The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-04-21
A CHECKERED CAREER
Rise and Fall of the Former State
Treasurer of Louisiana.
Once a Day Laborer. He Became Cen
trail Figure in Louisiana Affairs and
Is Now q Fugitive and Poor.

=. 4.
leans. but for some years past a resident
of Honduras, has reached almost the last
stage of misfortune. and that he is now
fugitive, under pain of death. from the for
lorn country in which he originally sought
refuge from an American penitentiary.
Burke was the Treasurer of Louisiana
for eight or nine years. His term of Office
ended in 1885, and very soon, under the in
coming State administration, it was dis
covered that he had for a long time, and
to very great amount, been robbing the
treasury of Louisiana. He was in England
at the time of the disclosure, organizing
a company to develop certain mining prop
erty in Honduras, of which he had become
possessed and he made haste TO flee to
Central America from a prosecution which
he doubtless knew he could not safely face
There he has remained ever since, and
from time TO time his friends have heard
of him, now as being on the point of
brilliant success, and again as being in
volved in hopeless and irremediable failure
At irregular periods it would be given out
that he intended returning 10 louisiana as
soon as he could accumulate money to
meet the expenses of his trial, but it is
not likely that either he or anyone else
ever believed this, for there seems to have
been no doubt as TO the nature and eX-
tent of the embezzement, and as little as
10 Burke's sole responsibility for It, But,
| however that may be, the game seems to
| set at rest Burke has fled TO San Salvador
with Vasquez, the defeated pretender to
| the presidency, and Bonilla the Triumph
| ant aspirant, makes secret OF his homi-
| cidal purpose with reference to either
| The history of this man Burke is romantic
| enough to have been laid in the days of Sir
| Walter Raleigh, John Hawkins and Amyas
| Leigh. Nothing is certainly known as TO
| his antecendents, although he claimed that
10 h. - rfG eyiln
| of the better class and that he born
| in Kentucky. What is known absolutely is
| that at fifteen years of age he was brake
man on some Inhiana railroad, and that two
years later he a soldier in the confed-
! crate army. Toward the close of the war
| he appeared in Texas as an officer IN the
| quartermaster's service, and here, through
| his extraordinary ability as an organizer,
he attracted universal attention
| a DAY LABORER.
After the close of the war he first went
| TO Galveston, and later to New orleans
| In the latter city he made his debut as a
workman in a marble yard at $l.5O 4 day.
He vas a of superb physique. of in
domitable energy, of sleepless ambition and
phenomenal ingenuity. Very shortly after
| reaching New Oreans-so shorty indeed,
that it savored of theatrical TRANSFORMED
| tion-he turned up as local freight agent OF
| the Illinois Central railroad. Next he went
| into IclitlCs. In 1874 he was elected admin
\ improvements V,
| of great responsibility and particularly rich
| in political patronage. In 1879 he bought
| The Democrat newspaper; a few months
| later he absorbed the Times, and then es-
| tahlished the journal since known tie
| IImes-DemOcTat About the same time he
| became state Treasurer which Office he
| held until 1888, as has already been related.
| throughout that period he Was foremost
| IN all public enterprises, and, to all appear
| ances, utterly unselfish in his labors. Ger
| talnly no one thought at the time that his
| inspiration was a sordid one, for he had
always headed the subscription list and
R he did in e''o money as He eDera Wss as
| man of dazzling schemes of theatrical sur
prlses, of prodigions achievements. Zen
| as a day laborer in a marble yard he had
| made himself the most conspicuous figure
IN the State. 1t was he who, in the fall
| of 1874, tore up the track of the Illinois
| Central railroad so as TO keep the United
| States troops from reaching New Orleans
Kellogg government by the White League.
| 1t was he who, in the winter of 1S76-77, pro-
NOTED, If he did not altogether inspire and
| of Louisiana was given to Hayes and the
| State government and the Legislature to
| the Democrats. He organized campaigns,
] fought duelS, devised schemes of public de-
| velopment, wrecked and resurrected news
| papers. When the famous but Inflated ex-
| hibition of 1885 was first suggested he OPP
posed it in his newspaper, but when the
merchants and capitalists Of the city Of
fered him the director generalship. he at
/
| all his fire and enthusiasm, and with all
| his matchless genius for organization. 1t
was failure. but through no fault of his
| He did everything except create a patron
| age. If DEVOTION ability and untiring eff
| fort could have availed, the New Orleans
exhibition would have been the greatest
tTiumnh of 1.-THE generation. He worked
himself to a shadow, spent his own money
and all that he could borrow. and was the
chief victim of the downfall.
HAD NO SMALL VICES.
who knew Burke most intimately between
1870 and 1883 is that he cared for money
only as a means of making himself honora-
bly, prominent. He was not man of ordi-
nary vices He did not drink or gamble;
he was not addicted to horses. His pri-
| vate life-if he can be said to have had
anyways one of absolute simplicity and
| purity. He loved display, and no doubt
desired to profit by it. but it was display
of the large kind. He sought prominence
| in connection with great public affairs,
with works of beneicence and Industrial
| Developments He seemed possessed by an
| Unsuitable fury Of unrest. Nobody &C
quainted with the mans history at that
| thousands purlOnSd from the State treas
ury was used for Burke's personal pur-
poses The opinion OF those closest to 90, him m
| 1884 and sent to doubtful States, such as
Indiana, Connecticut and New York In
| deed, il is known that a very large sum
| thought to be 800 O00-was received by the
| Democratic managers in Indiana in OctO-
| Der Of that year, and, according to general
| belief. from Louisiana. And 1t is very
| certain that Burke was quite confident
after Mr.. Cleveland's election that he
| would be recognized in some conspicuous
way. He did not hesitate to assert that
| he had a distinct and specific understand
| ing with MeSsrs. Barnum and Manning,
| by virtue of which he had a right to eX-
| pect much; nor was IL any secret that he
| had fixed his ambition upon the Dostmas-
ter-generalship. Mr.. Cleveland's reputation
of these alleged bargains astonished and
disheartened him. From that day forward
| he wore the air of man who had Sacri-
feed himself and been betrayed. From, that
day forward he seemed TO be plotting fol-
a new beginning, a new career and a new
environment. And no doubt he was.
He had already established relations witt
Bogran the President of Honduras, and i
transpired very soon after his rejection by
Mr.. Cleveland. early In 1855. that Burke
had obtained or was obtaining extremely
valuable concessions in lands. Watei
courses etc, in that republic. Indeed, j
can now be seen that when he went L
Europe to exploit his Central American
schemes he had already provided himsei
with a refuge from the inevitable storm.
What is to be Bur6e's fate is, of course
mere guess work. He IS for the moment
fugitive. The cause 10 which he had allie,
himself has been oVerthrOWn, and the sue
| cessful leader, Bonilla. is now busily illus
trating his talents for securing peace b'
the simple and artless process of eNtermi
VasCuez and Burke he viii undoubtedly
put them 10 DEATH and If he be a Druden
man he will spare no effort TO get hold o
them. Burke is only little past the prime o
life. he IS singularly gifted with courage
address. audacity and endurance, and whil