The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1913-08-09
OUTLAW LAFl1II7E.
Old Time Patriot Pirate of the
Gulf of Mexico.
he WAS COURTLY AND BRAVE
And as Mild a hammered Man as Ever
ScuttIed Ship or Cut Throat-He
Boldly Faced Andrew Jackson, Won
His Friendship and Fought For Him.

Boldly Faced Andrew Jackson. Won
His Friendship and Fought For Him.
Tn the brave days of old Jean La
fitte the patriot pirate of the gulf.
ruled over a little outlaw kingdom of /
his own within few miles of the CITY /
of New Orleans.
A picturesque figure was Jean La
fitte. with graceful. courtly delivery
about him which made him popular
with many of the most estimable |
jewellers in New Orleans. Handsome.
able. ayerse to the shedding of blood
and even possessed of loyalty to the
government whose excise laws he
made it 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. a shelter
ed harbor on the gulf of Mexico. pro.
4 tected by long island called Grand
Terre, where Jean LATTE dwelt in a
4 house of brick. with broad and COM
! Portable verandas, where one might
! Toll ut 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 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
] 7 ~
were a motley collection-black, white,
yellow and red-reStleSs and reckless
rovers of the sea. Latitte 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 beer otherwise
he would not have beea permitted to
remain five years in Barataria. As
early as 1909 we find governors of Lou
lstana laundering against him, but La
titte went calmly about his business,
Occasionally revenue officer was kill
ed in a brush with the pirates Inva-
riably Lafitte 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 Lafjttes
defense. He and the lawyer who AS
sisted him We're promised $50 900
apiece for their services and got Il.
After the case was dismissed Grymes
went to Baratara to receive his fee
and spent a week feasting with the
pirates. who treated him with princaly
hospitality and escorted him back to
the Mississippi in Il handsome yawl.
laden with caskets of gold and silver.
Repeated attempts had been made to
organize Il military expedition to de
stroy Lafitte's pirate colony, but up to
the year 1914 they had always come
to nothing. In September of that year
n British brig anchored six miles from
, Barataria pass. and its captain came
j ashore and offered Lafitte a captains
commission in the British navy and
$4,000 if he would join the British i'll
an attack against New Orleans
Latitte pretended to consider the of
fer, sending word meantime to mem
, Der of the Legislature of the British
: captains offer and declaring that he
+ would never accept it. He sent anoth-
+ err letter to Governor Claiborne, who
, had offered $1,000 for Laftte's head
and for whose head LATTE in return
in spirit of gay bravado, had offered
. a reward of $4,000. Lafitte 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-
/ eddy, tore down the brick house, con
O fiscated much plumber and drove out
n the pirates.
o Jean Lafitte and his brother Pierre
+ escaped and esta 5lished themselves OF
!, the lower Mississippi. Meanwhile An
z drew Jackson had arrived to under
: take the defense of New Orleans JeaI
/ LATTE went boldly into New Orleans
{ to see him, although the fiery genera
:. had declared he would have nothing Il
y do with these pirates and helliSh ban
: ditti." There must have been a pc
cUliaT charm and responsiveness abou
Jean LATTE, for after the interview
: Jackson changed his mind. accepted
i the aid of the pirates and showed tn
almost trust in them. And Throughout
the siege of New Orleans the follower
of Lafitte showed themselves worth,
of confidence. They We're excellen
gunners and two of Lafitte's captains
y Dominique You and a man named BE
luche, We're uput in charge of ships
4 Wheh fahe British had been drive
away Jackson recommended that La
fitte and his men be granted pardo
II for all previous misdemeanors, and tn
thing was done
is Nobody seems to know exactly wha
d. became of Jean Lafitte and his brother
In, en- In Gnlr To,