The sun., 1895-04-28
NEW ORLE1Ns CAsKET GIRLS.
How tho Families of Some or that City'p
Four Hundred Were Established.
From the Cincinnati Enquirer.

From the Cincinnati Enquirer
Some of the 400 of the gay Crescent City of
to-day can trace their desccnt back wprd to the
time Of the foundation of this colony. but that
is n page perhaps that they wish to be skipped.
Nearly century and n half ago, when France
sent over number of broken-down officers and
convict soldiers to colombo Louisiana. it was
soon discovered that there was a scarcity of
women. The soldiers made raids upon Indian
villages and captured many dusky mates, but
they could not be domesticated. and, besdes
numerous wars followed.
However, the wife of the Colonial Governor
had an eXpedieni. Why could not women from
the refor,natory institutions OF Paris be shipped
soldiers would be none the wiser!
some women who would trample upon the out
them upon men. Accordingiy. as an experi0
prison La salp6trere Paris. were shipped to
institution. who vouched for the good character
of each. and was charged with the duty of see
ing them properly married. Their arrival Gre
tied great excitement In this village of wooden
Shanlies. Tho Governor received them In state.
the state. Eaca had n square box of clothing,
and they were known afterward throughout the
girls. as the box conta aniIus their new articles
OF clothing was in tho shape Of a casket.
lected the most worthy of the soldiers, to W hom
he distributed the women by lottery. 1t is
s,aded srds that there sS e1Gha4gng Of
was abided by.
,.dn,, In fsw n. months, however, there was
and the casket wives threatened to return to
France II they were not given Hour bread In
entitled to as good fare as the officers wives
were The locel poet did up tho pettlcoat re-
nson an IN n,r verse the Gaskst wives
lion ended but 1t Is not for rgotten. even TO this
day, by the preservers of tradition In the old
rtA atlAHn
to the scandalizer as a descendant of 10 file de
enssettes. Other shipments were made until
nnally the original cesket girls, who had now
become respectable. began to turn. up their noses
and object to the importation of"immoral wo-
men"
some of the leading citizens came to the colony
under lettres de cachet, being exied for politi-
cal ohences'or crimes. and some of the high
strung dames-neither maid. wife, nor widow
who were exiled from France no better than
the oasket girls bacame leaders OF society in the
But the arrival of the emgrGs during the
French revolution revolutionized colonial soci-
ely, from which date the blue blooded creole
aristocracy OF to-day trace their ancestry.
Manon Lescant, who lives in opera ana drama,
was one OF the first installment OF female exiles,
however. That the wild ,Chevalier des Grieu1,
Sam1 %ho accompanied na her claimed to be her hus-
s Ss e sa hS asry @ssry
and told the Governor, the unprincipled Cadfl-
lac, OF the deception, he decided that the beau
marriage. This led to Il moonlight duel with
swords between the cheyalier and the Cover
nor's nephew, and the flight of the CHI yalierand
Manon. When he was found, insensble from
found upon her breast. Whether both at
tempted suicide or whether he killed her was
never known. The military court acquitted him
Of the charge OF murder, and afterward his
father, Admiral des Grieux. who had been com
mandng fleet in Cuban waters, took the wild
sent a representative to New Orleans TO gather
material for his charming novel. There is .
painting In an art gallery showing Monsieur
des Alards debating the incidents in the life of
Des Grieux and Manon l4escaut. and he has the
only genuine picture in existence of the beAuti-
full and fascinating Manon Lescaut. Her re-
mains were buried In the old ST. Louis GEM
etery, and, until about a generation ago, there
huge oak tree draped in graceful folds of sad
colored Rray moss, aa IL in mourning. upon
which was seen MRnoR."