Evening Star Newspaper, October 19, 1930, Page 88

— g P . the plans of the invading army and offered the services of himself and his men to the United States. Gen. Andrew Jackson accepted the offer, and the Baratarians played their part in defeat- ing the British on the plains of Chal- mette. Pardoned for all past crimes by President Madison, Lafitte became a. pop- ular hero. But respectability bored him, so he turped again to an outlaw’s life. This time he set up his gaudy pirate's king- dom at Galvesion Island, on the coast of Texas. For a brief time he became known as “the terror of the Gulf” and played havoc with Spanish shipping— and was not above a little piracy against even American vessels. At last the United States sent an armed cruiser to Galves- ton and ordered Lafitte and his men to go. Lafitte shrugged his shoulders and accepted the inevitable; he had played his game and lost. His exile was part of the game. He died a few years later. Lafitte has been the hero, or villain, of a score of novels; some of the writers have portrayed him as a fearless, guilt- less gentleman, a great lover, or a gay deceiver; others have made him a cowardly and bloodthirsty pirate. He has also become a figure in the folklore of America, and hundreds of legendary rsist. And even today—as we the begimming—men are digging vast treasure which he is said ve buried on the shores of the Gulf whole life in a fruitless search. His name was Newell, and he was a printer, of New Orleans. In 1851, ot thereabouts, Newell’s father befriended an old sea-faring man, who in return for his kindness gave the Newell a map showing where and left again for a new start. He kept up the search for 20 years, but never lost THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, he was sure that his powers as a hypno- tist would serve him well. But he must find a suitable “subject.” Filled with this idea, he returned to New Orleans and there became ac- quainted with the father of the girl who was to become his pitiful victim. The father, trusting the doctor, allowed the young girl—she was not yet 16—to spend long hours in the doctor’s house. The the islands on the Gulf Coast, taking the 1 with him, At his subsequent trial told of long nights spent in the dark Her failure to do so enraged the half- and there in the dark swamps he beat and tortured the half- conscious girl. ‘He brought her back to New Orleans, believing that she somehow was resist- ing him, and in the house in St. Peter street he began to try other experiments D. C, OCTOBER 19, 1930 A A \ A Home of Tragedy—Dr. lh-eh.n!'n so sure that the doctor was trustworthy that he allowed another, and younger, daughter to go sometimes to the doctor’s use, that the older girl did enough to his hyp- . Deschamps was now difficult prisoner, quarreling with every one, including his own lawyers. After his conviction he tried to bribe the jailer td" let him ecsape, promising to divide Lafitte’s treasure with him-—as soon as he found it. This attempt failing, Dr. Deschamps went, railing and cursing his fate, to the scaffold. In 1915 Henry Boudreaux, an Acadian platter at a spot pointed out. news spread hundreds joined in the search, using divining rods and other devices. But nothing more was found. In 1925 a newspaper dispatch to “The Times-Picayune” from Abbeville told of another epidemic of treasure hunting, in which trees were uprooted with dynamite on Pecan Island. “Treasure hunting fever,” the dispatch concluded, “has not been at so high a pitch since Henry Boudreaux and the hypnotized Negro boy found the sllver platter and the Dutch. oven.” At that time a vast treasure was re- ported found at Pecan Island; and as ° Sy, < 83 \' ., ~. e, 3 H. Suydam. Courtesy of the Cemiury Ou this was Lafitle’s territory the treasurq was, of course, Lefitte’s long-lost eache, Hundreds waited for the gold hunters to came out at last it was found that they were empty handed. Hfll is & more recent newspapesy notice: “Bunkie, La., March 4, 1930.—The proverbial end of the rainbow story came true yesterday for Forest Normand; Avoyelles Parish farmer, when he plowed up a pot of silver coins on his farm mear here. While plowing he noticed a few coins turned up, and upon investigation unearthed an old iron pot, rusty with age, confaining more than 3,000 pieces of Spanish silver, coins dated from 1763 to 1805. Included in the find was an American silver dollar bearing the date 1804 with the likeness of George Washw ington thereon.” ‘This dispatch was printed on the first page of every newspaper in the Gulf coast region that day, and everywhere men read it and said, “Lefitte!” For any treasure is Lafitte’s treasure, so strong is the legend of the buccaneer. The farmer’s good luck was even greater than 1t appeared to be, for some of the coins were extremely valuable, and the dollar dated 1804 brought $200 from a collector. This find was made only a few months ago, and aghin the treasure seekers be=- gan their mysterious expeditions. Ad- vertisements appeared in the classified columns of the New Orleans papers: “Buried treasures accurately located by radio!™ and went on to describe these devices as being reasonably priced and easy to operate. Free demonstrations were given. Huge crowds attended. In the town of Baton Rouge a man with one of these “ground radios” gave demonstrations before an excited group. A treasure which the machine indicated proved to be a metallic coffin containing the body of some Spanish officer, in per- fect preservation after a century in the earth. But the expected gold and silver failed to materialize. But extravagant stories are whispered about, and still the search goes on. Dur« ing the last year, when I have been busy with Lafifte’s letters and papers in an attempt to compile a biography, no less than six treasure maps have been shown to me; and the owner of each one be- ltieves—and believes firmly—that some=- where, almost within his grasp, Hes & fabulous fortune. However, it seems improbable that Jean Lafitte secreted any great sum of money on the coast of the Gulf of Mex~ ico; for in the latter part of his careew he was far from affiuent.