St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1906-12-22

J That's what it was. The element.
and the train wreckers seemed tx
i have combined to mar the day SCI
aside for the sale of lots ON the Colo
rado Southern Addition to the City
of Opelousas. But it canned off" al
the same, and everybody seem satisfied
! The promoters say It could have
been better, but we are satisfied
i The investors say We are highly
pleased with our purchases, and
would not undo our bargain.
4 Then, everybody being satisfied, it
can be said that the sale was sue
cess.
! The weather for several days pre-
yious to the day Of sale threatened
trouble, and when the night of Sun
day was urshered in by hard precip-
itatlon, there was no surprise. The
rain continued throughout that night
and well into the next day, with the
result that the streets and the ad-
dition grounds presented anything
but an inviting appearance. In fact
Landry street became so sloppy that
travel over it to the addition grounds
had to be abandoned, and the vehicles
took other streets to get there. The
new Colorado Southern track, rum
ming from the school house in old
lOpelousas to the addition, which was
completed Sunday night, was SO soft
that the train hasitated in making
the runs over it that was promised,
and only made the trip twice. This
taxed the vehicles, which were run
free to the grounds, to their utmost,
and it may be safely said that many
people did not get out there at all on
account of the lack Of accommoda-
tion.
Then at about nine o'clock Monday
morning news reached here that the
Texas & Pacific train, containing
several coaches on the way to the
sale, had been wrecked twenty-three
miles this side of New Orleans.
But notwithstanding all these
drawbacks, about two thousand peo-
| pie were inside the big Elk tent when
| Auctioneer Curtis began the sale of
lots.
The bidding from the start was
spirited. All seemed anxious to buy
lots. And, they all seemed to know.
just what the lots were worth. Any
thing to the contrary notwithstand-
ing, we will say right here that the
prices paid for the lots seemed to be
Well-judged. Not a lot was sacrificed,
according to our opinion. And not
a lot went above what in our opinion
| it is worth, at this time. Even the
strangers seemed to have a we'll
poised idea Of the value Of the differ
ent tracts Of land, and no manner Of
persuasion on the part Of the tactful
auctioneer would induce a higher bid
than it was worth. The particular
lot was knocked off to the man who
would reach its value first, it looked
like, and the next man would wait.
! for the next lot.
The auctioneer, Mr.. Curtis, is chain
lightning on the auction block, and
in few hours disposed Of over one
hundred of the four hundred residence
lots, and the home property, the lat
| ter containing twenty-six acres, with
ia cotton gin, dwelling house, pecan
and other trees. The fight on this
last tract was ahot stuff, : and the
place, like the rest of the property,
brought a fair pricefve thousand
and fifty dollars. A part Of this
i tract is marsh. Mr.. John Hidalgo, a
farmer owning neighboring planta-
tion, was the purchaser, and on Tues
! day he bought at private sale several
Of the fve-acre truck tracts.
We understand that about one
third Of the lots were sold, and about
half of the truck farm tracks Of five
acres, aggregating over twenty thou
sane dollars. The highest price
brought by lot was $3.50, and the
/ lowest S55. The lots were 5Oy15O.