Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-11-19
Prospective Suit at Keokuk
Founded on Facts That Make
a Romantic Story
TITLE TO "HALF-BREED" TRACT.
Descendant Of Old Frenchman, Col.
Henri DeLouis, Looking Up Titles to
Valuable Real Estate-BeIieves She
Was Defrauded in Youth by specu-
Iators-General State News.
special i. liimes-republican

Special t. Times l.epublican
Keokuk, Nov. 19.-Real estate in and
near Keokuk worth several thousand
dollars is being investigated at the in
stigation OF Miss Louise Octavia De-
Louis who has some idea Of ousting
the present occupants of the property
by showing that she is its true and
lawful owner who was dispossessed
when child by fraud.
Judge Charles Mckenzie. OF Des
Moines, a brother of General Mcken-
zie, chief of engineers, U. s. A., is III
charge of the legal probe being sent
deeply into the courts and other rec
ords Of this county. He is engaged in
ascertaining the exact status OF the
claim of Miss DeLouis, and VIII not
commit themselves as to the chances
of her being able to regain the prop
-erty. They say that no lawsuits Will
be brought against the present occu-
pants Of the property unless 1t appears
reasonably clear that fraud was per-
petrated on Miss DeLouis when she
was child.
A Famous Frenehman.
She is. the daughter and only sur
viving descendant of Colonel Henri
DeLouis, who was a staff colonel OF
Napoleon BonapaTte and participated
In all the campaigns Of that world
conquerer, including the sufferings on
the road back from Moscow. After
the fall of Napoleon, Colonel DeLouls
came to America, spent some time al
Dubuque, and later married Mar
garet Hunt, beautiful nalf.lndian
girl who granted share in the ram
Gus half-breed tract. The wedding
was in the little log house OF the hrst
priest ever here. and the courtsnip
and marriage has been told In news
PAPER and magazine. stories, and has
been treated in history and fiction. II
was one of the most dramatic weddings
ever performed in the world.
Attic the owner OF a large amount OF
land in the divided haf-breed tract,
Nine. DeLouis and her husband Were
poor after their marriage and the
coming Of two children. One of these
was q son who died here years ago
and was known as French Louis. The
other was a daughter, Louise Octavia
DeLouis, who was well educated, be-
came a musician and has been a
church organist in Des Moines for
years.
Fighting for Piokings.
Their mother died first, and for sew
eral years Colonel DeLouis was ia
miliar figure in Keokuk, dressed in
the remains Of his Partisan wardrobe,
holding by each hand little child. He
was the first guardian of the children,
the property having been the wife
and mothers and all three being heirs
to it. 80
Before Colonel DeLouis died, there
was a hot contest to be guardian be-
tween some real estate spectators
here, who evidently saw some pick
ings in the position. These things
are plain in the old court records in
the present custody Of Clerk Ed 5.
Lotion. Colonel DeLouis, who had
fought with Napoleon and survived
the horrors of Moscow and the dangers
of the frontier, finally became weak
ened in mind, and a new guardian was
appointed. This was Estes, whose
name is made permanent here in the
Estes block-and that pretty we'll rep
resents his life here, for he was at
first rich, prosperous. dominant and
important and later went bankrupt.
Lost in the Crash.
Among the losers in the crash OF
the Estes failure were the DeLouis
children. Martin Stafford became
their guardian next. The girl, Louise
Octavio DeLouis, was educated In q
good Catholic school; Henri DeLouis,
III did not take tofschooling and became
the mascot Of the old volunteer fire
department until he died comparative
ly young. ].
To this period belongs the real
estate trouble. The district court
dockets are full of 1t. One of the most
important cases was that Of William
Edwards and William j.. Turner
against the@DeLouises. The old col
.onel had made a contract to sell Ed
wards and Turner large tract OF
land for $500, SO far as his interests
in it went He refused to make a
deed. claiming that 1t was contingent
on being allowed as guardian to sell
the interests of the children on the
same terms, which, became impossible
by Estes ousting him as guardian;
also he later claimed that he was not
mentally competent to make a con-
tract.