The herald., 1913-12-04
OUTLAW LAF|TTE.
Old Time Patriot Pirate OF the
Gulf of Mexico.
HE WAS cOURTLY AND BRAVE
And as Mild a hammered Man as Ever
Scuttled Ship or Cut Throat-He
Boldly Faced Andrew Jackson, Won
His Friendship and Fought For Him.

His Friendship and Fought For HIM.
In the brave days Of old Jean La
ftte, the patriot pirate Of the gulf.
ruled over q little outlaw kingdom OF
his own within a few miles of the city
of New Orleans.
A picturesque figure was Jean La
ftte. with a graceful, cOurtly delivery
about him which made him popular
with many of the most estmable
dwellers in New Orleans. Handsome,
able. averse to the shedding of blood
and even possessed of loyalty to the
government whose excise laws he
made it his business to break.
LATTE 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, a shelter
ed harbOr on the gulf of Mexico, pro
tected by a long island called Grand
Terre, where Jean LATTE dwelt in a
house of brick, with broad and com
loll at ease In a hammock, smoking
and drinking lazily, while pirate chiefs
filed in to bring reports of plumber
taken and prospects ahead.
No crude or common pirate was this
Jean LATTE. He held a privateers
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 a motley collection-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 a revenue officer was kill
ed in brush with the pirates. Inva-
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 Grymes LATTE went
to see Grymes, and the result Of the
visit was that the district attorney re-
signed his office and undertook Lafitte's
defense. He and the lawyer who as
sisted him were promised $4,000
apiece for their services and got it.
After the case was dismissed Grymes
went TO Barataria to receive his fee
and spent a 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 to
organize a military expedition to de-
stroy Latitte's pirate colony, but up to
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
$4,000 IL he would join the British in
an attack against New Orleans.
LATTE pretended to consider the Of
fer, sending word meantime to a men,
Der Of the legislature Of the British
captains offer and declaring that he
would never accept 1t. He sent anoth-
er letter to Governor Claiborne, who
had offered $1,000 for Lafitte's head
and for whose head LATTE in return,
in spirit Of gay bravado, had offered
reward Of $4,000. LATTE suggested
that the governor extend clemency to
his pirates, who in return would aid in
the defense Of the state against the
British. The offer was rejected, and
an expedition under Commodore Pat
terson of the United States navy
swooped down on Barataria unexpect-
edly. tore down the brick house, con-
fscated much plumber and drove out
the pirates.
Jean LATTE and his brother Pierre
escaped and established themselves on
the lower Mississippi. Meanwhile An
drew Jackson had arrived to under
take the defense Of New Orleans. Jean
Lafitte went boldly into New Orleans
to See him, although the fiery general
had declared he would have nothing to
do with these pirates and hellish ban
ditt.' There must have been a De-
culiar charm and responsiveness about
Jean LATTE, for after the interview
Jackson changed his mind, accepted
the aid Of the pirates and showed the
utmost trust in them. And throughout
the siege Of New Orleans the followers
OF LATTE showed themselves worthy
or confidence. They were excellent
gunners, and two Of Lafitte's captains,
Dominique You and a man named Be
luche. were put in charge of ships.
When the British had been driven
away Jackson recommended that La
lite and his men be granted pardon
Tor all previous misdemeanors, and the
thing was done.
NOBODY seems to know exactly what
became Of Jean LATTE and his brother
In 1916 we find Jean in Galveston,
Tex. whence he was chased by the
Spanish government in 1920. Later
there came stories Of cruises I'm the
Caribbean. The call of the sea was
too strong for the one time Barbarian