The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1894-05-10
PEDRO THE CUTLER.
A ROMANCE OF LIFE II OLD NEW oRLEAN

Sixty years ago New Orleans was,
what it still Is, the most picturesque
and romantic city Of the United States
1t had features peculiar to itself The
African, not many years removed
from the banks Of the Congo, still
danced and sang the songs Of his ma
tive land in Congo square, under the
light OF the Southern moon. Along
the Picayune levee you could hear
among the schooners, sloops and lug
gers which, with their great red sails,
reminded one of Venice, all the to
CUES spoken, from the Greek islands
Ia the Aegean to the blue waters Of
the Adriatic Marseilles. Geona. Ma
pies, Fiume, Venice, Rante, the Ba-
learic islands, each had its representa-
tive there among the dark faced, red
capped sailors, who sometimes at
night would halt the curious prone
nader with cavation from Masaniello.
sung by voices that would have been
the fortune of the singers had they
appeared clad IN their picturesque
dresses, on operate boards.
This Old World flavor has always
been one of the destinations of New
Orleans, and still remains But it is
the Latin Old World, not Teutonic or
scandinavian, the world long dead,
of romance and tragedy. Somehow
the Latin races thrive there as they
never do in the further North They
are OF their best where the orange and
lemon trees bud and bloom. and crown
the autumn with their fruitage II gold
the apples of Hesperides, the Isles
Of the Blest.
In the early 30s Royal street was as
famous as it is still. 1t was named
for Louis XIV, lie Bien-Aime, beloved
Of Du Barry, and many other charm
ing ornaments of the butterfly court.
In the days spoken of it often hap
pened that the wealth merchant lived
above his magazine, and lovely faces,
lighted with divine dark eyes, some
times appeared from the lattIced win
dows, above the great, deep, iron
barred doors that protected the vast
warehouse Just below
Royal street was. not given over
then entirely to commerce. There
were many shops devoted to various
vocatiOns and arts, and among the
most noted was that of Pedro, the cut
Ter. For twenty, even thirty years,
it was the most famed of all the vast
collection Of great and small indus
tries which We're gathered, together
under the royal protection Of the
streets patron, Louis lie Bien Aime
Pedro. the head and factor of the
place which bore his name, was like
his place Of business, of very rare
and interesting type. He was short in
stature, hardly more than five feet
and half, but, it was evident, Of enor-
nous strength. His brawny neck was
like that of a Catalonian black bull.
one Of breed which tests all the alert
ness, and science and courage of Mad
rid's best tOreadores. He had but
one eye. The other had evidently
disappeared simultaneously with the
receipt of a broad cicatrix, showing
that at some time in his existence
Pedro had been where cold steel was
used at dangerously close quarters
But Pedro's remaining eye was bet
ter than most peoples two. At or
dinary moments it was calm, large, of
a fine dark brown. But IN moment
it became expressly vivacious, and,
when angered, it had that peculiar
glitter welch only belongs to the eye
of the Apache, the rattlesnake and the
superlatiyely dangerous man" of
Latin blood. IL could CLEAN as an
electric light in point Of white flame.
Though no one knew it OF his own
personal knowledge, and the chief
parsonage was notably silent touch
ing his own past, it was easy enough
to see that Pedro would be a danger
Gus antagonist if reused. He was
singlllarly dexterous with the coliche
marde, the three -cornered dueling
sword, and that true Spanish weapon
the knife.
Once, and only once, did he show
his skill with the sword, and then in
five minutes, quick as lightning, he
twisted the blade out of the hand of a
famous maltre d'escrime and threw it
ten feet before the other could move.
Pedro himself recovered the blade.
and with bow Of the thorough man
of the world, returned it to his anita
gonist's hands. He then laid down
his own, and. no man ever saw him
use weapon again, except once.
1t was to his skill as a maker Of
edged instruments that his fame was
due He knew how to make all kinds
of surgical implements which required
superatively fine edge. But 1t was
in the making of weapons of ofense
and defense that his art was displayed.
In the earlier days with which this