The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1868-05-13
g The Ship Island Mystery Elk
planned
From the New Orleans Bulletin.

ESsS~~~
From the New Orleans Bulletin.
Under this head the Republican Of We'd
nesday, 29th inst, has some comments
upon an article on the same subject winch
appeared in the Bulletin Of Tuesday. The
Republican says that our "article was
based upon falsehood, conceived IN the
yery spirit Of hatred and malice, and writ
ten for toe sole purpose of sensation, and
fomenting, were it possible, revolution and
bloodshed in our already sufficiently dis
tracted community" As any assertion in
that paper saves us the trouble Of a con.
tradiction, we refer the public to our arti-
Gle for an opinion on the motives which
dictated it.
In the New Orleans Crescent and in the
Times ofth 29th inst, appears card adj
dressed to ourselves, which we give:
A CARD.
New ORLEANS, April 90, 1868.
Editors Balletia-It is with feelings Of
deep regret-not unmixed with contempt
that find in your paperof this morning
an article under the title Of "The Ship Is
land Mystery" in which the family Of
Gen Mower are made to figure in a most
painful light. The whole story OF the al
legged outrage upon Gen. Mowers daughter
is false, from beginning to end, and has
no better foundation than the following:
One night, after the family had retired.
one of the men belonging to the command
entered the room where three Of the chill
dren were asleep, with the object, no
doubt, of stealing some of the valuable
trinketss belonging to the girls One Of
the children, aged eight years, was ava
kened by the noise and screamed out, thus
giving the alarm The man was at once
secured, and ordered to undergo some
| light punishment. At the time / left
| Ship Island it was reported that he had
deserted.
As relative of Gen. Mower, I feel it a
duty to give the above plain statement of
facts, which have been SO shamefully ex-
agerated as to call for this reply to your
article. +. b PERklNS.
/ We have no comment to make on the
publication of communication of which
we have not received the original, though
lit purports to be addressed to ourselves
We remind Mr.. P. B. Perkins that in the
laws of honor there are no pleadings. The
first insult makes the issue. II, therefore,
we have offended him or his there can be
no redress in his epithets or in our reIoIn-
der by other epithets. With the remedy
and the redress in cases of alleged offence
the public have nothing to do.
But we address ourselves to the explain
alton of the Ship Island mystery" offer
ed by the Republican and by Mr.. 2. B.
Perkins. We copied from another jour
nal it's entire article on this subject We
neither omitted nor altered anything. The
journal in question THE Hansboro Demo
crat) makes itself responsible for the state
ment which it publishes. We shall copy
the explanation as we copied the article,
that the parties and the public may have
the benefit Of the charges and the vindica-
ton. This we consider the duty of an inn
partial press.
The explanation Of Mr.. P. B. Perkins is
given in his card, that Of the Republican is
as follows:
What are the facts Of the caseG More
than two weeks ago we were aware that a
celored soldier had attempted to take lib
critics with daughter of General Mower
at Ship Island. THIS little girl, but nine
years Of age, was sleeping in the same bed
with younger sister, and in the same
room, with open doors and windows, with
her small brother.
/ Whatever the purpose Of the miscreant,
he completely failed The indignant Off
GERS and soldiers Of Gen.. Mowers COM
mand were about to intlict summary pun
Iishment upon the soldier, when the Gen
eral himself interfered, and, as the attempt
had failed and no harm had been done,
magnanimously permitted the culprit to
leave Ship Island without injury to hair
/ of his head. These facts have been con-
frmed by Col. P. B. Perkins, cousin to the
General, who has just returned from Ship
Island. They were well known along the
coast, and could easily have been obtained
by the contemplate Handsboro (Missis-
sippi) sheet which originated the outra.
I geous story that the child in question was
4 a young lady of sixteen; that sentence
! to death by hanging was suspended by the
interference Of Gen. Mower; that, accord.
ing to the report, the negro was killed in
side the fort, put into sack, and thrown
into the gulf, and that bloody knives and
other weapons were seen on the island
with indications that they had been used
| in his massacre.
4 There is one or more obvious and mo
terial discrepancies between these state
ments. The Republican has been aware fol
, more than two weeks "that colnred sol
der had attempted to take liberties with q
daughter Of Gen. Mower at Ship Island
! MIR. P. B. Perkins says, tone night aftel
/ the family had retired, one Of the men be
: longing to the command entered the room
where three Of the children were sleep, will
the object no doubt Of stealing some o
! the valuable trinkets belonging to the girls I
The Republican. moreover says: "That
as the attempt Of the colored soldier hal
failed, and no harm had been DONE" tn
. culprit was "magnanimously permitted t.
( leave Ship Island without injury to hal
+ Of his head" Mr.. P. B. Perkins says 0
!, the same culprit: a1he man was at ono
secured, and ordered to undergo come ligh
9 punishment" for the intention to steal th
triDkets and that aat the time I MI
Perkins) left Ship Island it was reporte,
he had deserted OF course if he wer
"magnanimously permitted to leave Shil
Island he need not have deserted. Ye
both these statements Of the Republican
occur among the "facts Of the case" swhicl
facts have just been confirmed BY Col. ?
B. Perkins, cousin to the General, who ha
just returned from Ship Island"
Now, this statement of the Republican
J. which it claims to have been thus confirm
led, does not contradict the public impress
! sion that there had been q criminal I'D
I vance on tho part Of the negro soldier. w
q took this allegation as we had right t.
!. take it, as an alleged abuse Of the position
which had hnon nla;nnod for tho racn lntnl,