The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-04-21
A LAND VI Il RK.
The Old Rird-Fancier of Chartres street
End His Pets.

Everybody in the Second and Third Districts
knows Jean Houreade. He Is a character. and
his store has stood on Chartres street. near st.
Louis, for the past sixteen years. Hourcade is
an artist. and though he may be vugarly called
bird fancier. yet he Is endowed with the talent
of training animals to such degree that they
may be said to possess a modicum of human
intelligence. He lives all alone-has always
been alone; he never had friend. a com panion
or even an acduaintanee-yet In the company
of his birds, his parrots. his monkeys and pets
Hourcade lives just as contented as any prince.
His shop is filled with all kinds and races Of
animals. He has parrots, mocking- birds. mon
keys ant-eaters. erocodiles. and in fact. all va
reties of birds and beasts, of the small kind
principally, can be seen at his place Of busi-
ness.
JEAN notwithstanding his solitary mode Of
life. Is a ioyial old fellow. Probably he comes
from Gascony. for his broad. pleasant face wh n
he speaks Is irradiated with smiles and his
eyes CLEAN with the native humor of the sons OF
the ''Garonne." Jean has been, as We havesaid.
keeping his store of birds and oddities at the
corner of st. Louis and Chartres for the last
sixteen years. He has been here thirty-one
years, and form rly was established on Char
tres near st. Peter. Since thirty-one years he
has been known on that street, and yet no one
can say that he knows Hourcade intimately.
Some time ago poor Jean. whilst going up stairs
from the basement where his menagerie Is
kept to his room in the third story. was seized,
gagged and robbed to the extent of over $1,000.
| The case has been published and needs no ex-
tended mention.
| Two or three years ago. jeans establishment
Furnished CURIOUS to thosa who visited
| ing Of a dog. a cat, a monkey. and a parrot.
which lived in perfect harmony and content
| on the floor for all have crossed the dreadful
| Styx, never to ret urn.
| Hourcade Is full Of quaint anecdotes and
strange sayings. He Is what In French Is called
| ..un original kind Of anaehonte. who CON
| fines himself to his solitary room and NEEDLES
not with the outside world. In his little world.
tented and asks not or seeks not the COM
panionship of man.
Our reporter dropped in upon him one eve
| mood, related the story OF q baboon that had
| netted him about six hundred dollars: He told
in his yyasops us and rg d
English as graphically as he said It.
! bought said So, Jean, some SON years ears az ago o
behaved itself very decorously whilst was con :
veying 1t In a carriage to my place. but when l
entered the store with 1t the fellow turned on
me and began to attack me in most ferociou5
manner. He bit me severely on the hip, tried
| to choke me and fought him for nearly two
| hours, when some citizens came TO my assist
After awhile tanned him and sold him for
$500 to Robinson's circus. He was taught by
| them to play Jockey, but he soon became un-
| manageable, bit the horses and was the terror
Of all. bought. it back from the circus for s.,
| sold the animal for $3.50 to ship captain and
never heard of Il since.o
| Space forbids the mention of other anecdotes
| told by Hourcade but we will give them some
other time. Jean has now. little monkey OF
the genus "Papillon. which he bough six years
| ago. The animal is a native of Africa and Il
short, stumpy and without any vestige Of a tail
| which might go to further the Darwinian theory.
Hourcade has educated that monkey to such q
point that "a it it understands every gesture and
| Jennie is an epicurian; she cannot drink
whisky or common LIQUOR: she sipss good
smell it and Judge Of It's worth; but newer give
Jennie MARYLAND or Virginia; she knows only
perique or Havana Jennie also keeps watch
over the store at the command of heE master
and woe to the one who tries to enter whilst she
| keeps watch.
| Jennie Is we'll known In the neighborhood
she is the terror of small boys. 8dogssand cats
who all give her a wide. berth when she prone
nades in front OF Hourd4de's store. &