New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-12-01
THE BATON ROUGE RIOT
Twelfth Days Examination.

| The court opened at halfpast twelve
o'clock yesterday, Commissioner Grant
sons who yet remain in custody on charge
Of completely with the Baton Rouge election
troubles, was resumed,
Previously to the examination Of witnesses,
B. E. Janneay and j. C. Jarrot, whose
names had been connected with the charge
against the parties in custody, reported
themselves, but there being no evidence
against them, the court ordered them dis
| charged.
Louis Latil, sworn-The witness is a
resident Of Baton Rouge, and was there
during the trouble succeeding the election.
His evidence amounts to this: That he was
| at his residence, adjoining the residence Of
Lawrence Gass; that witness went to the
house of his brother-in-law, and while there
heard firing; returned to his own house and
| in short time heard the tirebell sound an
alarm: the firing continued, and was in the
direction of the courthouse; witness, who
| is fireman, and had been directed to hold
himself in readiness, went out to go to the
| Mayors Office; as he left his house, saw his
| neighbOr Gass; the wife OF Gass was expos
fireman, it was his duty to 60; witness and
Gass went together to the Mayors office,
| where they met others, and after a short
| time the whole party started toward the di-
| rectiOn the firing came from, and proceeded
| to the North boulevard; they kept together
under the command Of Jaskamski until the
soldiers arrived, when they were arrested.
Cross-examined by Mr.. Gurley-Witness
| knew that the sounding Of the bell was not
fro oil hxyi form tiOvN from fhn
| through the foreman OF the fire company.
The fire alarm on the bell is usually con-
| tinuous ringing. It took considerable Ques-
| tiOning to elicit from the witness the above
| testimony. Witness admitted that on an
alarm Of fire, the tiremen repair to their re-
| spective engine houses. Witness went to
the Mayors Office instead of the engine
ward witness admitted that there was an
understanding respecting the movement,
when the alarm bell should sound. When
the party had all assembled, they started
from the Mayors Office. Witness did not
suppose that the preparations made were
for any other purpose than to keep peace.
He did not go out to interfere with nybOdy.
Miss Olivia Hernandez, swOrn-Lives in
Baton Rouge. and was at the house of Law
renee Gass when the firing began and the
bell sounded.
The testimony in relation to the expOstu-
latiOns of Mrs. Gass, and the husbands re-
ply, were the same as related in the testi-
mony Of Latil.
On crOss-examinatiOn, witness said that
she had seen no weapon on Gass; he had no
uniform when he started, and witness had
not seen him with arms that day.
Miss Ida Roberts, swOrn-The testimony
of this witness was merely contirmatOry Of
the preceding witness.
Eli Brooks, swOrn-Has lived in Baton
Rouge fOrty-six years; knows \. Vienna
when he sees him; never had any business
with him; his reputation for reliability is
bad: witness, if on jury, would not believe
him under oath.
No OcrOss-examinatiOn.
William Hubbs swOrn-HaS resided in
Baton Rouge fifty-seven years; has filled
various public offices, parish treasurer. tax
collector, parish recorder; can not say he is
acquainted with Vienna has seen him and
spoken with him; his general reputation for
truth and veracity is bad !; would not believe
him under oath.
CrOssexamined-Ha known Vienna four
years; he is at present in the moss and rag
business; witness has had dealings with
had any trouble Or quarrel with him has
heard his reputation discussed before the
present trouble; knows of a case where a
difficulty took place in the Mayors Office.
and man named Gillingham was shot: on
the inquest Vienna swOre that Mr. Bates
shot Gillingham. and as the trial resulted
in the acquittal of Bates feeling that
Vienna had committed perjury perHyaded
the community; witness is personally ac-
quainted with Vienna this idea of his bad
reputation witness derives from what he has
heard: has heard Vienna's character dis
cussed before can not say that the people
of Baton Rouge would not believe him un-
der oath; witness means that he would not.
William S. Pike was sworn, but his evil
dence amounted to nothing. He could not
identify S. Vienna.
j. p. BlOuin, swOrn-Witness knows
Vienna, whose reputation is bad: his testi-
mony that Bates shot Gillingham proved d
false.
Cross-exam ine1-Bates was popular, and
the accusation against him was unpopular;
Bates was acquitted, and no one else was
ever accused; my impression that Vienna
swOre falsely results from the fact that the
verdict acquitted Bates.
To the question by Mr.. Beckwith, "do you
generally disbelieve all the witnesses who
testify against the person whom the jury
acquits p the witness replied in an in
definite manner, but admitted that the tes
timOny of Vienna against Bates was the
only ground for the popular feeling against
his veracity. Witness had heard that Vien-
ma swore falsely twice.
B. +. Bryan, sworn-Is Clerk of the Dis
trict Court in Baton Rouge. Knows man
in Baton Rouge named Stephen Vienna:
knows his reputation is bad among the bet-'
ter class Of people. About the class of
people like Vienna, or with whom he asso-
ciates, witness knows nothing; they are a
lower grade. Witness went to the court
house on the day after the trouble. Witness
Ha,ro l~oI %ho~ of< <6n fohl
the room and the shot that had lodged in the
stile; there was but one shot mark in the
room that could be fired from the window;
does not believe that a person standing
where Vienna said he stood could see any
one firing in the window. A person in the
room must come almost in the range of the
shot to see who were firing in at the window.
Cross-examination: Vienna said he was
in the southeast corner; the north wall was
the wall exposed to the fire from the win
dow: there were two shots on the north
WALL and one or two on the west wall, in
little space between the jam of the door
and the bookcase; either shot might pos
sibly be fired from the window; the ball in
the west wall and the one in the jury room
were four or five feet from the floor; the
table was indented with a glancing shot.
l swOre that would not believe Vienna;
would not believe him on oath when he Is
interested by general mean great many
persons; can not tell the exact number; in
small town like Baton Rouge, people gen
orally know the affairs of others; l know
nothing unfair of Vienna of my own knOwl-
edge; the stories Of his having been witness
1 know only from others; the impression
on my mind about Vienna since the shoot
ing Of Gillingham is, that l would not be-
lieye him; Vienna occupies an unpretend-
ing position both in business and society.
f. Tunnard, sworn-Witness has lived in
Baton Rouge thirty years: knows the repu-
tation of Vienna is bad, but has no personal