New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-12-04


ances growing ont Of the election took
place in Baton Rouge and Donaldsonville.
In both places bloodshed and loss of life
resulted from the riots. There was also q
general feeling Of alarm all along the
shores of the river, from the uppermost
point to this city. Fugitives, in their
fear, rushed to New Orleans, and spread
wild stories of what had been done, who
had done it, and greatly exaggerated the
actual condition of affairs, which was de-
plorable enough at best. The presence
Of two companies Of United States troops
at Baton Rouge saved that town from a
general riot, and doubtless protected hun
dreds of colored men from butchery. In
Donaldsonville, however, there were no
bayonets, and the white citizens, who had
first sown the seeds of the storm, fed pre-
cipitataly from the danger, and found a
refuge in the poice-protected metropolis.
Under cover of the dust, smoke and
general confusion of the tumult, two
worthy citizens of Donaldsonville-Judge
Lawes and Mayor Schonberg We're muir
dered. The adherents of the two oppos-
ing political parties told widely varying
tales of the riots, and had irreconciliable
versions of the causes, the actors, the
aggressors, and the results Of the disturb
ance. Some declared that five or six hun
bred colored militia had taken possession
of the town, murdered all the remaining
white inhabitants, and burned the houses.
This wild tale excited some Of the people
of New Orleans, who affected to believe
it, and an attempt was made to extend
the riot to this city. The tAe was false,
of course, and was promptly contradicted
by the REPUBLICAN,. About the same
time, some excited Republicans arrived,
and brought a rumor that was current
when they left Donaldsonville, that Major
Lawes had killed Mayor Schonberg in the
presence of force of negro militia, and
that the latter instantly killed Lawes in
revenge. This tale has also been proved
to be false, and we are very glad to believe
it had no good foundation.
As a sequence to the riots at Baton
Rouge and Donaldsonville, We have had
two patient examinations before United
States Commissioners. The guilty par
ties in each case have been pretty clearly
designated by the testimony, which we
have published from day to day. Both
the Commissioners John B.
Weller and William Grant, Esq.-are gen.
hemen of legal ability and characters
above reproach for integrity. They have
given the cases brought before them the
most careful and conscientious examine
ton. The parties in both cases were ar
raigned for violating the same law. Each
Commissioner found beyond doubt that
murder had been committed, and each
was satisfied that the guilty parties wera
arraigned before him. But the result has
been different. Commissioner Grant, who
had the Democratic prisoners, found that
the law of Congress did not give him
jurisdiction Of the case, while Commits
sioner Weller, who examined the Repub-
lican prisoners, found that he had juris-
diction, and, accordingly, committed his
prisoners for trial.
Now, these antagonistic rulings have
just been made by men of high personal
character well learned in the law, and
well disposed to peace and good order.
The law that was violated was identical
in each case. The ofense was so nearly
similar that no difference is apparent.
Riot, murder and peril to peaceful COM
nunities were the crimes committed.
The only possible difference that we have
been able to discover consists in the fact
that one set of prisoners are Democrats,
while the other set are Republicans. The
Democrats have been released, not be-
cause the Commissioner did not elicit
from the witnesses probable cause for
committing them, but because he could
not find authority under the law for exer-
cising jurisdiction. The Republican
prisoners are held for trial for the reasons
given by the Commissioner, which we
publish in another column. Having
called the attention Of the public to
these discrepant decisions, We leave the
subject for comment, without further re-
fections.
We are not satisfied from the published
evidence that any particular individual
can be charged with the immediate act of
killing Messrs. Lawes and Schonberg. It
was perpetrated by crowd of angry, ex-
cited men, who were, evidently, laboring
under the impression that they were about
TO suffer wrong, unless they made show
Of defending their rights. There may
have been malice in the case, but it is not
shown by the testimony. 1t is not diff
cult to trace the whole trouble back to
the real authors, and they are the parties
who deserve punishment.
The testimony in the Baton Rouge cases
loes not disclose any extenuating cause,
Or any mitigation Of the guilt Of the muir
lers of Williams 'and L'Oficiel. Want
If jurisdiction saved them from committal
or trial. Is there no power in Louisiana
hat can take jurisdiction? Is the arm of
he law too short to reach one class of
,ulprits, while it is potent to punish
mother class? These are questions
which are every day suggested by the
administration of Justice in Louisiana,