The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1868-10-14

Il
bers of the Opelousas seymour
Knightsn went to the colored SCHOOL,
on the outer edge of the town, ana Sc
yerely whipped Mr.. Emerson BenLley
the teacher, who is also English editor
of The 81. Landry Progress. me attack
was made because Oh an article pup
lished by him giving an account OF q
Republican meeting in Washington, in
which he said that some Rebel spirit
was exhibited by the Democratic or
carnations who met the procession at
Washington. thoroughly armed and
equipped, The account was true IN
every particular, which can be proved
by over 500 persons who were at the
meeting at Washington. Mr.. Bentley
was an active leader of the Republican
party in the parish, and as the news OF
his being whipped spread over Opeiou-
sas, the freedmen began assembling,
1 armed, But Mr.. Bentley and many
others told them 10 go back to their
homes, and not to start any riot, which
advice having been. followed, appre-
tensions of a difficulty subsidized. Mr..
Bentley made afidavits against the
three persons who assaulted him, and
warrants were granted for their arrest,
the time set for their trial being three
O'Clock in the afternoon. AT about II
| O'Clock A. NJ, the rebels had assembled
In strong force armed with new
guns, reVolVers, &C., and taxing aQ-
| vantage Oh Inc I6IuEu Vi INC 1SePoO-
| licans 10 their homes, they took possess.
ion of the tOIVIl, and sent patrols around
TO dLSGTHI the freedmen and capture The
leaders of the party, who were obliged
| TO conceal themselves or take refuge In
| flight, If they were lucky enough TO get
out of town. AT about IL or IL O'Clock
| A. n, the same day, a body OF armed
men went to the Office of The Progress
to see Messrs. Gustave and Cornelius
| Donate. who were at the office, and
| told them that the town belonged to
them 1.-THE rebels), and that II the. Radt-
calls wanted to get possession OF II they
could do SO only by riding over the
bodies of the peace loving" "much-
abused, ""down-troddenn white people
of The parish. They had captured q
courier ON the road to Washington, who
had told them that Mr.. G. Donate had
sent him to Washington to tell Sam
johnson to bring the Washington club,
armed.Io Opedlusas; butwhen this cour-
| Ter Was brought face to face with Mr..
Donnto, he said that somebody had
told him that Mr.. Donate wanted him
% go to Washington. at this 1unctnre
courier informed the crowd at The
Progress office that there was lighting at
Mr.. Hilaire Pallets place, short dis
lance out of town, whereupon the crowd
mounted their horses and rushed to the
scene of action. The fight, as far as 1
was able to learn, resulted in the death
of one white man and two or three col
| ored and three or four wounded on both
sides. The number of freedmen was
about fifteen Is, headed by one Adolphe
Donate, and they threw down their
arms only when strong re.enforcements
of whites arrived. Adolphe Donate
made his escape.
i On Monday night armed bands Of
men Ipere sent ouer tom 70 seek for The
concealed Republican leaders. The Pro-
0reSS Office was searched without sue
cess. One band went TO the residence
of Mr.. Francois D'Avy, the acknowl-
edged leader of the Republican party,
and forced an entrance to his room
where he was asleep. He aDGS shot at
iVltiLe lying on ute bed, but Tho dssdSStls
missed their aim. He fell TO the floor
| feigniug death, and the armed crowd
started TO leave. Mr.. D'AYy leaped
out of the window and ran through the
garden. He tOGs shot at again a0hite
\ running, and the ball grazed the side
of his head near the ear, withoutint
ing serious damage. Mr.. D'AVy es-
capped, as did all the rest OF the leaders
of our party, excep Mr.. Durand, French
editor of The Progress who has been
in Opelousas IL or Is years, but is cit
izen of France, never having been
naturaliZed. He was taken from his
house on Monday night by armed men
! into the woods and was not seen after
ward. All day Tuesday and the sue
ceeding night the roads were strictly
guarded and persons were arrested and
searched before they were permitted to
enter town. On Tuesday night The
Progress Office was again, entered and
the material was entirely destroyed.
The type was thrown into the streets
and the press broken. Two young
men who were employed in The Pro-
1reSs Office were advised by the Rebels
| to leave, which they did on Wednesday
morning by the boat. Mr.. VioLet, I1ho
is agent for the Freednlun'S Bureau IN
| Sc. Landry, JTGte17IiSe IOiLh and assists
the Rebels IN their tlIlLIagfuL depTeddtionS.
He was with the crowd that went to
The Progress Office to see the Messrs.
| Donate. The men IDto assaulted Mr..
Bentley rode around tot0n armed, and
no attempt tUns made TO arrest them.
Their names are Mayo, Dixon, and
| Williams. All is quiet now, but strict
watch is kept by the Rebels to prevent
an uprising.
DEMOCRATIC RECITAL OF THE DUTCHERY.
To complete the picture we reproduce
the Democratic version from the BLLLe.
tin of the 9th inst, showing that the
massacre of'colored men in the out
skirts of the town was horrible:
welearn the following particulars of
the riot in Opelousas, from DR.. Taylor
1 of that place, who was present at the
time, and an eye witness at the terrible
| scene. Its origin is traced to an article
published in Radical paper called the
| Progress, recently established there to
disseminate Republican principles, to
promote peace and good order in that
part of the State, and to do the printing
under the famous bill of the Legisla-
ture. The editor, n Mr.. Bentley, had
misrepresented the official conduct of
the Deputy Sheriff, an ex-Federal off,
Ger, and was. called upon to publish a
correct statement the following week.
Instead, however, of making the de.
sired retraction the editor OF The Pro-
9resS only added insult TO injury by
publishing still grosser libel than the
first. Whereupon he was waited on by
the injured party, who proceeded to adj
| minister severe castigation in the way
OF a wholesome application of the cow
hide to the tune of lashes.. This per-
tormance took place in the presence of
| 90 OF the negroes who were attending
the school over which Bentley presided
as dominic. The cowhiding OF their pre-
ceptor naturally aroused their sympa-
thtes, and they set up such a howl.
ing as to cause the assembly
OF gang OF negroes about the
school mouse, who proposed to COM
mence the work Immediately, of clean-
ing out the people of Opelousas, The
time had come for work. and IL was
proposed 10 "pitch in" Couriers were
then dispatched to the plantations LIZ
orders 10 bring in all OF the NEGROES
well armed. In short time the WhoIs
town, was almost entirely surrounded
by these enraged negroes. a company
| of 25 white men then rode ont to me-,
them, and to persuade them to disbanfl
Before reaching the place where the
negroes had congregsted the whites
were fired upon by q band of negroes