The Cavalcade of America presented by DuPont. The story of Jean Lafitte. Adapted for radio from material suggested by the eminent American author Marquis James. Starring William Johnstone in the role of Jean Lafitte. The DuPont Company, makers of better things for better living through chemistry, bring you another drama in the Cavalcade of America. The story of a picturesque, pre-booting pirate, Captain Jean Lafitte. And here is the Cavalcade of America's historical advisor, Dr. Frank Monahan of Yale University. This evening, Cavalcade presents a little known, but highly important episode of the War of 1812. It is the midwinter of 1814, during our second war with Great Britain. To many persons, it is America's darkest hour since Valley Forge. Our military invasions of Canada have been miserable failures. The British have burned both the Capitol and the White House in Washington. They are in firm possession of whole regions along the Atlantic coast. Their fleets blockade our ports. Dark is America's prospect, but now it grows worse. For England has now defeated the great Napoleon and sent him into exile. She is determined to end the lagging war in America with one staggering blow. By the greatest single army and a European power ever dispatched to the New World. That blow is to be struck against New Orleans and the Mississippi Valley. With 10,000 seasoned veterans, Major General Sir Edward Pakenham maneuvers his fleet of 50 vessels of war into the Gulf of Mexico. Music In a dismal tangle of Palmetto and Cyprus is the camp of the hastily gathered frontier militia forces of a worn and weary fighter from Tennessee, Andrew Jackson. It is late at night. By the tonal coffee. Look at this. This letter here now. Go on, smell it. General. All perfumed up like a Creole's kerchief. Fancy, too. Who's it from? Governor Claiborne. That prancing, squealing fuss budget to come down here from Virginia. Now he's the governor. Getting all riled up about the British. Where are they going to attack, he says. You got to protect Louisiana from those red-backed skunks, he says. Maybe he's going to tell us how we ought to do it, huh? Maybe he doesn't think I wish I knew where they were going to crack us. Be that New Orleans are mobile. I figured. That doesn't help us any. Not enough men in our camp to be both places to words. I tell you, coffee, I wish I knew where. New Orleans are mobile. And now Claiborne tells me he's wondering, too. Not only that, but he says we got to watch out for a cussed pirate to boot. Who's that? Some French jackass named Lafitte. Jean Lafitte. You know him? Yes, I know him. I heard of him. He's practically the idol of New Orleans. I don't care if he's their patron saint. Idol of New Orleans. By that tunnel, I'd like to lay my hands on him. I'd throttle him so fast I'd have to duck out of the way with the teeth line out of his mouth. Over the hills from the camp of Andrew Jackson, beyond the lakes and bayous, lies the picturesque city of New Orleans. It's late the following afternoon and the sunlight glows golden on a colorful promenade in the square. Brilliant New Orleans with its frivolity, its commerce, and its romance. At a sidewalk café, several men are seated about a table with Captain Jean Lafitte listening to a street singer. The party is over. Good evening, madam. The party is over. Bravo! Exquisite! Here you are, my man. Thank you, Captain. Use it to buy a bracelet for the lovely one in the store. Yes, yes, yes. Captain Jean, thank you. Now then, Monsieur, back to our business. The deal is made? I am satisfied, Captain Lafitte. And I? When may I expect the merchandise? Tomorrow at the latest, Monsieur. It is already at my headquarters at Grand Terre. Good. The shelves of my shop are badly in need of replenishment. We have been wondering, Captain Lafitte, how long you and your brother Pierre will be able to escape the governor's customs men. Yes, we have been told that Governor Claiborne frowns on your profession. Ah, good day to you, Captain Lafitte. Good day, Monsieur. Perhaps that's one reason I have no trouble with the authorities. My good friend Monsieur le district attorney. The gentle art of smuggling has been considered a legitimate business in these parts for many years. As for Monsieur le Governor Claiborne, the poor gentleman is so busy worrying about the English fleet that he has no time to bother about me. My island of Barataria is a stronghold. Eh oui, Capitaine Jean. It guns to match the best of his excellence. Monsieur, my faithful friend and associate Gambieu speaks little. A very observant fellow, Gambieu. I have to be observant. Otherwise, more Capitaine would give away all the money we make as pirates. Corsaire, privateer, Gambieu. I like not a word pirate. Such a sour face, mon enfant. You would think I never expected to take to sea again. Sometimes I wonder about that too. These Americans who have come into power here are very sure of themselves. They might even attack Barataria. Careful how you speak of Americans, Gambieu. Remember, we are all Americans now. Is that not so, Monsieur? Oh, your pardon, Monsieur. There is another friend of mine I would speak to. The good father. Father! Good evening, my son. Good evening, father. I was hoping to see you. You are going to the cathedral? Not this evening, I regret, father. I am very busy. Too busy to confess, perhaps? If I should start confessing, father, I fear that you would become exhausted before you could give me absolution. The first, Gambieu. This for some of your needy ones, father, and this for a mass for my beloved mother. Good night. If only your soul were as good as your heart, Jean Lefitte. Good night, father. Good night, father. Good night. If I never hear the voice of the church, I am afraid I will wake fall. No fear of that, Gambieu. And now I must leave you, mes amis. I must see my brother Pierre and make arrangements for your shipment. I have even expected that. Before I go, let us see what the news is. Oh, boy! Oui, Capitain Jean? Bring me the gazette. Here it is, Capitain Jean. Thank you, my son. Thank you. Now tell me, have you had any sweets today? No, Capitain Jean. Give him some of our profits, Gambieu. Here, I sue. Nay, when you give, give generously. Here, catch. Oh, merci, monsieur. Merci, Capitain Jean. Gambieu is right, Captain Lefitte. You will die in poverty. Perhaps, perhaps. But I shall have lived. Ah, Capitain, see there on the front page. What? A proclamation. Yes, a proclamation signed by Governor Gleiborne. Ah. No, all men, it is hereby decreed that the sum of five hundred dollars will be paid to the person or persons whose love of justice and desire for order direct their most conscientious energies in such a manner to effect the capture of the notorious brigand, freebooter and pirate, Garde Lefitte. The man insults me. Five hundred dollars. Garde Lefitte. Well, you should be amused by this. Yes, Capitain, you must take it as a joke. No, monsieur, not quite a joke. Monsieur Gleiborne cannot have the last word. I will publish a reward for the Governor. What? Yes, I will offer five times the amount he offers for me, perhaps ten times. And not as a measure of Monsieur Gleiborne's worth, but as evidence of my own generosity. Come, Gambio, let us find my brother Pierre. It is long since we have visited here, Gambio. You will surprise my brother and his Mary Louise. Strange that a man of action like Pierre should choose a wife in a place like this. That does not go by rules, mon capitaine. Oh, monsieur Jean, it is you. I am so glad you are here. My sister was sending me to look for you. Indeed, my petite. Ah, Gambio, this is Mary Louise's little sister Catherine. Mademoiselle. Oh, come in quickly, please, monsieur Jean. Mary Louise is in great distress. Come in, Gambio. She is ill. Oh, no, monsieur. Your brother Pierre. What of Pierre? He has been arrested. What's that you see? Marie! Marie Louise! Jean, Jean, you are here at last. What will we do? Is this true? This story Catherine tells me. It is true, Jean. The governor sent Pierre not half an hour ago. They arrested my brother? This governor overreaches himself. Oh, my poor Pierre. In prison. I've been trying to tell her that all would be well when you arrive, monsieur Jean. Oh, what can you do? Perhaps you will soon have Pierre in your arms again, Marie. The district attorney, Mr. Grimes, is my friend. Oh, always the prison doors swing open for my men. Have no fear, Marie. Pierre will soon be free. But, monsieur Livingstone, my friend district attorney Grimes says you are the best lawyer in all Louisiana. I will pay $10,000, $50,000 for Pierre's release. It is not a question of money, Captain Lafitte. Governor Claiborne can't be bought. Surely the guards of the jail can be reached. Your brother is imprisoned at the Cabildo itself under the eyes of the governor's own guard. For years I have always bought my way out of all difficulties. Not with the men who are now in power, Captain Lafitte. I don't think you realize that Governor Claiborne was very much annoyed by your impudent proclamation. Well, I was annoyed by his proclamation. What does the governor demand? What is my lawyer it is for you to find out? If I am to be your lawyer, my advice is that you return to Barataria at once. Here even you are in danger of arrest. Arrest? Jean Lafitte? That's my advice, Captain. Return to Barataria and I'll see what I can do for your brother. Southward from New Orleans across the bayous and lakes lies the Bay of Barataria. Its sapphire waters glittering to the faraway horizon. In this isolated setting there are islands of swaying palm trees, tropical and fragrant. Among them is the island of Grand Terre, the stronghold of the Baratarian pirates. And pacing restlessly on a wide terrace of his fortress overlooking the bay is Jean Lafitte. How many weeks must I be cooped up in this island before I hear from that infernal lawyer? How long must my poor brother languish in that stuffy Cabildo? I will go to New Orleans tomorrow. A ship, mon capitaine. There, to the east. Perhaps this is Monsieur Claiborne seeking me. Call him at two quarters. Already they hasten to their posts. Hand me my spy glasses. Oui, mon capitaine. Governor Claiborne will find us prepared for... Mais non! It is not the American governor. Take the spyglass, Gambio. Look for yourself. She flies the English colors. An English ship? Perhaps it is a trick. Let them land if they will. Perhaps the Fates are playing an interesting game with Jean Lafitte. English officers, mon capitaine. Captain Lafitte, permit us to introduce ourselves. I am Captain Lockyer of his Majesty ship Sophie, the brig that is anchored in your bay. This is Captain Mac Williams, Royal Marines. Your cannon introduce you, Monsieur. A blank shot to attract your attention, Captain. We come under a flag of truce, Lafitte, with formal proposals. Will you not be seated, Monsieur? Let us enjoy this truce. We come from Captain Sir William Percy and General Sir Edward Pacamum, commanding his Majesty's Sea and Land Forces. We have the honor, Captain Lafitte, to present official communications. Formal proposals? Official communications? You frighten me, Monsieur. We'll come to the point at once. Captain Lafitte, you are of course familiar with the Louisiana Seacoast. Do you hear from my balcony? You must guess that we are not interested. You water route to New Orleans by way of the lakes. Tell me, would such a route be feasible for ships of our size, Captain? Captain Mac Williams, you flatter me. How should I know that? Just a moment, Mac Williams. Captain Lafitte, here is a paper that should interest you if our talk does not. Ah, a paper. Louisianans, I knew the first call is made to assist in liberating your paternal soil from American usurpation. This is addressed to me as a Louisianan. It is, Captain Lafitte. But you forget that I am also American. We understand that you're, that you have been... That I am an outlaw? Is that what you mean to say? Well, at least that you are at the moment experiencing certain difficulties with the American authorities. You seem well informed as to my affairs, Monsieur. Here is a second paper, Captain. It is an invitation. An invitation? I call upon you and your brave followers to enter the service of Great Britain, in which you will have the rank of captain. Hmm, complete amnesty for all my followers, posts in the British Navy commensurate with ability, our property and persons respected. So, I must be England's ally or her enemy? Our terms are liberal, Captain Lafitte. We are authorized to say that besides the rank of captain, England will pay you a bounty of $30,000. And your brother Pierre will be free. That last is the greatest inducement you offer, Monsieur. In return for all this? Lead us by the simplest and most direct route to New Orleans. Perhaps. Perhaps. I am sometimes slow in thought, Monsieur, especially when I am hungry. Will you be my guest? I should like to discuss this further. And what better way than over my wine? Come, Monsieur, if you please, to my dining gallery. Very well, Captain Lafitte, as you wish. Thank you, Captain Lafitte, a delightful dinner. Your pardon, Monsieur. I said it was a very good dinner. Thank you, Monsieur. And now may we expect your decision, Captain Lafitte. I am sorry, Monsieur, it will take me two weeks to make my decision. Two weeks? Why so long, Captain? You see, Monsieur, my men unfortunately do not care for the English. Perhaps you have noticed the way they have of looking at your uniform. No, Monsieur, it will take time to prepare them to like you a little. Shall we say two weeks? Well, there's no other way out of it. I shall study the letters well. Very well, Captain. We'll expect your answer in two weeks. Au revoir, Monsieur. Au revoir, Captain. Au revoir. Mon Capitaine, you are going to wait two weeks before you give these English their answer? Yes, Gambior. But it is a good offer, Mon Capitaine. Pierre will be free and we shall have all the gold we need. Perhaps. But Gambior, don't you see? I hold the one piece of information that Governor Clément desires. We know where the English will attack. What would the Governor give for this news, eh? May we? If Monsieur the Governor refuses to trade with us, we join the English. It is a good plan. Perhaps. Perhaps you are right. I can now demand what I will of Governor Clément. Power, my friend, is a great thing. Gambior, bring me paper and quill. I'm going to write a letter. Perhaps this game is for higher stakes than I thought. But, Mr. Livingston, I can't understand this. Are you sure this letter is genuine? Yes, Governor Clément, I'm sure. I know John Lafitte's signature. It was brought to me by his most trusted lieutenant. Are you sure this isn't some trick to affect Pierre Lafitte's release? It says, I offer to give back to the State many citizens who perhaps in your eyes have lost that sacred title. I offer their efforts for the defense of the country. I don't know, Mr. Livingston, I don't know. Take my word for it, Your Excellency. That letter is sincere. Even in making such an offer to man's arrogance, I shall be the lost sheep who desires to return to the flock. And this, in case, Monsieur Le Governor, that your reply should not be favorable, I declare to you that I shall leave immediately so as not to be held to have cooperated with the invasion. Would he do this? I believe he would. Who can trust a pirate? He has sent you the English correspondence. You have learned that the English will attack at New Orleans instead of Mobile. Now you can get General Jackson to come down here. You are already in great debt to John Lafitte. That's what I don't like. I promised the people of Louisiana to hang the Lafitte's and stamp out all they stand for. How can I go back on my word? This means I'd have to release Pierre Lafitte. Prisoners have been known to escape. It's impossible to escape from the cabino. Doors have been left open. Guards have been known to look the other way. The city is in danger. Jean! Jean! Pierre! But Pierre, how did you get out of the cabino? Last night the cell door was ajar and the guards know after be seen so I walked out. All these weeks I have tried to get you off. Jean, here is a letter. After I left the cabino the lawyer, Mr. Livingstone, gave it to me. Ah, let us see what he has to say. Pierre, listen. He suggests that we join the standard of the United States to march against the enemy. He says that there may be a proclamation offering pardon to all who join General Jackson. Ah, but you cannot trust that Governor Claiborne. Yeah, it is time for Jean Lafitte to act. On the one hand I have the English terms. And the other, the suggestion of Mr. Livingstone. Perhaps, perhaps Pierre, the time has come for me to take a little trip to Noiria. Well, General Jackson, now that we know where the English plan to attack... Why, that tunnel coffee can't I get it into your head that we can't fight them without weapons? Well, you have always boasted a backwoodsman was a match for a dozen, Redcoat. Men, yes, but they have got artillery. If I had just half as many guns... Well, what do you want? Captain Lafitte to see General Jackson. Captain? I said I would get my hands on his throat some day. Send them in. Yes, General Lafitte, Captain Lafitte. Captain Lafitte reporting to General Jackson. Captain Lafitte, eh? All right, Cawfee, you can go. I want to talk to this bandit. But, General... You need have no fear for the General's safety, Monsieur. My safety? You think I'm afraid of a blasted pirate? Get out, Cawfee, get out. Yes, General. So you're the cussed free booter I've heard of, eh? Well, come to the point before I spring you up. I am here, General Jackson, in reply to the proclamation. The Governor said you needed men. Well, suppose I do. What prove I that you and your cutthroats will play fair? I am trusting myself to you, General. You will have to trust me. Well, what's your proposition? What you need most. Men. Ammunition. You're not at all what I expected. You look like a soldier. You stand like a soldier. I hope to prove to you that I am a soldier, General. I have many men under my command. To keep discipline, a man must know discipline. I never thought I'd be thanking a pirate for information that may save Louisiana and the Mississippi Valley. I say may save. The men I got can lick their wheat and wildcats and they can hit a squirrel's eye as far as they can sight a gun. But, General, they cannot shoot the gun without blinks. Is it not so? I told you I needed blinks. I have my sources of information. I suppose you know I haven't got much artillery. Yes, Monsieur. That is why I have come to tell you that I have a cache of over 7,500 blinks. And if you will accept them, General, all my men are anxious to volunteer under you. I promise you they will not often miss the squirrel's eye. The enemy artillery's thrown away, have you? Oui, Monsieur. Several cannon in good condition. You smile at last, mon General. I have always thought that I was a good judge, your men. Rafit, I can use your flints and your men. And the cannon? Yes, by the tunnel and the cannon too. I suppose you know your way around this country. I flatter myself, I do, General. Come in, coffee. Yes, General. Captain Rafit's having some viddles with us. We're making plans to hunt some squirrels in red coats. Thank you, General. And now, may I be permitted to send for my men? The sooner the better. My brother is waiting. Pass Captain Rafit's brother. Yes, Captain Rafit's brother. Come in, Pierre. Yes, John. Round up the men. Tell them to get their flints and cannon and come here and join up with General Jackson's force. Now I will give those English their answer. Yes, at once, John. Make haste, Pierre. Wait a minute. You might tell my boys that too. That'll cheer them up. Tell them we all get ready now to boot those English mules clear back across the Atlantic where they come from. Yes, General Jackson. Tell me something, Rafit. The English offer was a good one, wasn't it? Very generous. And why'd you refuse it? Why do you throw in your lot with my rag-tagging bob tail, especially when the governor had a price on your head? Perhaps. Perhaps I hate the English. Perhaps it is my sympathy for what I consider the underdog. And perhaps, perhaps sometime someone may even say Jean Rafit did what he did because he was an American. And the Americans of New Orleans scored one of the most decisive military victories in history against a vastly superior British army. But without the cannon, the flintlocks, and the heroism of French-born Jean Rafit and his men, there might have been another story. In granting Jean Rafit and his men a free and full pardon, President Madison in February 1815 declared that it was because they have abandoned the prosecution of the worst cause in order to adopt the best, and particularly because they have exhibited in the defense of New Orleans unimpeachable traits of courage and fidelity. And with the words of President Madison, we may well accord to Jean Rafit his rightful place in the cavalcade of America. Thank you, Dr. Monahan. From the days of Jean Rafit up to the present time, New Orleans has been a great center for king cotton. The New Orleans citizens of 1814 would have been amazed to see the things into which cotton goes today as a chemical raw material. Take one example, plastics. Those modern man-made materials used to make everything from the comb you used on your hair this morning to automobile steering wheels and fountain pens. Isn't it hard to believe that they are born in the cotton field? DuPont makes several types of plastics, and the story of their development is another chronicle of American ingenuity. Before the turn of the century, the comb industry depended chiefly on horn from the long-horned cattle that roamed the western plains. Then horn began to grow scarce after the introduction of the chunky hornless cattle that were found to be more profitable for beef. But people still needed combs and buttons and other products made from horn. So chemists developed a method of making combs and other articles from plastics derived from cotton cellulose. From 1900 on, there appeared thousands of plastic articles from optical frames to furniture. DuPont chemists were able to make important contributions in cellulose plastics because of their long experience in using cellulose as a raw material for other products. In the early days, plastics were made to resemble ivory, amber, tortoise shell, ebony, and the entire range of semi-precious stones. Nowadays, plastics do not try to imitate anything. They are beautiful and useful in their own right. In 1907, there were only three kinds of plastics, each having unique qualities. But the curious thing is, for another 22 years, until 1929, that picture of the plastics industry remained practically unchanged. Most of the spectacular development in plastics has taken place within the past 10 years. Today, there are at least 13 types of plastics, each with distinctive properties. This new industry, born in the chemist's test tube, has meant the employment of thousands of workers, not only in plants like DuPont's that make the basic materials, but also in factories throughout the land that turn plastics into countless articles of better living for your daily use. Plastics are an admirable example of the DuPont pledge, better things for better living through chemistry. And now, Dr. Monahan. Now, we present the question which will be answered on the cavalcade program at the same time next week. What member of Abraham Lincoln's immediate household was under suspicion and actually investigated as a Confederate spy during a most critical period of the Civil War? Thank you. DuPont is pleased to announce that next week, the cavalcade of America will present one of the great actors of our times, Mr. Raymond Massey. Mr. Massey will be starred as Abraham Lincoln in an original radio play written especially for the cavalcade of America by the distinguished dramatist, Mr. Robert E. Sherwood. The play is based on material drawn from Carl Sandberg's monumental new biography, Abraham Lincoln, The War Years. The broadcast will originate on the stage of the Civic Opera House in Chicago, where Mr. Massey is currently appearing in Mr. Sherwood's Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Abe Lincoln in Illinois. This is Thomas Chalmers saying good night and best wishes from the DuPont Company. This is the National Broadcasting Company.
