New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-06-02
The Menteath Murderers.

The St. James Sentinel contains addi
tional details concerning the murderers O
young Menteath:
On Friday of last week a colored mar
named Parker, around whom a chain OF
suspicious circumstances had gathered. in
dicating him as one of the parties engaged
i'll the burning of Chopin's store and the
murder OF Erancis Menteath. was arrested
and induced, by promises of protection and
final release, to make clean breast of the
affair and expose the perpetrators of the
outrage. e-!n.-
Parker then gave the names of the par
ties concerned, of whom there we've three
besides himself. One of these was Frank
Williams, the escaped convict we spoke of
in our issue of last week. We have not
learned the names of the other two. An
attempt was made to arrest Williams, but,
as we have previously stated. he resisted it
and fled to the swamp. However, he was
captured early Sunday morning while at
tempting to cross the river some miles be-
low, and is now safely incarcerated in the
parish prison. The other two parties, both
colored men, are still at large, and it is said
they have succeeded in crossing the river
and escaping to New Orleans by means of
the railroad.
Frank Williams, ringleader and instigator
OF the outrage, is a large, powerful negro,
and appears to be a most cOnsummate vii
lain, devoid of every instinct of humanity,
and no novice in deeds of murder and rob-
berry. After being brought TO prison and
placed in the stocks, be feigned insanity,
and made several desperate efforts to break
loose from his fastenings. DR.. Charles
Gray examined the prisoner, and at once
pronounced him perfectly sane He ad-
monished the would be crazv man that if he
continued his freaks he would be subjected
to harsh treatment, and the fellow cooled
down at once, apparently satisfied that the
insanity dodge was too common to be sue
cessful in this case. ~
Parker is copper-colored fellow, some
what smaller than Williams, and apparently
not such hardened villain as his associate,
though by no means an innocent lamb
The m0dltS Operalldi of the outrage, as
given by Parker, is essentially as follows:
He states that the party started out with
the intention of robbing some store; they
passed by ChOpin's store and came up the
road as far as St. Michael's church, unde-
termined where to make the attempt, but
finally concluded to retrace their steps and
rob Chopin's store, as there was least dan
ger of detection there. An attempt to force
open the rear door awakened the young
man Menteath, who called out, "Who is
there?" The party outside maintained
strict silence until they supposed the young
man had fallen asleep again, when a second
and more successful attempt to enter was
made. Williams succeeded in wrenching
the door open by powerful effort, when
Parker rushed in and seized Menteath by
the throat. The unfortunate young man
begged the intruders to spare his life, but
his entreaties were unavailing. Williams
instructed his companions to search for
piece of rope, and when it was brought ad-
justed it around Mente ath's neck. He and
Parker then each took an end of the rope
and pulled until their victim was strangled.
After tying the arms and legs firmly to-
gether, Williams took the body on his
shoulders and threw it into the river, where
it tioated short time and then sank.
The scoundrels then proceeded to ransack
the store and appropriate such articles as
pleased their fancy, after accomplishing
which they started off, but had gone but
short distance when Williams proposed to
return and set fire to the store, in order. as
he said, to destroy anything that might
tell d tale on them" They accordingly
retraced their steps, scattered coal oil over
the bed and floor, touched a match to the
bedciothes, and left. The dog, which was
IN the habit of staying at the store, followed
them short distance, but Williams placed
gun in immediate contact with the ami
mails body and fired, killing it instantly.
Intense feeling exists against the villain
GUS perpetrators of this horrible deed, and
the parish prison is closely guarded to pre-
vent their escape.