The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-10-03
THE DARKER SIDE.

So much of the romantic and softer
side of this curious phase of life in the
far South. These women, as has been
said, usually have strain of foreign
blood, in which French is first, but
Spanish, Portuguese. and Italian is COM
mon. They have inherited all the fierce
passions of their Latin sires. Once
aroused they are unforgiving and dan
serous in the extreme. and they are
prone to jealousy, especially In case of
the attentions of their lords to ladies
in society,who know nothing of all this,
and see in Monsieur Y. or Y. only an
extremely good-looking and accom-
plished gentleman, whom papa says Is
| fast growing rich. These place women
have all the deadly secrets of the obe-
| ah. and possess a skill in poisons which
is marvellous. Some dark stories could
be told by New Orleans physicians, il
they would speak. of poisons that de-
| fy medical skill, that gradually wear
away the victims nerve and brain, or
produce insanity and death almost in
stantly. Many tales are whispered
| and true ones, too-Of men in the fash
| ionabie world, rich, with everything
| else to make life worth the living. who
| have tried the patience of the place too
| far, and the creature who is as true
herself as any welded wife could be,
and would endure patiently anything
| but supercedure, has turned at last
and used the dread secrets known only
to her race, and madness comes, only
to end in certain death.
One evil of this system is the illegit-
mate children, though they seldom eX-
ceed two. The sons are usually well
educated, and some of them have hand
some fortunes, and are the founders Of
families who are respected by both col
ored and white people. From this
class came the Joubrets. the Dumases
Maries. and Macartes, all valuable citi-
zens of New Orleans and wealthy and
energetic men. There was we'll
known broker in New Orleans named
John Clay (he died several years ago),
who was said to be the son of the Sage
of Ashland, and, if looks had anything
to do with 1t, the story may have been
true, for he was the very image of
old Harry of the West" in a delicate
brown. The story was that he was the
son of Henry Clay and a quadroOn wo-
man of Lexington. KY, and that his
father freed him and sent him to New
Orleans some years before the war. At
his death, John Clay was worth 5000, 900.
made in honorable trade. a curious
character named DelacroiX was anOth
er son born of this relation. He be-
came a great miser, and owned at his
death nearly million dollars worth
of real estate in New Orleans and its
vicinity. There are many cases, well
known too, of men who had two famil-
les. one qadroon and the other white
and legitimate. have in my mind
now such an instance.and the colored
brothers have done far better than the
whites, though both bear name hon
ored for years in the state in which
they were born.
WILL SOON DISAPPEAR.
Most of these place women inheri
some money, and often they have hand
some fortunes. They help the men t,
whom they are place with a zeal ant
earnestness that would do honor to an!
wife. l have friend, prominent cot
ton merchant, who. in the panic of 1874
was in terrible straits. He would fai
and his commercial credit be gone If n
did not get $4,000. The banks coul,
not help him, and he was almost on th
verge of suicide. He was place to
beautiful woman. She somehow hear
of his trouble. and did thing thes
women never do except in a matter o
life and death: she sent for him.
''Is this true which hear. Alphonse :?
she asked in soft, graceful French. 4
which beauty was added by the perfect.
ly modulated voice. Mon ami, wh