The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1906-06-14
Real Story Of Evange|ine


ofhthe poets braihl as many suppose
Instead, they were real persons, Wit
warm, red blood In their veins, VIII
were actually. living In Acadia in tina
fatefuf' year of'1755, when the Englisl
banished all the French from the land
Capt. John II. Worrel Of Clayton
Ind, well known throughout Indian,
and other states, has met and talke,
with persons whose grandparents wer
living at the time of the events de
secribed In the poem. and were ac
quainted with Evangeline, Gabriel ant
other characters In the tale. From &C
curate knowledge obtained from talk
ing with these persons, Capt. Worre
| has been able to trace Evangelfne',
wanderings from the time she arrived
in Philadelphia, after her exile from
Acadia, until many years afterward
when she, an old woman, found Ga
briel, an old man, dying in Philadel.
phfa hospital.
tiers from Acadia by the English be.
gan in September, 1755. The appear.
ance of the ships in the harbor OF
Grand Pre- to bear the Acadians away
and the summons to the men and large
boys to assemble in their church in tbs
village, where the decree of expulsion
was read to them, are all vividly de.
scribed in "Evangeline
One Of the most highly respected
farmers of Grand Pre- was Benedic'
Bellefontaine, the father of beautiful
girl, Evangeline by name. Many q
sutton, indeed came to her door, But
among all who came, young Gabriel
only, was welcome; Gabriel Lajeu.
nesse, the son of Basil, the black
smith" These were the real names OF
the two unfortunate lovers.
Neither Longfellow nor history tells
on what ship Evangeline was placed
when exiled on the Atlantic coast, says
Capt. Worrel. The first that we hear
of her exile is in Philadelphia. There
In the City of Brotherly Love she wan
dered. with other homeless, hopeless.
friendless women and girls, searching
for relatives and friends and lovers
from whom they had separated and
upon whom they were dependent for
a living
Meanwhile, what became of Gabriel?
After leaving Acadia he wandered for
some time from town to town on the
seaboard, searching for his
father and-Evangeline Finally, some
how, he heard that his father was in
Louisiana. And to Louisiana Gabriel
went, abandoning for the time being
his search for Evangeline.
There he wound his father. Instead
IF being a village blacksmith, as he
had been In Grand Pre-, Basil Lajeu-
lesse was rich in great herds of cattle |
Father and son united, Gabriel soon |
became manager Of these herds.
During all these years--a decade and |
knowing absolutely
lothing of Gabriel's whereabouts. put
yer urged on by d restless longing,
earched diligently for him.
Sometimes rumor, hearsay, an
whisper, would come to
oint and beckon her onward. Some
ines by chance Eyangeline would
leet some one who had known Gabriel
4 Acadia. But she never could meet
ne who knew where he had gone. Fl. II
ally, she met one who said: "Oh, yes;
re knew him. Gabriel Lajeunesse,
Thy, he is with his father. They arc
n the rich grazing lands of Louisi.
ma"
II was in the springtime, early In
iay, when Eyangelne and few other
cadian exiles of Philadelphia started
IT Louisiana in "cumbrous rowboat
; raft"
When Evanegline reached Louisiana
lie learned that Gabriel had left his
,me but four days before Despond.
It, she rested in a Jesuit mission.
Along in the summer rumoi
aehed Evangeline's ears. 1t said
Ear to the north, northeast, In tbs
ne forests OF bleak Michigan on the :,
INKS of the Saginaw river, Gabriel is .
dying" After many weeks of long
ID perilous marching, over weary Il
ays and through dense wilderness ),
finally reached the depths !,
the Michigan forest along the sag. =
aw river, and found the hunters
ige deserted, where Gabriel. only a d,
ort time before. had been staying. :,
When the fruitless search for Ga >,
lei ended there in that deserted hun ;,
IS lodge. TO reeommence no more q
on earth. Evangeline was at loss Al
know what to do. or where TO go n,
was then that her thoughts were II
med 10 the suffering and sorrowing =.
humanity. 10 those in need Of coin IN
t and consolation. Then II was 'ha, -
J became a sister Of mercy. II,
% time passed by until it was the n,
ir 1893. ten years after tn. close of N,
revolution. A pestilence If yellow ga
er was visiting Philadelphia. BIZ
, and by night, for time. Evangel-
sister Of mercy. administered 10 O.,
se who were stricken. As she en- 81
ed one of the sick rooms. one day.
saw on the pallet just in front OF .
the form of an old man.
Gabriel! oh. my beloved" she .
ID.
hen. as II in dream, the dying .
D understood and recognized her.
.neeifnz beside him Fvsn1aifna -