take blue-nose," and, brandishing his hot
poker over his head, he charged, as with the bayonet, pointing the
poker at the stomach of Raphignac. "_Tonnerre!_" exclaimed the
frightened Frenchman, and, lifting both hands, he fell back against the
wall. Moore still held the poker close to his stomach, as he called
aloud, "Take the question, General Thomas! We come here to be admitted,
and d--- me if we won't be, or this goes through your bread-basket, I
tell you, Mr. Raphy Blue-nose!" Raphignac was a tall, thin man, with a
terribly large bottled nose. At the end it was purple as the grape
which had caused it. The question was put, and the proposition was
carried, amid shouts of laughter. "Oh!" said Raphignac, as the poker
was withdrawn, and Moore with it, "vat a d--- ole savage is dat Larry
Moore!" Thus a part of West Florida became a part of Louisiana.

From that day forward, many of these men became most prominent citizens
of the State. The son of Johnson--one of the leaders--became its
Governor. Thomas was frequently a member of the Legislature, and once a
member of Congress, from the Baton Rouge district, where he resided,
and where he now sleeps in an honored grave. Morgan and Moore were
frequently members of the Legislature. But of all the participants in
this affair, Thomas was most conspicuous and most remarkable. He was
almost entirely without education; but was gifted with great good
sense, a bold and honest soul, and a remarkable natural eloquence. His
manner was always natural and genial--never, under any circumstances,
embarrassed or affected; and in whatever company he was thrown, or
however much a stranger to the company, somehow he became the
conspicuous man in a short time. The character in his face, the flash
of his eye, the remarkable self-possession, the natural dignity of
deportment, and his great good sense, attracted, and won upon every
one. In all his transactions, he was the same plain, honest man--never,
under any circumstances, deviating from truth--plain, unvarnished
truth; rigidly stern in morals, but eminently charitable to the
shortcomings of others. He was, from childhood, reared in a new
country, amid rude, uncultivated people, and was a noble specimen of a
frontier man; without the amenities of cultivated life, or the polish
of education, yet with all the virtues of the Christian heart, and
these, perhaps, the more prominently, because of the absence of the
others. It was frequently remark