New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-11-15
VOLUME no. 185.
THE DONALDSONyILIR TROUBLE
RIOT
DEMOCRATIC II
THE DoINGs OF THE MOB
SEIZURE OF sA11or-BoxEs
ELECTION COMMISSIONERS IMPRISONED

If tho Pcayu.c would like to publish .
true account Of the recent troubles in Don
aldsonville, which did not result in laying
that town in ashes our enterprising contem-
porary is respectfully requested to copy the
following, from the 81. james Sentinel:
Tho election in Ascension parish passed
off quietly, as we learn, and to the satistac-
ton of all peaceful citizens:
But it appears that, at the closing OF the
polls. the Democratic, finding themselves
defeated by an overwhelming majority,
formed a conspiracy to seize the ballot
boxes, hoping thereby either to secure their
own election, or prevent, at all events, their
successful Republican opponents from tax
ing the seats to which they had been chosen.
This conspiracy centred in tho town OF
Donaldsonyille, and was headed, it appears,
by Morris Marks, Charles Gecks, Felix
Samuel Fields, and corps OF retalners OF
about fifty others, well known roughs from
Donaldsonville and New River
The Supervisor of Registration, having
ascertained in season the intention OF these
men to thwart the will of the people, should
the vote be against them, located his Office
ON the opposite bank of the river, at the
Marchand place, and directed the Commits
siOners of Election to deliver the ballot
boxes and records there, at the closing of
the polls, and proceed with the count OF the
votes according to law. n.
The conspirators, however, sent out and
seized five of the boxes at the polls, and
took the commissioners prisoners under
guard to the courthouse, declaring. at the
same time, from the steps Of that building,
that they would themselves supervise the
counting Of the votes, and making the re-
turns Of election, and, whatever might be
the result, no man on the Republican ticket
should ever take his seat in the parish or in
! the Legislature. The supervisor having
learned from the commissioners that they
were fOrcibly detained by the mob, in
structed Captain Fisher, the chief constable,
| to proceed with the constabulary OF the
parish and release the commissioners, and
guard the boxes over the river. This Mr..
! ing the Donaldsonville shore, his skif was
fired into by the conspirators, and one OF
the cOnstables seriously wounded. Not
being in sufficient numbers to cope with SO
large force, the constables were compelled
| to retire, leaving the mob in possession of
| the ballot-bOxes and commissioners and,
returning, reported to the Supervisor, who
then gave orders to deputize five hundred
or, if necessary, a thousand citizens and ex
ecute the orders previously given.
Meantime the conspiratOrs had sent thirty
of their number over to seize the two re-
| manning boxes, but the Supervisor directed
| the commissioners of these two polls to take
those boxes to place Of safety, or, if neces-
sary, to the city of New Orleans, until the
! mob on the opposite bank, which had in
creased to three or four hundred, should be
dispersed and peace be restored to the
| town.
Accordingly. the boxes were forwarded
| to the CITY, and the CHIEF constable having
| deputized about five hundred citizens, hailed
the steamer William s. Pike, and had the
men conveyed over the river, about -four
miles below Donaldsonvile, where he found
number of others, whom he also depu
| tized, and ut eight O'Clock in the morning
| at the head of about thousand deputies
entered the town and took quiet possession
Upon his approach the rioters fed: leay
| ing the town in the hands OF the civil officers
On Thursday morning, in response to thl
requisition of the Supervisor, the Fedora
troops arrived from the city of New Orleans
| and invested the town Of Donaldsonville
Tho excitement incident to the unwar
ranted action of the mob, caused many
| citizens to leave the town.
| The course pursued by the rioters is TN
| precedented and inexcusable in the extreme
| If justice be done them according to law
| they will spend the balance Of their days il
| the State Peneitentiary at Baton Rouge.