The Magnolia gazette. [volume] (Magnolia, Miss.) 1872-current, 1883-04-19

TINS ordinance.
According to the whispered story
shortly after the settlement was made.
and the small-eyed natives of the Pa
citic began to thrive with their fishery.
one OF their number, following the cx.
ample Of the average American citizen.
as well as the dictates of semi-Mon.
golian taste, carried thither wife, and
established her at the head of his little
household. Within few months un-
pleasant reports began to spread in the
village, at first against the chief, and
then against the smallest and most in
significant fishers assistant there. Cos
\ sip, with her idle tongue. invoked pri-
vate enmity where brothcrly love eX-
lsted beforehand old friends found them
selves separated by some maligning
slanderer Feuds We're created The
crease and the knife were resorted to.
and the peaceful st, Malo threatened to
become place Of sickening deeds. The
older heads gathered together and dis
cussed this unlooked-for change in the
affairs of the microcosm. The logic OF
facts, by very simple induction, point.
ed to the woman as the cause, and her
fate was sealed. Traditions differ as to
the means taken to bring about the de.
sired result. One has ii that She was
tied out in the marshes to a stake for
the mosquitoes TO suck out her life
blood; another tells of the short strife
OF 9 knife and a seyering of the bloody
limbs from the headless trunk. Ii mai
ters little which may be true, the re-
suit remained, and woman never more
set eyes on ST Malo.
The character of these settlers had
been spoken of as most bold and des
perate, which was skillfully concealed
under mild, submissive manner when
the eyes Of Christian people were upon
them. Exclusive, crafty, superstitious
and daring descendants of the an
thropophagi, il was but natural that en-
cursionists from New Orleans and the
neighboring country did not take kind
~ to st. Malo as a resort in their sum
mer cruises over our land-locked lakes.
With such before the imagination. il is
pardonable that desire for solution
OF these reported mysteries should bc
awakened in the journalistic mind.
The fishing is conducted by com
panies, each of which is composed Of 4
Captain and four or five men. The
Captain is generally the owner of the
seine. They start out in fine weather
down the shore of Lake Borgne and
haul the seine until u sufficient quantity
is caught TO fill their ears. All return
to ST. Malo, where the fish are punched
and sold to luggers which ply between
that point and New Orleans. The first
share goes to the seine, and then All take
share and share alike of the proceeds.
Each man, when lucky, clears between
fifteen and eighteen dollars per week
They do not care for the cold, and work
winter and summer, although summer
IS the best fishing season. The men live
on fish, rice and beans, and once week
they get meat. They are all contented
without wives, and seldom have trouble
with one another When they first
came they built their houses with
fdtdnter (palmetto) leaves and with
straw from the marsh; now they are
built Of cypress.
No such thing as warrant of a court. !
a tax bill, q lawyer, doctor, OF an |
election is known there. Their only
judges to settle their disputes are arbi-
traitors selected by those who dispute
the property in skiff. bunch of fish,
or pirogue. When a man gets drunk |
on liquors brought on the luggers from |
the city, and he gets noisy, he is i'm I
mediately taken down to fish car,
which is simply large skifi. some ten
feet long decked over with open seams /
about an inch in width, so that when It /
Is afloat the water will flow through it \
to keep the fish alive. The drunken man
is put in fish car, the sliding door on top
is closed and q peg inserted. He is
then safe. If he becomes too obstreper-
Gus the car is pushed out into the water
until il is half filled, the cold bath eflectu-
ally quieting the arior of the prisoner
With Bataille as an interpreter, the
Times Democrat men paid Del Carpio
visit, and from him learned that the
boat-builder's story was correct. Del
Carpio had been there for thirty-five
years. and formerly was Captain Of a
himself, but he had grown too
old to fish, and he seldom went out in
the boats now He raised game chick
ems, which afforded much sport to the
woman there, and passed his days
quietly beneath the dark shadows of his
trees. Under the shed was hung a
string of sliced fish, drying, as if driving
was possible in such humid atmos,
1here. Everything seemed saturated.
Del Carpio had been sailor, but on
'eaehing this country had left his vessel
md come to St. Malo. He said the
place was selected because the bayou
lfforded good harbor, and excellent
ishing grounds were near. The men
here took no part in the late war, and
we're disturbed by neither side. He
would not say that there was no SNUG
gling through the lines from st. Mafo
It that time, but smiled significantly
when the subject was mentioned. When
lsked why women were not allowed in
he settlement, he only shrugged his
houlders and said: g Qnten Sabe?''
His face was wrinkled, and from be-
leath an overhanging brow two bead
ike eyes shone out with all the lnster of
-outh. His mouth was a good-natured
me, but evinced great firmness. He
vas considerably agitated at the visit,
nd did not aDDear at case unfi1 his Wis