The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-06-11

EOENE N n a.
known as Manila men,. The word Philip
pine is never heard in connection with
them until after death, when the Philip
pine union ia Union P~hilippina) OF
New Orleans takes charge of their bodies
and sees that they are inferred.
There is no record of when this Manila
colony was established 1t is known to
be so years old and is probably older. 1t
may have been there a century ago during
the days of the Spanish dominion in Lou
isiana, when both that colony and the
Philippines were owned by Spain. The
name St. Malo suggests this, for st. Malo,
France. was the birthplace of the Louisi-
ana smuggler and pirate Lafitte, and the
bayou and settlement there were probably
named by him, and the Manila men are
even today given to smuggling.
There are two settlements of Manila
men on the west bank of the Mississippi,
in Fladucmines parish, and here, as at
St. Malo, they live by themselves and have
little to do with the rest of the population.
Occasionally a white ma or woman who
has become soured with the world for some
reason or other joins these Malay colonies.
It is like going into q convent, for one
is never heard of again. The Plaquemines
camps suffered very severely in the great
Cheniere Caminada storm of a few years
ago, when their houses were wrecked and
nearly a third Of them were drowned. The
men are almost exclusively fishermen and
generally have contracts with Chinese
merchants. One of the Manila settle
ments deyotes itself exclusively to catch
ing shrimp for the Chinese trade.
The most characteristic Manila settle
ment to visit is the island Of St. Malo, in
Lake Borgue, 80 miles from New Orleans.
1t is a free republic within the borders OF
Louisiana, owing no allegiance to the
state. 1t is, like the monasteries of Mount
Athos, entirely free from women. Those
of the men who want wives withdraw a
few miles from the settlement and take up
their residences there.
Women are prohibited from landing in
ST. Malo on the ground that they are like
ly to demoralize the population and arouse
strife and trouble, and the men are quick
enough with their creeses when they are
aroused or angered. This prohibition is
the result of experience.
Some years ago some of the Manila men
Of ST. Malo took wives to themselves. The
chief of the island had a young and very
handsome wife, a half breed from Manila,
who showed in her complexion and bear
~ ma
ing nsl e 80 10 CO.. e. Mol VOC in the
l 49, - ! &C., ~ o,1srrei which tbreatened
lniuso - ny 1asaan Tha,so ,,1ero
70 uss..os 'I n;,,ed ard 1000 1as NOT 70.
seselai LEI anen a. ssraau I'D d;sanneared
seo 4a,saa. ILL., haaa.a - ~ ha. mas nare. definitelv
aorr hit tradition declares that she
~ =, - au,san+o - +ho co,neil ne elders
va .ras t;ed t. = stake in the n~eirhboring
aliu We rnes, o;+hor The ,nosn,,;toes sucked
Ne 10 - i;farload ~ sha starved 70 death.
Ill., :. anothar storvNtbat she was be-
taS5ea ~ tba o,,t,a nod husband and her
nsau e.D - H. po~a,,e
~ -an = aao,,rrad tha fact remains
that she disanneared. and there seems to
- saa ,s+t s1e raasan - do,,ht from the character
Of the Manila men that she was murder
ed. but no one has inquired into her fate.
The colony Of ST. Malo has been allowed
to execute it's laws in accordance with the
traditions and practices OF the Philippine
islands.
The married men who leave St. Malo