St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1914-01-10
OPELOUSAS CENTER
OF GARDEN OF EDEN
So Says T. P. Thompson, Prominent New Orleans
Banker and Savant--Praises Schell
Modern Moses.

A dIStlngulSneQ VlSltOf IN Lne
person of Mr.. 7. P. Thompson
was recently in Opelousas anc
during his stay here was shoWr
the Schell canal and the vas
landed properties owned by {
company subsidiary to the cana
corporation, by Mr.. Schell ane
his attorney, Hon. Jno. w. Lewis
1t is supposed that Mr.. Thomp
son came as the representative
of a group of capitalists who
have their eyes on the Schel
proposition for the purpose OF
investment.
We quote in full the article on
the subject of Mr.. Thompson s
visit to Opelousas in the Plea.
yune of date. Monday 5th, as
follows:
IT. P. Thompson has just re-
turned from Opelousas, where
he went at the invitation of Mr..
John w. Lewis and Mr.. Schell
and others who are just COM
pleting a wonderful drainage and
irrigation plant which is to per-
feet the small farm proposition
for Louisiana, and will soon be
the lodestone attracting in this
direction the scientific farmer
who will be drawn to Louisiana
by its wonderful fertility and the
cheapness of it's lands.
Mr.. Thompson was the guest
of honor at the Lacombe hotel
on Friday night, where the po-
tential forces Of Opelousas, in
cluding the bankers, merchants,
lawyers, doctors, ETC., to the ex-
tent Of some thirty, sat down to
a splendid dinner.
Colonel Lewis presided, in
Producing Mr.. Thompson, who
spoke for an hour on progressive
ness in Louisiana, then followed
a talk by Mayor Loeb, of Ope-
lousas, also the mayor of Wash
ington, Mr.. Schell, and others.
Altogether there was big
friendly gathering, in which
New Orleans and Opelousas
fraternized for the mutual good
Of both.
Mr.. Thompson, in response
to an inquiry as to what he saw
of interest in St. Landry parish
on his visit, said:
''On the Opelousas prairie, near
Washington, there is to-day one
of the most convincing evidences
of progress in all Louisiana.
j. Franklin Schell is the
prophet who has forecasted for
this favored section a future
both secure and certain.
''Since colonial days old 'Ope-
lousas Church has been the land
mark Of this new Arcadia. There
was marked the frost line from
tier, below was for oranges and
sugar cane, above for cotton and
corn, and here was the heart of
Louisiana, the Eden spot where
finally had settled the wander
ing exiles of Nova Scotia, and
from their scattered farms on
this fertile prairie they gathered
at St. Landry's church and Wor-
SHIPPED Sundays, sure that no
English over lord would now dis
turb or interfere with the even
tenor of their pastoral life and
habits.
Prior to the enterprising and
persistent Cajun who had, after
long wondering, successfully fol-
lowed down the paths Of Mar
quette and La Sale, and had, in
l767, settled in the forests
primeval' of Chateaubriand and
Longfellow, there had lived and
wandered over these prairies an
Indian people. These Indian
people were, by tradition, war
like during pre-Columbian times.
and the early French settlers
had feared them as .maneaters,
a reputation not sustained by
history. but created rather from
accusations by the Tunicas on
The Mississippi river, a vaga-
bond tribe who were kept off the
hunting grounds by
these made-up stories of canni-
oalism.