Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1893-08-11
THE OLD DENTON HOUSE.

There's a esrtsinlprestige in hold
ing a govern ment appointment, no
doubt bat a trained engineer en-
ployed on the Mississippi levees, wal
Looping about all day, in mud and
water; lighting snakes and malaria,
and all for 500 per month and poor
ratiions, has Little reason. to believe
that he has drawn one 81 the prizes
of life. Still there is a charm in liv-
ing in this ftropic land, that gives
some, compensation to those who can
appreciate the surroundings. l have
been taking'a vacation and am stay
ingowfth a friond in Rapides parish.
in Louisiana, about seventy-five' miles
west of the Mississippi river In
this locality the effect of the war is
as evident now as it was twenty FIVE
years ago. There is nothing to
bring: capital here, and without it
| sugar cultivation is impossible. f,fi'a.
Fifty years since this parish was
rich and the ? lanters lived IN elegant
luxury Now the majority of them
have utterly disappeared The girls
went into converts, the young men
wandered away and the old people
died broken-he arted, leavingno other
| record1than OF generous hospitality.
their duels and family tragedies, and
some of these were appalling A few
days ago ! passed the ruins. OF a
house once the home of race of gal
liant gentlemen whose adverse fates
would make material for dozen .ro-
mances. rf- =. 81. e. ves.J.. O. -
A building in. decay looks more
ruinous and forlorn here than in the
North, for it contrasts so strongly
with the prodigal freshness and fer
tility OF nature. The mansion has
fairly rotted away. The doors and
windows are gone, the wide porches
and roofs have fallen in, but its walls
and roofs are fpheld by the clinging
ivy and support festoons of trumpet
flowers and glow with the rich coIors
OF the Cherokee rose. Behind lies a
sullen, dark bayou, and what was
once a park is now wilderness.
This was once the home of the
Dentons. They were originally from
Tennessee and came. here shortly
after the cesslon of Louisiana to the
United States in 1908. Most of their
neighbors were French or Spanish
creoles, extremely hostile to new
Corners, but the Dentons were a fight
ing family and backed by friends in
Catahoula, the next parish, they kept
up the feud fen forty years. Some
times the cont atantsFmet in bands of
fifty or more and fought it out with
knife and pistol. Several Sef the
creole families were -cempletely
wiped out, eva;y male member being
killed. M ~
In 1S51,Mai6r Royal Denton was the
principal planter in the parish. He
was very wealthy in fafT and negroes
and had made peace with his neigh
bors, whom hi was always ready to
help and was much liked and, re-
spected. / 81 ~ j. | !. -
| He had eight sons and one daugh-
ter. The two older boys were phy-
| sicians and. had~been educated in
Europe. The others had. the usual
training OF their class had been to
Northern schools, but were no doubt
better shots than, scholars. ~.
OF all his, children, none was. So
dear to Major Denton as his daughter
| Ellen. She was the most beautiful
and accomplished girl inI Rapides
| parish and the most loved, and there
| was not in Northern Louisiana a
! young gentleman OF her class who
was not honore1 and delighted by q
4 !
stately Miss Denton. 5 go
Two miles west of the majors plan
tation lived a family named Courcel.
They were from Kentucky and had
always been firm allies of the Den
! tons and were at this time connected
with them by marriage, Mrs. Denton
being a sister of Randall, the head OF
the Courcels. He had three sons,
the eldest wealthy gentleman and
an Episcopal minister, but his two
brothers, Frampton and Tom, were
much better KIN own than respected in
Rapides and adjoining parishes.
Frampton, especially was danger
Gus man, a fair type of the desperate
of his time, and moreover, gambler
and drunkard.
Although tolerant of his nephews
vices, after the manner of his class
Major Denton did not like to see
Tramp Courcel about his place and
he learned some thing that made hin
determined to stop all intimacy what
ever. e
| Frampton wills very handsome
man and conceiving strong passion
for his beautiful cousin, Ellen Den
ton. had no doubt of the success o
his suit, and had spoken freely of i
in his cups. This came to the ear.
of the family and soon made trouble
Miss Denton and several of hel
brothers were visiting neighborins
planter, and while sitting on the
verandah the party were surprised
to see Tramp Courcel ride up. james
| Denton was tie Youngest of the