The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1913-08-22
OUTLAW LAFITTE.
Old Time Patriot Pirate OF the
Gulf OF Mexico.
ne WAS COUhTLY AND BRAVE
And as Mild a hammered Man as Ever
Scuttled Ship or Cut Throst-Fe
Boldly Faced Andrew jackson, Won
His Friendship and Fought For Him.

scuttled Ship or Cut Throst-He
Boldly Faced Andrew jackson, Won
His Friendship and Fought For n i'm.
In the brave days of old Jean La
f1tte, the patriot pirate OF the gulf,
ruled over II little outlaw kingdom OF
his own within few miles of the city
OF New Orleans.
picturesque figure was Jean La
titte. with graceful courtly delivery
about him which made him popular
with many OF the most estimabe
dwelers in New Orleans. Ha<cp,ome
able. averse to the shedding of blood
md even possessed OF loyalty to the
government whose excise Mws he
made 1t his business to break
Lafitte was French. He drifted TO
Louisiana In the early years OF the
nineteenth century and set up in pira-
cy in the bay of Barataria. Il shelter
ed harbor on the gulf of Mexico, pro-
tected by a long island called Grand
Terre, where Jean Lafitte dwelt In a
house of brick with broad and com
Portable verandas. where one might
loll at ease In a hammock, smoking
and drinking lazily, while pirate chiefs
filed in to bring reports OF plunder
taken and prospects ahead.
No crude or common pirate was this
Jean Latitte. He held a privateer's
commission from the republic of Car
tagena. which had been recently es-
tablished in South America and has
long since been forgotten. and this
commission gave him the right to plum
der Spanish ships Lafitte's followers
were motley colection-black, white,
yellow and red-restleSs and reckless
rovers of the sea Lafitte trafficked In
silk and gold and negroes and sold
his goods openly at auction even In
the city Of New Orleans
He was popular, too; there Is no
| doubt of that. Had it been otherwise
| he would not have been permitted to
| remain five years In Barataria. AS
| early as 1909 we find governors of Lou
isiana laundering against him. but La
| fitte went calmly about his business.
| Occasionally IL revenue officer was kill
| ed in brush with the pirates. lnya-
riably LATTE expressed his sorrow that
| bloodshed had become necessary. A
| case was brought against him in the
federal court. The district attorney was
man named Grynes Latitte went
to see Grymes. and the result Of the
| visit was that the district attorney re-
| signed his office and undertook l.atitte's
| defense. He and the lawyer who as
sisted him We're promised S200V
apiece for their services and got IL
| After the case was dismissed Grymes
went to Barataria TO receive his fee
and spent Il week feasting with the
| pirates, who treated him with princely
hospitality and escorted him back to
the Mississippi In a handsome yawl
laden with caskets OF gold and silver.
Repeated attempts had been made tC
organize a military expedition to de
stroy Lafittes pirate colony. but up tC
the year 1914 they had always come
to nothing. In September of that year
British brig anchored six miles from
Barataria pass. and its captain came
ashore and offered LATTE a captains
commission in the British navy and
| $300o0 II he would Join the British IL
an attack against New Orleans.
Lafitte pretended TO consider the of
fer, sending word meantime to q mem
Der Of the legislature OF the British
captains offer and declaring that b,
would never accept it. He sent anoth
! er letter to Governor claiborne, wht
had offered $1,000 for La6tte's heat
and for whose head Latitte In return
| in spirit of gay bravado. had otfere,
a reward OF $4,000 Lafitte suggested
that the governor extend clemency L
his pirates, who in return would aid Ii
the defense Of the state against th'
British. The offer was rejected. ant
an expedition under Commodore Pat
terson Of the United States nav,
swooped down on Barataria unexpect
edly tore down the brick house, con
fiscated much plunder and drove ou
the pirates.
Jean Laftte and his brother Pierr
escaped and esta blshed themselves OF
the lower Mississippi. Meanwhile An
drew Jackson had arrived to under
take the defense of New Orleans. Jeal
LATTE went boldly into New Orlean
to see him, although the fiery genera
had declared he would have nothing t
do with these pirates and hellish ban
ditti" There must have been pc
culiar charm and responsiveness abou
Jean LATTE. for after the interview
Jackson changed his mind. accepte'
the aid OF the pirates and showed th