Deposition of Andrew Hunter Holmes filed in case of United States v. Jean Lafitte

Record Group 21: Records of District Courts of the United StatesSeries: Case FilesFile Unit: 573: United States v. Jean Lafitte

The United States vs Jean Lafitte (jeune) Angel Rabello, Antoine Semel, Antoine Angelet Antoine Bormet, Pierre Cadet Pierre Lafitte (aine) Jean Gentie, Salvadore Artagus Louis Dalhier Jean Baptiste oulize, Pierre Terram Michel Joseph Andre Camo, Henry Munez, Henry Saybardir Antoine Michel Manuel Garcias Jean Harven Julien Beral Jean Mayer Manuel Raza Martin Pouce Antoine Cardier

Andrew Hunter Holmes of the United States Army being first duly sworn deposeth & saith that the said Andrew Hunter hath good reason to believe and doth suspect that the above named persons did on or about the sixteenth of the present month & year  receive on board certain skiffs and peroques to the number of five and aid & assise & abet in this receiving a large quantity of foreign goods which goods had been unlawfully put ashore from a certain vessel or vessels laying at Anchor at or near the Lake of Baratavia and which goods were subject to Revenue Duties, the same not having been paid.  And the said Andrew Hunter further saith that the said goods are of the value of three thousand Dollars more or less and further saith not

Signed

A H Holmes

Sworn to & subscribed before me this 19th day Nov. 1813

Signed

Joshua Lewis

The year was 1814, and Gen. Andrew Jackson had a problem. He and his American forces were engaged in a pitched fight for New Orleans against the might of the British Empire. The city’s defenses were severely lacking, as was the supply of men who could engage with the legendary British Navy in these waters. He needed someone who really knew the bayou, and knew how to use it to their advantage. Luckily, he knew where to find them.

There were few who knew the waters around New Orleans better than Jean and Pierre Lafitte. They’d operated a very successful import and marine salvage business here for years - in other words, they were smugglers and pirates. Good ones, too, who had amassed a small fortune and assembled a small fleet. But they’d also broken the first rule of piracy - they got caught. And were now sitting in a cell.

So Jackson arranged for Jean Lafitte to meet him on the second floor of the Old Absinthe House, to try and convince him to work for the Americans in the upcoming battle. Lafitte made the general an offer - they’d fight in exchange for Presidential pardons for himself, his brother and all their men, as well as the return of their fleet. Jackson readily agreed, and the rest, as they say, is history!

Today the Old Absinthe House still operates as a bar and event space in the heart of the French Quarter. It welcomes thousands of guests each year - including, it seems, Jean Lafitte! Many people have seen him in the bar, sharing a beer with none other than Andrew Jackson, while others have heard and even walked in on Lafitte and his men throwing a wild party on the second floor.

The Old Absinthe House is located directly across the street from the Royal Sonesta Hotel. Who knows, we just might run into some pirates during Miss Fisher Con 2024!

Sheesh I'd had this as a draft for almost four months now sorry :/

Originally I wasnt going to do backstories for the PatF characters until the Tiana show came out but they keep pushing it back so what the heck.

Mama Odie Backstory

Real name is Ozigbodi

She was born in 1729 to enslaved parents brought over from Ghana, when New Orleans was still under French rule 

She was born with a condition that caused progressive blindness

Her mother passed down to her in secret the practices of their ancestors, which came to be known as voodoo.

At the age of 16, she was able to escape slavery and found a home deep in the bayou, where she truly began her life as a priestess, helping those in need who crossed her path

Over her long life  she had many adventures, both mundane and magical. She helped slaves escape, crossed paths with such legendary figures as the pirates Jean Lafitte and William "Blood" Gracey, did a service for the mysterious Tia Dalma for which she was granted her seeming immortality, learned of the existence of other realms such as the Everrealm, taught a young Madame Leota her trade and even married and had a child at one point.

This child would found a line that eventually culminated in the birth of one Andre Facilier, who Mama Odie taught for a time before realizing the boy was attempting to use his power for dark means and cutting off his teaching, which unfortunately only spurred him into making a deal with some of the dark loa of The Other Side

A shot from Jean Lafitte National Park, Louisiana. Part of the NOLA Gallery on Redsam.com.

Jean Lafitte, LA 10/22 

Scenes from home, past and present.

BONUS #WONDERFUL!!!: Speaking of making the rules, this post wouldn’t be complete without me mentioning the number one proponent of bringing back the Disneyland People Mover and one of my favorite Walt Disney Parks related channels, Offhand Disney. His videos generally tow the line between informative, interesting and awkwardly hilarious somehow without being cringy (at least in my opinion). Whether it be his top ten lists, diatribes about Disney History or attempting to gas-light us into thinking Space Mountain doesn’t exist, Dallin never fails to put a smile on my face. As for which video to highlight, it turns out his most recent video is a perfect fit since it’s all about how the concept of “kinetic energy” adds to the immersion of Disney Parks and that includes, wait for it…The People Mover! He even mentions how Living With The Land is the best attraction in this one! Yaaaaay…but seriously, check out his stuff. It’s good stuff.

Jean Laffite Louisiana

“I feel sorry for people who don’t drink. When they wake up in the morning that’s as good as they’re going to feel all day.” - Frank Sinatra.

Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop. New Orleans, Louisiana.

Fujifilm X-E3. 23mm f2. Classic Chrome.

Focusing on booze and stocking your home bar this week and in Friday’s Newsletter.

From Strange Academy: Finals #003

Art by Humberto Ramos and Edgar Delgado

Written by Skottie Young

Characters: Jean Lafitte and Bonnie Brown

Media: The Buccaneer (1958)

Played by: Yul Brynner and Claire Bloom

Setting: 1812, New Orleans

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Jean Lafitte is the king of the pirates on the island Barataria, commanding his crews with an iron rein but secretly holding out hope of becoming an American citizen and marrying his old lover Annette, the daughter of the governor of New Orleans.

Bonnie Brown is the untamed, uncouth daughter of the former pirate king, and her hatred for Jean’s restrictions on her father and attacks on American ships is only matched by the complicated love she has always harbored for him.

Jean is forced to kill Bonnie’s father after his ruthless murder of the innocent passengers of the Corinthian, including Annette’s sister, which only increases Bonnie’s hatred for Jean. However, after Jean is betrayed by both the British and the Americans at the height of the War of 1812, Bonnie is forced to admit her true feelings for him. Their relationship, always held back by her wild nature and his endless love for Annette, is fraught with turmoil, but fate may still have a strand of hope for Jean and Bonnie to see one more horizon by each other’s sides.

That's a place where everything's so fascinating

It's a place for dancing and romancing

That's a place where you and me should go if we were lovers

Stealing an evening at Lafitte's

Happy Mardi Gras, everyone!

On Bourbon Street, the party ends tonight at midnight - but not for us! Join us on the Saturday after Miss Fisher Con 2024 for our Mardi Gras party! Grab your masks and beads and head over to Belle Epoque - just across the street from the Royal Sonesta and mere steps away from Jean Lafitte's Old Abinthe House - for good food, great music and even better company with your fellow Adventuresses/Adventurerers/Adventurexes! Mardi Gras masks - purchased or home made - are strongly encouraged! Sign up today, and laissez les bons temps rouler!

#Vampires, #Rougarou, #Pirates, #Voodoo, #Marie Laveau, #Jean Lafitte, #Native American, #Vietnamese, #Romance, #Civil War, #Treasure

"My dad, Mr. Sempé...I loved him. He was difficult but I loved him. He was a salesman [...] and if he made a sale to a grocer [...] he'd celebrate at the local bar. [...] I was so unhappy at home.

Le Petit Nicolas - Qu'est-ce qu'on attend pour être heureux? (2022) dir. Benjamin Massoubre & Amandine Fredon

Jean Lafitte, LA 10/22