The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1919-09-18
Romance of the
Black Hdwk War

thus finally became possessed Of the
story Of the house of Beaucaire.
In the main it contained no unusual
features. Through the personal in
fuence Of DIberville at Louis court
Alphonse de Beaucaire had originally
received a royal grant of ten thou
sand acres Of land bordering the west
bank of the Mississippi a few miles
above st. Louis. When his master re-
turned to France leaving him unem-
ployed, B~eaucaire, possessing ample
means Of his own, had preferred to re-
main In America. In flatboats, pro-
PEELED by voyageurs, and accompanied
by a considerable retinue of slaves, he,
with his family, had assembled the river
and finally settled on his princely es-
tate. Here he erected what for those
early days was a stately mansion, and
devoted himself to %cultivating the
land. Twenty years later, when his
death occurred, he possessed the finest
property along the upper river, was
shipping heavily to the New Orleans
market, and was probably the most
influential man in all that section.
His only son, Felipe, succeeded him,
but was not so successful In admins
t%ratiOn, seriously lacking in business
Judgment. and being decidedly indo.
lent by nature. Felipe married into
n OF the oldest and most respectable
families of st. Louis, and as a result
of that union had one son, Lucius, who
grew up reckless of restraint, and pre-.
ferred to spend his time In New Or.
leans, rather than upon the plantation.
Lucius was a young man Of twenty.
six, unsettled in habits, when the ia.
Their died, and, against his inclination,
was compelled TO return TO Missouri
and assume control Of the property.
He found matters in rather bad condi.
ton, and his was not at all the type
OF mind to remedy them. Much of the
land a been already irretrievably
lost through speculation, and when his
fathers obligations had been met, and
his own gambling debts paid, the es.
tate, once so princely and magnificent,
was reduced to barely five hundred
acres, together with a comparatively
small mount of cash. This condition
sufficed to sober Lucius for a few
years, and he married a Menard of
Cape Girardeau, of excellent family
but not great wealth. and earnestly
~endeavOred to rebuild his fortunes.
Unfortunately his reform did not last.
The evil influences of the past soon
proved too strong for one of his tenn.
permanent. The plantation house be.
came in time a rendezvous for all the
wild spirits Of that ~neighborhood, and
stories of fierce drinking bouts and
mad gambling were current in st
Louis.
"Have you ever been at Beaucaire.
captainw 1 asked.
w always stop at the landing, but
l have only once been up the cliff to
where the house stands. The Judge
was away from home-in st. Louis, ]
believe-the day Of my visit. He had
sold me some timber, and / went out
with the family lawyer, q man named
Haines. living at the landing, to look
1T over"
1.-The house was closedT'
mo; 1t is never closed. The house
keeper was there, and also the two
daughters"
"Daughters"
Certainly; hadn't I told you abou,
them? Both girls are accepted as his
daughters; but, If all / have heard Is
true, n must be his granddaughter"
He paused reminiscently, his eyes on
the river. 'Haines told me a number
OF strange things about that family ]
had never heard before" he admitted
at last. "You see he has known them
for years, and attended to most of
Beaucaire's legal business. This Is
about how the story runs. as he told it
1t wasn't generally known, but IL
seems that Lrcius Beaucaire has been
married twice--the first time to q Gre
ole girl In New Orleans when he was
scarcely more than a boy. Nobody
now living probably knows whatever
became Of her. but likely she died
early; anyway she never came north.
or has since been heard from. The
important part is that she gave birth
to a son, who remained in New Or
leans. probably in her care, until he
was fourteen or fifteen years old. Then
some occurrence. possibly his mothers
death. caused the judge to send for
the lad, whose name was Adelbert,
and had him brought to Missouri. All
this happened before Haines settled at
the Landing, and previous TO Beau
CARES second marriage to Mademoi-
selle Menard. Bert. as the boy was
called, grew up wild. and father and
son quarreled so continuously that
finally, and before he was twenty. the
latter a away, and has never been
heard OF since-simply disappeared.
and no one knows t this day whether
he Is alive or dead. At least IL Judge
Beaucaire ever received any word
from him he never confessed as much
to Haines. However. the boy left be-
hind tangible evidence Of his exist
ence."