The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1891-04-22
MADEMOISELLE FAURIE'S CHOICE.

count OF the part they had TAKEN IN lore
ing Don Antonio de Ulloa to leave the
state.
The names of the men arrested were
Focault. Noyan, Bienville, Boisblanc.
Lafreniere, Brand, Marquis, Doucet, Petit,
Mazent, Joseph and John Nilhet and
Villere.
OF these men, five were shot, Where
was brutally murdered on board vessel in
the Mississippi river, and the others were
transported TO Havana, where they suffered
greatly as prisoners, receiving the most in
human treatment. This was almost the
first public act OF 0'Reilly after assuming
command of the Spanish colony in Louis
| lana. The men upon whom his vengeance
fell belonged to the best French families Of
New Orleans and the surrounding coun-
try, and no calamity could have caused
more CONSERVATION among the creole pop
ulation. Gloom and mourning were in
almost every house. No one knew where
the tyrants malignant vengeance would
next fail, nor did there appear any hope
for the French residents save in abject
submission to Spanish domination, which
meant sort of slavery but little above
the thralldom in which the negroes were
held.
One man. who took a very active part
with Where and his companions above
| enumerated, is not mentioned in the
| histories. His name must have been sup
| pressed by order OF Oheilly, for reasons
| best known to him; and, not appearing
| in the Spanish records, it has failed to
reach the attention of those whose labors
have done so much to preserve the singu-
| larry romantic story of the days when New
Orleans was a small town in the midst Of
a wilderness, and peopled with the most
adventurous and courageous men and the
most daring land il is said the most beauti-
! full women ever thrown together as COM
panions in alternating happiness and mis-
ery Just what part this unrecorded in
dividual played in the ill-considered pro-
ceeding which precipitated OReillys
wrath is certainly not known; but he was
| the youngest of the insurgents, and, az the
story goes, the handsomest man at that
time in the colony. Tall, slender, dark,
with curling hair and a dropping, black
mustache, he had added many manly ac-
complishments 10 the natural grace and
the magnetism of his presence. He was
an unerring marksman, a daring and bril-
liant rider, and, among his companions, a
matchless swordsman.
At the time that the others were ar
rested he eluded 0'Reilly's grasp. Some
say that he remained for many days hid
| den in a small house on the outskirts of
New Orleans where he was taken care Of
| by an old colored woman; but another
story is that he had rude tent under a
great live oak in the midst of swamp a
u.ie or two outside the town. One thing,
however, is we'll known: OReilly gave
orders for his capture dead or alive, and
threatened death to any person harborin9
or assisting him directly or indirectly.
Furthermore, after a time, when every
effort to secure him seemed about to fail,
| a large reward in gold was offered for his
head.
1t was while matters stood thus that
O'Reiily held a reception at his house,
which was a somewhat pretentioUs build
ing, and called together large company
of the best people in the colony. His in
yitation was regarded by those receiving
it as an order, and none, especially if
French, dared disObey. Bitter as was the
thought, and hard to meet as was the
humiliation OF accepting hospitality from
| the man who had struck such a blow to
their hearts, they felt that anything were
better than to call upon themselves again
the visitation of that monsters absolute
cruelty. The mere name of
OReilly was terror, and but
suggestion of displeasing
him sent a chill to the very marrow of
the bravest of the chivalrous men in
New Orleans. So it came about that
the parlors of the commanders house
were filed at the appointed time and
everybody strove to appear gay as be-
came the distinguished occasion.
By common consent the belle OF the
evening was Mdlle Hortense Eau
RE, only daughter of Alfred Faurie.
a wealthy refugee IRON another French
colony. HOrtense was about IL; but, al
though slender and by no means tall,
she bore herself, as the diary left by a
member of the family states it, with the
air of a queen in the midst of her court"
The commandments house was beauti-
fully decorated with flowers, palm
leaves ana festoons of gray moss. There
was music, and the dancing began early
To quote from the diary again: "One
would have thought ones self in Paris,
as one looked about at the cOurtly men
and richly-dressed ladies'"
Don Alexander O'Reilly, himself, by no
means an ordinary parsonage in address
and bearing, graciously approached Mdlle.
Faurie, and engaged her in light CONVEX
sation. Many an eye noted this.
The young lady found herself, indeed,
the central figure of the occasion, thus
specially honored by the terrible and vet
| singularly fascinating man who mingled
in his department the courtesy and grace
of the gay cavalier with the grim reserve
of merciless master.
Again and again during the evening Don
Alexander and Mdle. Faurie led
the dancing, and when refreshments were
announced the beautiful girl was once
more accorded the highest honor by the
host. Her beauty and gentleness, her
sweetness of voice and ready sparkle of
wit seemed to fascinate him completely.
Doubtless the fact that she spoke the
Spanish with a pretty French accent
greatly enhanced the singular witchery of
her conversation.
AS was the custom then, especially in
the Louisiana colony, wine flowed freely,
adding its deceptive exhilsration to the
occasion.
O'Reilly drank to the health OF Mdlle.
Hortense more than once, and even
insisted upon lifting glasses with
Monsieur Faurie, her father.
There were those present who whis-
pered furitively to one another that this
marked attention to the Fauries must have
eome sinister understanding Thav had