The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1931-06-05
THE RE4L EN4HGZM E-
ELfZE/N me L48IoHE

places more than 5000 Acadians were
deported. They were scattered in
the English colonies from Maine 10
Georgia and in both France and Eng
land. Many died; many. helpless in
new surroundings, sank into decrepit
pauperism. Some reached people OF
their own blood in the French colony
of Louisiana and Canada
Among those who came TO Louisi-
ana was young Louis Arceneaux who
had become separated from his sweet
heart, Emmerline Labiche, and who
settled on Bayou Teche, a stream
which winds in and out like a snake,
hence its name. which is the Indian
term for snake. Here, too, ten years
later came Emmerline Labiche, who
had been mourning the loss OF her
lover.
At last Emmerline found him, and
tradition says that the meeting took
place beneath the historic Evangeline
Oak on the Bayou Teehe, where she
learned that her faithless lover had
married another.
There is some variation in the ac-
counts of how Longfellow came 70
write the story of Evangeline. Ac-
cording to one story it was Nathaniel
Hawthorne who first gave the poet
the hint of the romance which he
wove into his poem. Under the date
of October "a, 1888, we find the fol-
lowing memorandum in Hawthorne's
American Notebooks: H. L. c.
heard from a French Canadian a story
of a young couple in Acadie. On
their marriage day all men OF the
province were summoned 10 assemble
in the church to hear a proclamation.
When they assembled they were seized
and shipped off TO be distributed
through New England, among them
the bridegroom. His bride set OF in
search of him, wandered about New
England all her lifetime, and at last
when she was old, she found her
bridegroom on his deathbed- The
shock was so great that ii killed her
likewise"
ly, then a neighbor Of Hawthorne at
Salem. He had been rector OF ST.
Matthews Protestant Episcopal church
in South Boston. But Hawthorne was
probably in error in stating that Con-
oily obtained the story directly from
a French Canadian.
At any rate some time later Haw-
thorne took Connolly TO dine with Long
fellow at Cambridge. During the din
ner the clergyman told Longfellow
that he had been trying in vain TO
get Hawthorne TO write a story based
on an incident told him by Mrs. George
NJ. Halliburton, former parishoner,
who had formerly lived in Nova SEQ
tia. Connolly then related the story
briefly. Longfellow said to Haw-
thorne: IF you really do not want
this incident, let me have it for
poem His friend willingly con-
scented, and "Evangeline" was the
result.
The other accountant this Is the
one which you will hear in the Acad-
idA VI l44l
Longfellow, while he was an instruc-
tor at Harvard, was told the story By
a handsome young Acadian, then
student at Harvard, Edward Simon.
later a Judge in Louisiana. who had
learned 1t from his friend. Judge Felix
VOORHEES,. Judge VOORHEES, had been
told the story by his grandmother.
Madame Anne Bastarieche, who
brought Evangeline to the Teche coun-
try. Madame Bastarieche died in 1890
at the age of 103.
1t was Madame Bastarieche who
told of how Emmerline Labiche sprang
forward with a glad cry when she
met her former lover and Of how the
faithless lover told her that he had
married another and was happy.
On the lands OF the ancient Duke
DeBois Blanc Louis Arceneaux set
tied with his bride and there many
of his descendants live today. The
heartbroken girl, Madame Bastarieche
told her grandson, lost her reason
and. until death came to her. she wan
dered about the banks of the Teche
gathering the water hyacinths and
weaving brides wreaths Of them
&c By Western Newupaps< Union,