The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-07-13
SOMETHING ABOUT PRIVATE CHARITIES
BILLY BONES FANCY"

f.af1tte. Of Louisiana. BY Mary Dcvereau1-
Illustrated by H e. EcwaTos. LAt. Ie
brown and Company, Boston MISS
H.5o
LATTE Of Louisiana IS just sucn
readable book as one had right 10 eA-
pect from the author of Prom h1nso .a
10 Colony" That charming story o. I'e
cuatnt old town OF -Marblehead IN Inc
sor,y DAYS OF the Revolution, with lts
vtlful Mistress Dorothy DevereuS- was
fhe first thorough example of the ensas
tnr .tyle commanded by this writer. a1o
which ia seen at It's best in Lai't.e-
The author has pictured the times 10
which La<ftte lived in a vivid manner
and her characters, particularly tnose
Of 1aatte and NaPolean bonapat'e' al
drawn with e skilled hana. 80
q prominent part !n the history o. LOUIS
senn. and from the facts and iesenos
-rh.cA have come down to US, MISS i'eF-
ere,,x has constructed absorbing story.
which begins with Laf!ttes .irSt ii!eet1ts
frr1th NAPOLEON. and closes with the pat
tie of New Orleans, after which the nero
30 nysteriousiy disappeared. Ipoii 'nose
distant coasts where the bTeezes from INC
Gluk sway lazily the long pendants OF
aicn,n,sb moss festooning the gnaried
limbs OF ancient oaks, the name OF Jean
IL mite lives to-day in an atmosphere OF
romance as virilc and fascinating as that
Which surrounds the exploits Oh Soio'n.
bus. Cortez or Ponce de Leon. We well
remember enjoying q huge bowl o. oIsai1
and milk under Madame IraEchelalH
I,,ubreIla trees just across the bayou
from the Spanish Fort and listening with
i.yont ering interest to her eregeuc ana
ihei.tyirg account of 4 meeting on the
ilanding-stsre before us between the
great pirate chieftain and General An
tdre.y jackson OF course. it was all as
Legendary as the story Of the alligator
icrawling up the stairs and deTourns the
lSuaLish beauty ct her slesta, or OF the
cavalier who lost duel apropos OF that
same Castil!an houri, but II Whiied away
Ia iotus-eating hour CT so.
fIlstory says that in 1909 Jean and Pierre
LATTE came over to New Orleans at a
tine when, owing TO the disturbed condi-
hcns resulting from prctracted warfare
nbrcad. that city and the territory of
LOUISIANA were receiving immigrants
kroln almost every portion Of the civilized
world. The authentic history of Jean
LATTE ends a brief six years later. short
~ after the battle of New Orleans,
stctorv said TO have been rendered pos
sible only by his loyalty and intelligence.
supplemented by the skill and bravery
pt the Baratarians CEnglish from Barra
De Hero. by the way), whose leader he
was MANY aIS Aile itSSiiuS COliSSl hA4lS
the origin. achievements, and end Of this
remarkable man; and these still tlnd num-
berless believers in that section OF Louisi-
ana. lying between the Calcasien and
lfdermeatan Rivers, well as generally
nItng the Gulf.
They say that Lafiette was man
loI superior birth and breeding. OF a
Remily of the minor French nobility
ruined by the peasant uprisings. One OF
the most accepted stories relates to a
strange tie between the Pirates Of the
Gulf" end Napoleon Bonaparte, thef
fegend relating that it was LATTE
who. after the battle Of New Orleans
when he disappeared from Louisiana
brought the Emperor from Elba to
France, and that after the hundred days
1t was he who arranged to bring Ma
poleon TO America. It is claimed that.
when the latter's flight was intercepted
and he entered upon his compulsory
voyage to St. Helena, LATTE carried
to this country a large amount OF the
Enperor's treasure and buried it some
where along the Calcasien River. after
which, hoping for 4 favorable orpor-
tunity to release Napoleon. he sailed to
meet the fleet which bore the Emperor
10 exile.
It is out of material like this. assisted
by wonderful heroine. the Creole
Daughter of the Count de Cazeneau. that
Miss Devereux has woven her remark
hble romance. The only resrettable
thing about the story is that it reno
yates a:ld restores the character OF
hatiette so thoroughly that it is i'm
POSSIBLE to recognize in him the redoubt-
Sble Pirate of the Gulf" 1t seems there
were no really devlish pirates and so
kn In the old days. Captain Kidd has
been whitewashed. so HIS Harry Nor
tan, the buccareer, and Stede Bonnet.
who was yard-arrled by MI Rhett. OF
charleston; they'll be sacrificing Black
beard next. Whitewasilng is a regu-
lar literary industry now. An author
Scn,,ires some strenuous passion for an
historical reprobate and brings He"cu-
lean art to bear upon cleaning house for
him. From conquering King Alexander
6o,yn this thing has been done Have
I've not seen within q decade the black,
kned names of devastating Napoleon ana
Z butchering Cromwell and rntschevions
Burr whitened and Furnished until lhe:r
fplendor is something dazzling? II IS
Liscoura ging TO virtue to witness 'Aies'
things.