Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1891-02-20
The Sun of White Apple.
BY MAURICE THOMPSON.

BY MAURICE THOhPSON.
In November, 1929, French officer
by the name of Chopart, with a small
body of picked soldiers, held the little
post called Fort Rosalie, in Louisiana,
and ruled with military despotism the
country round about. He was brave
end efficient soldier; no better ever drew
sword during the long struggle for the
upbuiIding Of the Louisiana colonies
but, as was the case With most of those
hardy and intrepid adventures, he had
little regard for the rights or the feeling;
OF the real owners of the soil, the ill-fated
red men, whose romantic and heroic his
tory has never been adequately recorded.
The region surrounding Fort Rosalie
was extremely fertile, and had been long
occupied by the Matches tribe Of Indians,
whose knowledge and skill in agricul-
ture were only equaled by their lofty
pride OF bearing and their courage in
battle. They were inclined to be peace
ful. and treated the white invaders of
their country with great kindness at a
time when it would have been easy TO rid
themselves Of their threatening presence
forever.
Bienvillc, lately superseded By Perier
as Governor or Commander. General Of
the province of Louisiana, had treated
the Matches most brutally True, the
Indians had massaered the settlement on
the Sainte Catherine; but before this
they had been robbed, tricked, cheated
and forced from their lands by Bienville'
followers, and their act was but the out.
burst of righteous Indignation long
suppressed. BieEville and his officer:
fearing to meet the Matches in open war
fare, sought an interview with theil
chiefs, and entered into compact tC
maintain peace. No sooner were the
Indians off their guard, however, thar
the French secretly took possession ot
Fort Rosalie, and prepared to drive the
whole tribe into the wilderness. A
general attack was made on the quiet
and practically defenseless villages and
plantations. Many of the Indians were
slaughtered in the most inhuman way,
and to crown all, Bienville demanded
that the Matches should surrender up to
him their leaders. When this was done
the brave chiefs were brutally murdered.
For time the appalled, and grief
stricken tribe appeared to be utterly sub
dued. The braves ceased to struggle
against fate which was bearing them
down with such merciless certainty. They
became stolid tillers of the soil, opened
trade with the white men and went about
as if heart broken.
Chopart, whose desire for gain knew
no bounds, used his official power at
Fort Rosalie as a lever for hosting gold
into his Golfers. He had ceased to credit
the reports of vast deposits of precious
metals to be found farther northward,
and turned his attention TO despoiling
the Indians by trickery and intimidation.
At this time famous chieftain, one oi
the noblest of the Matches tribe, owned
superb plantation called "White Ap.
pie" upon which he lived, surrounded
by a small village of his tenants. He
was a man in the first prime OF life, tall,
1.-THE and of commanding presence; his
face, though inscrutable, was OF fine
manly type, dark, but not black, straight
featured and full Of quiet but lofty dig
nifty. His home at White Apple was a
spacious lodge, hung with the skins oi
wild beasts and furnished with all the
savage splendor of weapons and warlike
trophies and decorations becoming rich
and noble representative of powerful
line of chiefs, or ''suus, as the Matches
named their leaders. Generation upon
generation of his ancestors had lived and
died there, and the place had become
famous throughout the great Indian ma
ton as the most lovely, fertile and desir-
able possession within the whole southern
region.
Seeing the valuable crops of grain
gathered by the Suns tenants. and rec
ognizing the Incompatible beauty Of the
White Apple plantation, Chcpart made
up bis mind to seize the place and hold
it as his own. No sooner had the thought
formed in his mind than he set about
carrying the design into execution. He
sent a peremptOry order to the Sun to
vacats the place Immediately and to take
with him bis family and all his people
but instead Of obeying, as-the overbear'