The star-progress., November 29, 1919, Image 1

About The star-progress. (Opelousas, La.) 1917-1921

Image provided by: Louisiana State University; Baton Rouge, LA

                
THE STAR-PROGRESS
VOLUME
XI—NO. 6
OPELOUSAS, LA., SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 29,1919
SUBSCRIPTION—$2.00 PER YEAR, IN ADVANCE
PUTTE funeral
PYRE FOR 28
n— ce Hall Prove* Death Trap
'for Many Women and
Children
had STAMPEDE TO
**E^PE FATAL TO MANY
ietoe of pleasure Converted in*
IoOb* of Awful Horror in
Very Brief Time
Without doubt the very worst
horror this state ever experi
occurred at Ville Platte, the
house town of the adjoining
of Evangeline, last Saturday
shortly after dark. As a result
TJ}» destruction of the big frame
Imping owned by G. J. Deville,
Menty-eight persons, mostly young
jaBen, one or two elderly ladies and
jpybe ' several small children, lost
fejr lives, some of the victims being
Igmed almost beyond recognition.
Others were no doubt crushed or
m „thered to death in the jam and
jgjffuràa burned to a cinder in the
aging flames.
That is the simple story of the
yocaust tfiat has appalled the en
th* |»»tp and numbed with horror
the people of the stricken town and
juigh, as well as the people living
hß« in St Landry. Many who lost
their lives had either relatives or
friends in many sections of St. Lan
dry, and the calamity has caused a
foLg of intense sadness for wbat
tappened at the dance hall in our
æighboring town.
The building was a large frame
dnetare, housing a store, a picture
inr and a restaurant on the ground
floor. The upstairs was the dance
h*ü, «fiance to which was by a
« ght of steps leading through the
tenter of the building, and it was
thhi very stairsteps that proved the
death trap for the many who died a
terrible death in the roaring flames.
The dance was well attended, and
fhe horror might have proven worse
if it had occurred later in the night,
for the large audience in the picture
dtev undoubtedly would have flocked
ate die dance room after the finish
of the show. This addition to the
crowd would have made the awful
aquence to the fire even worse for
the 'stampede would have been of
pester proportions and the resulting
jus on the stairway would no doubt
lave precipitated many others into
the flames beneath.
The fire started by the eplosion of
m oil or gasoline stove in the restau
ant downstairs. It spread quickly
despite every effort made to quench
When the alarm was given, cool
persons took charge of the
ituation in the crowded picture show
tad every person therein escaped
from the building. It is said that if
the ame wise judgment had been
Mtd in the dance hall not a single
fawn would have perished. But peo
ple, like animals, lose their heads
phm danger of death from fire
Hues them in the face. They lose
•B sense of judgment and, acting un
der the human law of everyone for
himself, tries to escape even though
he tramples over others.
When those in the dance hall re
alized the danger, and those without
uho had loved ones in the dance
room saw that danger, there was a
®sd rush, the crowd below making a
wild break for the narrow stairway
to reach those above, while those
within rushed for the stairway to get
*ot of the room. Both crowds met
*od the jam, it is stated, was some
thing awful, many undoubtedly hav
( Continued on Pago Six)
ACT NOW AND SAVE F ° R
YOUR ADVER TISING WIT HOUT DELAY.
PUNTERS ink, like everting el "' " "^E CTArSrOGReS
J tising space must be mcreased m va^e TH k and g0 on
Is gradually reaching more and more jeauers « 3
will be found in every home ^ ^ i k and everything
The greatly : ncre ^^° ne ^ a per, ' compels THE STAR
that goes to make a first-class newsy-ip ,
PROGRESS to announce that on January 1, 19dU,
TWENTY-FIVE PER CENT INCREASE IN RATES WILL CO
INTO EFFECT
Aa . warning to nnr .dvertneare , we pn blieh thi, .nn.nncen.en«
in time in order for them to protect the „roridad »
All contracts will bn ranawad at * tra T< ^j I».
twanty-fiwa par cent incraas* in spnc# TW-mher
This offer is good only until the 0 h ve to pay the in
Those failing to take advantage of it will have to pay
creased rates. . absolute supremacy of
There is no longer any doubt as thia state. It has
THE STAR-PROGRESS in the weezly fteld b leaps and
far surpassed all other weeklies and is stm g™
b0an< J 3 ; .. . . STAR-PROGRESS brings great returns.
Advertising m THE siAitrn willing to let you test
If you don't believe it, give it a test We are w &
the pulling power of ti» P»P«* » fJETyoo want for next year
Make up your STAlf-PROGRESS office and take ad
tod come right over to THE STAK after December 15 it
SfiTtS kte W °snÈ üS WGHT NOW! THE STAR-PROGRESS,
"Louisiana's Leading Weekly." ♦
FONTENOT WILL
TOUR PARISH
Candidate for Sheriff to Map
Out Itinerary and Expects
to Speak on Every Stump
Ariel Fontenot, candidate for sher
iff, plans to stump every precinct in
St. Landry during the next few
weeks. Mr. Fontenot announced
during the week that now that the
criminal court term was completed,
he expected to "take to the country."
Reports from every section of the
parish indicate that the young can
didate for sheriff is making a whirl
wind campaign. He spoke recently
to an overwhelming crowd at Mallet,
where he was received with open
arms by the voters of that big pre
cinct. A few days later he addressed
a meeting at Lawtell and recently he
was called to near Arnaudville, where
his friends had prepared a mammoth
meemtg, much to his surprise, and he
found himself in the "house of his
friends." There, too, he delivered an
address and was exceptionally well
received. There were approximately
one hundred voters present, and it
was freely expressed that over nine
ty-five per cent of the crowd was for
Fontenot. \
Just as soon as he is able to map
out his itinerary, Mr. Fontenot will
begin his tour of the parish. He will
be assisted by men from various sec
tions of St. Landry, and now that he
is making such headway as a stump
speaker, it is expected that he will
make a favorable impression wher
ever he goes.
WALTERS WINS
H IS FREEDOM
Second Trial of Port Barre Man
Results in Acquittal Last
Thursday Morning
Davies Walters, charged with man
slaughter for the killing of Marshal
Fpret, at Port Barre, the early part
of the summer of 1918, was acquit
ted by a jury in the district court
shortly after 3 o'clock Thursday
morning. The jury had been out a
little more than one hour.
Walters, it will be remembered,
was tried and convicted at the session
of the criminal court and was sen
tenced to fifteen years in the state
penitentiary. His attorneys imme
diately following the verdict of the
local court, appealed to the supreme
court and that tribunal overturned
the trial of the lower court and re
manded the case for a second trial.
This second trial consumed two
days. District Attorney R. Lee Gar
land was assisted in the prosecution
by Peyton R. Sandoz, while L. Austin
Fontenot and John W. Lewis defend
ed the accused.
Upon learning the favorable ver-
dict of the jury, Walters walked up
to the jurors and gratefully thanked
them for having saved him from the
"pen." He is now a free man and
expects to make Opelousas his per-
manent home.
-o-
APPEAL COURT
HERE TODAY
Regular Session of the Judicial
Tribunal Mfill B« Held in
This City Today
A number of important cases will
be heard by the Court of Appeal
when that body assembles in this city
at 11 o'clock this (Saturday) morn
ing. The judges will arrive in this
city from Crowley on the Saturday
morning train and will leave on the
Gulf Coast Lines train for Baton
Rouge when they complete their work
here.
_Misses Leo nie and Mabel Mistnc
! have returned from several days stay
1 in New Orleans.
HON. JOHN M. PARKER,
Candidat* for Governor. Hi» St. Landry friend» and supporters will organ
ize on next Monday in order to give him the greatest majority over
•ecured by any gubernatorial candidate since the division of the old
parish.
JUDGE FOSTER GIVES
ORLEANS SALOONS
RIGHT TO OPEN
Eastern District of Louisiana
Has ''Booze" Running Like
Water Since Wednesday
PART OF LOUISIANA
IS NOW WET AS EVER
Wild Revelry Witnessed in City
aa Bartenders Hand Out
Old John Barleycorn
Judge Rufus E. Foster of the east
ern district of Louisiana, the first
Southern federal judge to issue an
injunction against the enforcement
of the wartime prohibition law, is to
day the most popular man in Louisi
ana, among the lovers and likers of
the old "red liquor."
The New Orleans jurist handed
down a decision on Wednesday morn
ing in which he issued an order re
straining the federal officers from
enforcing the liquor law, and reports
from the metropolis indicate that a
"wild rush" was immediately made
for the newly-opened saloons all over
the city. Bartenders, who had been
"lurking in the offing" since July 1,
went back to their former jobs; a
'large quantity of old "John Barley
corn," just a little riper and better
than ever, was "fished up" from
many mysterious hiding places, and
Hie bilbulous chaps and otherwise
were immediately in evidence and got
into the running without any further
loss of precious time, and by the close
of the sad (happy) autumnal day, it
is said that the old Crescent City wit
nessed some few thousand "happy
drunks"—more or less.
Just how long New Orleans will re
main wet is left to the supreme court
of the United States to decide, and a
decision by that august tribunal is
expected on December 8, and if it
reverses the federal judges in various
parts of the Union who issued in
junctions restraining the strong arm
of the law, all New Orleans saloon
keepers, according to Rufus Fonte
not, collector of internai revenue, will
be prosecuted and asked to pay the
maximum penalty.
Practically every saloon in the
eastern district of Louisiana is wide
open as a result of the Foster de
cision. In the western district, how
ever, despite rumors that saloons
were open in various towns, it is said
"everything is closed." Saloon keep
ers are eagerly awaiting the oppor
tunity to re-open, but it is feared
that Judge Jack of this district would
not give a decision in favor of the sa
loon men, and while the thirsty mul
titude stand with trembling hopes
for a real wet and hilarious time this
Christmas, the booze emporiums re
main closed and the immense stock
of old "John" and his kindred liquors
remains in hiding.
New Orleans is now, without doubt,
the most popular city in the South, if
not in the entire Union. It is said
that the advocates of "wet" from all
sections of the country are either
flocking there to enjoy the "wet pe
riod," or have their eyes longingly
turned toward the old town, and pw
ing to this sudden change in the ex
isting condition of things alcoholic,
the city has once more assumed its
former aspect of being "free and in
dependent."
"
PARISH FAIR TO BE
ORGANIZED THIS
AFTERNOON
Meeting Has Been Called for
This Evening at 3 o'Clock
at Parish Court House
BIGGEST FAIR IN THE
STATE NOW PLANNED
Thousands of Dollars Will Be
Raised to Give St. Landry
Best of Parish Fairs
At the call of the Chamber of Com
merce ,a meeting will be held this af
ternoon at 3 o'clock, in the police
jury room of the parish eourt house,
for the purpose of the permanent or
ganization. cf a parish fair associa
tion. Everybody who is interested in
giving St. Landry the greatest parish
fair in Louisiana is invited to attend
this meeting, as it is by the co-opera
tion and assistance of the general
public that it is hoped to st^ge in
Opelousas next year the most elabor
ate fair of its kind èver held in Louis
iana.
As previously announced, Hon. R.
Lee Mills, member of the police jury
from the first ward, head of the St
Landry Farmers' Union and one of
the most progressive farmers of St.
Landry' ,will be the president of the
parish fair association. It is the plan
of the Chamber of Commerce to
place farmers at the head of the i
sociation, and it is believed that plans
will be evolved whereby every com
munity in the parish will be repre
sented on the board, of directors of
the association.
It is desirable that a good attend
ance be recorded at this afte moon's
meeting, and as the Opelousas busi
ness men are very much interested in
the proposed fair, it is thought that a
good delegation of them at this meet
ing would inspire the farmers to
greater achievements.
THE BIG DANCE
DREW CROWD
Opening Entertainment at Bar
rileaux's Auditorium Proves
Great Success Thursday
The opening dance at Barrileaux's
auditorium was attended by several
hundred persons and proved a real
Thanksgiving treat to all who partici
pated in the enjoyable entertainment.
Mr. Barrilleaux, proprietor of the
auditorium, received the congratula
tions of his many friends for the
splendid entertainment given. His
place is one of the nicest in South
west Louisiana and aa he caters to
the "best people," there is no doubt
that it will prove one of the most
popular places in the city.
^Weather conditions were very un
favorable, but the young people from
every section of the parish flocked to
the dance, and despite the inclement
weather, expressed themselves as
thoroughly satisfied with the enter
tainment.
Mr. Barrilleaux is to be compli
mented on the manner in which he
operates" his dance halT. Hé has tak
en the right steps to make is popular
and there is no doubt but that he
LAZARO LEAVES FOR
REGULAR SESSION
OF CONGRESS
St. Landry Man Here on Short
Vacation on Way to Attend
Opening Session
NO TIME TO VISIT HIS
MANY FRIENDS HERE
Press of Business Affairs at
Grand Prairie Prevented
Him From Calling
For the first time since he has en
joyed vacations while a member of
the lower house of the United States
congress, Hon. Ladislas Lazaro was
compelled to leave for Washington
without paying his usual friendly vis
it to his many friends here. Dr. Laz
aro left here on Thursday morning's
Gulf Coast Lines fast train for New
Orleans, on his return to the national
capital, to be present at the first reg
ular session of the present congress,
which will convene on next Monday
morning.
Congressman Lazaro arrived in
this city, on a short visit to his St.
Landry home, last Sunday morning.
Immediately upon his arrival here he
learned of the Ville Platte disaster
and in company with Postmaster J. P.
Trosclair, he rushed to the Evangeline
capital as soon as possible Sunday
morning.
During the remainder of his brief
stay here he was occupied with busi
ness matters at his home in Grand
Prairie, and also receiving calls from
many of his neighbors and constitu
ents from other sections of the sev
enth district. He had so many callers
that he said en passant Wednesday
night that it was impossible for him
to leave his home in order to pay his
respects to his numerous Opelousas
friends. Hence he was forced to leave
here without greeting his friends
with the customary cordial hand
shake and smiling greeting.
One of Dr. Lazaro's greatest assets,
his friends claim, is his ability to re
tain friends as well as make new ones.
It has been his custom to -make "the
rounds" of his district every time he
was allowed a vacation. Whenever
he comes to Opelousas he usually vis
its all business places and tries to
meet all the voters he possibly can
come in contact with. Heretofore
this procedure was possible, for the
congressman had occasionally some
leisure time ; but that old condition of
legislative affairs and legislative ses
sions has' changed up considerably,
and Dr. Lazaro and his fellow work
ers find that their spare time has
ceased to exist, and instead of the
congressman having leisure time, he
is on the job all the time, for one ses
sion and one congress merges into
another session and another congress
without the slightest ruffle, there oc
casionally, to change the everlasting
monotony, being a change in the
presiding officer and the lesser offi
cers.
Dr. Lazaro' s constituents and his
personal friends here and throughout
the district can rest assured that he
has not forgotten them, even though
he was forced to leave in such a hurry
after so brief a visit "Doc," as he
will always be affectionately known
by St. Landrians, dearly loves to see
all his friends and shake them with
that famous "glad hand' 'of his. But,
unfortunately, "Doc" is not his own
boss these days, and he had to hurry
back to Washington in order to be
on hand Monday morning when the
house is called to order for the long
session. He is one representative
who rarely misses a meeting of cong
ress, and he is always on hagR look
ing after the interests of his district.
COULEE CROCHE
TO HAVE BAZAAR
School Fair to Be Given at Bris
tol, on Saturday, Decem
ber 13
The Bristol school will give a ba
zaar on Saturday, December 13, for
the benefit of the school, and as it
will take place in the heat of the
parochial campaign, it is expected
that it will be the scene of several
political orations. All candidates for
parochial offices, it is understood,
will be invited to address the large
gathering confidently expected.
The Coulee Croche patrons of the
school are preparing for the fair, and
reports indicate that it wi|l be one
of the best yet held this year. A large
crowd is expected and there is no
doubt that the fair will prove a great
success, financially nad otherwise.
- o -
—Misses Maude and Heloise Ad
dison of Rayne spent Thanksgiving
day in Opelousas with relatives.
will receive the support of the best
people of this city and the surround
ing country.
■M
estorge gets
NEW AGENCY
Local Insurance Deader Will
Represent Only Louisiana
Fire Insurance Company
Hon. H. E. Estorge, prominent lo
cal insurance dealer, was recently ap
pointed the local agent for the La
fayette Fire Insurance Company, a
New Orleans organization which
boasts of being the only Louisiana
fire insurance company in existence.
The Lafayette Fire Insurance Com
pany celebrated its golden anniver
sary on November 23, when all agents
and a few invited guests attended a
very successful entertainment at one
of New Orleans' most fashionable
eating houses.
John X. Wegmann, head of the
Knights of Columbus in Louisiana,
and one of the best known insurance
dealers in the state, is president of
the Lafayette company. Mr. Weg
mann started with the company as of
fice boy in 1889, and by strict atten
tion to duty and loyalty to his employ
ers rose rapidly until in 1902 he was
made secretary. In this position he
developed much executive ability and
in 1909 .was made president of the
organiaztion. Since then he has
managed the company's affairs with
unbounded success and today heads
one of the most successful and pros
perous organizations of its kind in the
South. "John X.," as he is known
throughout the state, has hosts of
warm personal friends in Opelousas,
and it is a source of much gratifica
tion and pleasure to them to learn
of the appointment of such an effi
cient and capable representative in
St. Landry as Mr. Estorge
*-o-
PARKERITES TO OPEN
HEADQUARTERS ON
BELLEVUE STREET
Old Budd Building to be Used
as Such in State Guberna
torial ÇajgjBiiign
JOS. D. CHACHERE TO
BE ACTIVE SECRETARY
Formal Opening Will Take
Place at Monday Morn
ing's Committee Meet
The formal opening of the St. Lan
dry Parker headquarters will take
place on Monday morning, when
members pf the parish committee will
assemble to effect permanent organ
ization.
Jos. D. Chachere, popular rural
mail carrier, will he employed as ac
tive secretary and will attend to all
correspondence and entertainment of
visitors. He will have a corps of as
sistants, who will render assistance
whenever necessary.
Hon. Dudley L. Guilbeau, district
chairman of the Parker forces, an
nounced that nothing will be left un
done to perfect a well managed or
ganization throughout St. Landry,
and that the parish committee, made
up of prominent men from evey sec
tion of the parish, would immediately
set to work on Monday to make an
organized fight, by which it is ex
pected to give John M. Parker the
greatest majority ever secured by a
gubernatorial candidate since St.
Landry has been divided.
Every member of the committee
has been officially notified ^bf the
Monday meeting and it is expected
that practically every one will be in
attendance.
It has been announced that John
M. Parker and Hewitt Bouanchaud
would tour this parish about the mid
dle of December. Every, ward in the
parish will be visited by the two can
didates for governor and lieutenant
governor respectively. The itnerary
to be followed by these gentlemen
and those who are to accompany
them on their round of St. Landry, is
published elsewhere in this istue of
the Star-Progress.
LAND MARKET IN PARISH
IS STILL QUITE ACTIVE
Five sales were made this week by
C. P. Dunbar & Bro., besides several
other good deals closed by private
parties. The sales made by Dunbar
Brothers aggregate thirty-one thou
sand five hundred and fifty dollars,
being six hundred acres of timber
lanH on Bayou Cocodrie, eleven hun
dred acres cut-over land in Evange
line parish, one hundred and seven
ty-five acres in Prairie Basse, and
town lots in the village of Lawtell.
PRINCESS HAS A
FINE SHOW ON
'Hearts of the World" Played
to a Big Crowd Last Night
and Finest Film Seen Here
Frank J. Dietlein, manager of th$
FOODSTUFFS SOLD
jjjß jjqj CAK£S
IN BIG RUSH ]
Mob Crowded Cbambec of
Commerce Before Opening
of Sales Operations ,
MANY WENT WITHOUT
BEING SUPPUED
Carload of Government Food
Found Inadequate for Lo
cal Fighters of H. C. L. ,
A three-thousand-dollar carload of
government foodstuffs was not a drop
in the bucket for the hungry, desper
ate St. Landry fighters of the high
cost of living. Within an hour and a
half of the time the doors of the
Chamber of Commerce headquarters
were opened many of the articles
were completely sold out. By II
o'clock only two cases of corned beef
were left, many hundred cases of to
matoes, green peas, pork and beans
and bacon having been disposed of.
.. Before 8 o'clock, half an hour
ahead of the scheduled time for the
sale, people from every section of
St. Landry began crowding around
the Chamber of Commerce headquar
ters—men, women and children had
come to buy good, sound and whole
some food—the kind that put "our
boys" in the mood to whip the Huns
—and as soon as the windows were
opened outstretched hands full of
money pleaded for a case of this and
a case of that kind of food. It was
not long before the sales force of the
Chamber of Commerce was swamped
and began calling for "time."
Outside the building, on the side
walk, so many eager customers had
gathered that the crowd had to be
frequently reminded "Remember
Ville Platte." The crowd was so dense
one person pushing against the other,
that in taking cases out of the build
ing many persons were minus "good
looking clothes," as so many had their
wearing apparel torn.
f
President E. K. Eastham and sev
eral members of the board of direc
tors of the Chamber of Commerce
appeared cn the scene at about 11
o'clock and after inquiring whether
the sales force had not experienced
a wreck, expressed much satisfaction
at the wonderful success of the un
dertaking and that the people of St.
Landry and Opelousas had availed
themselves of saving from four to
five thousand dollars in the purchase
of the goods.
Efforts will immediately be made
by the Chamber of Commerce to s
cure two more cars of foodstuffs,
which win be sold at the same prices
and on the same conditions. So many
persons could not fill their orders
that a general demand ia being made,
for more of the government food.
The mob of hungry bargain hunt
ers was efficietly waited upon by
two of Opelousas' pretty and attrac
tive young ladies, Misses Corinne La
Combe and Francis Budd, who cheer
fully volunteered their services, and
also by Messrs. Cottham Walker,
Charles Budd, Robert Budd and
Lawrence A. Andrepnt. Four strong
negro boys helped to move the heavy
boxes and materially assisted in
serving hundreds of people in a few
hours.
Tuesday's sale by the Chamber of
Commerce is considered the greatest
achievement of the ogranization.
Thousands of dollars have been saved
by the people, of this section of the
parish,-and indications are that if
other cars of foodstuffs can be se-
cured the Chamber of Commerce will
materially aid the poor consumers to
ward off the heavy blpws of the high
cost of living.
- o......
—Min Gladys Telotte of San An
tonio, Texas, is the guest of Mrs.
Glen D. Fleek of this city.
Princess Theatre, is receiving the con
on the splendid film showing at the
Princess again tonight.
"Hearts of the World," the name
of this very interesting and all-ab
sorbing picture, played to a large
house last night, and all who saw it
acclaimed it the finest played here
this year. Mr. Dietlein ia repeating
the picture tonight and has every
reason: to believe he will have a
packed house.
People of Opelousas are fortunate
in securing such a picture as the
"Hearts of the World" at the low fig
ures charged for admission. In larger
cities prices ranged from one to two
dollars, but Mr. Dietlein has adopted
the policy of "the best for the least
money." Opelousas has the record
beat when it comes to seeing fine
film productions at a very small ad
mission price.
"The Hearts of the World" will
long be remembered by all who saw
it af a superb production. All who
can, should avail themsel 'es of the .
opportunity of viewing this picture
tonight.