Year: 1861

From the New Orleans Picayune

 LOVE, LUNA ACY AND LUCK; OR TWENTY THOUSAND DOLLARS ON THE WAC OF AN L ALLIGATOR's TAIL.

 We have in our tine heard a good many Ftough Jtsh stories, and among others that of the strange fish" recently caught at Chicot Pass, in this state, which "appeared to be cross be- tween the alligator and shark" and had in his stomach $3,07 in small change, together with a stout bowie knife, revolving pistol, and other articles of a fllibustering character.

 That many of these tales are mere piscatory 6ctions, we have always held since eur arrival at mans estate, and now, that truth is considers ply stranger than fiction, we shall proceed, with due soberness, to show.

 A few years ago Jarvis Wright was one of the shrewdest and most successful of the traders in the Choctaw Nation. In early life he had l lief. the granite hills of New England, and wend- ed his way towards the setting sun. His money making instincts were pretty strongly developed, and in his race for wealth he forgot the strong affectional wants of his nature and SO while growing rich he grew old, and was known throughout the nation as the rich old bachelor.

 Now it so happened that in things theolo- gical, the heart of Jarvis, during his wanderings and money gatherings became hardened, and in ! rodex. In fact, he was almost as heretical as the heather Choctaws, with whom it was his boast to drive skilful traders" and for whose spiritual benefit missionaries were sent out annually by the Christians of the North

 Among the missionaries who visited the Choctaw wids during the year l85-, there was one who had a daughter whom he loved passing we'll. Jarvis saw her, and he, too, soon loved her with no common love. It was; indeed strange to witness the effect of the tender pas. sion on that hardened unbeliever. Time, which was supposed to have blunted and almost dead ened all the finer sensibilties of his human or. ganism, had been only concentrating their essen. tial fires, even as the spirit in cider barrel is concentrated and strengthened by the frosts which render its exteriors cold and icy.

 Sc the love of Jarvis, in it's wild vehemence was a riddle to the men and maidens of the Choctaw tribe, and even the traders wondered Jarvis in love! So strange was the idea as to be considered ridiculous, and most of his old friends concluded that his brain was getting turned. And so, as the diverse facts too often have it, Jarvis angel proved unkind. The richly freighted bark of his hopes was shipwrecked, and 8 rooted sorrow" settled on his soul. Fair daughter of the missionary! She never for a moment thought that her mission was to ed the rough and heretical, though rich old bachelor, while younger and more attractive gallants were suing for the favor of smile. She refused him. and he became incontinently crazed, and moped and wandered, still talking but of her.

 At length his friends concluded to bring him to this wayward city of New Orleans, where sev. eral of his relatives reside, and after spending a few months here, the demented lover began to be in some measure forgetful of his grief. Oc. casonally indeed, he would be sane as any man in existence, but with the changes of an hour his fit of love-lunacy would return, and he would be as wild and wandering as ever.

 As he was perfectly harmless even when the fit was OH him, he was transferred to planta. ton at Terrs BGIf, where he was allowed the privilege of hunting And in due time hunting alligators among tie bayous and lagoons became the favorite pastime of the love-bern Jarvis and it was hoped that eventually he would who'll ly forgot how unsuccessful he had been when hunting for wife. But now a new mania seem- ed to seize him. Of k Hing aligators he had be- come tired, but to catch and tame one was his new ldea-the mission of his life. He thought that if he could only catch and tame a liveal- ligator, the star of his fortune would again rise in the amphibious creature he would find a "guice philosopher and friend"

 With all the method" of his madness he sat about the realization of his wild idea, and one day, about six weeks ago, he captured juvenile

 

 at once to cultivate with it kindly, social in. timacy. No more did he visit the distant bay. ous; for to the wants of his new found friend he devoted all his time and attention. Scarcely indeed, did he speak to any one else, but when he did, it would be the same parrot phrase The man that's lucky enough to catch and tame a live alligator can draw a prize in the Havanna lottery" This he would repeat, not only to the people of the house where he resided but to his alligatorship, thousand times and a thousand times again.

 After several days consultation with his scaly friend, Jarvis determined one fine morning to visit the city, buy lottery ticket, and prove his luck. So he engaged passage for himself and alligator on the Mexican Gulf Railroad cars and came. After arriving, he went straightway to a merchantle house, where his money is deposited drew BIO. and commenced his search around the city for a ticket that his saurian counsellor would be satisfied with. Long and weary was the search. To hundred shops the alligator was carried, and the wares of hundred ticket vendors were submitted to him before he mani fested his appreciation by an approving wag of his caudal appendage. As soon, however, as the ticket with the mystic numbers was displayed, the mysterious reptiles eye frightened, and his tail wagged wisely. And Jarvis interpreted the cabalistic wag as sign to buy, and forthwith he l

 Two days afterward the drawing tableau of the Havana lottery arrived, and, strange as it may appear, the ticket selected by the approy- ing wag of the aligator's tail was down for the S20,0O0 prize. The story may appear improba- ble, but it is no more strange than true, as sev- eral respectable merchants on Carondelet street who are familiar with the facts, and the mem bers of the commercial firm on Camp street where the money has since been deposited can attest. Indeed, we have the story from the lips of one nearly related to the unlucky yet lucky Jarvis. Nor did the luck of the alligator hunt CT end with the drawing of the prize. Recent ly as is well known exchange on Havanna has been commanding handsome premium, and Jarvis, though one of his relatives, received for his ticket not only the $2O,OO0 it called for, but premium of $759 besides

 ligator is not Q thing of wisdom? With this philosophic query eur tale shall end.

 TIE SPREADING OF REpoBF-The servant at No. l told the servant at No, 2, that her mas ter expected his old friends, the Bayle5s, to pay him visit at Christmas; and No. 2 told No 3 that No. expected the Bailies in the house every day and No. 3 told No. 4 that it was all up with No. l, for they couldn't keep the ba liffs out whereupon No. 4 told No. that the officers were after No. l, and that it was as much as he could do to prevent himself from being ta ken in execution, and that it was killing his poo dear wife and so it went on increasing and in creasng. until it got to No. B. where it was re ported that the detective police had taken uE the gentleman who lived at No. l, for killing hi poor, m P dear wife with arsenic, and it was conf , dently hoped and expected that he would be ex | foa ato onfk he VI