The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1906-07-19
HE LIVED LIFE OF
BOLD PIRATE
JEAN LAFITTE. FAMOUS BuccA.
NEER, RovED THE ROLLING
MAIN AND CAPTURED ALL
KINDS OF TREASURE.

are combined in the chronicle of Jea
I.atitte, famous buccanccr who spen
; the last years Of his life in hous
that stood whore now rises the easter,
wall OF the Manufactures Building o
jamestown Ter.Centenial Exposition
To be held on the shore Of Hampton
Roads, near Norfolk, in 1907. A hundret
yards 10 the east his treasure chest, con
tanning several hundred thousand dollar,
in gold and jewels, was dug from III,
shore OF an adjacent inlet after hi
death.
James Lafitte, pirate, slavetrader
soldier in the service of the United
States, u naval officer in the service OF
Cartagena and last Of all gentleman Of
leisure at Norfolk, was born at Bordeaux,
France in 1850. He made a trip TO the
island OF Mauritius in 1903 and there
fell in love with beautiful girl Lifette
Fondac. She threw herself in front OF
Lafitte in duel in which he became In.
volved through his infatuation for her
and the bullet intended for him pierced
her heart. LATTE was 30 maddened
with grief at her death that he was
with difficulty restrained from suicide.
He turned to piracy as being the only
occupation fierce enough to obliterate his
grief. The vessel in which he began his
piratical career was headed for the Car
ribean Sea. where for many years he
was the terror OF all nations. Finally.
after many years of prosperity, he was
captured by British man of.war. He
was released by his brother Pierre, who
was one Of the crew of the warship. The
brothers then began bueannering on
larger scale than ever. Not long after
his escape from the British ship, Jean
Lafitte had several weaLarmed shps
manned by desperadoes from all lands.
The Republic of Cartagena gave COM
mission to him to serve against Spain.
With this to give esmblance to legality
to his operations he settled down in New
Orleans. prosecuting his piracies in the
guise of warfare. After a time the pi.
rates becoming too open in their attacks
on neutral merchant ships the United
States government sent Commodore
Patterson against thein headquaReit'
on the island OF Grand Terre, forty miles
west Of the mouth OF the Mississippi.
The stronghold was captured, but most
of the pirates escaped and went back as
soon as the naval vessels were with
drawn.
Soon after this Jean Laftte's services
were solicited by the British govern
ment in their attack on New Orleans
He was offered $4,000 in gold and a
ii he would fight against
the Americans Instead Of accepting this |
offer IAfitte informed Governor Clai- |
borne of Louisiana of ii and offered to
serve against the British if he were
granted a pardon and his brother re-
leased from the New Orleans Jail. Gov
ernor Claiborne pardoned him and the
LATTE pirates fought with great distinc-
tion against the British. President Madi-
son not only confirmed Governor Clai-
borne's pardon but offered Lafitte com.
mission in the navy. This was refused.
History next tells US of Lafltte as be-
ing respectable man Of affairs in Pnila-
lelphia. From Philadelphia he moved
10 Sewclls Point on Hampton Roads
near Norfolk where he built home he
,alled Bordeaux Manor" Here he died
n 1850 leaving all his property exceut
Bordeaux Manor" to his daugher Mrs.
Jlarkson. Bordeaux Manor an unde
.ipherable combination OF numbers
,crawled on sheet were left to Jean
jlarkson, his grandson. The Civil War
md the dishonesty of an attorney nam
ID Dean reduced the Clarkson estate to
poverty. Jean made several attempts to
Iecipher the puzzle that was part of his
Inheritance but without success. About
1866 he fell in with an old man, Pierre
aftte, who had turned up in Norfolk /
uite by chance. Clarkson was pleased
With the old mans tales of his wander
ngs and pirate life and took him home
o live with him. He did not connect !
'ierie Laftte with his grandfather as he
i'd not know Jean Lafitte had been a II
irate. Showing the jumble of numbers
eft him by his grandfather one day ,
'ierre, the old pirate prOmptely trans
lted it with the aid of the code the
uccaneers had used. 1t then read:
"Jean Clarkson, when you are 25 years
{ age, at the end Of line, 300 feet
asst from the front doorway Of Bordeaux
lanor dig for your inheritance" I
With the aid Of the old corsair Jean s.
ug one moonlight night and hauled up J.
rusty, brass-bound chest from a spot '
bat was covered by water at high tide.
he pirate touched hidden spring which