, 1872-12-20
PlNCHBACK.
The History of n Louisiana Political
mu4D0tes

Who is 2. B. s. Pinch5ack? has been tho tre-
auent question asked during the past two weeks
W the readers Of the World. To answer this
question, 3 World reporter meeting m old re-
BiIent OF New Orleans yesterday, almost natural
ly PIT the same question, With the following re-
srlts=
Up. B. s. pinchback is light, saffron -colored
negro OF good personal appearance; He Was
raised Ia Georgia, and iB tho son of Major Will
lam Pinchback. q once wealthy planter. Pinch
as be is moro frequently called by the unterriied
Of the Crescent City, was born in 1887 or 1888.
Being u really handsome chile, ho was much
!ikod 5o,a By ys hls fa,tler' who, before dying,
motl,cr, md her other children, should
be cent to Cincinnati, where, for about = year,
they lived in comfortable circumstances, Pinch
going to public school, whero he received
the rudinsenta Of very fair education. But his
lausted, and her aon was compelled to seek en-
ployment. Like hundreds of other young
darkies he went a-steanaboatiug, and for s0mo
years ran on the Ohio, making frequent trips to
soon becamea favorite with travellers. This
YVES in the days when ratt1ing game Of cards
WAS played on almost all the river boats, and no
one took moro interest IN then, than did the
future politician. Nor did his knowledge
Of the game stand nmisa. Pinch took every
thing in from the mysteries Of draw poker to the
knotty points Of political discussion, and no one
probably is bottcr posted to-day on tho old Kan
sas-Mih6ourl row than cur 6o-caued Governor.
During the early part OF tho war pinchback il
said to hare laid off very quietly in New Orleans.
But have heard, and that too from persons of
his own color, that he spent most Of his time
and obtained almost his whole living as runner
for Foster, who lcpt q slave pen at the corner OF
Union and Daronne streets, aud for similar i'll
stitution That used to be located near Dauphino
aud Esplarade Streets As runner, mean q
man employed to hunt up the whereabouts of
ruua::ay negroes with view to their recapturc.
P;achback however, like good many others
Of his rz.ce, turned up trooly loi' after Farm
gut had succeeded III placing his fleet in front OF
the city, although just before that he had en-
rolled his name ne q member OF the free colored
battalion ordered to be raised for the defence Of
New Orleans BY its then commander, General
Mansfield Lowell. But when Butler called for
troops Pinckbac!1 volunteered, and became
member OF the First Louisiana Natiyo Guard,
and did good service, behaving with much pluck
and efficiency in QUO Of tie charges participated
Shortly after tho fall Of TINT stronghold
Pirnchback, for some reason, was discharged, ro-
turning to New Orleans, where he became quite
q favoate at adqua1t ere, mainly it's said from
his capacity for bringing information ns to what
was going on in New Orleans, both among ita
citizens and the officers stationed there.
Pinch was. however, ambitious to wear shoulder
straps, and Ranks appointed him Captain Of
tho First Louisiana Cavalry OF African descent.
He vent to work, and quickly succeeded in OBJ
whom were recruited from tho parish prison.
But, before mastering them into the United
States service, the War Department issued an
ordered forbidding the issuing of commissions
be.sa sa'rea ont of lis @ht Was
Maine and tic company besame @i Known soS
= oGRsny nebbas aGassh usa gtsa 81
IDEAS of becoming {. soldier, and sottlod down
to business. He either became tho actual owner
or slout partner Of O famous negro coffee
house (Which, in New Orleans, means place
aaay DO boughtl, known as tho Young America
and situated I think, at the corner Of 1remo
mud Cont streots. Here Pinchback mado some
money. Ho played fine game Of cards, a,--but
few could beat him. and as as lie very temper
enthusiastic adnirer Of cools-f5hting, aud
almost every Guaaay morning could DO
found at the Old Spanish Pit backing his opinion
to tho tune OF tftiee, and, occasionally, q
hundred, on the respective merits Of the gra3 or
D lucky cuss, and at the last cocl-fght I was at
in:.New Orleans Isaw him scoop tho Hon. John,
Of. New York, for o couple of hundred.
rsIu 1867, Pinchback turned his attention to
10 1iticB, and was elected delegate to the Con-
ssti sutional Convention that assembled in Me-
chs uics Institute in thu latter part Of November
Of That year. Here Pinch's early knowledge,
with .lis natural sharpness and some study, came
INTO pIIYs LII ttAt LoAfc1Is4uA LIZ hi6 u Auouk
and 5o1eible speaker, ct timea quito conserya-
tive IN his views. He had great influence
with many Of the other colored dole
gates; but towards the latter part Of the Con-
yention he ceased to be conservative, making,
On one occasion, a very radical speech, in which
he thr. .!atene1 the inhabitants Of New Orleans
with thes torch. How the Convention concluded
its laborB, the Bo-called adoption OF the Consti-
tuition br the people is now matter OF history.
PinchbalA WAS now 3 thorough politician He
was elect ed from his district either ~ member
Of the House or to the Senate. If to the former,
at tho nltxt election he was elected Senator.
ANYHOW, be was the intimate friend OF Cover
nor Warmo4I1 So much go that, at the State
Convention held In August, 1871, which waa
the beginning OF the present trouble, when
the Custom House party, under the leadership
OF Casey, Packard t. Company, captured tho Con-
ycutiou, Pincnback, siding with Warnoth, was
elected President OF the Warmoth Convention,
and subsequently became Chairman Of tho Com
1nittce appointed to wait on President Grant at
Long Branch. In November OF tho same year.
Oscar J. Dunn, Lieutenant Governor Of Louis
lana. died. War1noth at once called q special
session of the Senate to elect q President, who
should be Lieutenant Governor Of the State.
The Senate met On tho 9Th Of DecemEer, and |
after eomo eparring between tho factions, |
pinchback was elected by Toto OF Is
to 1G. The row Witnessed ut the opening por-
ton Of the last session of the Louisiana Legis- |
lature will be remembered by those conversant |
with tho doings in the reconstructed Southern
States, and how Pinchback WIS still loyal to his |
friend Warmoth. But when the Presidential !
question became hot they differed, War1uoth de- |
clariug himself in favor OF the Cincinnati move
l. 49, ~ -