The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1900-08-03

The Remarkable Educational Estab'
Iishnent Destroyed ny 81 Mob in New
Orleans.


The reports which come from New
Orleans of the grief expressed by the col
ored people there over the burning OF
the Thomy Lafon schoolhouse. during
the recent riots, can be understood by
any one who has had an opportunity to
see how much pride the colored residents
of the city took in this Institution.
I visited this school in November of last
year, in company with Booker L. NASH
ington, who spent one whole day at that
time in visiting the colored schools of
New Orleans, and it was of it that l
wrote in the Transcript recently that I
had never seen a better equipped or better
managed school Of the same grade, in
any city, North or South
During the day we visited Straight
University, the school for colored pupils
maintained in New Orleans under the
auspices of the Congregationalist demon
1nation, Leland University, Baptist
school, similar schools maintained there
by the Methodists and by the state of
Louisiana, and others of the city schools
for coIored pupils. The one expression
which 1 heard most often from the colOred
people who were guiding us about the
city was eve want you to see the
'Thomy Lafon School. That seemed to
bestheir especial pride, and very naturally
since it was made possiblesbys the gift of
money from a colOred man.
ThOmy Lafon was a cOlOred man who,
so far as l can learn, had never been
slave. He was originally in business as
q tailor but after he began to accumulate
property to some extent, gave up that
business and devoted himself to the man
agement of his Investments. When he
died, about fifteen years ago, he left a
fortune amounting to several hundred
thousand dollars. The bulk Of this he
WiIled to be used for philanthrOpic pur-
poses, and divided it very 1mpartiaIly be-
tween white and cOlOred instit utiOns,
giving the most of it to hospitals and
used to build the school which has just
been burned, and it was named for him.
Naturally his memory has -been held in
respect by the people of both races. 1
remember seeing a bust of him in the
chapel of one of the universities we visit
ed, and have been told that bust of
him was set up in the State House at
Baton Rouge, and that no other cOlOred
man had ever received the same honor.
The IhOmy LafOn school accommodated
primary and intermediate pupils. 1t was
in charge of Mrs Williams, a oolored
woman who is q mos capable principal
and teachsr, and whose husband, Dr.
Williams, is the principal Of another Of
the largest colOred schools in the heart of
the city. The VhOmy LafOn schOOlhouse
stood well out from the centre OF the
town, in a neighbOrhOod where many of
the most prosperous cOlOred residents of
the city owned good homes. 1T was
thoroughly modern building, containing
about sixteen rooms. A correspondent
writing from New Orleans since the riot
There says: So 1t was a handsome building.
as handsome as any white school build
ing IN New Orleans Some of the mob
had talked wildly of burning Straight
University; and that building and others
that were threatened were we'll guarded.
AS no one had thought of any attack
on the LafOn building it was not protect
ed, and hence was easily set on fire
God has indeed deserted us, said an old
negro preacher the next morning when
he stood beside the smoking embers of
what had been the schOolhouse,