THE KILLING OF THE MORINE BROTHERS

Crowley Signal, October 22, 1927

Hubertie Thibodeaux Dance Hall was the scene of a fatal affair Saturday night, the result of a quarrel.

(NOTE: Hubertie’s dance hall and home was on the corner of present day Richard School Road and Charlene Highway). The property is now the home of Francis Benoit and his wife Ernestine who was a daughter of Hubertie Thibodeaux.

Felma Morine is dead, Leonard Morine, wounded and Leleus Thibodeaux, jailed. One dead and one possibly fatally wounded stood today as the toll from the dance hall shooting in the Point Noir section of Acadia Parish Saturday night, while the alleged slayer was held in jail here (Crowley). Felma Morine, 25, was killed in the encounter, said to have occurred in the Hubertie Thibodeaux dance hall midway between Eunice and Church Point at 9 p.m. Saturday. His brother Leonard was taken to the St. Landry sanitarium in Opelousas with a pistol wound from which he is not expected to recover. Leleus Thibodeaux surrendered to the sheriff’s office after the shooting and was placed in the parish jail here (Crowley). Seen by a “Daily Signal” reporter this morning, he claimed that he shot in self-defense. He said the Morine brothers had been annoying him for some time and that he had repeatedly asked them to leave him alone.

According to reports, there had been trouble between the Morines and Thibodeaux and at the dance Saturday night the feeling broke out again and resulted in the fatal shooting.

Coroner Z.J. Francez of Crowley was notified, but was unable, due to serious illnesses, to visit the scene. Dr. Parrott of Branch and Dr. T.T. Tolson of Church Point were summoned and made the examination.

(NOTE: Information from later articles in the Crowley Signal, a grand jury failed to indict Lelouis for the shooting)