Lafayette (LA) Daily Advertiser, September 30, 1997

Lastie Dupré's name linked with tales of gold

by Jim Bradshaw

Dupré was the descendant of an Acadian exile, Laurent Dupré Sr., and the daughter of an Italian nobleman, Marie Josephine Gradenigo. His father was Gov. Jacques Dupré and his mother was Théotiste Roy. Lastie was born March 20, 1795, and died Aug. 15, 1886. He married Marie Tonoton Bernard and they had seven children.

The vault that he built sometime after the turn of the century was said to be the first bank building in St. Landry Parish because he kept his riches there, and because he let his friends put their bags full of money into it. The walls on the little building are 15 to 18 inches thick. There is a stout iron door and a single window, barred and shuttered. The roof was originally made of slate laid atop thick cypress planks. The iron vault was chained to heavy bolts screwed into the thick walls.

During the Civil War, the outlaws known as Jayhawkers tried to force the door. They shot at the iron shutter in an attempt to break in. It didn't work.

Many tales have been told about Dupré's fabulous wealth. It is said that at one time he owned all of the land that is now Allen Parish, and that did not include all of his holdings. He was also supposed to have had regular dealings with Jean Lafitte. Dupré supposedly buried his gold in layers in the dirt floor inside the building before he installed the vault. According to the old tale, when he dug up his gold, it took a week to dig, wash, and count it.

It is said that he was so honest that he never thought anyone else could be dishonest. He was blind in his old age. But when his planter friends would come by to get their gold from the vault, he just gave them the key and told them to take what was theirs. It's said that not a cent too much was ever stolen.