The Houma courier. (Houma, La.) 1878-1939, 1890-03-15
THE LADY IN BLACK

Some wears ago, an intelligent and Ptous
1sdv living iu the town of NJ. near Lake
Po6tcbartarin, La. informed me of a curl
ous old legend prevailing there OF VarlouS
narso7s having met at different times,
on q certain old trail, or road, a strange,
mysterious woman, whom no one knew,
and from her always being dressed IN
mourning, got to be known as The Lady
in Black"
MANY paid no attention to the story, es-
teeming it some silly hoax yet every now
and then, sOUte one would come boiling
into town in great alright, declaring they
had seen this same mysterious woman.
At length it came out that a long, long
time before the days of steam, when all
the Western country brought down their
produce in the old time tiat-bOats to New
Orleans, and, selling out both boat an0
cargo, would cross the lake in schOOnerS,
then. ON on horses and others IN squads
on foot, took this old trail through the
Indian nation to gain their Western N
It happened that during this time, the story
ran, one day a lady, perhaps more wealthy
than the rest, came over with a horse ana
.arriage. She may have been a widow
who had entrusted her crops to others, to
her loss, and determined to come at
tend to her business herself IneIe weI'
rough people around Lake POntchaTtraL
in those days, and a band OF VllIager
thinking she had much money, and benz
accompanied only by her driver, went out
and waylaid her, and, dragging her Tito
the woods. they killed and robbed her,
and made off with the booty.
1t was natural enough that timid and
superstitious people should fancy some
supernatural appearance t~hereabOut put
50 many persons a0d for so long a time
testifying to the same appearance at the
| same place, rather caused some reflection
even in sober minds, for in those days the
| place where a murder was committed
caused scarcely more fear or sights than If
a murder hsd never been known.
About 4 o'clock one evening some ten or
twelve years ago, while riding with q lady
of this town along this road, though l
knew nothing of the place Of the legend,
| and never hardly thought of such a thing,
we saw a tall woman, about As years old,
dressed in dingy black, deliberately cross
ing our way Just ahead of our buggy. l
wondered that she never turned her head,
aud asked my companion, saying, "Nhat
is that lady doing out here bareheaded and
a}one2"
"Oh," she replied, Il suppose she is
getting pine cones or gum balls"
NO, it can't be that, for she has no bas-
ket and nothing in her hands"
Ny friend was silent as | watched the
stranger, saying to my self there must be
| some house near here where she stepped
out to call, till a little bush INSTRUCTED ouI
sight, Just as she crossed, and 10 she
was gone.
"Where is she2" l asked.
"Why, don't you know" said she, ''thet
this is the place where the Lady IN Black
is seen ?"
"Why, no; she was no spirit saw
her plain as day"
But she was gone, nor could we, though
all was plain enough, get sight of her
again. a short distance on we called Al &
mutual friends, and particularly described
the lady. But he said there was no house
within that woods, and no u person
living in the whole settlement.
This incident | related to an intelligent
old soldier of the civil war. and he related
to me that in 1867, while travelling with 6
friend, going to Mobile, Ala, be suddenly
saw a Yankee captain, dressed in full
uniform, coming ~obIiquely toward them.
when he exclaimed
"Why there's a Yankee captain"
'fWhere Where =" exclaimed his
friend, in great excitement, and turning t.
notice his friends agitation, lost sight Of
the SO der, when 10 he was seen no more
But my friend subsequently learned tina
four Yankee soldiers and a captain haC
strayed from Grierson's command two
years before. and had stayed in the settle
ment till after peace, when they started
home, and getting to this place, we're by
some wicked men waylaid and shot, anC
the man he rode with was the chief acto.
in the barbarious deed. Explain who can
Geo. 7. TjckeTS, in The american.