Speaker 1: Chapter thirty of Buccaneers and Pirates of Our Coasts. This
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Speaker 1: Buccaneers and Pirates of Our Coasts by Frank R. Stockton,
Speaker 1: Chapter thirty, The Pirate of the Golf. At the beginning
Speaker 1: of this century, there was a very able and indeed
Speaker 1: talented man living on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico,
Speaker 1: who has been set down in the historical records of
Speaker 1: the times as a very important pirate, and who is
Speaker 1: described in story and in tradition as a gallant and
Speaker 1: romantic freebooter of the sea. This man was John Lafitte,
Speaker 1: widely known as the Pirate of the Gulf, and yet
Speaker 1: who was in fact so little of a pirate that
Speaker 1: it may be doubted whether or not he deserves a
Speaker 1: place in these stories of American pirates. Lafitte was a
Speaker 1: French blacksmith, and while still a young man, he came
Speaker 1: with his two brothers to New Orleans and set up
Speaker 1: a shop in Bourbon Street, where he did a good
Speaker 1: business in horseshoeing and in other branches of his trade.
Speaker 1: But he had a soul which soared high above his
Speaker 1: anvil and his bellows, and, perceiving an opportunity to take
Speaker 1: up a very profitable occupation, he gave up blacksmithing, and,
Speaker 1: with his two brothers as partners, became a superintendent of
Speaker 1: privateering and a general manager of semi legalized piracy. The
Speaker 1: business opportunity which came to the watchful and clear sighted
Speaker 1: Lafitte may be briefly described. In the early years of
Speaker 1: this century, the Gulf of Mexico was the scene of
Speaker 1: operations of small vessels, calling themselves privateers, but in fact pirates.
Speaker 1: War had broken out between England and Spain on the
Speaker 1: one side, and France on the other, and consequently the
Speaker 1: first named nations were very glad to commission privateers to
Speaker 1: prey upon the commerce of France. There were also privateers
Speaker 1: who had been sent out by some of the Central
Speaker 1: American republics who had thrown off the Spanish shoke, and these,
Speaker 1: considering Spanish vessels as their proper booty, were very much
Speaker 1: inclined to look upon English vessels in the same light
Speaker 1: as the English and the Spanish were allies, and when
Speaker 1: a few French privateers came also upon the scene, they
Speaker 1: helped to make the business of legitimate capture of merchantmen
Speaker 1: during the time of war a very complicated affair. But
Speaker 1: upon one point these privateers, who so often acted as
Speaker 1: pirates because they had not the spare time in which
Speaker 1: to work out difficult problems of nationality, were all agreed,
Speaker 1: when they had loaded their ships with booty, they must
Speaker 1: sail to some place where it would be safe to
Speaker 1: dispose of it. So, in course of time, the Bay
Speaker 1: of Barrataria, about forty miles south of New Orleans and
Speaker 1: very well situated for an illegal settiment, was chosen as
Speaker 1: a privateer's port, and a large and flourishing colony soon
Speaker 1: grew up at the head of the bay, to which
Speaker 1: came privateers of every nationality to dispose of their cargoes.
Speaker 1: Of course, there was no one in the comparatively desolate
Speaker 1: country about Barrataria who could buy the valuable goods which
Speaker 1: were brought into that port. But the great object of
Speaker 1: the owners of this merchandise was to smuggle it up
Speaker 1: to New Orleans and dispose of it, but there could
Speaker 1: be no legitimate traffic of this sort, for the United
Speaker 1: States at the very beginning of the century was at
Speaker 1: peace with England, France, and Spain, and therefore could not
Speaker 1: receive into any of her ports goods which had been
Speaker 1: captured from the ships of these nations. Consequently, the plunder
Speaker 1: of the privateering pirates of Barrataria was brought up to
Speaker 1: New Orleans in all sorts of secret and underhand fashions,
Speaker 1: and sold to merchants in that city, without the custom
Speaker 1: house having anything to do with the importations. Now this
Speaker 1: was great business. John Lafitte had a great business mind,
Speaker 1: and therefore it was not long after his arrival at
Speaker 1: Barrataria before he was the head man in the colony
Speaker 1: and director in chief of all its operations. Thus, by
Speaker 1: becoming a prominent figure in a piratical ste circle, he
Speaker 1: came to be considered a pirate, and as such came
Speaker 1: down to us in the pages of history. But in
Speaker 1: fact Lafitte never committed an act of piracy in his life.
Speaker 1: He was a blacksmith and knew no more about sailing
Speaker 1: a ship or even the smallest kind of a boat,
Speaker 1: than he knew about the proper construction of a sonay.
Speaker 1: He did not even try, like the celebrated Beaunet, to
Speaker 1: find other people who would navigate a vessel for him,
Speaker 1: for he had no taste for the ocean wave, and
Speaker 1: all that he had to do he did upon firm
Speaker 1: dry land. It is said of him that he was
Speaker 1: never at sea but twice in his life, once when
Speaker 1: he came from France and once when he left his country,
Speaker 1: And on neither occasion did he sail under the Jolly Roger,
Speaker 1: as the pirate flag was sometimes called. For these reasons,
Speaker 1: it seemed scarcely right to call Lafitte a pirate, But
Speaker 1: as he has been so generally considered in that light,
Speaker 1: we will admit him into the bad company the stories
Speaker 1: of whose lives we are now telling. The energy and
Speaker 1: business abilities of Jean Lafitte soon made themselves felt not
Speaker 1: only in Barrataria, but in New Orleans. The privateers found
Speaker 1: that he managed their affairs with much discretion and considerable fairness,
Speaker 1: and while they were willing to depend upon him, they
Speaker 1: were obliged to obey him. On the other hand, the
Speaker 1: trade of New Orleans was very much influenced by the
Speaker 1: great quantities of goods which under Lafitte's direction, were smuggled
Speaker 1: into the city. Many merchants and shopkeepers, who possessed no
Speaker 1: consciences to speak of, were glad to buy these smuggled
Speaker 1: goods for very little money and to sell them at
Speaker 1: low prices and large profits. But the respectable business men
Speaker 1: who were obliged to pay market prices for their goods,
Speaker 1: were greatly disturbed by the large quantities of merchandise which
Speaker 1: were continually smuggled into New Orleans and sold at rates
Speaker 1: with which they could not compete. It was towards the
Speaker 1: end of our war with England, which began in eighteen twelve,
Speaker 1: that the government of the United States, urged to speedy
Speaker 1: action by the increasing complaints of the law abiding merchants
Speaker 1: of New Orleans, determined to send out a small naval
Speaker 1: force and entirely break up the illegitimate rendezvous at Barrataria.
Speaker 1: Lafitte's two brothers were in New Orleans acting as his agents,
Speaker 1: and one of them, Dominique, was arrested and thrown into prison,
Speaker 1: and Commodore Patterson, who was commanding at that station, was
Speaker 1: ordered to fit out an expedition as quickly as possible
Speaker 1: to sail down to Barrataria, to destroy the ships found
Speaker 1: in the bay, to capture the town, and to confiscate
Speaker 1: and seize upon all goods which might be found in
Speaker 1: the place. When Jean Lafitte heard of the vigorous methods
Speaker 1: which were about to be taken against him, his prospects
Speaker 1: must have been very gloomy ones, For of course, he
Speaker 1: could not defend his little colony against a regular naval force, which,
Speaker 1: although its large vessels could not sail into the shallow bay,
Speaker 1: could send out boats with armed crews, against which it
Speaker 1: would be foolish for him to contend. But just about
Speaker 1: this time a very strange thing happened. A strong English
Speaker 1: naval force had taken possession of Pensacola, Florida, and as
Speaker 1: an attack upon New Orleans was contemplated. The British commander,
Speaker 1: knowing of Lafitte's colony at Barrataria, and believing that these
Speaker 1: hardy and reckless adventurers would be very valuable allies in
Speaker 1: the proposed movement upon the city, determined to send an
Speaker 1: ambassador to Lafitte to see what could be done in
Speaker 1: the way of forming an alliance with this powerful leader
Speaker 1: of semi pirates. And smugglers. Accordingly, the sloop of war Sophia,
Speaker 1: commanded by Captain Lockyer, was sent to Barrataria to treat
Speaker 1: with Lafitte, and when this vessel arrived off the mouth
Speaker 1: of the harbor, which she could not enter, she began
Speaker 1: firing signal guns in order to attract the attention of
Speaker 1: the people of the colony. Naturally enough, the report of
Speaker 1: the Sofia's guns created a great excitement in Barrataria, and
Speaker 1: all the people who happened to be at the settlement
Speaker 1: at that time crowded out upon the beach to see
Speaker 1: what they could see. But the war vessel was too
Speaker 1: far away for them to distinguish her nationality, and Lafitte
Speaker 1: quickly made up his mind that the only thing for
Speaker 1: him to do was to row out to the mouth
Speaker 1: of the harbor and see what was the matter. Without doubt,
Speaker 1: he feared that this was the United States vessel which
Speaker 1: had come to break up his settlement. But whether this
Speaker 1: was the case or not, he must go out and
Speaker 1: try the effect of fair words, for he had no
Speaker 1: desire whatever to defend his interests by hard blows. Before
Speaker 1: Lafitte reached the vessel, he was surprised to find it
Speaker 1: was a British man of war, not an American, and
Speaker 1: very soon he saw that a boat was coming from
Speaker 1: it and rowing toward him. This boat contained Captain Lockyer
Speaker 1: and two other officers besides the men who rowed it.
Speaker 1: When the two boats met, the captain told who he
Speaker 1: was and asked if mister Lafitte could be found in Barrataria,
Speaker 1: stating that he had an important document to deliver to him.
Speaker 1: The cautious Frenchman did not immediately admit that he was
Speaker 1: the man for whom the document was intended, but he
Speaker 1: said that Lafitte was at Barrataria, and as the two
Speaker 1: boats rowed together towards shore, he thought it would be
Speaker 1: as well to announce his position, and did so. When
Speaker 1: the crowd of privateersmen saw the officers in British uniform
Speaker 1: landing upon their beach, they were not inclined to receive
Speaker 1: them kindly, for an attack had been made upon the
Speaker 1: place by a small British force some time before, and
Speaker 1: a good deal of damage had been done. But Lafitte,
Speaker 1: quieted the angry feelings of his followers, conducted the officers
Speaker 1: to his own house and treated them with great hospitality,
Speaker 1: which he was able to do in fine style, for
Speaker 1: his men brought into Barrataria luxuries from all parts of
Speaker 1: the world. When Lafitte opened the package of papers which
Speaker 1: Captain Lockyer handed to him, he was very much the christ.
Speaker 1: Some of them were general proclamations announcing the intention of
Speaker 1: Great Britain if the people of Louisiana did not submit
Speaker 1: to her demands. But the most important document was one
Speaker 1: in which Colonel Nicholls, commander in chief of the British
Speaker 1: forces in the Gulf, made an offer to Lafitte and
Speaker 1: his followers to become a part of the British Navy,
Speaker 1: promising to give amnesty to all the inhabitants of Barrataria,
Speaker 1: to make their leader a captain in the navy, and
Speaker 1: to do a great many other good things, provided they
Speaker 1: would join his forces and help him to attack the
Speaker 1: American seaports. In case, however, this office should be refused,
Speaker 1: the Barratarians were assured that their place would speedily be attacked,
Speaker 1: their vessels destroyed, and all their possessions confiscated. Lafitte was
Speaker 1: now in a state of great perplexity. He did not
Speaker 1: wish to become a British captain, for his knowledge of
Speaker 1: horseshoeing would be of no service to him in such
Speaker 1: a capacity. Moreover, he had no love for the British,
Speaker 1: and his sympathies were all on the side of the
Speaker 1: United States in this war. But here he was with
Speaker 1: the British commander asking him to become an ally and
Speaker 1: to take up arms against the United States, threatening at
Speaker 1: the same time to destroy him and his colony in
Speaker 1: case of refusal. On the other hand, there was the
Speaker 1: United States at that moment, preparing an expedition for the
Speaker 1: purpose of breaking up the settlement at Barrataria, and to
Speaker 1: do everything which the British threatened to do in case
Speaker 1: Lafitte did not agree to their proposals. The chief of
Speaker 1: Barrataria might have made a poor show with a cutlass
Speaker 1: and a brace of pistols, but he was a long
Speaker 1: headed and sagacious man with a strong tendency to practical diplomacy.
Speaker 1: He was in a bad scrape, and he must act
Speaker 1: with decision and promptness if he wanted to get out
Speaker 1: of it. The first thing he did was to gain
Speaker 1: time by delaying his answer to the proposition brought by
Speaker 1: Captain Lockyer. He assured that officer that he must consult
Speaker 1: with his people and see what they would do, and
Speaker 1: that he must also get rid of some truculent members
Speaker 1: of the colony who would never agree to act in
Speaker 1: concert with England, and that therefore he should not be
Speaker 1: able to give an answer to Colonel Nicholls for two weeks.
Speaker 1: Captain Lockyer saw for himself that it would not be
Speaker 1: an easy matter to induce these independent and unruly fellows,
Speaker 1: many of whom already hated England, to enter into the
Speaker 1: British service. Therefore, he thought it would be wise to
Speaker 1: allow Lafitte the time he asked for, and he sailed away,
Speaker 1: promising to return in fifteen days. The diplomatic Lafitte, having
Speaker 1: finished for a time his negotiations with the British, lost
Speaker 1: no time in communicating with the American authorities. He sent
Speaker 1: to Governor Clairborne of Louisiana all the documents he had
Speaker 1: received from Captain Lockyer, and wrote him a letter in
Speaker 1: which he told him everything that had happened, and thus
Speaker 1: gave to the United States the first authentic information of
Speaker 1: the proposed attack upon Mobile and New Orleans. He then
Speaker 1: told the Governor, that he had no intention of fighting
Speaker 1: against the country he had adopted, that he was perfectly
Speaker 1: willing and anxious to aid her in every manner possible,
Speaker 1: and that he and his followers would gladly join the
Speaker 1: United States against the British, asking nothing in return except
Speaker 1: that all proceedings against Barrataria should be abandoned, that amnesty
Speaker 1: should be given to him and his men, that his
Speaker 1: brother should be released from prison, and that an act
Speaker 1: of oblivion should be passed by which the deeds of
Speaker 1: the smugglers of Barrataria should be condoned and forgotten. Furthermore,
Speaker 1: he said that if the United States government did not
Speaker 1: accede to his proposition, he would immediately depart from Barrataria
Speaker 1: with all his men, for no matter what loss such
Speaker 1: a proceeding might prove to him, he would not remain
Speaker 1: in a place where he might be forced to act
Speaker 1: against the United States. Lafitte also wrote to a member
Speaker 1: of the Louisiana legislature, and his letters were well calculated
Speaker 1: to produce a very good effect in his favor. The
Speaker 1: governor immediately called a council and submitted the papers and
Speaker 1: letters received from Lafitte when these had been read, two
Speaker 1: points were considered by the Council, the first being that
Speaker 1: the letters and proclamations from the British might be forgeries
Speaker 1: concocted by Lafitte for the purpose of averting the punishment
Speaker 1: which was threatened by the United States, and the second
Speaker 1: whether or not it would be consistent with the dignity
Speaker 1: of the government to treat with this leader of pirates
Speaker 1: and smugglers. The consultation resulted in a decision not to
Speaker 1: have anything to do with Lafitte in the way of negotiations,
Speaker 1: and to hurry forward the preparations which had been made
Speaker 1: for the destruction of the dangerous and injurious settlement at Barrataria.
Speaker 1: In consequence of this action of the Council, Commodore Patterson
Speaker 1: sailed in a very few days down the Mississippi and
Speaker 1: attacked the pirate settlement at Barrataria, with such effect that
Speaker 1: most of her ships were taken, many prisoners, and much
Speaker 1: valuable merchandise captured, and the whole place utterly destroyed. Lafitte,
Speaker 1: with the greater part of his men, had fled to
Speaker 1: the woods and so escaped capture. Captain Lockyer at the
Speaker 1: appointed time, arrived off the harbor of Barrataria and blazed
Speaker 1: the way with his signal guns for forty eight hours,
Speaker 1: but receiving no answer, and fearing to send a boat
Speaker 1: into the harbor, suspecting treachery on the part of Lafitte,
Speaker 1: he was obliged to depart in ignorance of what had happened.
Speaker 1: When the papers in letters which had been sent to
Speaker 1: Governor Claiborne by Lafitte were made public, the people of
Speaker 1: Louisiana and the rest of the country did not at
Speaker 1: all agree with the Governor and his counsel in regard
Speaker 1: to their decision and their subsequent action, and Edward Livingstone,
Speaker 1: a distinguished lawyer of New York, took the part of
Speaker 1: Lafitte and argued very strongly in favor of his loyalty
Speaker 1: and honesty in the affair. Even when it was discovered
Speaker 1: that all the information which Lafitte had sent was perfectly correct,
Speaker 1: and that a formidable attack was about to be made
Speaker 1: upon New Orleans. General Jackson, who was in command in
Speaker 1: that part of the country, issued a very savage proclamation
Speaker 1: against the British method of making war, and among their
Speaker 1: wicked deeds he mentioned nothing which seemed to him to
Speaker 1: be worse than their endeavor to employ against the citizens
Speaker 1: of the United States the band of Hellish Banditi commanded
Speaker 1: by John Lafitte. But public opinion was strongly in favor
Speaker 1: of the expirate of the Gulf, and as things began
Speaker 1: to look more and more serious in regard to New Orleans,
Speaker 1: General Jackson was at last very glad, in spite of
Speaker 1: all that he had said, to accept the renewed offers
Speaker 1: of Lafitte and his men to assist in the defense
Speaker 1: of the city. And in consequence of his change of mind,
Speaker 1: many of the former inhabitants of barriers Ataria fought in
Speaker 1: the Battle of New Orleans and did good work. Their
Speaker 1: services were so valuable, in fact, that when the war closed,
Speaker 1: President Madison issued a proclamation in which it was stated
Speaker 1: that the former inhabitants of Barrataria, in consequence of having
Speaker 1: abandoned their wicked ways of life and having assisted in
Speaker 1: the defense of their country, were now granted full pardon
Speaker 1: for all the evil deeds they had previously committed. Now
Speaker 1: Lafitte and his men were free and independent citizens of
Speaker 1: the United States, they could live where they pleased without
Speaker 1: fear of molestation, and could enter into any sort of
Speaker 1: legal business which suited their fancy. But this did not
Speaker 1: satisfy Lafitte. He had endeavored to take a prompt and
Speaker 1: honest stand on the side of his country. His offers
Speaker 1: had been treated with contempt and disbelief. He had been
Speaker 1: branded as a deceitful knave, and no disposition had been
Speaker 1: shown to act justly toward him until his services became
Speaker 1: so necessary to the government that it was obliged to
Speaker 1: accept them. Consequently, Lafitte, accompanied by some of his old adherents,
Speaker 1: determined to leave a country where his loyalty had received
Speaker 1: such unsatisfactory recognition, and to begin life again in some
Speaker 1: other part of the American continent. Not long after the war,
Speaker 1: he sailed out upon the Gulf of Mexico. For what
Speaker 1: destination it is not known, but probably for some central
Speaker 1: American port, And as nothing was ever heard of him
Speaker 1: or his party, it is believed by many persons that
Speaker 1: they all perished in the great storm which arose soon
Speaker 1: after their departure. There were other persons, however, who stated
Speaker 1: that he reached Yucatan, where he died on dry land.
Speaker 1: In eighteen twenty six, but the end of Lafitte is
Speaker 1: no more doubtful than his right to the title given
Speaker 1: to him by people of a romantic turn of mind,
Speaker 1: and other persons of a still more fanciful disposition might
Speaker 1: be willing to suppose that the Gulf of Mexico, indignant
Speaker 1: at the undeserved distinction which had come to him, had
Speaker 1: swallowed him up in order to put an end to
Speaker 1: his pretension to the title of the Pirate of the
Speaker 1: Gulf end of Chapter thirty