The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-03-20

| ton stands, were wont to hear heI
trained voice in song floating over the
canetops, while her husband, the hero
who brief years ago led the return OF
the great emperor from exile into Paris
worked at the pole which propelled the
hatboat. The ferryman had built the
hut he lived in over a great stump and
the stump was his dinner table. There
he served French wines to his comrades
on many a reunion, where the table tall,
was of the glory of the emperor and
France.
General Lefebvre- Desmouettes, favor
lite of the emperor, built two log huts
within the present limits of Demopolis
One of these was his residence and the
other he dedicated to the keeping OF
various relics of his military career UNI
der Napoleon, swords and trophies hung
on the wall, and marble bust of the
grand emperor in the center.
The Bonapartists failed There is nc
record of successful settlement Of the
forests of the south, without African
labor. The French had no negroes
Oglethorpe brought no negroes to Geor-
gia, and failed until negroes came Ger
man labor was tried. first in Georgia
and later in the French grant, but II
failed in both instances.
Colonel Raoul left his ferry, on French
creek, TO offer his services to Mexico
striving to throw off the Spanish author
ity. Finally he returned to France
General Lefebvre-Desmouettes obtained
permission to return to France. but was
lost on the voyage by shipwreck, off the
coast of Ireland. Others returned to
France. Ravesies, Chaudron, George n
Stewart, Madame George went to Mobile.
Fourier. Bayo, Stollenwerck and a few
others remained permanently. DIR. Rob-
ert w. Withers, from Virginia; Joseph b.
Stickney, from North Carolina, bought
allotments of the original French grant
near Greensboro John NJ. Chapron, a
West Indies refugee, bought allotments
near Demopolis. These are examples
only of final disposition of the magnif-
icent area, all of which came soon into
the hands, of young slave holders. who
immigrated from Maryland, Virginia, the
Carolinas, Georgia and Tennessee; a
population of rare Intelligence excep-
tional individual wealth and energy-the
most remarkable immigration that ever
settled the American wilds; a combina-
ton of white and black races that was
the most feicitous in results ever
known.
The Bonapartists deserve a place in
American annals, that justice may be
done. ! quote a part of a letter from
Frederick Ravesies, agent some time Of
the "Tombeckbe association" Mr.
Ravesies escaped the ST. Domingo In
surrection. He went direct to Philadel-
phia. thence to Alabama. He moved his
family to Arcola and bought large bodies
of canebrake land. His children resided
permanently in the country. and became
important factors in the life of the COM
munity His official explanation of con-
ditions on the French grant Is conclu-
sive:
ITO the Honorable, the President of the
Senate.
'Aigleville, Feb. 81. 1927
"Sir: | have the honor to acknowledge
tho receipt of your communication.
1t will be recolected that the members
of our association were chiefly composed
OF officers and merchants, possessing an
extremely limited knowledge of either
the science or the practice of ~ '''
ture; that the region of countr \
they were to remove was - :
derness, and that under circumstance s
like these 1t is to be expected that many
unforeseen and unexpected difficulties
would present themselves; and as the
common necessaries and means Of sup.