New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1868-10-24
THE JEFFERSON, TEXAS, OUTRAGEs,
OPERATIONS OF THE UsREcoEsTRUoTBD.
OF UNION MEN.


Conflicting reports having been circulat.
ed concerning the late disturbances at JEFF
ferson, Texas, 1 deem it proper to make the
following authentic statements:
For several months gang of outlaws
have operated in that locality with perfect
impunity. In May, 1868, they compelled
the discontinuance of Norton's Union Intel-
ligencer by attempting to blow up the
printing Office and by other hostile mani
festations. Soon after they broke up the
aourishing colored school at Jefferson and
obliged the teachers to flee for their lives.
They have effectually abolished Repub-
lican meetings. On the fourth of July one
thousand Republicans assembled to cele-
brate the day and were addressed by Mr..
Gallant. The meeting was broken up by
disgraceful riot. Gallant was arrested
and narrowly escaped lynching while a
prisoner. On his release he was obliged to
leave the country. On the same day the
mob was busy hunting for A. P. Shuferd,
Esq, the District Attorney, who was also
charged with having made Republican
speech.
The Conservatives of Jefferson have pro-
hibited, by public resolutions Republican
torchlight professions, while they them.
selves have since repeatedly indulged in
that pastime.
l can count at least seventeen white
Republicans who have been compelled to
leave Marion county, of which jefferson is
the county seat, since July 4, through fear
of assassination. A large number of freed
men have also been driven away. No man
who has exercised the right of free speech
dare remain in that county. All the OBJ
noxious officeholders have been driven
away and the outlaws have entire control
of the country, caring no more for the little
squads of United States troops than for so
many bundles of straw. The Union man
is told by the commander of the troops at
Jefferson that he must leave the country as
the Federal force is inadequate to protect
him. He goes to headquarters at Marshall
where he finds the same state of affairs ex-
isting. He continues his fight to Shreve-
port, and, finding matters no better there,
he is obliged to take refuge in New Or
leans. "Such is lifeH with the friends of
the Government in the Southwest.
The facts connected with the assassina-
ton of Hon. George W. Smith are we'll
calculated to illustrate the virility of the
Ku-Klux rebellion, and the impotency ol
Johnson's nondescript administration.
Smiths extreme activity and zeal enabled
him to sway the colored vote OF Marion
county, whereby he was elected to the con.
vention. He acquitted himself in that
body with characteristic energy and ability.
But a fierce determination to accomplish
his destruction became manifest in Jeffer-
son, and he was entreated by his friends
not to return home from Austin. But
mobs could not terrify man who, in early
youth, had battled heroically for the Union
during four long and bloody years. He
came home. The freedmen received him
with joy, but the sullen silence and lower
ing visages of his enemies were ominous.
His valise, IL traasitu from Hon. Aaron
Grigsby's to Jefferson, was captured by
armed men. They cut open the valise, but
finding nothing of importance, they left it
on the ground, where it was found by
Smith, who declared that the papers alb
stracted were Of no importance. This gives
the lie to the foolish statements published
in the JinlplecMe and Times to the effect
that Smith was raising a squad of freedmen
to aid him in recapturing his valise on the
night of his arrest.
Smiths situation grew daily more criti
cal. Hon. Mr.. Grigsby left for Missouri in
the meantime, anticipating serious troubles.
and Smith was again urged to depart. He
said: shall stay here and do right, and
leave the result with God" On the Sd of
October a Republican meeting was to have
been addressed by Judge Caldwell, but the
freedmen generally absented themselves
through fear. A small crowd collected in
front of the soldiers quarters, and were
addressed by Smith and Anderson Wright,
a freedman.
On the night of the Sd, according to one
of the various conflicting reports, party
of armed men attempted to enter the gro
Gerry of Lewis Grant (colored) by the front
door. Smith, who was in the grocery. es
capped through the back door, but in at
tempting to reach the soldiers quarters
was halted and fight ensued, in which he
wounded two of his opponents, and finally
secreted himself in a gully where he re-
mained until the soldiers arrived, when he
gave himselfup. lie was confined under a
guard of troops and citizens in tie old iail
about two hundred yards from Major Cur.
t'ss headquarters. An lerson Wright, Lewis
Grant and two other freedmen were also
arrested and confined in the jail yard.
During the fourth an ominous stiffness
pervaded the city. At night Mayor Hodge
and Lieutenant Du Bois, with a force of
police and soldiers, were guarding the
prisoners, when an overwhelming force of
armed and disguised men rushed up, over
awed the guard and kept at bay the rein
forcements brought up by Major Curtis.
They then forced open the Jail door IN
spite of the desperate efforts of Smith to
hold it against them. Smith fell fighting,
literally torn in pieces by bullets. The
mob then proceeded to murder the freed
men by a succession Of volleys. Two of
them fell dead one escaped unhurt. and
the other, Anderson Wright, escaped badly
Thus perished George W. Smith at the
early age of twenty-four. A braver spirit
never wore mortal form. John Browns
idea was Liberty; his was Equality. Right
or wrong, he dared to brave the world.
He did not scruple to trample on all the
preludices of caste, and for this he is en-
rolled as one of the worlds martyrs.
One man said of him: "If John Brown
had died before Smith was born, should
have believed the latter his incarnation.
Another said: "The people in their blind
ness and rage do not dream that, on some
future day, when Jefferson shall have at
tanned to colossal dimensions as a city
her walls will resound with the shouts of
singing
George Smiths body lies mouldering in
the grave,
But his soul is marching on.'n
TTTcTITTAs