St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1882-04-22
BELLEVUE.
Sporting Characters.
FIELD AND TURF.


uated a small, But well-conducted
country store. This property IS
sited where, properly speaking, "Belle-
yue" begins, and is the rendezvous OF all
the sporting characters for miles around.
Ii a fast horse owner is overbur-
dened with laurels, all he has to do
is to take his courser to that neigh
borhood, and as sporting men have IT,
he is Cleaned up in q jitfy."
The racing done in the neigh
borhood at present is confined to creole
ponies, and hot as one would suppose,
do they win in short races, but the VIC
tor is generally the longest wlnded.
Jumping and foot racing in that vlclnl-
ty afford the more pleasant recreatlons,
but not without a wager and being
badly mixed as to color. Some OF the
overfowed negroes coming to the par
ish, chose Bellevue as their place OF So
journ until the water receded. VI
course, what leisure time they had
was spent at or around the neigbor-
hood store, where, as a consequence,
they came in contact with some OF its
old stand-bys. Having a few dollars
left, possibly from the sale of stock,
furniture or something which they
couldn't bring with them, and thinking,
maybe, they had run upon crowd OF
greenhorns or "slow niggers," one OF
the number, in clustering manner,
bantered any man in the crowd to
Jump with him for small sum. The
Bellevuites among the negroes seemed
little shy at first, but being urged for
ward by the leading spirit Of the hill
who lives in a large brick house near
by and the store clerk who made Il
start by out-jumping him for a half
bottle of whisky, they soon entered into
the spirit Of things, jumping and run
ming with them until the water-bound
had scarcely anything to leave on.
While the concluding part of the above
exercises was going on, a negroe came
up on very nice white pony, taking
I'D both sides of the road with his pranc-
ing steed. He said he'd bet the last
cent he had with anyone present that
his horse could outrun any other in the
crowd, for any distance and it mattered
not for how much money. No one
would "come to the Scratch" until the
director or reigning sovereign Of the
prairie, induced one of his subjects to
| l,% Ia no En
could't run his pony for such a very,
very small amount, but that he would
come to time for $25. Seeing that the
prancing pony man wanted to be ex-
travagant, the neighborhood's spokes-
man from the brick house on the hill
induced the jolly store clerk to
put up his horse, he agreeing to pay
him half the value Of the horse in case
he lost, and if they won, was to have
an equal share of profit. A race was made
up, horse for horse, the distance being
from Calahan's bridge to Opelousas.
A negro boy was put on one OF two
ponies from which our white horse man
Alexis Fugee by name, had his choice
to run with. Before starting it was
agreed that the senior partner in the
race against the negro was to ride along
to see that the partnership racer wasn't
run to death. They were started be-
fore witnesses. Alexis started his horse
in full run and kept him at his best
as far as he went. The partnership
pony was reined in and rested until near
Mr.. Estilette's plantation, but kept
all the time within sight of the one
ahead. On reaching that place, Alexis
charger began to flag while his hind
legs seemed each intent on taking a diff
erent side Of the road. The general
manager of the race who was close
behind, rode up to him and said, as he
slapped the jaded charger on the hip
"Oh d--n you, I've got you beat
you're my meat" The general mana
ger and the partnership pony passed
Alexis racer giving him heel-dust by the
pound. A little piece ahead they came
across a drove Of cattle, rode around
and moved on toward town, but Alexis
perceiving that lie was badly left and
| his "stake" lost, was glad Of the chance
land giving up the race, made for the
woods near at hand, leaving the bal
apce Of the race-course, distance Of
two miles, a clear gain for the victors
They kept looking behind, but saw
nothing Of him. Late in the evenins
Of the same day, Saturday, we were
strolling around for exercise, when
at what is known as SINNERS Landing