Bras-Coupé facts for kids

Bras-Coupé was the nickname of a man named Squire. He lived in Louisiana in the early 1800s until 1837. Squire was an enslaved person, which meant he was owned by another person and forced to work without pay.

Squire was a very talented entertainer and dancer. His owner sometimes allowed him to travel. But Squire tried to escape many times. In 1834, a group of people who owned large farms, called planters, caught him. As a very harsh punishment, he lost his right arm. This is why he became known as Bras-Coupé, which means "Cut Arm" in French.

After losing his arm, Squire escaped again. He gathered a group of people who had also escaped slavery. Some white people who felt sorry for them also helped his group. Bras-Coupé's fame grew over the next three years. People even started to believe he had superhuman powers, like being impossible to hurt with bullets. In 1837, he was shot by hunters but survived.

Bras-Coupé eventually died in 1837. He was killed by a fisherman named Francisco García, who had once been his friend. García killed him to get a large reward of $2,000.

Bras-Coupé in Literature

A character named Bras Coupé, with a life story similar to Squire's, appears in a famous book. This book is called The Grandissimes: A Story of Creole Life. It was written in 1880 by George Washington Cable.