Louisiana Cultural Vistas - Fall 2005 - (Page 64)

“F or more than a cent ury, the boundary bet ween Louisiana and T exas had been an elastic barrier that was st ched and pulled ret by diplomat sols, dier and citizens.” s oche -from Tales of Old Natchit s by Elizabeth Shown Mills and Gary B. Mills and other contraband. John Bowie, who with his brothers Rezin and James were among the pirate’s best customers once estimated the Lafitte realized a net profit of $65,000 in two years time from the sale of 1,500 Africans in Louisiana. OUTLAWS Wherever there are outlaws, bandits and pirates, the subject of buried treasure always seems to come up, and the Neutral Strip is no different. Stories of a cache of buried gold have brought treasure hunters from all over the world to search Murrell’s hideout, a large cave said to be located near Couschetta. “He could hide a herd of cattle and his horses in there,” Cox said. But, alas, no gold. “There’s no gold here. They did send gold down to New Orleans, but they went through Monroe to do it,” he said. Stories were passed from person to person throughout the area and were embellished with the telling. One legend tells of harassed Spaniards forced to flee the Anglo encroachment. “They took the vestments out of the church and put them all together in a calfskin to make them easier to carry,” Cox explained. “The calfskin was lost in Spanish Lake. They dropped it. And the story began to circulate about the gold-in calfskin — golden calfskin.” AND TREASURE Homesteaders in the Neutral Strip were said to keep their valuables in “post hole banks." Money and gold were placed in post holes and the post slid into place on top to disguise the hiding place. Unfortunately, said Cox, popular folklore said such hiding places were protected by “haints,” making them glow at night with an eerie light. It became a dangerous form of nocturnal recreation throughout the Neutral Strip to go looking for the lights. “I’ve never heard of anyone actually finding one,” Lee said, laughing at the suggestion. “I have talked to treasure hunters. I’ve had people coming by wanting to know about Spanish gold. They’re all so convinced. But there wasn’t a whole lot of money in this area. There was an illicit trade between the French fort in Nachitoches and the Spanish fort at Los Adaes all the way through its existence just because there wasn't much there.” What there was in the Neutral Strip was the terrifyingly harsh reality of a dangerous life. Most of the plundering and robbing that was going on at the time happened outside the strip simply because there was more to rob and plunder. Escape was found within the confines of the lawless territory, but it wasn’t any safer for the few who tried to homestead the area. “I wouldn’t think that if you had a small farm in the Neutral Strip that you were safe from 64 LOUISIANA ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES\Fall 2005

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Louisiana Cultural Vistas - Fall 2005

Louisiana Cultural Vistas - Fall 2005 Contents Editor’s Column Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities Louisiana State Museum After Katrina and Rita Tabasco: Edmund McIlhenny and the Birth of a Louisiana Pepper Sauce Historic New Orleans Collection Louisiana Association of Museums New Orleans’ Coffee Connection No Man’s Land Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism Bookstand (Book Review by Thomas Uskali) Sound Advice (Music Review by Ben Sandmel) Forum (Commentary by Roy Blount, Jr. )

Louisiana Cultural Vistas - Fall 2005

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