The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1875-03-06
Francois LacrOix.
The Quadroon Millionaire Of New Orleans,

y
The Quadroon Millionaire Of New Orleans,
Correspondence n. r. Times,]
| Living in one of the quaint hooks
for which the French quarter Of New
Orleans has become celebrated, is an
old quadreon, who il. possessed of
property valued ut upwardof q mil
lion dollars. and who ut ono time
owed the State upward Of $50, 600 for
taxes. Unlike the political property
owners, old Francois LacrOix pro-
fessed no opposition to the Kellogg
government, No was he ready 70
| bribe Kellogg'ss COLLECTORS md As
SCISSORS, The result Of this neglect
was that some S7OO, 600 worth Of prop
erty was recently sold for unpaid
taxes. Some Of this be has since re-
deemed. Even without It liz would
still lie very rich man. The his
t,ry Of the old quadroon, aside from
his remarkable resistance to the tax
g;ltherer, is not without interest.
From an old resident Of New Orleans
have gained the following account
of his life. He was born in New Or
leans, his parents belonging to that
class of free French cOlored people
now almost extinct in Louisiana.
Forty years ago he was the fashion
able tailor Of New Orleans, and made
money with surprising rapitlity. The
young French llandies of the city
never thought Of showing themselves
on the streets unless their legs were
encased in u pair of Lacroix's trous-
ers, and at the opera and in the fash
iollable saloons Of the best society =
none but Lacroix coats appenred. In
those days money was plenty in New
Orleans. Hundreds of negroes toiled
from years end to years end to sup
port one family of lazy whites, and
the SONS of rich sugar planters thought
nothing of paying 800 in gold for a
garment made by Lacroix. By their
patronage the qnadroon tailor be-
came wealthy, and investing hisl
money in real estate, which doubled
in value as the city grew, he was
soon \ millionaire. He owned large
tracts Of land in every suburb, and
as the populatiot, of New Orleans in
creased he built houses and rented
them to extrayagant aud careless
planters. Soon there were some in
his debt, and he obtained mortgages
on their estates, and so continued to
increase his property until, at the
outbreak Of the war, he was regarded
rs the richest man il Louisiana. One
popularity Of the old man was his
aversion to paying taxes. With
princely revenue he lived like a pau
per, and always declaring he had no
money, by one device or another sue
teetlett in escaping the tax. gatherer.
Four years ago, his bill for unpaid
city taxes amounted to, upward of
335, 900. As usual he tried to evade
payment, but Gov. Warmoth wanted
money, his followers were peor and
hungry, aud they told the old man
with an air Of determination which
Was not to be mistaken, that he must
pay his t;,xes or lose his property.
Being assured of this, Lacroix col
lected the required amount and. In
trusted it to his son, with orders to
pay the tax bills. The young man
took the money. That night lie came
back to his old father telling him that
the $s5, 600 was gone. His story was
that he had been induced to enter
gambling house, and that he had lost
every penny Of the money. Lacroix,
with all the passion of his race, cursed
his son AMI drove hin, from his house.
Then he sank into a state of inaction