The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1869-04-10
ST LANDRY PARISH.

We have many readers and several warm
personal fricnd> who live in this beautiful
parish. nong these are Democrats and
! Republicans, old citizens and "carpct-bag,
gers" white men and %c"lored.
1t is one of the most favored spots Of this
beautiful and fertile State. Its climate is !;
pcrpetual spring, its soil produces cotton and
sugar alike i.dvantaycpu>lv. Through it lies
the rnute of tie Texas railroad. Every in.
Luccmeut u >>iblr t. attract c Il gration, is
here presented, bat onc. The people OF
st. Landry have allowed a few desperate,
vindictive and !awIt>s men to rerpetrate
such outragrs as to seriously affect the rep
utation OF that parish abroad, as well as at
| home.
The Salem (Ohio) Journal and the Anti
Slavery Standard, both of them widely cir
c%ulating and influential papers, publish a
detailed statement of the massacres in s..
Landry last fall, from a correspondent at
Baton Rouge. The New Orleans Repub-
lican, this week states, that within the last
three weeks, six men, named respectively
John Miller, Onezime Miller, Evarlste Gull
lery,--Guillery, Alexander Fusillier
and Nalco1r Gallot, all suspected of being
Republicans, were hunted out from their
homes and killed.
The Salem journal publishes the follow
ing incident, as Illustrative of the objects
sought to be attained by the violence and
outrage referred to:
The galvanized rebels, who committed
these outrages, and call themselves land
without doubt are) good Democrats, boosted,
after the massacre, that "they had the
id radical niggers just where they wanted
them-they, the rioters) would see that
the niggers should be glad to work on any
terms, and to vote right too They also
boosted that you had only to look at a mig
ger and off his hat would 60. One of the
officers above referred to was asked to step
into a certain house: "What shallI do with
my horse" said he. "Ill see to your horse
here, you boy, come here and hold this
horse"-this to a negro man not far off:
The man ran to obey. When the officer
offered to pay the man, " chivalry" said
never mind that, niggcrs expect pay FIR too
many things, now; they've got to turn over
a new leaf, now"
Now we are wcll-w;shers to St. Landry
parish, and its citizens. We do not believe
that any large class of Them approve of these
dark deeds, but that they would really like
to see a stop put to them.
We say to them, that this cannot be done
by a wholesale denial of these statements,
or by denouncing and "cussing"" Yam
KEGS and carpet-baggers." We have a sug-
gestion to make to every fair minded Demo
crat of St. Landry who may read this:
First, just ask yourself whether this state
ment of the condition of things in your
parish, or any part of it is true, and answer
your own question honestly. Second,
make up your mind that it must be stopped,
and forthwith consult such good citizens as
may be of the same mind, as to the proper
steps to take TO this end. Third, when
such things do occur be among the first to
publish a correct and impartial account of
them, instead of being a party to their con-
cealment and suppression.
The Adoocate will print any authentic,
circumstantial denial of all such reports if
made by trustworthy citizens of St. Lam
dry, who have personal knowledge of what
speak. .
What we desire, is to get at the truth,
and to give it publicity, believing that this
is the surest way of correcting any. abuse.
-. New Orleans Advocate.