The Dickinson press., 1913-12-27
OUTLAW LAEI1TE.
Old Time Patriot Pirate Of the
Gulf Of Mexico.
He WAS couRTLY AND BRAVE

And q Mild . hammered Man 40 Ever
eeuttlsd Ship . Cut q Threat-Hs
Boldly Faced Andrsw jackson, Won
His Friendship and Fought For Him.
In the brave days Of old Team La.
atte, the patriot pirate Of the gulf,
ruled yer a little outlaw kingdom Of
his own within q few miles Of the city
pf New Orleans.
A picturesque figure was Jean La,
latte, with q graceful. courtly delivery
shout him which made him popular
with: many Of the most. estimable
f1wellers In New Orleans Handsome,
Sble, averse to the shedding Of blood
and even possessed Of loyalty to the
government whose excise laws he
made 1t his business to break.
LATTE q French. He drifted to
Louisiana in the early years OF the
nineteenth century and set up in pira.
Icy In the bay of Barataria, a shelter
Led harbor on the gulf Of Mexico, pes-
tected by a long island called Grand
Terre, where Jean LATTE dwelt in q
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
6led 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.
der Spanish ships. Lafltte's followers
were a motley collection-black, white,
yellow and red-restless and reckless
%rovers Of the sea LATTE traficked In
silk and gold and negroes and sold
bis goods openly at auction even In
the city of New Orleans.
BE was popular, too; there il no
doubt Of that. Had it been otherwise
be would not have been permitted to
remain five years in Barataria. Al
early as 1909 we find governors of Lou.
lsiana 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
Ibloodshed had become necessary. A
ease 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 Laftte'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 yawI.
laden with caskets Of gold and silver.
Repeated attempts had been made to
organize Il 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
Baratarias. pass, and its captain came
ashoressandso offered LATTE captains
eommasssioppssttpp the British and
$4,000 II he would Join the British in
an attack against New Orleans.
Lantte pretended to consider the Of
fer. sending word meantime to a mem,
Der OF the legislature Of the British
captains offer and declaring that he
would never accept it He sent :anoth.
er letter to Governor Claiborne, who
had offered $1,000 for Laftte's head
and for: whose head LATTE in return,
in a spirit of gay ,brayado, had offered
q rewaFd.o OF $4,000. LATTE suggested
that the governor extend clemency to
his pirates, who In return would aid in
ne 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-
6scated 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
LATTE 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
ditti." There must have been a pc
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
Of confidence. They were excellent
gunnerass. 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.
Cite and his lei be granted pardoi
Tor all previous misdemeanors. andsthe
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