Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-01-16
LAFITTE'S LAST SURVIVOR.
One of the Buccaneers Men Still Living in
Texas.

One Of the buccaneers Men Still Living in
Texas.
There still lives in Galveston, savs a Gal
weston correspondent of the New York Times,
a man whose form is bowed with the weight OF
eighty -nine years, who made one cruise under
LATTE when a boy and distinctly remembers
the pirate chief and many of his lieutenants
His name is Charles Cronea and he lives on
narrow neck of land on Bolivar peninsula,
thirty miles from Galveston, called the "Roll
Over" because in time of storms the waters OF
the Gulf of Mexico often roll over the land and
mingie with those of Galveston bay on the op-
posite side. About the only other things the
peninsula is noted for are the vast number Of
watermelons and the myriads of mosquitoes
raised there.
Mr.. Cronea occasionally visits Galveston in
his fast-saiing sloop, and the other day the
New York Times correspondent met him at the
barge Office, where he was visiting his old
friend, Capt John Delaney. chief inspector of
customs for the port, who, by the way, was
born and bred New Yorker.
Mr.. Cronea was born in the south OF France
and has ninety-two children, grandchildren
and great-grandchildren. When he was eleven
years Of age he was cabin boy on board of a
French frigate and made several cruises along
the west coast of Africa. He then deserted
and made his way 10 New York and thence TO
Charleston.
At the latter port he shipped on a vessel o.
tensibly bound for Liverpool. There was
very large crew, and when once outside Of
Charleston harbor the vessel was hove to near
a brig. and a man calling himself Jones came
abroad. HE wanted, said Mr.. Cronea, some
of us to go with him. and our captain appeared
perfectly willing. suppose it was all under
stood between them beforehand. Fifteen of us
agreed to go with him. There was one Cata-
lonian in the party. The rest were French
We went with Jones and he sailed away for the
Gulf of Mexico. When he anchored off Corpus
Christi he landed US on an island and left some
food for us.
after a while one OF Laftte's vessels. COM
manded by James Campbell, arrived and came
to anchor. Campbell talked to us awhile, say
ing that he was serving under LATTE and
fighting the power of Spain under letters Of
marque issued by the Carthaginisn govern
ment in South America He offered us good
wages and plenty Of prize money and we went
aboard and took service under him. was too
young to be a seaman and was made cabin boy.
1 made several cruises under Campbell and we
captured a number OF vessels, all Of which sur
rendered without resistance. Campbell was
good man and would not kill any of the prison.
ers. He always took them to some point near
the coast and put them in small boats SO they
could make their way ashore. Our schooner
was Baltimore clipper and could make four
teen knots an hour, close hauled, in a stiff
breeze.
LATTE" continued Mr. Cronea, chad his
headquarters at Galveston Island, which was
then called Campeachy. This was in 1918. He
had as many as a dozen vessels and at one time
there were 1000 men on the island. Lafitte
built a small dirt fort, and lived, when ashore,
in a two-story frame house which was painted
red. He was one Of the finest-looking men
ever met. He was six feet two inches in height,
and his figure was one of remarkable symmetry,
with feet and hands SO small compared with his
large stature as to attract attention. In his de-
pertinent he was remarkably bland, dignifed
and social toward equals, though reserved and
silent toward interiors or those under his COM
mand. He received visitors with an easy air of
welcome, and was remarkably neat in his per-
sonal appearance. On board OF his vessel he
usually wore a loose coat, with nothing to dis
tinguish him from his subordinates. He pos
sessed superior conversational powers and en-
tertained his guests with the rehearsal OF many
interesting and amusing anecdotes. He had
the habit OF closing one eve while in converse
ton, and keeping it closed so much that many
persons thought he had only one.
SIN the course of his stay on the island La
fitte executed two Of his own men, one Of them
a fellow named Brown, q ferocious man who
had plundered an American vessel in the gulf
near Sabine pass, and the other Frenchman
named Francois, who had robbed an American
who came to the island to buy slaves. The
privateers Of LATTE captured many Spanish
Nesseis Dounu 10 CuOa with African slaves and
they were brought to Galveston and sold TO
traders. who struggled them into Louisiana and
sold them to planters. The average price of O
negro on the island was 81 pound
''Lafitte being ordered away from Galveston
disbanded most Of his force, burned his town
and sailed away in the schooner Pride for the
Caribbean sea. Most of his men, myself among
the number, drifted TO New Orleans, from
which place in the course Of the struggle for
independence returned TO Texas and have
been living here since 1886.
Campbell. the man under whom sailed
also settled in Texas. He was an old United
States man-of-wars man and fought on the
Constitution in the engagement with the Guer-
riere. He has children still living in Galveston
for he did not die until 1857. Another OF La
fitte's lieltenants 1 knew was John Lambert.
He settled in Galveston and became butcher
He had terrible temper. and one iay a negro
boy he had working for him did something Ga
displease him and he nailed him by the ear to
the door Of the slaughter house and kept him
there for some time. He went to Mobile and
died there. Another one Ben Doliiver.
He was down-easter and q hard fighter. He
was woun led in many places and had cutlass
slash across the head Whenever be got drunk
il made him crazy. He would jump into the
bay and swim for miles like q fish. He lived
on Bolivar Point for years and was well known
in Galveston, where everybody called him
Crazy Ben He has been dead long time. I
am the last one Of them left and 1t may be my
time TO take in sail any day."