The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1912-07-03

DlaChSIlltuS. IToU- kll km .lkf6H
ably Jean-a JEAN LAFTTTe
splendid. handsome giant. the hero OF
this story-never welded hammer or
shod a horse in all his career. In
stead, he made negro slaves do the
rough work while he strolled about
the city and planned bigger enter
prises.
Jean Lafitte was a blackguard. But
he was a manly, likeable blackguard.
And. once at least, he did our country
valiant service. He was a pirate. Yet
some historians say he went to sea
but twice in his life-once when ne
came from France to New Orleans as
a youth and once when he sailed
away from America In 1920, never
again to be heard Of. Others say II
was Pierre who set sail In 1920 and
who perished somewhere In the ocean,
while Jean went to Yucatan and lived
six wears longer in ill-earned luxury.
The fact remains that there Is no aD-
so,ute knowledge as to whence Jean
Lafitte came or whittier he vanished.
He was a man Of mystery.
Louisiana in those days consisted
largely Of rich, unsettled land. Into
these waste spaces the pioneers be-
gan to come. Huge plantations sprang
up. To work the plantations there
was need for thousands OF negro
slaves. And the slave trade between
Africa and America throve tremen-
dously. A negro that cost $40 IN his
African Jungle could often be sold for
81 900 In the New Orleans market.
Then the United States declared the
horrible African slave trade illegal.
This stopped the imports. The plant
ers clamored for more slaves. Gangs
of smugglers met the demand oy
secretly buying slaves intended Tor
Spain's Cuban and South American
plantations and landing them by night
In the Louisiana bayous. There was
money in this sort Of business. More
than In blacksmithing. SO. the La
fitte brothers became slave SNUG
glers.
Then Jeans fertile brain still furth'
er improved his business In rather
original way. What was the use OF
buying negroes from the Spanish
slave ships of the Cuban coast When
by selling those ships, he could get
the negroes for nothing? 1t was
clever idea and he at once put II into
practice. He also seized vessels laden
with other valuables, and altogether
he prospered exceedingly.
Laftte himself did not go In search
OF such prey. He was business man
not a cheap sea rover. BY this time
he had a number Of good ships and
nearly one thousand men to send on
his piratical errands. He had forti
fed town and harbor OF his own al
Barataria and made that place hif
Headquarters. Jean had marvellous
control oYer his men, and. though ne
seldom troubled himself to fight, be
was unconquerable. One night band
OF mutineers attacked him In bis
cabin. Lafitte, single-handed, slew sl1
of them and beat off the rest.
The pirates called Lafitte, behind
his back. The Old Man" To his face
they called him "Bosse" (meaning lit
orally "prominence'O And thus the
word boss" came into our own Ian
guage. He seldom spoke to his mer
except when he had to and held aloo
from them.
BY judicious bribes to the right au
thorities he managed to steer clear o.
active prosecution, though countless
, governmental threats were hurled a
J him.
When the British planned their at
tack on New Orleans in the War o
1912 they offered Jean Lafitte a cap
tain's commission and 100000 to 1oir
them with his men. Instead or &C
cepting, he sent word OF the one
(and of the British plot against New
Orleans) to the American government
volunteering his services In exchang'
for a pardon. The British, In revenge
destroyed his Barataria stronghold
and seized his ships. But the Ameri
can general, Andrew Jackson (afte
cursing him for "hellish bandit'D &C
cepted Lafitte's offer. And the pirate
fought bravely for America in the bat
tie of New Orleans, receiving a par
don for all past crimes.
After the war Lafltte went blithel.
back to his old ways. With his mel
he settled on an abandoned island
where now stands the city Of Calves
ton, and made that place his new
headquarters. Thus he was In
sense the real founder Of Galveston
He hit on an odd way to sell hi
smuggled slaves. He would arrang
for Colonel Bowie Inventor Of tn
bowie knife) to seize them from hin
and to take them to New Orleans
There. as confiscated goods, they wer
placed on sale. and Latltte and Bowl
each reaped a goodly profit.