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NATHE ST. LANDRY CLAUNON.IO "Here Shall The Press The People's Rights Maintain, Unawed by Influence and Unbrlbed by Cain." VOL. XVIIL---NO. 38. OPELOUSAS, LA., SATURDAY, JUNE 20, 1908. 1 pE CYILONE SUFFERERS MAY liET FEDERAL AID Major Foote, Representing United States War Department, Visits Scene of PLAQUEMINE POINT CYGCLONE Thirteen Families, Containing Fifteen Men, Nineteen Women and Forty-three Children Rendered Destitute--Major Foot's Report Major Foote, representing the War Department of the United States, visited the cyclone stricken district of St. Landry Friday last, being ac chmpanied by Mr. Henry E. Estorge, of Opelousas. He only visited the Plaquemine Point section, being informed that no distress in the Chataignier section existed, or rather no appeal had been made by that quarter. The idea is to render government aid in the shape of provisions and clothing in case such is needed, this assistance being derived from an ap propriation made by Congress. Major Foote came here at the in stance of Congressman Pujo, who in turn was notified of the distress in the Plaquemine Point section by Mr. Estorge. Mr. Pujo was quick in re sponding to the appeal of Mr. Estorge, and the War Department hearkened to his request by sending Mr. Foote in person to the scene. Mr. Estorge informs us that the distress in the section mentioned is pronounced. There are many families there that can not possibly tide over until harvest time without assistance, many of them having drawn from their landlords all the provisions and clothing necessary to make a crop. Many lost everything in the storm. One negro tenant had just drawn $50 from his landlord and bought the necessary provisions-flour, meat, sugar and coffee-for the crop year, and he lost everything, only the bar rel of flour being found after the storm, and the flour was so damaged that it can hardly be used. The crops were ruined totally, and had to be replanted in most instances. Not only will they have to wait until harvest to get anything at all, but the crop will be late with them; and it is difficult to say how any crop at all will be made unless assistance is rendered these people. Whether or not the government will furnish the desired aid, is not certain. Therecis no doubt but that such is needed, but the fact that the local authorities took no steps in re lieving th' distress may prejudice the governmen, against coming in where there has been no local assistance. Major Foote, upon returning from the scene, made the following report to the Adjutant-General: "Adjutant-General, Atlanta, Ga. I visited strip that was swept by storm May 16th, six to ten miles southwest of Opelousas, extending through some plantations of St. Landry parish. I was accompanied by H. E. Estorge, designated by Mr. Pujo. I also consulted Dr. Foster and Mr. Joseph Boone of storm vi cinity. Thirteen families, containing fifteen men, nineteen woman and forty three children were rendered desti tute by the storm. Immediate dis tress was relieved by neighbors. I find all the men, most of the women and some of the children now work ing on shares. Principal crop cotton, which can not be picked before Sep tember. Estorge, Foster and Boone request clothing and bedding and three months' supply corn meal and salt meat for sufferers. The parish has done nothing for their relief. Secretary parish board informs me board has received no petition for assistance. Am sending copy this telegram to Mr. Pujo. I leave for Alexandria six p. m. MAJOR FOOTE." In the meantime Mr. Estorge and Mr. Boone passed a subscription list among the people of Opelousas Satur day, and secured a substantial sum for the distressed. Mr. Estorge has also taken steps to have St. Landry storm sufferers in cluded in the exemption from taxa tion which is proposed by the Louis iana Legislature. The storm stricken section was not mentioned in the bill, and Mr. Estorge immediately wired "Have St. Landry cyclone sufferers included in Wilson bill." Gone to Pineville. Collins Swords Monday last con veyed to the Pineville Insane Asylum Jean Emelcar Menard, an unfortunate young white man from the Coulee Croche section of this parish, who was interdicted last March. Menard's insanity is that he believes his life is in danger. Mr Babenean, a friend, accompanied the d enntyv eriff and the insane to ITEMS OF INTERIiST FROM OVER STATE. Imprisonment for N. O.'s Former Inspector of Police --Interesting Suit in Lake Charles--Labbe Convicted in Lafayette--Other News. Adrien Gonsoulin paid $24,000 for the Interlaken Sugar Plantation, inl Iberia parish. Prof. D. B. Showalter has been elected Superintendent of Public Schools of Rapides. Dr. Samuel Hale, aged 70 years, was married in Crowley to Mrs. Eliz abeth Favre, of that place. No vacation school will be permit ted in New Orleans, on account of the prevalence of scarlet fever. Mary Ellen Clare, a nine-year-old white child, died in the Charity Hos pital in New Orleans, the victim of a criminal assault. Baton Rouge claims a population of 26,000, showing that 3000 people have been added to the population in the past two years. A nine-year-old beef, raised in the Bayou Jack swamps of Avoyelles, weighing 756 pounds, was sold to a Plaucheville butcher. Roy Barnett, 12 years old, stabbed and probably fatally wounded Lamar Meredith, 11 years old, who had stolen his fish sandwich. The First National Bank of Baton Rouge has instituted suit against its defaulting cashier, Oscar Kondert, for $43,360.02, unpaid shortage. An average of a car a day of Irish potatoes are being shipped from Tal lulah to the Northern market and the growers are averaging $1.10 per bu shel. The owners of property along the principal streets of Rayne have vol-, untarily agreed to remove the old: plank walks and build concrete pave ment. MORE BEAUTIES FOR THE COURTHOUSE SQUARE Work beautifying the courthouse square continues merrily on, and this week the grass was again mowed with the Civic League's new-fangled horse power mower, a trick of late pattern and wondrous utility. This operation will be repeated each week, thus keeping down effectually the grass. , This week the League received a gift of two large concrete urns and four hitching posts of the same ma- I terial. Mr. J. E. Allen, proprietor of the concrete block works, is the donor, and his example is worthy of emulation. The hitching posts, which were installed in front of the court- I house, weigh 450 pounds each, and are massive and ornamental. The urns are things of beauty, and were set up on each side of the main en trance to the court building. They weigh 350 pounds each. They were manufactured by Mr. Allen himself. Street Commissioner Durio has had signs printed and conspicuously post ed at appropriate places, warning pedestrians to "Keep off the grazs- walk on the pavement." "WHERE'S THE FIRET' A Standing Query When the Fire Alarm is Sounded in Opeioesas-A Remedy in Sight. "Where's the fire?" Don't ask the fireman. He can't tell you. Watch for the smoke-that's the surest plan. - That's the condition of affairs ex isting in Opelousas now, and for some time past. Two successive alarms have of late been sounded, where the fire fighting paraphernalia has remained in the truck house, with the firemen gather ed 'round it, unable to locate the fire. The last alarm-Wednesdry morn ing at 11 o'clock-required the com bined brains and hustling capacity of the Chief of Police, the Mayor and the fire department to locate the fire, and this was only accomplished after the fire had been out for quite a while. The fire was at the residence of Mr. Jos. Guidry, and luckily amounted to very little, only a small hole being burned in the roof of the kitchen, due to sparks falling on it. But had the fire obtained a good start, the building could have been destroyed ere the department reached there. And all this is no fault of the de partment. The last case was due to the fact that the alarm was turned in i by a neighbor direct to the power house, without definite information as to the location of the fire. The Clarion is informed that ar Hood's immunes, veterans of the Spanish-American War, held a re union in New Orleans this week and organized into a permanent body with M. M. Boatner as President. The plant of the Shreveport Times was seized as a result of a judgment of $35,0Q0. This is the paper which the opponents of Gov. Sanders in the last campaign charged had been bought as a Sanders organ. Albert P. Labbe, who killed Gus tave Landry in Lafayette, with a fist blow in the face, was convicted of manslaughter. Landry had insulted Labbe's negro paramour, for which he dealt him the fatal blow. The first suit against the city of Lake Charles resulting from an at tempt by the council to improve drainage resulted in a verdict for plaintiff for $79. N. J. Mills had sued the city for lowering the grade Sof his sidewalk. Several more suits of the same natpre are pending. A small cyclone which passed through the Creole settlement of Cameron parish Sunday afternoon blew twenty houses off their blocks, and the crops were destroyed by a hail storm which accompanied the cyclone. A hail stone went through the roof of the house of Sheriff Eagleson. Former Inspector E. S. Whitaker, of New Orleans, was sentenced to three months' imprisonment and a fine of $100 for shooting at Joe Le veque, editor of the Morning World, but a suspensive appeal has been granted. Physicians for Whitaker claim that imprisonment would en danger the ex-Chief's life on account of ill health. rangements have been made between the Cumberland Telephone Company and the Fire Chief, by which a tele phone is to be installed in the main truck house-Fireman Hall-and central is to communicate at once upon receipt of the alarm informa tion as to its location by ringing the telephone bell continuously until a fireman answers, in the meantime, of course, giving the alarm to the power house so that the whistle can be blown. It is also proposed to insist upon the whistle giving the district designa tion when sounding the alarm. The Cumberland, if it does this and it is no more than it should do will be conferring an appreciated favor upon the community, and greatly lessen the danger of fire disaster. The next meeting of the depart ment will take steps to again put in use the signal code, indicating the location of the fire. In the meantime the Cumberland should lose no time in hurrying up its telephone to the main truck building. Since the above was put in .type, Fire Chief Littell informs us that the management of the Cumberland has instructed its "trouble man" to as sist the department in getning the fire fighting apparatuses to the fire, and to drive immediately to the truck house when he hears an alarm. The "trouble man" has a trap hitched constantly, and this will greatly aid the fire department in getting to the scene of the fire in a hurry. The Cumberland deserves the thanks of the community for this thoughtfull and generous public service. Damon and Pythias in the City Court. Tinee Moore is as black in sin as she is in complexion. She, has faced the Mayor's Court on many occasions, and Judge Kerr was not surprised Tuesday when she was arraigned be fore him for fighting and disturbing the peace, and he felt no contrition when he assessed her the limit--twen ty days in jail. His honor knew that the city ordinance did not permit the 'working of women on the streets, but whispered to the Street Commissioner Durio that perhaps some "compro mise" could be reached by which the woman would work ten days on the streets rather than remain in jail twenty days. Mr. Durio made the proposition to ,the dusky prisoner, and she took the matter under advisement, The knight-errant part of the episode is now to be told. Wednes day morning a tall, angular negro presented himself to Mr. Durio and begged to be made the Pythias to take the black Damon's place on the streets and work out her fine. Dion ysius, the tyrant, relented, the smoky I Knight is now doing work on the streets, and Tinee roameth the streets i ready fot another scrap. ClHICOT filTlliN THE BOLL WEEVIL. Truck Growers' Association Ship first Car. Load of Irish Potatoes. Asks For PARISHWIDE COOPERATION A Section of St. Landry Peculiarly Adapted to ; the Growing of Truck Sass and Frlut Coming to Front. The country contiguous to Chicot, in this parish, has long ago attracted attention for its marked adaptability to truck farming and fruit raising. It raises the finest melons and peaches and grapes, and even apples grow there and thrive, something very unusal for this country. Its drawback has been that it had no shipping facilities, being far re moved from all railroads. Recently, however, railroads-the Rock Island and La, East and West have afforded that section an outlet to market, and the people have taken. advantage of this and organized them selves into a Truck Growers' Associa tion. The organization of a truck grow ers' association was made necessary by the advent of the boll weevils, that country being the first in this parish to receive the pest. A number of acres in Irish potatoes were planted this year, and consider ing that this is their first attempt, the success attained promises well for the future. The Clarion is in receipt of the fol lowing account of the first car-load of Irish potatoes shipped by the Truck Growers' Association: "Bayou Chicot, June 13. "Editor Clarion.-The first car-load of Irish potatoes was shipped from Ville Platte to-day by the Truck Growers' Association of Bayou Chicot, to Crocket & Weil, of Alexandria, for 50 cents per bushel f. o. b. "The equality wasi~ae, yielding from 50 to 100 bushels per acre. "Another car is to be shipped in a few days. "The success of our undertaking depends upon the co-operation of our brother farmers in other localities, as we believe this is the solution of the boll weevil problam." CHRISTIMAN'S ITY IALL City Officials Will Move Into New Quarters by July 1st-Third Story to be Fraternity Hall. The city offcials of Opelousas will move into the Christman Building on July 1st, provided the building is completed for that time, and there is no doubt but it will be. The city rented the entire second story of the building for $50 per month. The Mayor will have one room, the tax-collector and clerk an other, and the City Judge the third. The third story of the same build ing will be occupied jointly by the Knights of Pythias, the Woodmen of the World and the Improved Order of Red Men. The lower floor will be occupied by Mr. B. R. Christman as a bakery and confectionery store. A FEMALE INCENDIARIST. Elizabeth Fairfax, Just Back from Insane Asy. Intu, Again Resorts to Old Mania. Elizabeth Fairfax was brought to jail Monday evening, having the night before set fire to a tenant house on the place of Mr. Ducoudrais Ledoux, a few miles from Opelousas. The building burned to the ground. Elizabeth is a negress, and has just returned from the asylum, where she was sent after having attempted to burn the school house at Plaquemine Point, two years ago. She was discharged from the asy lum as cured-evidently an error, judging from her behavior upon ar riving home. As there is no place in the asylum for her now, she will be kept in the parish jail. Boy Killed At Washington. Washington, June 16.--The ser vices of the coroner yesterday after noon were required to view the body of a negro boy who was accidentally shot by one of his companions at the slaughter pen. The two were hand ling a shotgun when it was accident ally discharged, the load taking effect in the head and face of the victim, causing instant death. The machinery for the Plaisance Drainage District is, being unloaded3 at the depot and hauled to the scene i of operations, about four miles south- i west of he e, FIGHT FOR FAIR LINIES DETAILED IN MEETING Gathering of Members of Opelousas Protecetive As sociation Hear Exhaustive Report of Mr. T. H. Lewis and Disband Organization. The "Opelousas Protective Associa tion," formed of the inhabitants of the city of Opelousas for the purpose of safeguarding the interests of this city and the old parish in the way of securing just lines of division in the enabling act to divide St. Landry and create the parish of Evangeline from its western territory, was dessolved at a mass-meeting held at the court house here Thursday night of this week, the purpose for which it was organized no longer existing. Mr. Thos. H. Lewis, chairman of the organization, who made the fight for Opelousas at Baton Rouge practi cally alone, made a comprehensive and exhaustive report of his labors there, and exposed with uncontrover tible figures the outrage embodied in the present line of division. Remarks were made by Messrs. W. J. Sandoz and ;Gilbert L. Dupre, and a motion that the organization ad journ sine die was unanimously car ried, after a rising vote of thanks had been extended by the meeting to Mr. Lewis for his zealous work at Baton Rouge. It was the unanimous opinion of the meeting that it was yet too early to launch the campaign against divi sion, particularly as a judicial and congressional campaign is now on, and it was agreed to not organize now but instead wait for the proper time. Mr. Phil L. Asher, secretary of the Association, read Mr. Lewis' report, which is as follow: "This meeting has been called in order to receive a report as to the steps taken to forward the purposes of this organization, and as to the present situation of the question of the division of the parish. The ob ject of this organization was stated at the outset to be, 'to protect and safeguard the interests and welfare of the town as well as of the inhabi tants who will remain in the old par ish in case of the division, in the matter of locating the proposed line of division in any enabling act which the friends and promoters of the pro posed new parish may introduce in the Legislature.' "I have kept that purpose strictly in view, and have departed from it in no instance. I have made several visits to the Capital, have had fre quent interviews with members of the House and of the Senate, have given out a number of interviews to the press, and published com munications over my signature, and have confined all of my efforts strictly to the point of endeavoring to get the Legislature to adopt in the En abling'Act a line of division that, while giving to the new parish ample territory and population, would work the least possible harm to the old "parish and to the town of Opelousas. Our just complaint was that the line adopted in the Enabling Act, intro duced in the House by Representa tive P. L. Fontenot, was unjust and inequitable and unnecessarily so, in that it took from the old parish much more than the required population, and eighty square miles of territory in access of the territorial area re quired by the Constitution for the creation of a new parish. We fur ther protested that the proposed line came too near to the City of Opel ousas. I used every argument and appeal within my power to impress these facts upon members of the Legislature, and at the same time urged upon them the adoption of a straight line two miles west of the Township line and which would give to the proposed new parish ample population and forty-nine square miles of territory in excess of the Constitu tional requirement. The combined influence, however, of the four mem bers of the House and of the Senator from this parish caused the Lower House to turn a deaf ear to my ap peals for justice to our city and old parish. So much unfavorable criti eism, however, was made of the crooked and absurd line originally in corporated in the House Bill, that it was withdrawn and a new line of division was substituted, which was represented to members of the House and Senate to have been agreed to as a compromise by all parties interested in the question. I learned that a conference had been held in the Gov ernor's office and that he was inform ed by those present that a compro mise line had been adopted. The next day on learning of the confer ence in question, I handed to Mr. W. H. Peterman, Chairman of the Senate Parochial Committee, a formal notice that I, as the representative of the City of Opelousats, _and of many of the resideats of .the old parish, had not been invited to say eonlerencerea the subjeet*matter, was udt la p~v to what was caed a rnlta na and protested against it as much more unfair and inequitable than the original line. I also handed a copy of my written protest to Governor Sanders in person, and caused it to be published in the New Orleans press. I found it impossible to dis. abuse the minds of Senators of the belief that a compromise line had been agreed upon that was accept able to all parties in interest, and therefore could do nothing more than presenting my protest to the Chair man of the Committee and to the Governor. "What is called the compromise line, and which is the line in the Bill as passed by the House, codes three miles nearer to the Western boundary of our city' corporation than the line originally proposed by the Paulin Fontenot bill, and trans fers to the new parish 16,000 acres, or twenty-five square miles more of territory than that of' the original bill, so that, according to that line, if adopted, the old parish will lose 105 square miles more of territory than the required area for the new parish, and the division line will be brought with in seven miles of the City of Opelou sas. The injustice and inequity of that division line will still further ap pear by the fact that it will leave in the old parish only 471 square miles of habitable and cultivable land, and at the same time will transfer to the new parish 686 square miles of habi table and cultivable land. That is to say, the new parish will actually have 215 square miles of habitable and cultivable territory in excess of what will be left in the old parish. The old parish will also be compelled to bear the heavy burden of taxation necessary to maintain its extensive system of public bridges, road ways, end drainage, and the excessive extra levee taxation imposed upon one half of its territory, much of which is covered with swamps and timber and is non-revenue producing. The old parish will also be compelled to tax itself in aid of public schools, and to account in money to the new parish for its share of the public property that is now in the old parish. These facts demonstrate that all of these public interests will have to be neglect ed and will fall into decay or the peo ple will be compelled to submit to ad ditional taxation. These hurtful and damaging conditions could tog very great extent have been obviated by the adoption of the straight line of division proposed by me, and which while giving to the new parish ample territory and population, would have left in the old parish about 100 square miles more of inhabited and cultivated land, and which the pro posed line of division would take away from it. The facts here given are verified by the sworn statement of L. E. Littell, formerparish sur veyor of the parish for many years, and by Richard M. Hollier, the pres ent parish surveyor, both of whom are thoroughly familiar with the ter. ritory of the entire parish. "As a still further proof of the unfairness of the ~ne adopted, and of the crippled condition in which it would leave the old parish, I will add the following fact: The Northern line of the old parish, after the pro posed division shall have been effected, will be twenyt-four miles in length from East to West, ten miles of which is open land, and fourteen miles swamp land. Extending that line Westward across the proposed new parish to the Calcasieu line, an open and cultivable country is travers ed thereby for nearly the entire dis tance. "A line running due East and West across the old parish from the proposed division line south of the town of Ville Platte to the Eastern boundary of the old parish, is twenty five miles in length, of which ten miles is open cultivated territory, and fifteen miles of which is swamp. That same line extended Westward across the territory of the proposed new parish is twenty-five miles in length, all of that distance beingl cultivable and habitable land. "An East and West line traversing the 6M parish from its Eastern boundary to the proposed boundary line, passing just South of the Cityi of Opelousas, is twenty-eight miles' in length, fifteen of which is open and cultivable land, and thirteen miles of which is swamp. From the same point West to the Calcasieu line would give one mile only of swamp, and 22. miles of open land. I: will here conclude this portion of my I statement by calling attention to the sworh statements of both Messrs. L B. Littell, and R. LM Hollies, that the ropeosed ine of diviesio will,, while beaing in the old perish 381. e Ceot4tued on epage 6 M HI.I. I. Raising License 1. l ey A i STATE'S §ENERAL: The Doussan Measur, Provlwli Throughout StaWt mieate t tuck Regalat1 Bll There wil o StatewA eproli tion in Louisiana for- tine twetw_ yearfat least. The Houspeof sentatives on Monday last bv down the Doasan bill calling or. ai eleg on throughout' the $a.t on t qnebtion of license or as `1i tied that ter foi his kon the ,General ssembly Instead, the House pa-sed on the - same day tJ Shattu me asure which provides for high , the regulation of saloons . The House and the i this..is week hammered all mo conveyed a` tendenyey, .to with what appears to set an to give high license and :aloon regua. lation a fai' trial. The gestion of Gov. Sanders in his inauggraI address, when he said that high :i.ense and' stringent regulation of saons was the solution of the liquor p tobSoen~to be supplanted by absolute prohibition in case these failed, seems to have been acceft.d the Le~iesf t If the saloon and the off a here to the laws which will be engdt~ along these. lines, the liqilor qiestibti will forever be solved. If on the contrary they disobe these laws and, like in tihe past, insult tib deecen of the people and set themselves up as. the writeri s of the enforcemet ofa the liquor tiws, absolute prohibition s will propey be invoked.. The liqu& ht in the Legislature has been promeniffrom t. opening day, and the straw of legislative sep ' ment in the first days pointed-to statu tory prohibition for Loiw ee ral measures were introducatered, withdrawn, until finally the qiee for . dwindled down to the Shattuck ýll; providing for better control of saloons,. high license, and localoption electiois,". and the Doussan bill, submitting .' the voters of the State the oue ti.on of absolute Statewide prohibitiol( Along these lined the battle was fought, until when cam? e to a show: down Monday nigh the Shattuck bill was adopted by av tteo 82 to 2i, and the Doussan re m bill wa killed by a vote of m"o 47, The St. Landry delegation :.oted' for both bills, except Mr. Cirrie; who voted to kill the Doussan bill: The Shattuck bill came t a vote flat,; and the Prohibitionists voted fotiit becau hey sae that the, defeat of their WiIl was inevitable and they preferred the regulation bill to no- . ing at all, and this evidently, exp the reason the two Fontenots a d Clark voted for the Shattuck bill. The defeat of prohibition has clear ed the atmosphere at the capital, and the appropriation cormittee°can now get down to work intelligently Be-. fore, when the question was in, th balance, there was no guage of the finances to go by, and the committee was at sea, not knowing whether o, not the State would be deprived of the income from saloon licenses. The Prohibitionists have accepted defeat with good grace, and say they are not discouraged and hopeto bring' about Statewide prohibition at the next session of the Legislature. The Shattuck bill is drastic in pro visions and tone, and it is believed will have the desired effect ofabtolish ing the evils of the saloon business by doing away with cheap, disorderly places, honky-tonks and corner grog shops. It will bring to the State.. many thousands of dollars in revenue. MR. iARLANO ANNOUNEES. Present District Attorasy Seeks he-Elesi.o at the Bands eflt PeopleP . Eon. R. Lee Garland, now filling his third term as District Attorney of this District, formally announces his candidacy for re-election in this week's issue of the Clarion. His candidacy will come as no sur prise to the voters of the parish, as it has long been known that be would stand for another term. Mr. Garland has filled the office of District Attorney with signal abili q and force, and is recognized .as one of. the leading prosecutors in the State.. To a bright, lucid legal mindr he has added a .nished education, and this coupled with native force et character, makes him an irreproach-. .'able and valuable public official. 'The EIaest i New Orleans aI W ek cleated oval $000.