By KAREN LAGRANGE COX
In the May 14, 1921 edition of the St. Landry Clarion newspaper in Opelousas, Louisiana, the following article was in it titled “Opelousean is Really a Hero: Amos Bourque Saves Eight People from Drowning When Boat Capsizes”.
The article reads:
“Without giving time and date, a correspondent at Breaux Bridge, St. Martin Parish, writes the Clarion that Amos Bourque of Opelousas, working for the dredge of McWilliams Foundation Company, saved the lives of four men and four women there.
Mr. Bourque worked unceasingly in saving the lives of these people and saved as many as he could find in the water near him; it being dark, he could not find Miss Ledney Herval1 and Mr. George Bustashell, both of whom drowned.
The party had been out to a supper and when returning to Breaux Bridge the boat in which they were traveling struck a stomp, causing it to capsize.
Mr. Bourque’s friends are trying to get a hero medal for him as he proved remarkably brave in saving the ten2 members of the party who would have otherwise drowned. The accident occurred at Bayou Portage, which steam is near Breaux Bridge.”
An article from Teche News on May 14, 1921 (see image at the end of this article) lists the survivors: Miss Jean Huval, sister of the drowned girl; Miss Lawrence Guidry; Mrs. Huval, sister-in-aw of the drowned girl; Mrs. Don Blazer; Don Blazer; Valex Taylor; H. B. Wright; and B. B. Sanchon.
Amos Bourque grew up in Plaquemine Point, Louisiana, a small community just south of Lawtell and north of Church Point. On June 5, 1917, he and four others who lived in or near the area Registered for the Military in St. Landry Parish in the United States Army during World War I; these five men enlisted in the Army on November 14, 1917. He was discharged from military service on March 24, 1919.
His military registration card shows he was tall and slender with brown hair and brown eyes. His employer was Willie C. DeJean, for whom Bourque farmed.
Bourque was born as a twin on August 28, 1891 (some records show 1892) to Valry Bourque and Marie Lucia Richard. His twin, who is believed to have been named Amar, died at a couple of weeks of age. His father died when he was three years old. His mother remarried Joseph Cleo Lagrange and had two more sets of twins.
In December 1921, Bourque married Agnes Hebert of Arnaudville, and they had seven children.
Bourque died on January 28, 1938. He is buried in St. John Francis Regis Catholic Church in Arnaudville, Louisiana.
1 Lidney Huval
2 This was probably meant to have said “trying to save the ten members” as at the beginning of the article it said he saved the lives of eight people.
Author’s note: Amos and my grandfather, Atelismar “AC” Lagrange, were half-brothers, making Amos my half great-uncle. I never met him due to his death before I was born. I felt a sense of pride when I found the article about his heroism published in 1921 and share the same sense of pride sharing it.
