The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1890-07-26

Clinton street. The outskirts were,
on the South and East side dense
heavily timbered forests; on the West
the Ridgefield plantation, owned by
Judge George S. Guion, grandfather
of the present proprietor bounded
the Western side, above Jackson
street then a country road, with the
exception of a square or two fronting
on the bayou, on which some few
buildings were standing. Below the
town, on the Bayou front, some dwell
ings were scattered down as far as the
Catholic Church. There were no ban
quettes, except some that were made
of 1at-boat gunwales or other tenn
porary wooden ones.
The town had been Incorporated
but two years and hardly gotten into
successful working order. The first
mayor was Judge McAllister-Tle
second was Alexander Lawton, a mer-
chant, who died in Georgia during his
term, on his way to New York.
At the municipal election in May
1910, DR.. James A. Scudday was
elected mayor over Joseph S. Niles by
a vote of 25 to 8. Messrs John c..
Beatty, A. A. Laforest, P. H. Gary
and Pierre Rouannet were elected
trustees without opposition.
The mayor, DR.. Scudday, was a ma
tive of Alabama who had immigrated
to Thibodaux in his early life, was an
able physician, who soon acquired an
extensive practise in the Lafourche
Parishes He was a highly esteemed
citizen, who took Il great interest in
the prosperity of the own which he had
chosen as his home, always ready to
lend a helping and willing hand to
any public enterprise that was design
ed to improve the town, aud advance
it's interests.
He was of the leading stockhold-
ers in the company that dredged Ba-
you Terrebonne, and cut the canal,
connecting it with Bayou Lafourche,
thus furnishing means of transporta-
ton for the people of Terrebonne who
desired to ship their sugar, molasses
and other products to the markets of
the world, and to receive such mer-
chandise and machinery as was de-
handed for the support of their fami-
lies, and the proper cultivation of
their crops.
In 1S57-61 he was one of the part
nership, composed of Victor Richard,
DR.. P. G. Ewing and DR.. j. A. Scudday
who erected u Bi-sulphite of lime man
ufactory, at the head of the canal,
now owned by MIR. Tetreau, in which
large quantities of Bi-sulphjte of lime
was annually manufactured and sold
to the planters in Lafourche, Assump-
ton, TerrebOnne and other parishes,
then an article deemed absolutely
necessary to obtain a good clarifca-
ton of sugar.
DR.. Scudday resided on the corner
of st. Philip and st. Bridget streets in
a building now hidden in the fine man
sion erected by DR.. H. Dansereau.
He died in 1868, and left behind him
a record of a life that was honorable,
just and useful and is remembered by
his contemporaries with the kindllest
Of assoc atoms.
John c. Beattie. the father of Judge
Taylor Beattie, was a native of Ken
lucky who came to Louisiana in his
early manhood, and began the prac-
tice of medicine in Thibodaux. This
profession, not suiting his taste, he
studied law, and entered into the 2rac-
tice of the same. He soon obtained a
position at the bar that placed him at
its head i'll Southern Louisiana, and
won a large and lucrative practice.
Mr.. Beattie was a man of much public
spirit and did much towards prepar-
ing the municipal laws that started
Thibodaux into an active corporation,
doing all the legal work without pay,
80 far as the records show.
He was also an active spirit in the
company that dredged bayou Terre-
bonnie.
He was engaged in all the impor-
tant cases of his time and was the ad-
vOcate who successfully conducted the
suits for the defendants who were in
vOlved as securities for Mr.. Marchais
who ~embezzled, or rather spent sever
al thousands of dollars of the mone
OF the bank, on Jackson street of
which he was the agent, and obtain
ed their release.
Mr.. Beattie with DR.. Scudday we're
the leaders of the Democratic party in
LafOurche which, at that time could
not poll 100 votes.
Mr.. Beattie was once a candidate
for judge of the supreme court, but
failed in his election, although polling
the entire strength of his party. A
Democrat in Southern Louisiana
stood u poor chance of being elected
against any candidate whom the wings
had placed at their head. in those
days.
Mr.. Reattie. with his wife. formerly