St. Landry democrat., 1880-01-03

remarked Mr.. LeBesque to our rcporte
as he next interviewed the boy, who's
story was as follows, told in broker
English and in a very cool and collected
manner, most of it in answer to uues
tions put by the magistrate and Mr.
LeBesque:
A long time ago, when [ was a yer,
little boy, my father sent me to market
one morning. After | returned from
market, my father sent me to the bakers
after bread, which | got, and Oh my
way from the bakers l met my step
brothers wife, Mrs. Alexandra Borne
who asked me if | did not want to go
and pay a visit with her. l said YES,
and she carried me to her house. !
stayed there all night, and the next
morning very early we left her house
and she took me across the river, and
there we got on the cars. We travelled
by the cars almost all day, and t!.on got
on steamboat Oh which we Travelled
some time, when we arrived at Il town,
and there got on a stage and came to-
Fermilionville, and FROM there nv
brothers wife brought me to Mr., Ma
wares. She told me before got to Mr.
Navare's, that my father vas dead
She stayed several do at Mr. Novor.,s
anu 'o'o LII" mat l was an orphan, with
hosody to take care of me but her. On
the morning when she started to leave,
l ran after the carriage and tried to get
III it, bus she would not let me. She
toldme she had no money to pay my pas
sage, but would return very soon and
get ne. She said the same thing to Mr..
Navarro before me. / cried a good deal
after she left, and Mr.. Navarro told me
if | would not cry he would give me q
pony. always thought my father was
dead, but was anxious to see my little
brother, whom left behind. | never
spoke to anyone, except Mr.. Guidry,
about my being stolen. | never told
Mr.. Navarro | had been stolen. Mr..
Navarro has always treated me as if
was his own son, and if my father
prosecutes him, won't stay with him
(my father.) | am glad to see my father
and will be glad to see my brother, but
l am going to return to st. Landry. and
the home in which l have been raised.
just as soon as / can, after L see my
brother and stay for awhile with nv
father. | am in love with a little girl
living near me, and Of course am COM
ing back to see her. [ can't recollect
everything that occurred, but | do re-
collect perfectly what I have stated
Mr.. Navarro is a creole, about fifty
years of age, who is we'll known in this
parish as a good, hard working man,
without any education, and we do not
believe has ever been fifty miles from
his home in his life. He seemed to be
very much troubled at being arrested
for such an offence, and made the fol-
lowing statement to the magistrate
about the month of June, 1871. a
cousin Of mine Mini 1--WE neglected to
take down her maiden name) arrived
at my house accompanied by little
boy. She told me she had come to nav
myself and others Of her relatives visit,
She also told me that the little boy was
with her, was an orphan child she had
picked up in New Orleans, and that she
had taken him out of charity. She re-
mained several days with ME. During
the time she was at my house she
treated the boy very badly. The night
before she left, she told nae that she did
not have money enough to pay for the
boys passage to New Orleans, and asked
me to let him remain for a month or
two with me. and that she would paw
me for my trouble, which I agreed to
90. She was to return herself. have
never Seen her since. l had several
letters written to her, but as l directed
them to her by her maiden name, they
perhaps never reached her, or if they
did, she did not answer them, I never
knew her married name until to-day.
After the little boy had remained with
me for several months l became at
tached to him, and was glad my cousin
never came after him. l have treated
him as if he was my own son. Ny
neighbors will testify to that. He has a
pony, bride and saddle of his own, and
yon can see his we'll clothed. | have
no education myself, can neither read
nor write. have never sent the boy
to school. | never Went to school my
self. ! have never attempted to find
out anything about the boy, because l
believed what my cousin told me, and
thought he was an orphan, whom she