Louisiana capitolian. (Baton Rouge, La.) 1879-1881, 1881-10-18
GOVERNOR WILTZ is DEAD.

day morning in New Orleans.
The great city where he was born
and died after his short and eventful
career, seemed to realize, at last, that
Louis A. Witt, was something more
than penfant dupeaple, who had Of
ten been accused Of making too free
with that element of the population
whose muscular arms roll the cotton
bale, or at the midnight hour are
found where the lurid glare of the
flames rise high above the homes or
commercial emporiums of New Or
leans.
Indeed Louis A. Wilt, was the
Democratic Governor of Louisiana.
He was one of "the boys" of the
Crescent City. Born and reared
among them he had been with them
constantly, at the playground as well
AZ on the benches ofthe public school.
At the age of puberty, with his loved
companions OF the playground and
the school, he donned the red shirt of
"CreOle nine" and went singing
along with them when the alarm bell
called them to the rescue.
When the ''bonnie blue fag' be-
came the cherished standard of the
true sons of Louisiana, Louis Wilt,
with the others, exchanged the red
shirt OF the fireman for the jacket OF
gray. When we met him as the
provost-marshal of Franklin, we
were told by ''the boys" that the
handsome young Captain Wilt, had
often, with "Bailey Vinson's men,
dashed calamity among the "inva-
ders in blue" of his native State.
1t was not many years after this,
that we saw him appear in the role
OF a patriotic and fearless minority
representative in the Republican leg
Islatures Of the era of reconstruction.
After that, he advanced rapidly to-
wards the object of his manly and
legitimate ambition. He became the
Mayor OF his beloved New Orleans.
Then he led the men of 1875, who
unarmed marched to the Hall of
Representatives where the hirelings
ofKellogg, backed by the bayonets
OF the US. Army, once again denied
to the people of Louisiana, the rights
which the constitution of the coun-
try guarantees to those of every State
of the Union.
His heroism on that mem orable oc-
-casion will forever guild his name on
the brightest pages of our history.
In 1876, a solid phalanx of "the
boys" followed him as their standard
bearer, to the Baton Rouge Conven-
ton. How devotedly they went
through many ballots "solid for
Witt all the time, even against the
patriotic Nichols, all who were
presento on that night, at Pixies Hall,
will remember.
When the majority of the conven-
ton declared itself for Nichols and
unanimously rendered him the second
place, he nobly came forward and
consented to heal any breach that
the exciting contest might have Gre
ated, by cordially accepting the nom
nation. How faithfully he canvass
ed the State from one end to the
other, in support of the ticket, will
never be forgotten either.
we will pass rapidly over his SUBJ
sequent career as President of the
Convention of 1879, to his elevation
as Governor Of Louisiana, which he
reached with death staring him in
the face.
Then did the indomitable charac-
ter OF the young creole of New Or
leans, show itself in it's most bril-
liant light.
Alternately, from the bed of an
guish to the post of duty, did Louis
A. Wilt, dream and work for the
glory and the material development
of the resources of the State.
A mere shadow of himself, anima-
ted by love of country, which
many must have noticed elsewhere,
we saw him SIT for hours to aid in es-
tablishing on a lasting basis, the
State University, a consummation
which he repeatedly said Would fiji