St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1910-10-22

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| Don't come to-night-to-morroW vii
do"
These were the last words of Cor
nelius G. Duson, ex-Sherif Of ST
Landry, ex-State Senator from thi
District, and present United States
Marshal
These last words came over th,
long distance telephone, from New
Orleans, where Mr.. Duson was at tht
time, to his daughter. Mrs. Z. H
MornhinYeg, in 0pelousas. They
were in answer to the daughters
question: How are you. papa?'
Mrs. Mornhinveg again spoke te
her father, telling him how glad she
was that he was better, and that she
would go to see him. But there was
no answer from the other end. The
| lips Of the father who had spoken SO
eheerfully to her just a second before
had been stilled by death. Just as
he had said tomorrow will do" the
telephone receiver had dropped from
the limp hand, the face paled, one
gasp, and the end had come.
Death came at about 4 o'clock
Wednesday evening. from a stroke of
paralysis, the third in two years. He
was recuperating at the Kneipp Water
Cure, in New Orleans, where be had
been for the past three weeks. The
nurse attending him had assured Mrs.
Mornhinveg, just a few minutes be-
fore the fatal stroke, that her father
was not worse, but was lonesome. In
fact it was while the nurse was talk
ing to Mrs. Mornhinveg that Mr.. Du-
son took away from her the receiver,
and himself spoke his last words on
earth.
Mr. Duson was in many ways a re-
markable man. He climbed every
inch Of the ladder By his own efforts,
and many times in the face or aaVer-
sity. The very personifeation Of
energy and resourcefulness, he never
stopped. He was true friend, and
q charitable enemy. rs vas d loving
father, and a most devoted husband.
In 1867 Mr. Duson married Miss
Isoara Andrus, and from this union
eight children were born, of whom
four survive: Dr.. w. w. Duson, El
Campo, Texas; Rodney O. Duson, Mrs.
Meta D. Mornhinveg and George NJ.
Duson. Mrs. Duson died many years
ago.
Mr.. Duson married for his second
wife Miss Eunice Pharr. From this
union two sons were born, G. G. Du-
son. Jr., and William Herbert Duson.
Mr. Duson joined the Republican
party in 1896 and has since that time
been one of the leaders Of the party
in Louisiana. President Roosevelt
appointed him United States Marshal
for the Western District of Louis
lana, an Office which he filed with
ability.
The funeral took place at Crowley
yesterday morning at 10 o'clock,
Revs. s. S. Keener and W. II. Benton
officiating. The business places of
the city closed during the funeral
hours, and the funeral cortege was
the largest ever seen in that city.
History Of Southwestern Louis
lana" published some years ago, gives
a complete sketch Of the romantic
history Of the Duson family, and of
the life. up to that time, of G. G. Du-
son. It is highly interesting, and
follows:
Hon. C. C. Duson. State Senator
from the Twelfth Senatorial District,
composed of st. Landry and Acadia,
was born on the Mermentau River,
St. Landry parish, August 81, 1916.
The history of G. G. Dnson's father,
Cornelius Duson, as he was known in
Louisiana, and the mystery thrown
around his real family name, sound
more like a legend cuIled from the
days Of romance, or of knight errant-
ry, than the actual life of citizen
in this prosaic nineteenth century.
He was born at Point Lewis, opposite
the city of Quebec, Canada, on the
St. Lawrence River, June 8, 1919.
He was the youngest of the family
of six sons, and when the French re-
belled against the English govern
ment, in 1887. all his family, except
himself, were found to be ultra Eng
lish loyalists. But our young hero
of seventeen years had bosom
friend and companion, one s, Lom-
bert, whom he had learned to love
from childhood. Through Lombert's
influence he was induced to join the
French reVolutionists; and as soon as
this fact reached the ears Of his fam
lily, Cornelius Duson was called be-
fore family council, consisting Of
his father and FIVE brothers. They
with and begged him
not to disgrace their time-honored
family name by joining in an attempt
to overthrow his government. They
stated to him that if not killed during
Bhe insurrection. if the French cause
vas lost, he would be forced to suffer
capital punishment for treason;
further, that his oldest brother, John,