The Adair County news., 1913-08-20
OUTLAW LAF|TTE.
Uid Time Patriot Pirate of the
Gulf of Mexico.
HE WAS COURTLY AND BRAVE
And as Mild hammered Man as Ever
Seuttled Ship or Cut a Throat-He
Boldly Faced Andrew jackson, Won
His Friendship and Fought For Him.

6ololy Faced Andrew jackson, Won
His Friendship and Fought For Him.
In the brave days of old Jean La
little, the patriot pirate of the gulf,
ruled over a little outlaw kingdom of
his own within few miles of the city
of New Orleans.
picturesque figure was Jean La
htte, with a graceful, courtly delivery
about him which made him popular
with many of the most estimabIe
jewellers 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 lsng island called Grand
Terre, where Jean LATTE dwelt in a
house of brick, with broad and COM
Portable verandas. where one might
Toll at ease in a hammock, smoking
and drinking laZily. while pirate chiefs
fled in to bring reports of plumber
taken and prospects ahead.
No crude or common pirate was this
Jean Laftte. 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 a motley collection-black, white,
yellow and red-restleSs and reckless
Tovers 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
be 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
ftte went calmly about his business.
Occasionally a revenue officer was kill
ed in a 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
a 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 Lafittes
defense. He and the lawyer who as
sisted him were promised $4,000
apiece for their services and got it.
ha
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 Laftte's pirate colony, but up to
the year 1914 they had always come
to nothing. In September of that year
a British brig anchored six miles from
Barataria pass, and its captain came
ashore and offered Lafitte a captains
commission in the British navy and
$4,000 if he would join the British in
an attack against New Orleans
LATTE pretended TO consider the Of
fer, sending word meantime to q men,
Der of the legislature of the British
captains offer and declaring that be.
would never accept it. He sent anoth- !
er letter TO Governor Claiborne, wh0f
had offered $1,000 for Lafittes head
and for whose head LATTE in return,
IN a 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-
fscated much plumber and drove out
the pirates.
Jean Lafitte 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
LATTE went boldly into New Orleans
TO see him, although the fiery general
had declared he would have nothing to
90 WlIn IueSe pirates anu uelllSu UdH-
ditti.' There must have been a pc
culiar charm and responsiveness about
Jean Lafitte. 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 Lafitte showed themselves worthy
of 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
fitte and his men be granted pardon
for all previous misdemeanors, and the
thing was done.
Nobody seems TO know exactly what
became of Jean Lafitte and his brother
In 1916 we find Jean in Galveston.
Tex. whence he was chased by the
Spanish government in 1920 Later