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 LOUISIANA. 
 
 ITS GEOGRAPHICAL POSITION, , TOPOGRAPHICAL 
 
 FEATURES, POPULATION, EDUCATIONAL 
 
 ADVANTAGES, COMMERCE, AND 
 
 TRANSPORTATION; ITS SOIL AND PRODUCTIONS, 
 GAME AND FISHES, ORES AND MINERALS. 
 
 AND 
 
 A COMPILATION OF THE HOMESTEAD AND EXEMPTION LAWS 
 
 OF LOUISIANA, AND THE CONSTRUCTION THEREOF 
 
 BY THE STATE SUPREME COURT, 
 
 AND — 
 
 DFFICIAL niRE CTDRY, 
 
 E. B. HOWELL and W. U. RICHAEDSON. 
 
 N EW ORLEANS. 
 
 F. P'.Uansell, Stationer and Printer. 
 
 1SS5. 
 
 ^ 
 
FOR. Sj^LE 
 
 1200 Acres of Land in Bienville Paris 
 Louisiana. 
 
 This land lies within 12 inile.s of the V. S. & P. R. R., is \\ 
 u atered and siipi)lied with excsllent timber. 
 
 Good dwelling house and large area of land in cultivation. 
 
 For price nnd terms, etc., Address. 
 
 ^\. M. JAMES, Sparta, ! 
 
 On MILL CREEK, in Bienville Parish, La. 
 
 A Saw Mill, Grist Mill, Cotton Gin and Prei 
 
 This machinery is located on an excellent mill site, with sr 
 eieiit uater power, if properly util-ized, to proi)el machinery 
 manufacturing cotton ^''oods and other fabrics. 
 
 For terms, price, etc., address me at Saline Post-office, Bi 
 ville. Parish, La. 
 
 Felnuary 6, 1885. B. W. BRASWELL. 
 
 A. D. HAMMETT & SON, 
 
 —DEALERS IN— 
 
 Real Estate, Machinery, Etc 
 
 AVe are olfeiing bargaii:-s in Plantati<ms, AVild Lands, D\s 
 lings and Town Lots. Parties in want of homes will dowel' 
 consult us before buying. 
 
BIENVILLE PARISH, 
 LOUISIANA. 
 
 ITS GEOGRAPHICAL POSITION, TOPOGRAPHICAL FEA- 
 TURES, POPULATION, EDUCATIONAL ADVAN- 
 TAGES, COMMERCE AND TRANSPORTA- 
 TION; ITS SOIL AND PRODUC- 
 TIONS, GAME AND FISHES, 
 ORES AND MINERALS, 
 
 AND 
 
 A COMPILATION OF THE HOMESTEAD AND EXEMPTION LAWS OF 
 
 LOUISIANA. aND THE COXSTRUCITON THEREOF 
 
 BY THE STATE SUPREME COURT, 
 
 AND 
 
 OFFICIAL DIRECTORY. 
 
 BY 
 
 R. B. HOWELL and W. U. RICHARDSON. 
 
 In the northern part of Louisiana, lying between paral- 
 lels 82° and 33° North latitude, and ou each side of the 
 Meridian of longitude 16° West from Washington, D, C, 
 at an altitude — at the higliest point — of between 400 and 
 600 feet above the Gulf of Mexico, is the Parish of Bien- 
 ville. 
 
 Corresponding with counties in other States, it is a 
 political division, created by an act of the Louisiana Leg- 
 islature, dividing the parish of Claiborne, approved March 
 
14, 1848, and named in honor of the patriot BienvilL, 
 founder of New Orleans and, for more than a quarter of 
 a century during the French domination, Governor of 
 Louisiana. 
 
 Bienville is bounded by the Parishes of Webster, Clai- 
 borne and Lincoln on the North, Lincoln and Jackson on 
 the East, Winn, Natchitoches and Red River on the South, 
 and Webster, with Lake Bisteneau, on the West, and 
 embraces a territory of 856 square miles, to which area 
 it was reduced by the formation, in part from Bienville, 
 of the contiguous Parishes of Red River and Webster in 
 1871, and Lincoln in 1873. 
 
 Though classed as one of the " Good Upland " Parishes, 
 the surface of Bienville is varied. A topographical view 
 will exhibit high hills, elevated plateaus, gentle undula- 
 tions and dismal swamps. 
 
 Running through the Parish, fi'om north to south, are 
 the large bayous Black Lake and Saline, the low lands 
 adjacent to which are subject to annual submersion. 
 
 Tributary to these are numerous smaller streams, of 
 which many are likewise subject to overflow during the 
 seasons of copious rains. 
 
 The area of swamp and overflowed land, however, 
 constitutes but a small part of the surface of Bienville, 
 and such are its topographical features as to warrant the 
 conclusion that in the future these lands may prove to be 
 an advantageous source from which may be obtained the 
 finest and most durable timber for domestic use, and to 
 supply, at remunerative prices, the increasing demands of 
 the markets abroad. 
 
The student of geography abroad can scarcely form a 
 proper conception of Bienville as it is. To fully compre- 
 hend its beauties and advantages, and contrast them with 
 its defects and disadvantages, he should ascend from the 
 alluvial regions of the great rivers to the high lands, of 
 which Bienville forms a part. Here he will find product- 
 ive hills as well as fertile valleys ; bold springs as well as 
 stagnant lagoons ; rapid creeks as v^rell as sluggish bayous ; 
 the stout oak as well as the stately magnolia ; dense pine 
 forests as well as moss-fringed cypress-brakes ; and fra- 
 grant fields of corn as well as beautiful fields of cotton. 
 
 He will also find snow and ice in winter as well as 
 excessive heat in summer ; fruits that flourish in high 
 latitudes as well as those that thrive in the far South ; 
 and a population Southern in character, hospitable in con- 
 duct, patriotic in sentiment, and extending a welcome to 
 the civilized immigrant from every land. 
 
 Water- Power. 
 
 Among the most attractive features of Bienville is its 
 water-power. 
 
 In the southern part of the Parish, flowing from inex- 
 haustible sources, are numerous bold streams on which are 
 many excellent mill-seats. These natural advantages are 
 being partially utilized, and the saw-mill, cotton-gin and 
 grist-mill, propelled by water, are seen in many localities, 
 on approaching which the ear of the traveler is saluted 
 by the roaring waterfall. 
 
 This section presents topographical features varying 
 from gentle undulations to hills of considerable elevation. 
 Its soil, too, varies in degrees of fertility from compara- 
 
lively sterile to highly [productive — the latter, in many 
 instances, yielding crops comparing favorably with those 
 of the aUuvial regions. 
 
 Here, too, are dense forests of long-leafed yellow pine, 
 from which may be obtained, in close proximity to the 
 mill streams, logs of large dimensions, easily converted 
 into excellent merchantable lumber. 
 
 To the cautious financier and skilled mechanic the 
 inducements here found are great ; and with the advent 
 of railroads through this section of ISiorth Louisiana, and 
 the consequent influx of immigration and capital, these 
 water courses that now flow rapidly on, " though wooed by 
 their friendly banks that would fain retard their onward 
 progress," will doubtless be diverted into the channels of 
 er)terj)rise, and their dormant powers aroused to drive 
 foi waid the machinery, of the manufacturer, transferred 
 from the distant crowded East to the land of production. 
 
 Population. 
 
 According to the census of 1880. the total population 
 of the Parish was 10,442, of whom 5455 were white and 
 4987 colored. Those born in the United States aggre- 
 gated 10,421 ; in foreign countries, 21. Of the former, 
 7575 wei-e natives of Louisiana ; 430, of Mississippi ; 701, 
 of Alabama; 110, of Virginia; 820, of Georgia; 407, of 
 South Carolina; 53, of Texas ; 30, of Keritucky ; 134, of 
 North Carolina; and 51, of Tennessee. Of the latter, 
 one was a native of British America ; 5, of England and 
 Wales ; 3, of Ireland ; 10, of the German Empire ; and 2, 
 of. Sweden and Norway. 
 
The increase since 1880 will make the present popula- 
 tion of IVienville approximate 12,000. 
 
 In politics, Bienville is largely Democratic. 
 
 In religion, there are various denominations, but the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church South and the Missionary- 
 Baptist Church are the leading denominations, each hav- 
 ing a considerable membership, and in some places good 
 
 churches. 
 
 Education. 
 
 Prior to the late civil war, the educational advantages 
 of Bienville compared favorably with those of any Parish 
 of North Louisiana. 
 
 At Mt. Lebanon, in the northern part of the Parish, 
 were located the "Mount Lebanon Male College," and 
 the " Mount Lebanon Female College," both flourishing 
 institutions, than which no schools in North Louisiana 
 sustained better reputations. Here resided the venerable 
 Dr. Bartholomew Egan, for a number of years presiding 
 officer of these colleges, whose classical attainments and 
 profound scholarship would have entitled him to the 
 appellation of "Sage" of North Louisiana. 
 
 In 1867, the Female College was destroyed by fire, 
 and has never been rebuilt. The Male College, a com- 
 modious building, is now occupied as' a " Male and 
 Female College," with Rev. W. P. Carter, President, 
 who, assisted by a corps of able and efficient teachers, 
 has a flourishing institution with extensive and remunera- 
 tive patronage. Situated within three miles of the Y., S. 
 and P. Railroad, in a healthful locality, there is no reason 
 why the future of Mt. Lebanon College should not emu- 
 
6 
 
 late the past, and its lost prestige of arite helium days be 
 regained in the light of the new era of progress dawning 
 upon Bienville and North Louisiana. 
 
 At the flourishing town of Arcadia, on the line of the 
 v., 8. k P. R. R. is located the E. A. Seminary, of which 
 Prof. R. A. Smith is principal. This institution, gov- 
 erned by one of the best educators in the State, with 
 proper buildings, will soon take its position in the front 
 rank of high schools of Louisiana. 
 
 Sparta, Ringgold and Liberty Hill have also sustained 
 good schools. 
 
 In 1884 there were fifty teachers enrolled in the public 
 schools of Bienville, at a total cost of $3,345.51, which 
 fund was derived from the general school fund of the 
 State, from the poll tax of the jjarish, and from the in- 
 terest on the IGtli Sections fund. 
 
 The colored population share the public school funds, 
 contribute from their private resources, and manifest a 
 considerable interest in education. 
 
 Newspapers. 
 
 Bienville is the domicil of three weekly newspapers. 
 The Rural Twies. published at Sparta; the Louisimia Ad- 
 vance, at Arcadia, and the Bienville Ntw Era. published 
 at Gibsland, are educational auxiliaries and disseminators 
 of news in Bienville and North Louisiana. 
 
 Markets. 
 
 Arcadia, in the northeastern part of the Parish, is the 
 principal market of Bienville. Situated on the line of the 
 v., S. & P. R. R., nearly equidistant between Monroe and 
 
Shreveport, and surrounded by a good upland region, 
 interspersed with fertile valleys, it is destined to enjoy an 
 extensive trade, and in the near future to become one of 
 the leading markets in North Louisiana. 
 
 Gibsland, eight miles west on the same railroad, is a 
 growing pla^e and bids fair to become the second com- 
 mercial town in Bienville. 
 
 Sparta, located near the center of the Parish, is the 
 seat of justice, and does a very good mercantile business. 
 In former years it controlled an extensive local trade, 
 and was a good cotton market for an interior town. 
 
 Mt. Lebanon, Ringgold and Liberty Hill are also places 
 of mercantile business, whose merchants enjoy a fair share 
 of the patronage of their respective localities, and, in some 
 instances, of the Parish. 
 
 In various |)arts of Bienville are country stores whose 
 proprietors doubtless do business on a safe basis, antl pur- 
 chase annually a fair share of the cotton raised in their 
 respective sections. 
 
 Transportation. 
 
 Tlie v., S. & P. R. R., runiiing through the northern 
 portion of Bienville and Lake Bisteneau, forming part of 
 its western boundary, renders intercourse with ihe mar- 
 kets of the southwest easy and rapid. The former con- 
 stitutes a part of the Erlanger system and is a connecting 
 link of the great Southern chain of railroads extending 
 from the Atlantic on the East to the Pacific on the West. 
 The latter is a large, fresh-water lake, navigable several 
 months each year for large steamers from Red river, 
 with which stream it is connected by Loggy Bayou, 
 
through which steamboats laden with cotton and other 
 products pass out of Lake Bisteneau into Red river, 
 thence into the Mississippi to New Orleans and other 
 places. 
 
 Thus the merchants, planters and other business men 
 of Bienville are enabled to ship over competing lines of 
 transportation to New Orleans, St. Louis, Shreveport and 
 other cities with which they have commercial relations. 
 
 Greeting: 
 
 To the energetic tiller of the soil Bienville Parish 
 offers wholesome inducements and tenders him an anxious 
 invitation to settle within her limits. To any one desir- 
 ous of finding a pleasant, permanent home, and a mode- 
 rately fertile soil, her citizens will give a cheerful greeting. 
 
 Past Difficulties and Present Advantages. 
 
 Possibly, Bienville Parish cannot boast of lands supe- 
 rior to those of neighboring Parishes, but she can well 
 boast of tlieir freshness. While other Parishes of North 
 Louisiana have been more completely and rapidly settled, 
 they have been correspondingly impaired by occupation 
 and tillage. Bienville certainly has more unimproved, 
 better known as " wild lands," thin many of the adjoin- 
 ing parishes, and consequently will be niore eagerly 
 sought in the near future by immigrants from older States. 
 In the past the geographical position sustained by her 
 had much to do with her seeming inaccessibility and lack 
 of deserved notoriety. Prior to the completion of the 
 Vicksburg, Shreveport and Pacific Railroad, which enters 
 the norlheastern portion of the parish near the promising 
 
town, Arcadia, and which continues through the territory 
 thereof on a line nearly parallel with the northern boun- 
 dary of the parish, the great throng of ardent adventurers 
 seeking homes or business in the great West usually, 
 by steamboat, ascended Red River on the west or the 
 Ouachita on the east without having obtained a view of 
 the beautiful hill country of North Louisiana. 
 
 For many years teeming thousands have thus been sur- 
 rounding Bienville Parish, and many of whom have, 
 doubtless, found homes in far less inviting districts, have 
 purchased soil far less productive and far less easy of cul- 
 tivation. But ihis state of facts will not continue to the 
 extent hitherto witnessed, as Bienville now can claim a 
 great thoroughfare, and that her many and excellent 
 resources are beginning to be developed. Her honest 
 hard-working citizens are now beginning to realize their 
 commercial coiuiection with more enterprising States and 
 the great need o-f " push and economy." Now and then 
 may be found one who, possibly, would prefer the howl 
 of the native wolf to the whistle of the locomotive, but 
 the majority are becoming anxious to have an early influx 
 of self-supporting citizens from other sections settle in 
 their midst and share with them the excellencies of Bien- 
 ville homes. 
 
 Soil and Productions. 
 
 In Bienville there is a considerable diversity of soils, 
 but for all practical purposes they may be divided into 
 four classes, viz.: red clay uplands, gray sandy loam up- 
 lands, yellow sandy loam uplands and creek bottoms. 
 
10 
 
 All these soils are productive, but to some extent adapted 
 to special crops. 
 
 The red clay lands usually produce [ndian corn, other 
 grains and orchard fruits to the best advantage, yielding 
 in corn from fifteen to twenty-five bushels per acre, or 
 from ten to twenty br.shels of wheat, the latter, however, 
 being seldom planted. Xo data is now at hand by which 
 an estimate of orchard fruits can be made. This kind of 
 land admits of subsoil tillage to great advantage. 
 
 The gray uplands are particularly adapted to cotton, 
 sweet potatoes, peas and melons, yielding from five to 
 fifteen hundred pounds of seed cotton per acre ; potatoes, 
 from one hundred to two hundred bushels per acre, and 
 peas and melons in almost inexhaustible quantities. The 
 extreme sweetness of the melons raised on this class of 
 lands is particularly observable. This kind of soil is mel- 
 low, and easy of culture. 
 
 The yellow upland sand}^ soil, while well adapted to 
 the production of corn and other grains, is remarkably 
 fine for the cotton plant. On one acre of this soil, with 
 some fertilizing, in 1882, Mr. Thomas Neal, one of Bien- 
 ville's most energetic farmers, gathered over twenty-eight 
 hundred pounds of seed cotton, and like results can be 
 obtained, under similar circumstances, by others. 
 
 The creek bottoms are usually more productive than 
 the other classes named when the seasons are suitable, 
 and are specially adapted to the growth and 3'ield of both 
 corn and cotton. They also produce greater quantities 
 of sugar cane than other lands. Unless carefully man- 
 
11 
 
 aged, however, they are more subject to injury from 
 great rainfall than the higher lands. 
 
 Nature has afforded to Bienville Parish these different 
 soils, and thereby secured to lier a greater variety of pro- 
 ductions. Li some instances, a single farmer possesses 
 the four grades of soil in the same farm, and he is there- 
 fore able to raise a greater variety of products in the 
 same year on a given quantity of acres. 
 Classification. 
 
 The products of Bienville are of two classes, viz.: Cul- 
 tivated and natural. The chief products of the first class 
 are Indian corn, cotton, wheat, oats, rye, potatoes, peas, 
 pumpkins, turnips, sorghum and sugar cane, melons, 
 peaches', apples, pears, plums, figs, grapes, raspberries, 
 strawberries, and almost every variety of garden vegeta- 
 bles that are grown anywhere in the same latitude and 
 climate. 
 
 For some time after the termination of the late war 
 between the States the agriculturists of this Parish, like 
 those of other Parishes, thought that to secure a speedy 
 fortune cotton was the only plant necessary to assure that 
 results. A conclusion like this could hav eno other than 
 unfortunate and totally impracticable effects. As a mat- 
 ter of course, theprices for same being somewhat fabulous, 
 the farmer became completely fascinated with its culture, 
 even to the neglect to a great extent of all the grains. 
 But now they have changed their views on this subject, 
 and a new era seems to be about to dawn in Bienville. 
 More attention is being given to the planting and cultivation 
 of a larger area in corn, oats, rye, potatoes, both sweet and 
 
12 
 
 Irish, sorghum and sugar cane, with highly favorable re- 
 sults. Strange, too, to say that the latter product, as well 
 as the others mentioned, grows well here and furnishes 
 an abundant yield of syrup. Many of the farmers of the 
 Parish make annually a sufficiency to supply themselves 
 bountifully during half or two-thirds of each and every 
 year, some of whom make as much as one, two or even 
 three hundred gallons, and that, too, of such a grade as 
 commands readily in our home market from fifty to sev- 
 enty-five cents per gallon. 
 
 Special attention is also being given to the culture of 
 peas, and the result is usually an abundant harvest. The 
 difi'erent kinds of the cow pea as forage for cattle are re- 
 munerative. While other varieties will remain on the 
 ground longer without decay, the speckle pea seems to be 
 the favorite in this Parish, it being much earlier in rii)en- 
 ing and less easily injured by hot, dry weather. It is de- 
 sirable, also, for the reason that it is capable of produc- 
 ing two crops from the same support if the vines be cut 
 earl}^ enough — say, by the first day of A ugust. 
 
 Turnips are also being cultivated largely, not for table 
 use alone, but also for cattle. All varieties grow to be 
 large, weighing from about three to ten pounds, and they 
 are of excellent flavor. 
 
 The different pumpkin varieties on recently cleared 
 land produce an abundant yield and form a very impor- 
 tant item in "the bill of fare" for animals. 
 
 Every farmer has an orchard of peach trees, but no one 
 has yet realized what a source of profit remains unutilized 
 by a failure to place the fruit on some good market. The 
 
13 
 
 culture of the peach will specially pay, as the different 
 vacieties here ripen from May to December. They are 
 very luscious, and can be transported to colder latitudes 
 early in the season and sold for handsome prices. 
 
 From experiments made at the Bienville nursery, apples 
 raised here are of superior flavor, and time will completely 
 demonstrate this fact to fruit growers aixd vendors through- 
 out the United States. 
 
 The plum is a fruit common to every household, but 
 not neglected. At this time, however, no great variety 
 is under culture. The goose plum may be seen in almost 
 every orchard, and grows to a very large size. Many 
 varieties of the small red and the yellow plum are almost 
 universally grown as a food for the pig. 
 
 Figs do well with a little care, by sheltering during the 
 winter months from spells of extremely cold weather, and 
 they could be made a profitable crop. 
 
 'J'he strawberry is not indigenous to this soil, but seems 
 to flourish well with proper culture. In many instances a 
 lazy -bed will yield tolerably well, if the weeds and grasses 
 which spring up thereon during the warm months be 
 burned off in the winter. 
 
 The grape, and especially the Scuppernong, thrives 
 remarkably well in Bienville. There are several nice and 
 extensive vineyards in the Parish, but no win.e therefrom 
 has as yet been made for market or foreign consump- 
 tion. 
 
 For fear more time than necessary should be consumed 
 by this pamphlet, designed merely to invite the attention 
 and kind consideration of the capitalist seeking remuner- 
 
14 
 
 ative investment, or to elicit action from the hardy adven- 
 turer seeking a pleasant home and a section of country in 
 which a handsome support can be realized, a general re- 
 mark as to other products not herein specially described 
 must suffice. It is only necessary to plant them, give 
 special care to the preparation of the land and then to use 
 energy and discretion in their cultivation, and an abun- 
 dant yield will be the almost invariable result. 
 Natural Products. 
 
 The natural products of this Parish are almost too 
 numerous to mention and entirely too inviting to describe. 
 
 There are many varieties of forest trees, the principal of 
 which are white oak, red oak, post oak, pin oak, cypress, 
 gum, beech, elm, lind. mulberry, chincapin, dogwood, 
 locust, sassafras, sumac, persimmon, hickory, walnut, 
 long-leaf pine, common hill-j^ine, cedar, Bermuda, crab, 
 sedge and other grasses. The most of these trees grow 
 very tall, and in the main have fine trunks. They are 
 capable of yielding an immense quantity of lumber per 
 tree, and of an excellent grade. The pine forests are 
 specially attractive, since they are both extensive and 
 very valuable. The exact area covered by this valuable 
 pine is not accurately known, but if properly surveyed 
 would possibly embrace an area of ten or twelve miles 
 square. Some acres of land, of course, support more of 
 this fine timber than others, but the average worth of 
 this timber, put into good, merchantable lumber, would 
 approximate $50 per acre; yet- a great deal of the land 
 on which this timber is found can be obtained at govern- 
 ment prices. It is simply a wonder why this little w< rid 
 
15 
 
 of fine timber has not been utilized by transportation to 
 diflferent localities, where it is so much needed and would 
 be so highly appreciated. Why do men of means and 
 enteiyrise not move in this direction ? Will not well- 
 directed saw-mills soon open up an extensive lumber 
 business with Texas and other States of the Union ? 
 We will patiently wait to see this good result and great 
 prosperity to Bienville follow. 
 
 Game. 
 
 Bienville also has a liberal share of game, consisting 
 mainly of deer, turkeys, ducks, wolves, now and then a 
 straggling bear or panther, catamounts, foxes, beavers, 
 otters, raccoons, opossums, minks, squirrels, rabbits, par- 
 tridges, snipes, hawks, owls, etc. In the southern and 
 southwestern portion of the Parish, that is to say, in the 
 most sparsely settled portion thereof, deer and turkeys 
 are sufficiently abundant to render hunting desirable and 
 somewhat profitable. To chase the bounding stag with 
 well-trained hounds is here a fascinating and popular 
 amusement. In the spring season, the noisy wild gobbler 
 is eagerly sought by the skilled rifleman, and easily 
 becomes his delightful prey. This, sometimes, is a risky 
 sport, as the amateur hunter, with inflated eyes and joy- 
 ous expectations, and without any plausible reason, mis- 
 takes his innocent comrade for the desired bird, and 
 gives him possibly his first lesson in an uneven, one-sided 
 skirmish, entirely away from any reinforcement. 
 
 With a well-trained bird dog to find and flush the par- 
 tridge or quail here, the shooting is very entertaining and 
 exciting. These birds are quite numerous, and are sue- 
 
16 
 
 cessfiilly found mainly in plantations where grain has been 
 cultivated, but frequently are found in great numbers in 
 the forests. 
 
 Squirrels are plentiful throughout the entire Parish — 
 fox squirrels abiding on the hills, and gray squirrels prin- 
 cipally on the bottoms. An experienced hunter can well 
 kill fifty per day in some localities in the fall season. 
 Usually, in the summer, they are troublesome to the 
 farmer, and very destructive to corn while in the roasting 
 ear. 
 
 Some persons, at a considerable expense, enjoy the 
 commingled tongues of twenty-five or thirty hounds while 
 chasing the cunning fox or the sneaking catamount. This 
 sport seems here to be confined to the few, as those 
 who love to avail themselves of the greatest possible 
 amount of ease and slumber are in ihe majority. 
 
 To the lover of the breech-loading gini, ducking is very 
 captivating. Wiiile considerable numbers, at certain 
 periods, frequent our bayous and creeks, the great ren- 
 dezvous is Bisteneau, an extensive lake on the western 
 boundary of Bienville. October and November consti- 
 tute the favorite months for their pursuit. For a single 
 huntsman to capture several hundred of this highly 
 relishahle fowl is certainly enough profit for one day, 
 and sufficient to induce tlie hardship incadent thereto. 
 Any one who never had the pleasure of a visit to this 
 lake cannot form tlire remotest idea of the numbers of 
 mallards, teals, canvas-back, etc., that feed during said 
 months on the inexhaustible grass seeds in the bed of 
 that lake. Persons go from all parts of this and adjoin- 
 
17 
 
 ing Parishes to hunt Ihem, and yet seemingly, no diminu- 
 tion in numbers takes place. Millions are still left as a 
 special mark for other sportsmen. 
 
 Fish. 
 
 The principal kinds of fish in the streams of this Par- 
 ish are trout, buffalo, catfish, suckers, gar-fish, bass, and a 
 variety of other perch, such as the white, red, goggle- 
 eye, etc. Angling in the spring season is an amusement 
 remarkably popular. On the clear creeks frequently im- 
 mense crowds of neighboring citizens, young and old, as- 
 semble, catch as many fish as needed and desired for an 
 extensive repast, then build up fires and proceed to pre- 
 pare them for the frying-pan. These social gatherings, 
 called " fish-frys," are greatly enjoyed by the young, 
 and usually are had with as much reference to social en- 
 joyment as to the actual sport derived from fishing. Mills 
 are constructed on most all of the creeks in south Bien- 
 ville, and the dams prevent the further ascent of the fiimy 
 tribes. Here the fish accumulate in numbers, and here 
 the successful fishing is done. The fish bite with vora- 
 city, and fishermen capture them as if by magic. Here, 
 frequently, bushels of them are caught with the hook in 
 a single day. I he most noted of these places for fishing 
 is at Braswell's mills, a few miles from the Natchitoches 
 Parish line. Good fishing is also sometimes done at the 
 mills of Ben P. Edwards and J. B. Blume. Black Lake 
 and Saline bayous afford the most continuous fishing. The 
 best fishing in the Parish, however, is usually done at 
 
18 
 
 Horner's Lake, near the Dugdemona, or on Brushy and 
 other creeks flowing into Bisteneau. 
 
 Ores. 
 
 There is a considerable quantity of surface iron-ore in 
 Bienville Parish, but the specimens obtamed have not 
 been, so far as the writer knows, submitted to crucial test. 
 Judging from their apparent richness, there must be rich 
 underground veins somewhere. The richest specimens 
 so far obtained have been found in the northern por- 
 tion of the Parish, near Mt. Lebanon. One of these 
 stones, weighing about two thousand pounds, has been 
 sent to the Exposition by Capt. J. P. Murphy. 
 
 In the Fifth Ward of the Parish, in considerable quan- 
 tity, is a very pure lime rock, which has a very fine com- 
 position, admits of a very handsome polish, and would 
 make a fine exhibit as a building rock. Near the same 
 place a fine bed of bituminous coal has been discovered. 
 It has been partially submitted to a test and pronounced 
 to be of excellent quality. There are other coal-beds in 
 other portions of the Parish, one of which is not far from 
 the v., S. and P. R. R. 
 
 There is a tradition here tluit a lead mine exists some- 
 where in the eastern part of the Parish, near the bayou 
 Saline, but the precise locality has not yet been ascer- 
 tained. It is evident that in the early history of the Par- 
 ish the old settlers had access to this mine, melted this 
 ore into bullets and used them in their fire-arms for hunt- 
 
19 
 
 ing purposes. By proper examination its location may 
 be determined and its value ascertained. 
 
 Near Arcadia tripoli has been found, and Mr. U. C. 
 Pipes, a silversmith there, has been using some for polish- 
 ing purposes with good results. 
 
 In two wards of the Parish are two inexhaustible salt 
 mines, known as Raborn's and King's salt works. The 
 late Confederate States drew heavily on these works, and 
 thousands of wagons were annually laden with this much 
 needed article, to be distributed in a variety of ways to 
 different sections thereof. Individuals from almost every 
 quarter were eagerly in search of these mines, and yet 
 there was no apparent diminution of the quanity of salt. 
 The Raborn works were leased to individuals by S. Ra- 
 born, then the owner, for about one-fourth of all the salt 
 madethereat. Theamount made in 1863 perday was about 
 three thousand bushels, worth from five to twelve dollars 
 per bushel. With but meager expense these works can 
 be reconstructed and the salt could be remuneratively sold 
 at about one dollar per bushel. 
 
 Mineral Waters. 
 
 Many of the springs and wells in Bienville afford water 
 impregnated with sulphur, iron and alum. At Mt. Leb- 
 anon is a spring which has curative properties, and being 
 convenient to the.Y., S. & P. R. R., may some day be a 
 place of conisiderable resort. Along the Keplar are fre- 
 quent, bold and beautiful springs, supposed to contain 
 sulphur. If the latter have ever been analyzed, we know 
 not when nor by whom. The sulphur appearance and 
 
20 
 
 taste are very perceptible to the most casual observer. 
 Time and the attention of the chemist will determine 
 their worth. 
 
 Recapitulation. , 
 
 We have now concluded a fair and impartial description, 
 as we believe, of Bienville Parish, for the benefit of all 
 persons who now have or may have any interest in her 
 future prosperity, including herein her geographical posi- 
 tion and her topography ; her population, both native and 
 foreign horn; her past and present educational advan- 
 tages ; her commercial facihties ; her towns, present status 
 thereof and also their future promise ; her beautiful and 
 constant streams, as well as their power and adapta- 
 tion to machiner}^ ; the grades, fertility and products of 
 the soil, both cultivated and natural ; her game, fishes, 
 ores, mineral waters, and have also added the homestead " 
 and exemption laws of the State, and an official directory 
 of the State and Parish, believing that they will be of 
 benefit to the inquiring mind as well as to business men 
 everywhere. 
 
 Now, those wishing a good, healthy country, fine drink- 
 ing water and a law-abiding citizenship, and many other 
 advantages too numerous to mention, before settling else- 
 where, will make it to their interest to visit Bienville, 
 price her lands and compare her resources, present and 
 future, with other sections of country to which special 
 attention is being called by pamphlets of a character sim- 
 ilar to this. 
 
 Recognizing the fact that Louisiana is very productive 
 
21 
 
 and wonderfully inviting as a whole, and that all the Par- 
 ishes therein have a vast amount of territory to which 
 thousands from older and more densely populated States 
 might do well to turn their attention for permanent homes, 
 we will not be over selfish in our love for this Parish, 
 but will herein unite with the great sisterhood of the 
 State in cheerfully soliciting immigrants to the 
 
 ''Laud of the mocking bird, simliglit and beauty, 
 
 Land where the willow bends over the stream ; 
 Land where the odor of sweet-scented flowers 
 
 Enraptures the senses and nurtures a dream. 
 Land where the cypress, majestic and solemn, 
 
 Enfolds in its shadow a silvery gloom ; 
 Land where the prairies are frosted with lilies. 
 
 And yellow-leaved jassimiues are always in bloom. 
 
 Land where the maidens are worthy of Eden, 
 
 Land where the men are chivalric and brave; 
 Land where the hero lives ever in story, 
 
 Whilst tears of affection drop over his grave. 
 Land of DeSoto, of Bienville, of Tonti, 
 
 Land Avhere no exile stood ever alone; 
 Land where the seeds of ambition are springing, 
 
 Laud where great enterprise broadcast is sown." 
 
HOMESTEAD AND EXEMPTIONS." 
 
 (CONSTITUTION OF 1879.) 
 
 " Article 219. There shall be exempt from seizure and sale 
 by any process whatever, except as herein provided, the ' home- 
 stead' hona fide owned by the debtor and occupied by him, con- 
 sisting of lands, buildings and appurtenances, whether rural or 
 urban, of every head of a family, or person having a mother 
 or father, a person or persons dependent on him or her for 
 support ; also, one work horse, one wagon or cart, one yoke 
 of oxen, two cows and calves, twenty-five head of hogs, or one 
 thousands pounds of bacon or its equivalent in pork, whether 
 these exemirted objects be attached to a homestead or not, and 
 on a farm the necessary quantity of corn and fodder for the cur- 
 rent year, and the necessary farming implements, to the value of 
 two thousand dollars. 
 
 " Provided, that in case the homestead exceeds two thousand 
 dollars in value, the beneficiary shall be entitled to that amount 
 in case a sale of the homestead, under any legal process, realizes 
 more than that sum. 
 
 " No husband shall haA^e the benefit of a homestead whose wife 
 owns and is in the actual enjoyment of property or means to the 
 amount of two thousand dollars. 
 
 " Such exemptions, to be valid, shall be set apart and regis- 
 tered as shall be provided by law. The benefit of this provision 
 may be claimed by the surviving spouse, or minor cliild or child- 
 ren of a deceased beneficiary, if in indigent circumstances." 
 
 " Art. 220. Laws shall be passed, as early as practicable, for 
 the setting apart, valuation and registration of property claimed 
 as a homestead. Rights to homesteads or exemptions under 
 laws or contracts, or for debts existing at tlie time of the adop- 
 tion of this Constitution, shall not be impaired, repealed or 
 affected by any provisions of this Constitution, or any laws 
 j)assed in iiursuance thereof. No court or ministerial officer of 
 this State shall ever have jurisdiction or authority to enforce any 
 judgment, execution or decree against the property set apart for 
 a homestead, including such improvements as may be made 
 thereon from time to time ; provUledj the property herein declared 
 to be exempt shall not exceed in value two thousand dollars. 
 
 " This exemption shall not apply to the following cases, to-wit : 
 
 "1. For the purchase price of said property or any part 
 thereof. 
 
23 
 
 " 2. For labor and material furnished for building, repairing 
 or improving homesteads. 
 
 " 3. For liabilities incurred by any public officer or fiduciary, 
 or any attorney-at-law, for money collected or received on deposit. 
 
 " 4. For lawful claims for taxes or assessments." 
 
 "Art. 221. The owner of ;i liomestead shall, at any time, have 
 the right to supplement his exemption by adding to an amount 
 already set apart, which is less than the whole amount of exemp- 
 tion herein allowed, sufiicient to make his homestead and exemp- 
 tion equal to the whole amount allowed by this Constitution." 
 
 "Art. 222. The homestead shall not be susceptible of mort- 
 gage, except for the purchase price, labor and material furnished 
 for the building, repairing or imx)roving homestead; nor shall 
 any renunciation or waiver of homestead rights or exemptions be 
 valid. The right to sell any property which shall be recorded as 
 a homestead shall be preserved, but no sale shall destroy or 
 imi)air any right of creditors therein." 
 
 "Art. 223. Equitable laws shall be passed for the protection of 
 creditors against the fraudulent claims of debtors, for the pun- 
 ishment of fraud, and for reaching x>i"operty and funds of the 
 debtor concealed from the creditor." 
 
 AN ACT 
 
 To carry out the provisions of Articles 219 and 220 of the Con- 
 stitution, in relation to recording homesteads and exemptions. 
 Be it enacted hy the General Assemhh/ of the .iState of Louisiana : 
 The person or persons claiming the benefit of the home- 
 stead and exemptions provided by law, pursuant to Articles 219 
 and 229 of the Constitution of 1879, must execute a written 
 declaration of homestead. This declarati(m must contain (1) a 
 statement of the facts that show the person claiming the home 
 stead and exemptions is a person of the description to be enti- 
 tled thereto ; (2) a statement that the person claiming it is resid- 
 ing on the laud or h)t claimed as a homestead and owns it by a 
 bona Me title, stating the nature of title ; (3) a description of 
 the lot or tract of land ; (4) an enumeration of the other exemp- 
 tions ; (5) an estimate of the cash value of the homestead and 
 exemptions, a statement of intention to claim such homestead 
 and exemptions. The declaration must be sworn to, and re- 
 corded in the book of mortgages for the parish where the home- 
 stead claimed is situated 
 Approved April 10, 1880. 
 
 "Under the homestead provisions of the Constitution of 1879 
 the exemptions therein provided only take effect from the date of 
 registry, as jjrovided by law, and are inoperative against debts 
 contracted prior to such registrv." — Succession of Francis, 34 A. 
 1013. 
 
24 
 
 AX ACT 
 
 To amend Article 644 of the Code of Practice ; to repeal all law 
 contrary to or in coutiict with this act and all laws on the sam 
 snbject-matter ; the amendment of Article 644 of the Code ( 
 Practice ; to fix penalties for the violation of this act, and to fl 
 the limits of this act and the interpretation to be given to it. 
 
 Section 1. Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representi 
 tivesofthe State of Louisiana^ in General Assembly convened., Th;i 
 Article 644 of the Code of Practice be so iimended as to read a 
 follow^s : The sherifl" or constable cannot seize the linen an 
 clothes belonging to tlie debtor or his wife, nor his bed, beddin 
 or bedstead, nor those of his family, nor liis arms and militar 
 accontrements, nor the tools and instruments and books an 
 sewing macliines necessary for the exercise of his or her calling 
 trade or profession by whicli lie or she makes a living; nor sha 
 he in any case seize the rights of personal servitude, of use an 
 habitation, of usufrin^t to the estate of a minor child, nor th 
 income of dotal property, nor the money due for the salary of a 
 officer, nor laborers' wages, nor the cooking stove and utensils c 
 the said stove, nor the jHates, dishes, knives and forks an 
 spoons, nor the dining table and dining chairs, nor wash-tuLi 
 nor smoothing irons and ironing furnaces, nor family portrait 
 belonging to the debtor, nor the musical instruments played o 
 or j)ractised on by any member of the family. 
 
 Sec. 2. Be it farther enacted^ etc.., That any person offendin 
 against the provisions of this act, or who shall by any artifice c 
 subterfuge induce or procure another to sign away, by contrac 
 or otherwise, any of the rights which he or she may have nude 
 this act, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and on cor 
 viction shall be fined in a sum not exceeding IL'OO, or imprisor 
 ment for a term not exceeding six months, or both, at the dis 
 cretion of the court. 
 
 Sec. 3. Be it further enacted^ etc.. That all laws and parts c 
 laws conflicting with this act or contrary to any of its provisions 
 and all laws on the same subject-matter, the amendment of Articl 
 644 of the Code of Practice, be and are hereby repealed. 
 
 Sec. 4. Be it further enacted, etc., That the repealing clause c 
 this act shall not l)e construed or interpreted so as to affect th 
 exemption of the homestead, the widow's $1000, nor the rurg 
 and agricultural exemptions now in force by existing laws, i 
 
25 
 
 being the true uieaniag and intent of this act that those exemp- 
 tions should not be ait'ected by this act. 
 
 Sec. 5. Be it further enacted, etc.^ That this act shall take effect 
 from and after its passage. 
 
 (Signed) E. I). ESTELETTE, 
 Spealcer of the House of Representatives. 
 (Signed) C. C. A^NTOINE, 
 Lienteiiant-donernor and President of the Senate. 
 Approved Ai)ril 4, ISTO. 
 
 (Signed) WM. P. KELLOGG, 
 A true cojjy. (roreriior of the State of Louisiana. 
 
 A. DIJRAND, 
 
 Assistant Seeretary of State. 
 
 " Whenever the wi(U»\v or minor children of a deceased person 
 shall be left in necessitous circumstances, and not possess in 
 their own right property to the amount of one thousand dollars, 
 the widow or the legal reiu'esentatives of the chihlren shall be 
 entitled to demand and receive from the succession of their 
 deceased father or husband a sum which, added to the amount 
 of property owned by them or either of them, in their own right, 
 will make u]) the sum of one thousand dollars, and which said 
 amount shall be jjaid in preference to all other debts, except 
 those for the vendor's privilege and expenses incurred in selling 
 the ])ro})erty. 
 
 " The surviving widow shall have and enjoy the usufruct of 
 the money so received from her deceased husband's succession 
 during lu^r wi<lowhood ; afterwards to vest in and belong to the 
 children or other descendants of said deceased." 
 Revised Statutes of La., sec. 3080, Act of 1852. 
 
 " When there are no descendants of the husband, the amount 
 due to the widow is received by her in full property, and she is 
 not bound to give securitv." 
 13 A. 257, 378; 29 A^ 114. 
 
fEB 10 1906 
 
 26 
 
 OFFICIAL DIRECTORY, 
 STATE OF LOUISIANA. 
 
 Governor S. D. McEiiery, of Ouacliita. 
 
 Lieut. Governor Clay Kiioblocb. of Lafoiuclie. 
 
 Secretary of State Oscar Arroyo, of Plaquemines. 
 
 Attorney- General M. J, Cuiiiiingiiain, of Xatchltoclies. 
 
 Auditor O. B. Steele, of U niou. 
 
 Treasurer E. A, Burke, of Orleans. 
 
 Superintendent Public Education Warren Easton, of Orleans. 
 
 UNITED STATES SENATORS. 
 
 E. L. Gibson of Orleans. 
 
 B. F. Jonas of Orleans. 
 
 FOURTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT. 
 
 Representative. .' IST. C. Blancliard, of ('addo 
 
 SUPREME COURT. 
 
 Chief Justice Edward Bermndez, of Orleans. 
 
 ( Felix P. Pocbe of St. James, 
 
 , . _, T .• Robert B. Todd of Morehouse, 
 
 Associate Justices^ Thoxmx^ C. Manning of Eaindesi 
 
 [ Charles E. Fenner of Orleans. 
 
 COURT OF APPEALS — FIRST CIRCUIT. 
 
 Judge A. B. George, of Webster. 
 
 Judge J. C. Moncure, of Caddo. 
 
 SECOND JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT. 
 
 Judge R. C. Drew, of Webster. 
 
 District Attorney. J. A, W. Lacory, of Bossier. 
 
 TWENTY-FIRST SENATORIAL DISTRICT. 
 
 State Senator J. C. Vance, of Bossier. 
 
 State Senator James Brice, of Bienville. 
 
 PARISH OF EIENVILLE. 
 
 Representative LP. Weljb. 
 
 Sheriff and: ex-officio Tax Collector B. M. Manning. 
 
 Cleric and ex-officio Recorder A. J. Moore. 
 
 Assessor and ex-officio Register W. B. Colbert. 
 
 Parish Treasurer T, J. Fauts. 
 
 Parish Surveyor G. N. Clanpitt. 
 
 Coroner and ex-officio Parish Physician R, F. Harrell. 
 
 President Police Jury H. F. Sclieen. 
 
 President Hoard of School Director x J. T. Boane. 
 
 Parish Superintendent of Public Fjducation W. V. Richardson, 
 
BEN P. EDWARDS, 
 
 ATTORNEY AT LAW, 
 
 SPARTA, BIENVILLE PARISH, LA. 
 
 Will practice in the Courts of Bienville, Claiborne. Bossier and 
 
 Webster. 
 
 J. A. DORMON, 
 
 ATTORNEY AT LAW 
 
 Will practice 
 In the Courts of Winn, Bienville, Natchitoches and Red River. 
 
 Address : Sdline, Bienville Parish, La. 
 
 D. H. PATTERSON, 
 
 ATTORNEY AND COUNSELOR AT LAW, 
 
 ARCADIA, LA. 
 
 Will practice in all the Courts of the Second and Third Judicial 
 Districts and in the Supreme Court. 
 
ROBT. B. HOWELL, 
 
 SPARTA, BIENVILLE PARISH, LOUISIANA. 
 
 Febi-uary 19, 1SS5. 
 
 WILLIAM U. RICHARDSON, 
 
 SPARTA, BIENVILLE PARISH, LOUISIANA. 
 
 February 19, 1SS5. 
 
 MOUNT LEBANON COLLEGE. 
 
 This lustitution is located at Mount Lebfi^uon, Bienville parish. La., 2i miles 
 south of Gibbs, a station ou the Vicksbiirfc, Shreve]>ort aud Pacific Kailroad, a 
 (^iiiet little village, remarkably healthy, ajid surrounded by good moral aud reli- 
 gious influences. Mount Lebanon College otters the greatest advantagea at the 
 oheapest rates. It is well organized — with a lull corps of competent teachers. It 
 is well prepared to give a thorougli Euglisb and classical education, together with 
 music and art. Students of both sexes are received a^nd boarded in separate de- 
 partments, at the meagre cost of ^13 to ^I'i per month, including all boarding ex- 
 l)enses and tuition in literary department. 
 
 For catalogues and other informatiou, address the President, 
 
 REV. W. P. CARTER, 
 
 Mount Lebanon, La. 
 
 E. A. SEMINARY, 
 
 For boys and girls, is located at Arcadia, La., on the V. S. and P. Rail- 
 road. The course of study is full, embracing, 
 
 Primary, Academic and Collegiate Branches. 
 
 Instruction is thoroughly practical. Discipline is rigid, with mildiK's> 
 
 Address, 
 
 R. A. SMITH, 
 
 Principal. 
 
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS