The Opelousas courier., 1885-04-18
A Remarkable History.
THE STORY OF TWO GERMAN ORPHANS
OF NEW ORLEANS.

and presented card inscribed: "Mat
thew Fl. Peters, editor and Publisher
of the Troquois Times, Watseka, H.
He remarked that hU dropped in mere
ly as one of the craft, but being seated
said New Orleans was his native place,
but he had not been here since 1853.
A conversation ensued, which develop
ed most interesting story
Iu 1853 Mr.. Peters was lad of ten
years His father was German, and
lived with his family at the corner of
Chippewa and Fourth streets, in a
house of his own The epidemic of
that season swept away the lads father
and mother and two sisters, leaving
himself and Younger brother alone in
the world.
The recollection of this time is very
indistinct in the mind of Mr.. Peters,
but he remembers being for some time
an inmate of the Jackson Street Orphan
Asylum with his brother. He left there,
bis brother remaining, to become the
apprentice of tailor named Philip
Scheib, on Tchoupitoulas, between
Fourth and Washington avenue. He
soon ran away from the tailor and be-
came
GANlN
of the streets, earning enough to make
| a living by picking coffee on the levee.
"While / was apprentice at Seheib's,"
he said, ~ had heard him say that |
had an aunt living in ST. Louis or
Louisville, don't remember which, so,
boy like, I determined to go and hunt
for her, not even knowing her name,
but feeling, of course, that [ could find
her without any trouble. / stood in
with cook on board the steamboat
Glendale and got berth.
81 left New Orleans on board the Glen
dale in 1854, and have never been back
since. | got off at Cincinnati and lived
in Ohio for years, educating myself in
English to the best of my ability by the
light of lime kiln which attended.
When the war broke out entered
the Union army as a private aud rose
to be
MAJOR OF MT REGIMENT.
After the war | went to Illinois and
was in 1879 elected to the Illinois Sem
from IL Republican District. [ now am
what my cald says, owning my own
newspaper and the house in which it is
printed, and Am postmaster of the town
in which ] live, Notwithstanding the
fact that am still aud always was a
Democrat.
sSllortly after the war there was an
excursion to the Northwest of Union
sympathizers from the South. Among
| these / saw in Chicago newspaper
the name of E. Heisand, of New
Orleans. / don't know how it was,
| but at once remembered this name.
had seen, when wandering II homeless,
.friedless boy through the streets of
New Orleans, sign bearing the name
| E. Heisand, German advocate. / had
never thought about the name since,
but, as such things SO often happen, it
stuck in my mind. | wrote to Heisand,
| inquiring if be knew any thing about
me, or what had become of
MY BROTHER.
got letter-in 1869 I believe this
| was telling me that my brother had
gone from New Orleans TO Opelousas.
/ wrote to Opelousas and learned that
my brother Samuel was then in Texas,
but would be back. Some time after.
ward heard from him and some time
after that he visited me in Illinois. In
COMPARING OUR LIVES
we found some singular coincidences
and some still more singular divergen-
ces. had served in the Union army,
aud had been wounded in the right leg.
NJ brother had served in the Confede-
| rate army, and also received a wound
in the right leg. At the time of my
fathers death spoke and wrote Ger
man veil, but have now forgotten it
almost entirely. For instance, look
ed up old man Schei5 to-day, and
found him still living, very old and
childish, at his present residence, cor
ner of BienvilIe and Broad streets. He
/ to day showed nle letter in German,
dated in 1854, from Ohio, and signed
by mo. had almost forgotten that /
had written to him after running away
from New Orleans. But the singular
thing about it is that could not read
the. letter, though it was well written
and in fair German, | presume, from
the good appearance of the compost
ton.
"My brother, on the contrary, when
I met him could speak little of even
/ English and less Of German. He had
become among the Creoles of St Lam
dry complete Frenchman, and did
not know that he was of German orr
gin My father wrote his name Peter,
but my brother had added an IS, max
ing himself Peters. Singularly enough
i / had done the same thing, and con
tinue to do so as you see by my card
IL am nov. on my way TO Opeiousas
to return my brothers visit, but have
stopped over in New Orleans to try and
4 find out something about myself.
found old man Scheib, as ] told you, and
after refreshed his memory, he recall.
ed the fact of my apprenticeship.
4 went down to the Civil District Court
and searched the
OLD RECORDS
nI discovered that one Francis Pfeiffel
q had been made guardian--a tutor, Al
you call it here Ito myself and brother
and an order Of court for the sale o1
8 nv fathers house. The record shows
| TINT il was appraised at 81 900, ane
q the record OF the sale shows that it wal
sold for 81 100 | also went to the
LAFAYETTE STREET cEMETLRY
/ and found the record of my fathert
burial. In contradiction of the cour
i records, those of the cemetery asser
i that nv father was buried as a pauper