The Holly chieftain., 1905-03-17

drawn from ais pocket.
The count, having put on his
glasses. took the document; and his
wavering hands made the blue paper
quiver as il his own startled pulse
beats had stolen into it while he read
the contents aloud.
Whereas the nefarious practice of
running in contraband goods, which
has hitherto prevailed in different
parts Of the state. to the great injury
of the fair trader, and the diminu.' On
of the revenue of the United States,
has Of late much increased; and,
whereas it has been officially known
to me that, on the 14th of last month,
quantity of smuggled goods, seized
by Walter Gilbert. an officer of the
revenue of the United States, were
forcibly taken from him in open day,
at no great distance from the city of
New Orleans, by q party Of armed
men, under the orders of certain
Jean Lafitte. who fired upon and griev-
ously wounded one of the assistants of
the said Walter Gilbert:
Il have thought proper to issue this.
my proclamation; and | do solemnly
caution all and singular citizens of
this state against giving any kind of
succOr. support or countenanc0 to the
said Jean LATTE and associates, but
do call upon them to be aiding and
abetting in arresting him and said as
sociates, and all others in like manner
offending; and | do furthermore. in
he Of tho cto ord
of five hundred dollars, which will be
paid out of the treasury to any person
delivering the said Jean Lafitte to the
sheriff OF the parish of Orleans, or to
any other sheriff in the state, SO that
the said Jean Lafitte may be brought
to Justice"
The Island Rose had heard the
greater part of the document read in
her grandfather's voice, low, to be sure,
but with clear enunciation which
made each syllable as distinct as
though she had been the reader in
stead of listener And when he
ended. she heard the voice of him
heretofore known to her as Captain
Jean" and its tone was one of banter.
well, M'sieur lie Count will you be
the one to claim this five hundred dol.
lars, and do your governor and state
brilliant service by delivering tc
them this body of mine
Then came her grandfathers stern.
ly cold reply:
What have ever done, Captain
Jean LATTE, that should lead you to
suppose would stoop to traffic in the
blood of my associates?"
1t was this that made the small
hand go fluttering toward the girls
frightened heart. 1t was the revela-
ton that her Captain Jean" was none
other than Lafitte, the terrible pirate,
of whom she had heard such dreadful
tales! He was the freebooter, snug
gler and outlaw-the leader of that
fearful band of men she had shud-
dered to hear the slaves mention!
And not only was her grandfather cog
infant of this, but he was this mans
abettor-his associate and friend!
Her brain in whirl, her heart terri
fed by dread of an undefinable terror,
she fled from the house, and into the
woods, wandering on, scarcely know
ing or caring where, until her steps
were arrested by the matted thicket
into which she had penetrated with
unseeing eyes.
Now all was revealed to her. The
man whom of all others she trusted
in this new, strange, and fettered
world into which she had been brought
from the peaceful island home, where
life had been happy. and free from
fear-he was the notorious LATTE.
the pirate of the Gulf" who scuttled
ships, who murdered men and women,
and whose hands were red with blood
shed that he might piunder his vic.
tins.
(To be continued.)