This text was obtained via automated optical character recognition.
It has not been edited and may therefore contain several errors.

---

? <r -
? ?? Tuesday Afternoon, July 29,
195S
securer their plunder from the luckless merchant ships of those nations with which they were nt war.
And Joan Lafitte ? cultured, handsome, and who could speak French, Spanish and English fluently ? was the suave intermediary between the rough Bara-
To
Planchet Cazeneuve To Mauffray
Waveland And Wool
wool and hides at Bay St. Louis and Pass Christian.
Well ? that was when the Ulman Woolen Mill flourished at Waveland out on Nicholson avenue. And
T. .	,	i . *.	..	,there may still be Coast families
It is rather nard to believe that who have in thelr possession a
recreational bijck an(] white plaid sha.vl or
This is the recountal of Uie half u n>sidcntiilI and century of merchandising in Bay	.v.j.icffiii	ir
St. Louis which centers around the ' ,	?	*?	?	,	,	?	:iie;iv'y \voolon blanket from the Ul-
I That, of course, was uack in thiiman Mill
jtarian fishermen-smugglers a n d _	_____
the aristocratic plantation owners!Maufiray Hardware Store at lio! That, course, was back in thi|man Mill, for its products were of and wealthy Creoles.	iSouth Beach and DelDh?s Dennrt-j 10S0's when sheep raising and thejsuperior and lasting quality.
?7cin Lafitte aad his Baratarian'ment Store at 108 South Beach. !?al<-:	a very important] ? ?	------
henchman, however, never would; Qno 0f ^jle pioneer merchants oi
have created a ripple beyord jart-a of New Orleans had r. been for a law which went
icfiect right alter Governor Clai-? j.'ront
borne- took office ? makin,
The mill was a huge frams business in tile Coast back country,{building, and Jeff Davis avenue .	?.when herds of 1000 to 1200 sheep!was originally opened to build
not' y , .	:<5.WnS ? lanC j V iwere I10t uncommon, when sheep,homes for the workers. With the
in*o'?hCr?! ? 3 (11'yg?oc(* store dunnS iierders came down from the in-gradual termination of sheep rais-? | the last part ct the century oniterior once a	t	trade	thcir; ing in this part ot the country,
Street (now Beach) nearly-------------------------------------------jhowever, the woolen mill
Union,
also
illegal to import slaves f r o m	?f '?^?"'derks "was^a i who handmade coffee pots, cof-)Krad^
foreign countries.	jteen-age lad who had come from foe bollers? etc-	!St?Pfd?.t ,
Tns immediately	put smuggling, Fenton named Joseph O. Mauf- Then	in 1903	Joseph O.	Mauf-j Atter it had	remained ;d'.e	for
in the* big money. Slave labor was;frav_	'	?	fray,'the former teen-age clerk inlsome years it was revived by a
a very necessary co.nmodity to! \vhen Mr. Planchet died his busi-: Planchet's store, bought out Ca*-1 company hopefully organized by Southern planters. Cotton and	sug-|nC;.;. was purchased by Jos. F. ieneuve	anc* two	years later	found- iresidents.	Then	Easterners
ar cane depended	upon it.	So,! Caiicucnvo whom Bay St. Louis Iec^ l^e	hardware business	next i became interested and	planned	to
oldtimcrs remember as one time sheriff and tax collector and in later years as an officer and cashier ol the then Hancock County Bank. Ca/.eneuve moved the drygoods buriness in 1902 into a brand new building built by F. B. Dunbar (the .shrimp and oyster canning |
door now known as Mauffray's;operate it again ? but unfortunate-Hardware and which has beenl'y their experts decreed that the operating for the last 53 years, (machinery and equipment were net He retired from business in 1939 i!Puciern onol|Sh to con,pete with at which time his son and present 111?.0 npw macmne:; s?nce dovised. operator Alden Mauf: ray bought lnaHy tae^ contents of the plant out the hardware business. jWere sold lor scrap.
Jofoph O. Mauffray, merchant! The Ulr.ian Woolen Mill was es-
upon it.
v. hen the law closed the legitimate channels for bu>ing slaves the smugglers found themselves with ?a brand n e w and exceedingly jprofiiable product to handle ?
'human contraband or ?black ivo-iry.?
SLAVES CREATED PROBLEMS
Dealing ir. slaves, however, company official) ? the brick;for 36 years in Bay St. Louis was Itablished by Alfred Ui.nan whose created new problems. No longer, building that is now Mauffray?s j also president of the Merchants | father was Mayor of Bay St. Louis could tl:o Earatarians operatejHardware Store and Delph?s De-iBank and Trust Company from-a^ cne time. The old Ulmr.u horns-loosely a;:J rare.essly. So, leaving,partment store. But Ca'cneuve?s ? l'J15 to 1925.	Istead, called Rosedale, was once
activities in the city to his broth-!business occupied only the part now! Although Mauffray?s Department.'"'^?'known throughout the South, er Pierre, Jean Lafitte went to [occupied by Delph?s. For quite Store was also bought out in 1933 The peak days of the Ulman Grand Terre, organized the rmug-;S0!rie time the other portion (r.owjby Mr. and Mrs. Octave \V. Delph, Woolen Mill were also the time glers and privateers into a strong:Mauflrny?s Hardware) was vacantjand has been operated by them!when Bay St. Louis boasted or syndicate and established depots|_ although it was used for a while 'since, the name was not changed |rather admitted, a * tanner;/ ? on ai-.d agents on the varionu bayous: by om, ()f those clever tinsmiths I to Delph's Department Store until] Main street. That was a long tim? and laws, up the river as :ar <<s; wliich no longer exist, a craftsman 11956.____________________________________ago!
Na?.chez. find ail along the Coast ? of which the Pirate House ati British Bay St. Louis is the only surviving' reminder of his far flung realm.
So successful was his management that famous privateers
had headed their invasion armada for Ship and had sent a ship in i de-ito visit Jean Lafitte at
great
Island
dvance
Grand
in
person cs
cide
ied they cou'.d make more mon-jTerre. The officer of this ship told sa?img under Jean Lafitte?s or-jLafitte hi! was empowered by
government to bes ,! captaincy in the
in
by his bestow on him a e Royal Navy, cash and jobs for all his men if Lafitte would lead the British Navy and Royal marines through his tricky water wilderness into New Orleans.
Jean fooled them into believing he would consider their offer and asked tor two weeks to take it up with his men and m a k e
the
ey sauing jders.
? Within a few years almost a thousanj men and a substantial'S3U.0C0 fleet of shu's operated from Grand Terre ur.cK-i- the able leadership of Jaan Lafitli. For ten lo;tg years ihey lau/rhea nt and eluded the law. AnJ I?len came payday.
Everything seemed to happen nt :nce. A customs officer had been
hot in an rbortive attempt to,	.	.	.	,,	,	,
weak up one of LafUte's famous	y.,n(l>
lave auctions deep in the lKiy,ms.'OomplaceiU British loft befo.e
?ieirc, following this epi: r>,l ?;en arrested and put in jail ithout bail. Failing tu e.iteli ?an at '.he same time Govia.?T l.'ul)un:e off.-rrd $3r-() rowr.r.l f->r s capture. V/ith blithe good hum-? Lafitte countered by p.r.tim;
'ticys that ne would pay ? Gov.'rn .r Claiborni:, delivered vt to Or.uv.1 Terre.
KNKiV UK
the
IN TUOUIiI.K .	T.
!ut in rpile of his faceiiou.; >;i:s-j S',, in.-'
e o? defiance LaMt.- knew >?.-.?;? 0i-_?
?ljy a'is in ?..?iiib'e. Spanns noj('i.r.>n-l P' ?'li'e he hiri -1 tie	h t- t;c..n iva":
yers in I i.iiisia.ia ? J0I1 11 ;nrs ?iiid Olward Livin:;-;u>ii -iW-CG	to	liardie tin-
?. Then lie h:<l out at Grand
;title had a messenger 011 'ouVring Governor Cl.'iiborne f h e s'Tviees of liimsi-lf and his m in the coming defense of New Or le.eis.
L'ol'iirtiinately T.afilte?s n'.". diM ln'ii'g the pi indy nf the I: h ai;,l e.in^'iifr*!!; in;;'(?\\!i In figlit. f<:r list* Uinti I St rived afe r full (''.nil	li;1
!,? by t? 1 x? 1:1'.*? 1 P.il' -r. An'??i'iran N.:V> to 'il' i<'
jso 1 !>?
itae
1 ?
one i-ad ..1 aee 1 -,'i:te :,a\V fa la: k iori 1
.f ll: i.t ill
I'i
1',
bar :
i'll.: d!I tliii: wf># tmiliag *he
a
iVan i'i' ,,!' : n; ras !.:reri;:'i"id wa.*: eaiuion l-.n "?.i"l b/ of t;,.e lioi'.-.L exisienei,	?)	e	n	n
1.
?i- of in! i-: ?I A:-? I , 1!; Ah 1.., iir.'i. i n 'i h; oe.'i'y ?* ?? fV'iti?i,: 'Laiitte s
The Baratarians fled in s m 31 lltranee of Jean Lafitfc boats and headed for the bayous nt his private headquarters. Fa and the soldiers of Colonel Ross t0, -ace these men studied each
destroyed or confiscated a mil- hinivv^'V^npr^i ltTS ?utcorne
,	ni>.tory. General Jackson must
lion dollars wortn	of cc'n'rabana	have seen that this smuggler or
stored in Lafitte?s	sti-r.-houses.	pirate or whatever he might be
TOUGH FIGHTING	Mr?N	v/as aiso a loyal and export fight-
Jocin hntivte and his tough	He accopted the offer of
fighting men gave up thrir illegal! ^ Laiitte to throw into t. h ? island empire bccausc iht*v h.'ui nojc|t'l^erise	Orleans	his	hun-
intention of firing on irnx f;;*" ofi	scattered but still
whnt they thought of fis their own e Baracarian figliters, his excountry* They considered them- caimoncers and nejrly 7,500 selves loyal Anicrir ui.v ? which|Pr^ce^ss	whirii	were	hidden
to their way of	hadj^* a secret bayou cache,
nothing to do with Mi* :r Lu.iinessj Thut is the first half of the story as smugglers or privatrtis. They|0f Joan Lafitte. t o!!m'/ing IHa (would Kill custom.*'* ofif'T.- v;ho in-j victorious Battle of New Orleans *;H":tt*rfcrred wiiii their ill /.A op^ra-'Lafitte went to the island of v/,1>itiiius but would n<>? fir?* a shot rUjGulvesron, off tl.e coast ot Texas, American soidier or xulor. twtth romnai.is of hir. old foilowera n: V.'ith Grand Terre d. .'.'royed ar.d|nn<1 miilt ?I1 ni:::in another pirate the Baratarians	sr.iU'r,\l	t h c|stronghold.	Daring these latter
iAmeriean s'-ip*	-.-I-Ik rs	lV. <lays	,!e	actually paced the
"turned to New Orleans f'>r Hi,.. mor,.|quarter deck himself, built up r'Vnous job of d.	feeding the	cit.v;a?*'?'?ul	hls	far f!un? neuv.irk of
. :;aiii!,t	12,000 ;e.'pi ".e.hiiig Britisl?|<,?*l),,ls> a,Kl	,(-'cl lus	mt'n	in sea
i ! ii'/'iilari "	(raids.	For	arother few years ho
'.?,"',?1 t:<-iu lilt Andrew JaeK'.n was ini:u1, n'Ptecl tn duplicate the	sucn-ss
?.t-w Orl.-an-. trwii.* to .-.nape ,mlof th,:	l?"	~	bllt	the
?army f.-?m l-,.? thaa I'.ooo untrain-iu- s- Nayy
? il infn " ? at	Wi ?linn and agaia	h-*	destroyed	an
tile	reriaiii laek <.f	?in:,II	ai-n-;,''"-1-'1^ empire	iMlln.r	H'.an	fire en
[liul.s. T!ie	Grand Ttrrei11'1' ^;i,? *w?r	lr'V'd,	really
' ?	1	would	not
hr
, ? .-.neeia
I...; I'i ise-.U did not i;i?.e itini a s^c-? [ i, i ini's ^iialiO. tor at that t:ti!e he ,-.'<ijcctiKi.l"od	ai,d	hls
; ,.,.|ia?. ii ii')1 h!.?i*J hut |ilr, i .Vsiiy ?nr n; r*ed ayd .v.dieiv-i.
reisdei.'d U iviil-.mit iiri:
HU.*..M-1 TH- KNTHANt?fl
t JuT' i is^ai" toe lir.'ieatr* ^n-
and
fight
re:,pectid against.
On on unnamed day Tn ISit tl ?? ef Lnfilte?s ships, against th. o. ;Hrf i'-aek drop of hii buni-v'.;X sl'i.iieli 'i* stuod out to s-?a -lei--V I,,:., il:	't? -.-.a :i Ii el.l whieil
(*. * ir, I.. .........?	?