed, or rather bundled up,
we're hurried on board the boat, and then
Without any delay started off for Port Vim
ent.
This was the dav of triumph, par excel
once, for Port Vincent, and the cannon
hereof would then and there have ripped
nd roared, if there had been any cannon
o roar.
This was done without any order of court
Which the law required, and which had
cen applied for, and for good reasons re-
used; and IN spite of the fact that a petit
ion had been sent in to court for an iniunc-
ion through which to test the legality of
be contemplated removal; but must do the
alders the justice to say that no injunction
ad been actually issued, the petition having
cen thrust aside unheeded; but whether it |
,as so put aside desiguedly, was accident
ny done on purpose" or whether it took
lace from the dizziness or obfuscation of
ne functionaries who ought to have needed |
j, can not say very positively.
Then came question as to who were the |
'ue officers Of the parish-a question
hich, after few repetitions on both sides,
General Grants short but most laudable |
rayer of LET US have Peace!" was de.
ded by General jeff Thompson and two
: three companies of Metropolitans. as
uch to the satisfaction of some of the
'pirants, as to the disgust of others, and :
ce versa.
The troubles, however, did not end there:
me reprisals were feared, and SO much
}, that the records were not SEE up in
der, and before they were SO set up, if t
ey ever have been fully so even vet.
ey were spirited away from Port Vincent d
ID into the swamp, and about that time, a
ppOse, it was that new caper was in +
Oduced, in which each one for himself.
wing selected. seized upon and borne off, b
litarily or in bundles, all such of the filed e
pers and records as he himself was in G
rested in individually, declaring, while Il
doing-what nobody seemed to deny or 7
otest against-that such papers, ETC., a
re safer in his own hands, than in such | Il
public building, or in the hands of such | ly
and then again, that no fur. ii
Or action could be taken on these papers cl
it suited his own interest, if ever it I.
tied it, so to take action. "
But let me return for while to the town. m
e town still contains and still consists b.
tirely of those two or three small atnraa h,