Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-04-15

bravery and devotion. I am convinced that
there are other communities of colored
nuns, however, 1t Is rather q singular CO.
Incidence that the building which they now
occupy was formerly used for the notorious
oc.oroon balls before the civil war. Al
tnu5e Festivities, according to tradition.
were often gathered groups Of most beau
tiful women; types of beauty that are no,
often seen in these days: four-ffths French
ard one-fifth African. It was considered
the proper thing for the gentlemen of New
Orleans to attend them, and many duel
has resulted from the fierce jealousy de-
yeloped there.
The Home Of Mime. lie Laurie.
Near by is 1.-THE Haunted House," where
Madame La Laurie, the heroine of innum-
cradle romances, a Creole of wonderful
beauty, lived for many years. Although she
was angelic in ho- demeanor before her
admirers, she must have had a most vfci-
Gus disposition and depraved heart, for, ac-
cordng to tradition, her greatest pleas
ure was found in beating and torturtng her
slaves. 1t is said that she used to go 10
the slave market and buy quadroons anu
octoroons, almost as beautiful as herseif
and torture them hours at time In a
fiendis.i way. simply to crafty her desire TO
see suffering. According to the story, When
this amiable popularity was exposed, a
party of men who had been numbered
among her admirers decided to punish her
by invading her residence and compelling
tured them; but one of her lovers, having
discovered the plot aided her to escape.
She drove out the bayou road In her own
carriage to Lake Pontchartrain, where she
escaped on fishing schooner to MoDIle
AfterwaId she went to Italy to reside.
Another house of which many interesting
stories are told Is at the corner pr Daupn-
inc and Orleans streets and was formerly
occupied by an exiled brother of the Sultan
of Turkey, who escaped from Constantine
pie to France and afterward made his way
to America. But his brothers spies finally
discovered his retreat and asSaSsinated him
in this house in 1927. 1t is one of the most
picturesque examples of French colonial
architecture in existence, with wide iron
balcony and veranda and slate roof
pierced by dormer windows. The turkish
prince was buried in the garden, and from
his grave grew tall date palm which, for
more than a century. was a conspicuous
landmark in that part of the city and was
called THE Tree of the Dead
Headquarters Of Gen. o'Reilly.
An ancient building at the corner Of
Ursuline and ST. Claude streets, with wide
veranda and heavy pillars, was the head
quarters of General Alexandra O'Reilly,
once commander-in-chief of the army of
his most Catholic majesty, Charles III of
Spain, who was sent over in 1863. to dis
cipine the French population who would
not permit Governor General Ulloa to gov
the transfer of the colonies by Louis XIV
to his cousin. the King of Spain, in 1852,
by secret treaty without the consent or
knowledge of the people, and they mani
tested their indignation and resentment
over the transaction by forbdding him to
land. That sort of conduct was, of course,
rebellion, SO the King of Spain sent his
strongest general. man of Irish extrac-
ton, to bring them to terms. O'Reilly
brought with him several thousand troops,
which overawed the Inhabitants, and he
proceeded to reorganize the government.
This building chosen for his head
quarters and to 1t one evening he invited
La Premiere and other leaders of the re-
volt for conference They were placed
under arrest and at sunrise the next morn
ing were shot in the Place d'Armes with
out trial.
Esplanade avenue is still the residence
street of the wealthy Creole element, al
though its houses are becoming rapidly
modernized. The French market is always
open in the mornings, as it has been for
two centuries, and offers as much of in
House, where the peerless Patti made her
debut and all the famous singers Of the
world have appeared, remains unchanged,
and was the scene of Mardi Gras festivities
only recently The cemeteries, with their
queer oven-like vaults In which the collins
of the dead are placed, are always among
the most interesting of the many novel
sights. The graves are all above ground
because the soil of the city is full of
water. The Metairie cemetery, at the end
of Canal street, contains some of the most
splendid and costly mausoleums of the
world.