Shreveport semi-weekly news. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1865-18??, 1865-09-16
FREEDMAN's BUREAU,
Shreveport La. Sept. IL. 1865.

FReEDMAN's BUREAU.
Shreveport La. Sept. IL. 1865. !
L. S. Is JAMES l. WEEMs.
The defendant appeared in Caur..
Information by Capt. C.. X. Berry,
proves, marshal OF Bossier Parish.
Louisiana.
Norgr.-Viola,ion Of paragraph
7, of circular No. S, dated Washing.
ton, May Both, 1865; issued BY Gen.
o. o. Howard. and approved by the
prcsid-n: Of the United States.
Spec fcation.--In this, that James
!. W-.sns, acting as Jud &c OF the tenth
Judicial District Of Louisiana. did
on the 9Th day OF September. 1865.
a, the town Of Bellevue. in the Par
ish Of Bossi-r, Louisiana, erraisn
and try John Gaines. a freedman.
for the Grim. Of horse stealing; juri.-
dict,ou in said case, righ,fully be-
longed to the bureau Of freedmen,
rc.us, rs and abandoned lands.
To this charge the defendant plead
"no, guilty" and expressed himself
r-ady for trial.
He nvcrr.d tina, h. was not liable
to the chacGc of di-rrgarding the
n"gro's righ: 20 justice belor. the
law, in not allowing him to give tes-
",imony;' and supported bis aver
men, by quotation from his charge
to the grand jury. both at Shrcve-
port and Bellevue. AS follows:
The war which has just termi-
mated. and the constitution of this
:" State. mad. in anticipation of that
" event. have made the once negro
" slave, n free man. He is now anne
"nabl. TO the same tribunals and
punishable in the same manner for
:" his crimes az y white man.
Hence, tn. boundaries Of your
duties will be or atty -ularsed.--
:. Instead of combining your iuvesti-
"ga,ions Us heretofore to crimes aud
Offences committed by white per,
=. sons exclusively, and n very small
number of ire persons o.. color you
will now extend them SO rs TO
embrace those committed by the
=. whole black population. The laws
.of the State of Louisiana having
ALWAYS made tn. free man q; color
"a COMPETENT witnrss in their tribu-
"buuuls, in any litigation for or
"agailI-t n whit. man. he lthe late
negro slavc) being now free. i. as
"Ina;ier of course, competent Wit
mess. equally with the white man.
lin all li,isa;ions spripsins up be-
fore YOU This We say of his com
potency. You are the judges Of the
" degree of credi, to which this and
"all other evidence is entitled"
Regarded as a support for the plea
entered, this quotation Is not araiia-
bic for the following reasons:
l. l, brgs the question in dispute;
roundly asserting the possession of Il
. wer which is denied in this indict-
n-n,. and so fails as an argument.
2 L, merely asserts the comps-
tency OF the witness. leaving the
question Of his crcdibility 70 ;hs
jury.
This is apparently very fair, aud
would be sound law ifthc negro and
the white man were on an equality
as citizens, and no more amount of
popular prejudice existing against
the one than the other. But such is
not the case, especially in the parish
Of Bossier, La. The records of this
bureau show fearful list of we'll au
then,icated, deadly assaults commit
ted on the persons of freedmen in
that parish. To admit the ncgro's
competency as a witness and leave
his credibility to the Judgment of
men whose views OF his right to lite
are very loose, will be in five cases
out of six equivalent to throwing his
testimony out of court. and will only
give him the scmbIance Of a remedy,
when in reality he has none.
1t is in vain that the bavonet has
scattered to the winds, "old codes in
violation of the freedom guaranteed
by the president, aud the laws OF
congress" when the principles and
feelings which originated. sustained
and carried out those codes. exis,
with undiminished power in the
hearts Of the people.
We are willing to believe that il
Judge Wecms were entrusted with
the doing of every act in legal pro
cess. no wrong would be done, but be
10 only one IN a series of actors. o.
many Of whom he can have no con
troll. so that wrong may arise at 9th
CT steps in the legal proceedings thar