EATEN BY MOSQUITOES.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 3181, 29 March 1911, Page 7

EATEN BY MOSQUITOES.

A TERRIBLE DEATH. OUTLAW’S FIENDISH REVENGE. Quietly 'but persistently, and with promise of startling results, the United States Government has turned its coldly inquiring gaze upon a condition of things which otherwise would seem like the wildest romance. The circumstance® hark' back a lull hundred year®—to the days when, the French pirate, Laffite, was a very real bugbear to voyagers seeking fortunes and homes in the French colonies or Louisiana. In fact, Pirate Laffite. is the dark shadowy figure that looms m the background of the whole inquiry. The scene is the Island of St. Malo in Lake. Borgne, which is really a bay indenting the coast of Louisiana, named for the birthplace in France of the celebrated pirate, and rised by him as a piratical rendezvous. Later tile island was a rendezvous of smugglers, but latterly its inhabitants have lived quite primitively on fish and game. From these times up to the present St Malo has been held by an outlaw male community of semi-savages hav* ins their own government, which they call'-a “Free Republic. The St. Malo community has never paid revenue ol any sort to the Government. Once. 01 twice there have been perfunctory efforts to bring the island finder the laws of the country, but only recently has there been provocation sufficient to inspire energetic investigation. And in that provocation sounds the note of the wildest romance, with tragedy for its denouement. was there a beautiful Queen of St. Malo?” And was she murdered^ by her savage subjects—bound to. a stake in a -swamp and eaten alive my mosquitoes f It is this accusation against the v ihl men who inhabit the island of St. Malo that has stirred the Government into -quiet but determined inquiry. ' Up to the. time of this alleged tradedy the reality of which is accepted generally by the people of neighboring communities on the mainland St Malo was romantically referred to. as the “Eveless Eden.” . The half-civilised men' who occupied it under a. rude government of their own either could not induce women to share their savage lot or they feared collapse of their little empire through rivalries likely to ensue if women came among them. St. Malo is an island only when Gulf storms drive the waters of Lake Borgne over the narrow strip of marsh that connects* it with the mainland. When Laffite ended his career his followers -On the island did not dare to return to civilisation. They were smugglers until that pursuit became too dangerous, and then turned to the moie peaceful and less risky pursuit of hunting and fishing for the- markets. . The head man of the republic is styled “Maestro,” or master. He is elected yearlv by popular vote; is dethroned by popular vote, and is either exiled from the island, or shot to death, according to the degree of his crime. He has a council of five, which is composed of the eldest men of the colony, styled the “elders,” each of-whom is over 70 years of age. “Court” is held in the open, under a large tree, as in the middle ages by the lungs. Punishment is inflicted at ■once, ihere are no appeals, no delays. A culprit is whipped or exiled from the island or small offences, and for murder is shot to death. The'Council of Elders name the execxitioners. For-a plain drunk the man is put in a boat half-filled with water until he sobers. ; Their amusements are dice and cocking mains. As they have nothing, there is very little betting. Th colonists are subdivided into companies 'of .five, and! these live- in one- hut-, fish together, and take their produce;to the market. Each section has a captain, and the maestro, in a measure, holds him responsible .for the action of the men an his company. _ The natives of St. Malo are short in igtature, gross, and inclined to fatness, perhaps owing to their indolent life and gluttony.. They .have high cheekbones, thickupper.lips,.aaid mostly wear a. bristly tuft of moustache. -• . A strange scene of government investigations! But these wild men of iSt. .Malo must answer to the charge that they barbarously put to v.death poor, wayward, romaniac Marie La Vigne, that mainland beauty of Arcadian descent who would not fee l restrained from' her purpose to become “Queen of St. Malo.’” The name of the “Maestro,” who, while marketing.a boatload of fish, became so obsessed by Marie’s charming figure and ; coquettish glances ithat he 1 dared to violate tradition by letting her laccompany him back to the island, is one |of the things the Government .authonIties are trying to iearn. 1 Up to, the .present- the details- outlie [tragedy which >poor Marie .La VignpJ brought .upon herself are ; somewhat» rague—except -.the horrible eireumstan- [ |es° of her death. 1 For some months the Maestro ible to reconcile his people to the prefence of his “queen,” as Marie insistsJb on calling herself. But for .any hu- # Q ' an being in petticoats to share the ie of these islanders was too violent- || opposed to custom not to bear bitphe U “elders’ 7 waited only for .a ffavor|]e opportunity .to dispose of Marie, ladually young .members of the -comIn.ity lost their prejudices, under the luence of Marie’s .coquettish glances, esently the Maestro discovered what Ist of’ the islanders had known for fie time—that he did not occupy, the tile of Marie’s heart; worse that his Ms were not only .successful but mulous. Such was the effect of this |e.ss existence upon the character .«f fie La Vigne. farfe’s public accuser was the Mali himself. And his thirst for venfme vWas so fiorce that 1)- turned I to ier worst onomi.es—the Council, aiders' —for trial. ! Sore was no lack of evidence. Acfar to the barbarous standard of l&mimty, a punishment to fit the IT was .-announced by the Councillet her be eaten alive by mo sqm-

'Council of Elders, in ■' dellvGr i\ lS lerribl© judgment, also «srore the. Ls to mom it no [island by any woman. Then MaI Vigxio was led forth to oxecu--1 was bound to a stake in- the L naked, tsrhere. swarms of jnos--1 and gnats denied any possibi - it she would live long enough to outfne of the tragedy L.s turned the gaze cf the an- | „on the whole problem of eivdI. Male, and, if possible, bring|justice the murderers of pool I'Ll V'irmP