Keagan LeJeune’s book is about how the identity of a place is tied to the identity of an outlaw-hero named Leather Britches Smith. It is based on his 2001 dissertation at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette: “Talking at the Backdoor: The Legend of Leather Britches Smith as a Representation of the Folklife and Folklore in Louisiana’s No Man’s Land.”
LeJeune’s writing is a mix of styles. At first, to me, it was reminiscent of the style of Roy Bedichek, a Texas naturalist. LeJeune describes a legend teller’s yard: “In the frontyard, a huge white oak and an elderly sycamore act as magnetic poles, one to the east and one to the west, pulling the aesthetics of the lawn in two directions. Near the driveway, a small redbud near the road and an unsure pecan tree—two moons—orbit around the trunks of the oak and sycamore” (6). Then, he seems to evoke the style of John Graves in Goodbye to a River: “When there’s rain and the river rises, the water removes chunks of the bank, leaving a river birch, black walnut, or some other tree unearthed and fallen. Soon, the whole tree loses itself to the river, catches on the bottom somewhere downstream, wedges there, and haunts the water” (8-9). Echoes of Thoreau, Whitman, and Sandburg are thrown in: “Underneath all these, a low buzz reigns supreme. Frogs chirp in rain. Doves coo in morning. These bursts, though, add only treble for the insects’ bass thrum, and the low vibrating tingle of insect becomes the great denominator of place.... Cicadas click out in the trees. June bugs rap on screen doors” (11). This poetic style and LeJeune’s pleasing colloquial style are interspersed with a heavily footnoted academic style; this contrast in styles is sometimes jarring to read, but the information presented makes this book a valuable historical reference.
In chapter 1, the legend of “Leather Britches” is presented in the form of a ballad by Sam Pruitt. It tells that Leather Britches was a big mean bully who carried three guns, who would shoot the head off a chicken and then demand that a local housewife cook it for him, and who was eventually shot and killed by the sheriff and his deputies who ambushed him.
Chapter 2 explains the history of Louisiana’s “neutral strip” or “no man’s land,” a buffer strip between Texas and Louisiana, and a fertile ground for outlaws. It traces the conflicts between the Caddo Indians and the followers of Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto, as well as Caddo conflicts with French explorers such as LaSalle, who was killed in his forays into Caddo territory. Ultimately, the neutral strip separated Spanish-controlled Texas and French-controlled Louisiana.
Chapter 3 gives more history about No Man’s Land, as seen through the eyes of local residents. Chapter 4 describes the settlement of the area, and the growth of the timber industry to provide lumber for building houses and businesses. It was at this time that Leather Britches enters the scene. He had a reputation for being able to live in the woods and is compared to Daniel Boone and Natty Bumppo and other rugged frontiersmen.
Chapter 5 refers to the rise of unions in the region, and the growth of the legend of Leather Britches as a hero of the people in defiance of the lumber companies. These companies kept workers in debt to the company store, effectively robbing them of their freedom. According to legend, Leather Britches came to the aid of union workers, much like Robin Hood.
Chapter 6 is the high point of the book, detailing a gun battle between the union workers and company men that left several people dead, though Leather Britches escaped. This battle is known as the Grabow War. The story is put together through local recollections, newspaper reports, and court records. LeJeune points out that Leather Britches Smith’s legend status no doubt grew because he was seen both as a hero and a villain, depending on whether a person identified with the union or the company.
Chapter 7 describes the demise of Leather Britches at the hands of law enforcement officers who ambushed him. Through oral accounts, we learn that his slain body was displayed for viewers, and that some people dispute that his tombstone marks his actual burial place.
The final chapter shows how the legend of Leather Britches is now used to market the identity of the community through festivals and cultural re-enactments that promote tourism. “Like other towns in Louisiana’s Sabine Valley, Merryville embraces its outlaw legend not because its citizens applaud infamous deeds or yearn for a life of violence, but because the outlaw embodies the people’s ruggedness and frontier spirit,” LeJeune concludes (172).
The book includes a map, archival photos, and the author’s own fieldwork photos. It is grounded in theoretical folklore scholarship. My only qualm with the book is that the rhythm is sometimes choppy; for example, it switches suddenly from a colloquial style describing the anticipation of a chili supper (25) to a plodding academic style encompassing thirteen sentences in a row with footnotes (26). Both styles are fine in their place, but the constant switching back and forth gives an uneven edge to the work as a whole. Nevertheless, it is a valuable book in terms of the historical background of a particular folk legend, and for LeJeune’s theorizing about the symbolism of an outlaw-hero in the marketing of a community’s identity.
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[Review length: 909 words • Review posted on April 3, 2013]