New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-11-29
THE BATON ROUGE RIOT
The Tenth Days Examination

The Tenth Days Examination
About half-past twelve o'clock yesterday,
Commissioner Grant continued the eXami-
nation of the persons arrested on q charge
Of participating in the election riot at
Baton Rouge:
David NJ. Callahan, sworn-Witness lives
in Baton Rouge; is an attorney at law, and
the partner OF James Cooper. The atten-
ton Of witness was attracted by firing,
about eight o'clock on the night Of the
election. heHVitness then went into a Cir
cumstantial relation Of what had come I'M
der his observation during the disturbance,
but all he related had, in substance, been
given III evidence before, and, therefore,
threw no new light upon the cause OF the
originated. Like all who have given testi-
| mony for the defense, this witness knew
| none of the parties who did the shooting.
The cross-examinatiOn did not vary the
| evidence OF the witness. He stated that the
fremen who assembled at the SOUND OF the
alarm were armed some with shot guns,
and some, witness thinks, with pistols; wit
| ness was armed himself, but, with the ex-
ceptiOn of the firemen, could not speak for
SO many men could be got together at so
short a notice; witness accounts for the
fact that go many persons had arms, from
the circumstance that there was great ex-
element in the public mind about the
change of polls, mingled with some appre-
hensiOn of disorder from the large influx OF
people who, on election day, would enter
rumOrs Of apprehended difficulty had ex-
listed in the town some four or five days be-
forehand: there had been no plan devised
to meet the danger. The Sheriff, in giving
authority to witness for the purpose OF
assisting to keep the peace, did not give
him any specific directions, but coniided to
his discretion.
Mrs. Mary w. Loucks, swOrn-Has lived
in Baton Rouge fifteen years, and is the
mother of Richard and Frank Loucks; the
former lives in Mississippi, and the latter is
at the house on the election day, early in the
evening: Frank was anxious to leave at
once and go home. but the witness per-
suaded him to stay in Baton Rouge until
the next morning: Frank Loucks had left
his mothers house to 90 to an oyster saloon
for oysters, and shortly after witness sent
out Richard on an errand: this was few
minutes after eight o'clock; the sons had
left the house OF witness before the firing
mems ~clubs, having been acting as
special police during the day; does
not know whether they took the
clubs with them: there were arms in the
house of witness all day, but they were not
used; witness is sure about the time, be-
cause hearing the town clsck strike eight.
she set her own clock by it: at this time
there was no disturbance apprehended:
Richard was ares ted on Tuesday evening;
Eroply woe NOT arrnSfe1 OF all huf haa rim o.
that he was implicated, he gave himself up
on Sunday. The witness was told by the
United States Deputy Marshal Schroten
that until the Saturday following the trial
he had no idea OF Frank LOucks having any
completely with the trouble.
Maria Murray, sworn-Witness is cook in
the household of Thompson j. Bird, who
lives on plantation three miles from Baton
Rouge: on the day of the election Bird came
home about seven o'clock i1f the evening;
witness met him on the road about one
hundred and fifty yards from his own gate,
which she saw him enter: he was on horse
back and riding slow: there is but one road
between Birds place and the town; witness
continued on the road half an hour, and
must have seen Bird had he returned to
town.
Lew Brannon was with witness when she
saw Bird arrive at home. Bird was at
home az usual, and eat his breakfast at the
accustomed hour. When witness met Bird
the latter had no weapons. Witness heard
no firing nor of any disturbance until about
ten o'clock next day; then the intelligence
was spread by people passing. The above
comprises all the evidence of the witness
elected by both direct and cross exaInina-
ton.
/ Levi Brannon testified the same as the
preceding witness. having been with her
when they witnessed the return of ThOmp-
son }. Bird TO his residence, about seven
o'clock on tie evening of election day. The
witness added that he was on the road mols
than an hour after he had seen Bird ESQ that
as there was but one road, Bird must have
been seen by witness as he returned to
town. Did not see Bird the next morning
On the crOss-eXanlinatiOn witness said he
lived about two miles from the residence of
Bird: that he rented land from Bird. and
that he owed him rent.
Hamilton Wingfield testified to the same
effect as the two witnesses next preceding
him. so far as the alibi of T. j. Bird was
concerned. In other respects his evidence
was of no moment. In the cross-examina-
ton, witness said he had not been induced
to come to New Orleans and give evidence
for Bird for the consideration of getting
clear OF rent.
Emile Droz-Is Deputy Sheriff; testities to
Bird having parted with him on the evening
of election about six o'clock, Bird starting
in the direction of home on horseback; Bird
had said to witness that there would be no
difficulty. and that he wished to go home.
as his wife WAS alone. The remainder of
witness testimony related to his own es
cape from the consequences of volley of
shot fired from somewhere by somebody:
witness is about the only one for the defense
who knows that anybody was killed, for the
reason he did not go as an officer of the law
to suppress the riot where the firing was
going on was because he had heard there
were two dead men in the courthouse, and
he might. perehance, make three. The rest
OF witness testimony was unimportant.
". E. Lesage, swOrn-Witness is police
man at Baton Rouge; his evidence in rela-
ton to the trouble at the courthouse differed
nothing from several preceding witnesses.
except that the firing proceeded from two
parties firing at each other. How the wit
ness knew this was not very clear; he stated
also, that when party were firing near the
jail, where he was at the time, he halloed to
them to stop, but they took no notice.
Emile Lesage, brother to witness, was at
the Jail fifteen minutes after the firing
began.
James Cooper, sworn-Is deputy clerk at
the court. The evidence of this witness was
relteration of preceding witnesses, with
no important variation.
AS the court was about to adjourn, G. w.
Buckner one Of the accused, called the at
tention of the court to the fact that no evil
dence against him appeared, except that of
one person, who testified that he fred q pis-
tot with his right hand. This, the accused
claimed, was physical impOssibility, as his
right hand was too MANNED to hold a pistol.
The court remarked that, from an exami-
NO of tGon ~,