Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1902-01-18
CHAPTER I.
AMITY.

ture OF 1857. or medium
height, broad of shoulder, deep chested
and brown haired and brown eyed,
with countenance brave and frank.
he was regarded as the Adonis of the
house. His dress of milk white cassi-
mere, rufiled shirt and deep Byronic
collar gave warrant to the poetic APP
praisal of the women. But his col
leagues set a different estimate upon
him. To them he was known as a well
trained lawyer, a close student a
young man much given to philosophic
research and meditation, one of learn
Ing and gravity unusual at his age.
true, courageous, but OF a seriousness
bordering upon melancholy. He was
forceful debater, though his years were
but "A, and his utterances were always
beard with sincere respect
Though himself q slaveowner he had
from motives OF humanity eloduently
but unsuccessfully opposed the bill
which enacted:
THAT from and after the passage of
this act no slave shall be emancipated
in this state"
His speech had been published in full
by the leading journals, and it's perora-
Can Ii be-" he exclaimed, ''that In
this part Of Christendom, in a time OF
profound peace and tranquility, an
American legislative body will from
the black cloud OF slavery tear the
narrow fringe OF hope and In its stead
inscribe by statute the frightful legend
seen by Dante over the portals Of hell?
Can 1t be that enlightened citizens will
forbid the reward OF liberty to the slave
who serves the slater Will the law
making power deny to the master the
exercise OF the nobiest virtue OF his
nature by prohibiting him from confer
ring the boon OF freedom upon the
slave who has stood between his life
and the knife OF the assassin or safely
borne his fainting wife through the
flames OF the burning mansion or
plunged into the down sucking Missis-
sippi to bring back the fair haired child
to the frantic motherf Can IL be that
the dover Of civilization will make
unlawful that kindness to q faithful
human slave which 1t approves to
deg or a horse? / cannot believe II.
But IL mistake the sense OF the house
then let me say that the logical conse-
Quence OF this measure will be the sti-
Ming or moral growth In the master,
the removal OF incentives to loyalty
In the slave; the one must become
more narrow and cruel, the other des-
perate and ferocious; the sense OF JUS
tice OF other communities will be
shocked and their righteous anger will
be provoked; a decade cannot fail to
bring some frightful catastrophe on
NoNA
measure. ] protest against IT. / ap-
peal to my colleagues to be true to
their better nature and prove by their
negative votes that the white race In
Louisiana can defend itself and yet be
not ungenerous."
His appeal was ineffective. The bin
was passed by a pronounced majority,
was approved by the governor and be-
came law.
After the adjournment OF the Iegisla-
ture Oakfell returned TO the parish OF
Avoyelles, taking passage on the steam
boat Red Queen. The vessel was one
OF those popularity called floating pal
aces" OF which q score piled the lower
Mississippi and its tributaries during
the decade preceding the civil war,
when no railroads had been laid In that
part OF Louisiana lying west of the
great river. She was q side wheeler,
with high pressure engines, capable of
great speed and with accommodation
Tor over 80 passengers. There were
profusion OF white paint upon her
exterior and e plenitude of gliding
and low hanging chandeliers within
the cabin.
The boat carried some 60 passengers,
many OF whom were planters returning
from their annual spring visits to New
Orleans factories to settle accounts OF
the past planting year and arrange
credits for the new. Some were ac-
companied by their wives and daugh
ters, and sociability prevailed among
The company which is wholly wanting
in the commercial travel OF the present
day
Three were planters in Avoyelles. one
OF whom, DR.. De Roux. added the busi.
ness OF a physician to that of cotton
raising. His plantation was near the
Marais des Cygnes. in the AvoyeIIes
prairie. The second was Constant
Quillebert, a low browed, long nosed
GaScon Frenchman who had lived on
Bayou des G.aises for 90 years, but
had never married or become an Amer
lean citizen. The third was Leonidas
I.atiolais of Bayou Rouge, man of 60.
whose hair was white and whose blue
eyes and short chin bespoke kindly
but weak character. or the three La
tiolais alone threw any warmth into
the salutatlon OF Oakfell. The others
referred to the legislative incident In a
purely polite manner. as II tenderness
for him required that 1t be quickly
passed over. Latiolais. however, spoke
regretfully Of the result. but rather out
OF sympathy for the young legislator
than for the cause he had champicned.
OaEfeil received their different ex-
pressions with apparent unconcern and
evineed preference to avoid any dis
cussion of the supposed merits or de-
merits of The bill