The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1875-02-13
Port Vincent.

! ,- Port Vincent.
The Present Seat Of Justice Of " The Free
/ ii State of Livingston"
We were kindly permitted (says the
New Orleans Republican, to copy
the following extracts from = lette,
from an old resident Of the parish Of
Livingston to : friend in this. city:
| As this place has, within the last
two or three yegs, attrActsl to itself
an attention not due either to its size
or commercial Importance, I will give
sou sketch Of it. . - ~
The place was first d landing place
IN the river Amite where lived until
recently, an old and venerable Italian
called Vincent Scivique. This old
Italian long navigated with his
schooner or schooners certain of the
rivers and lakes of Louisiana, in con-
nection with 4 asmallstore at this point.
He was, too, iftradition tells the truth,
one of the relatives or allies of the
famous pirate Lafitte-a charge made
| against every italian or Spanish tra-
der of those times.
But whether ever. pirste or not,
knew old Sciyiqne myself pretty in
timatcly for some thirty odd years,
and must say that if ever, then and
there or any where else, he did any
| thing that did not conport with the
character of an enterprising, charita-
ble, humane and honest man, that
thing never came to my knowlege.
But, the old mans soul has now
passed away, although his mortal re-
mains still rest at Port Vincent under
Il shelter, near by to a small chapel
built out of his own private means.
Upon the old mans death, the place
soon changed hands, and soon began
also to rise and finally from the en-
terprise of the new proprietor, in
creased in size so tremendously, as to
have one or two additional stores,
with about the same number of resi-
dences, in which dwelt the enterplfs-
lug individuals who had started the
stores; together with the inevitable
grog- shop or doggery, as such places
are commonly called.
Then came a charter for a town and
. skeleton map, in which squares and
lots were marked down, named and
numbered. Liberal grants or dona-
tions were also projected for churches,
cathedrals, synagogaes,. schools, col
leges, lyceuDs, gymnasiums, etc, all
of which to Il person q thousand miles
off must lave apPeared excessively
liberal and grand-and already GER
tainty.
Then came lust for empire; and
after getting passed al. act OF the Leg
islature to take the sense of the peo-
pie in an electi6If tlitfefh prescribed, !,
M to whether the courthouse for che
parish should or should not be located
there, the now owners of the place
ascertained the f;sct that in their favor
there was only a minority. Up'n that
they set to work again, and got an
other law passed, whicl, declared,
even while referring to that minority,
that, nevertheless. the ! courthouse
should be thither removed. See act
No. a;3. approved June 4th. 1872.
1t is true that at the election refer
red to Port Vincent got a plurality If
the votes actually cast-tllat il 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 beiug a plurality even,
was owing to the way in which the
question was put to tbs voters: the
question put being simply as to where
the court should be for the future !;
the consequence of which was that
there wcle many places voted for,
every man voting for some point as
near as possible to his own house.
Had the question been simply,
"Sha|l the courthouse be removed to
Port Vincent, or shall it remain at
SpringfieldFt the VIM 3ority 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 courthouse
had to be removed from Springfield
to somewhere else /; and this was be-
lieved by MANY Of ,tAo,s <wl,o had not
themselves seen the act quoted, which
not one out of every hundred, per.
haps, had aeen !. and thus, many voted
for Port Vincent who far, preferred
Springfield.
But this arbitrary act Of the Legis-
lature being passed, the Port Vincent
prOplietors erected, on credit, l'art-
ly at their own expense or rather
| their own risk, and partly 1T tine ex-
pense Of the taxpayers, building for
a courthouse, which any hungler, or
bungler's apprentice would laugh at
at first sight, aud then sought tho re-
co,ds. In doing this act they set out
for Springfield just ~ burglars and
thieves commonly commence their
operations by night, so that when day
lightappeared at Springfield, an armed
band Of men also appeared at the
Springfield courthouse simultaneously
with steamboat at the landing, when
the records, having been during that
night secretly packed, or rather bun
died up, were hurried on board the
boat and than withnut anv delay