The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1899-04-01

. land owners in ST Tammany par
: ish are the Polteyent & Fayrt
Lumber Company. Not SO many
years ago all that section of St
Tammany parish extending west
and north of Pearl lIver to Co
vington and beyond to the borders
of Tangipahoa parish, with the
exception of the small towns of
MandisonyiIle, Lewisburg, Man
Ideville and Covingtou, was a viz
/ gin forest. Although distant but
from twenty to thirty miles froi.
| New Orleans, the metropolis of
the South, even these towns were
hundreds of miles distant from
the outside world, as far as the
time required for communication
was concerned. No railroads, no
telegraphs, but an occasional
steamboat, and no telephones, ST.
Tammany parish could not be
rcache / short of full DAYS travel.
The little logging road was ex-
tended. the gauge widencd to Il
standard gauge, and in the course
of very short time the parish
was open to the world.
Captain John Poitevent, as pre-
sident of the lumber company,
became general manager of the
road and permanent improve
ments were rapidly made. When
the first passenger train passed
over the road to Convington one
of the passengers remarked: mot
two weeks ago large wolf was
killed right over there, " pointing
out spot about a hundred yards
! from the road. The country was
but a few weeks before practical
| " virgin pine forest, the tall,
! long-leafed yellow pine trees ex-
citing the wonder and admiration
of the party.
The telegraph followed the rail-
road. the forests reSounded with
the vigorous strokes of the wood
mans AK, houses sprang up as by
magic, the fallen timbers gave way
to titled and cultivated fields, and
an era of progress and prosperity
set in in St. Tammany, and it was
mainly to Captain Poitevent's en-
terprise that this was all accom-
| plished. The road was extended
to Vaudeville, anc prosperity fol-
lowed there, too.
Thousands of men obtained per-
manent employment, and many
| families were thus afforded a
means of obtaining the necessa-
ries and many of the luxuries of
Flife. Mercantile enterprises thirty
ed and fiourished, and region
second to none on this continent
as health resort was opened to
the public. These in brief are
some among many great and good
actions to be placed to the credit
of Captain John Poitevent. In
private life he was pleasant, affa-
BILE, generous, charitable and So
ciable. To his employees he was
just: kind and considerate. The
| humblest of them could approach
and speak to him and he listened
to them and sought in every way
possible to allay their troubles or
| to make their path in life less irk-
some. To all he lent an ear, and
| if one had grievance he would
give the plant attention, and If
the cause was a just one would re-
medy the evil complained of. He
was the friend of his employees,
and when they were in the right
he would make their cause his
own and stand by them through
thick and thin.
Captain John Poitevent was
married three times. His first
wife was a Miss Emily Toomer,
by whom he had two children,
both of whom survive their pa
rents. His second wife was Miss
| Mary Handsboro, who left him a
widower with SIX more children.
His last wife was Miss Cenas, of
this city, who survives him. The
two eldest children are Mr.. VIM.
J. Poitevent, an active business
man and worthy successor Of a
noble father, and Mrs. Gordon 5.
[Orme. wife of the rice merchant
of that name. His other six chill
dren are Mrs. Frank B. Hayne,
wife of the member of the cotton
firm of Vincent & Hayne; tJohn
Poitevent, Jr., and the Misses
Gala and Eloise POitevent.
The deceased was a supporter
of the carnival associations and
took great pride and interest
in these popular, beautiful and
instructive annual displays. In
1898 he was chosen king and was
Rex in the grand display of that
wear. The subject was "Fanta-
sizes. and Miss Ella Sinnott (Mrs.
Raoul Vallon) was queen.
The deceased was not a mem
Der of any association and was re-
tiring and quiet in his habits. he
dislIked display of any kind, and
while hundreds can attest to his
generosity and charity, yet he
would never permit a notice to be
made of such acts. One OF his
cardinal virtues was his patience,
and not only did he preach this
to all his employees, but he practl-
ced it as well. He was scrupu-
Iouisly honest in all his dealings
and transactions and a man of
keen foresight. He well weighed
all matters which came before
him, and to this in a great meas
ure might we'll be ascribed his
uniform success in all his under