New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-02-23
NEW FRIDAY FEBRUARY 23 1872

| Thomas Jenkins, citizens Of the United
| States, and of lawful age, depose and say:
| That on or about the first day of August,
| 1871, at the parish of Rapides, in the dis
trict aforesaid, George Marshal, Sr., j. L..
! Compton, Uriah jerks, John Helm, Charles
| jackson, David Stafford, Frank Bennett,
Robert Janner, Milton Janner, Isaac John
son, Charles Royd, X. Smith, - Blount,
- Smelling, Samuel Price, Mark Hyams,
L. Lehmans, Kahn jackson, did then and
there wilfully band and conspire together
with intent to deprive these deponents OF
their constitutional rights as American citi-
zens to reside in said parish, and did then
and there, while banded together as afore-
said, beat, bruise and wound these depO
nents, contrary to the law Of the United
States III such cases made and provided.
1t was the object of the commissioner, in
entering upon the investigation, to ascer-
tain the amount of bond which would be
required, as the defendants waived direct
examination, that the cause might be sent
to the United States Circuit Court. The
conspiracy developed, according to the
affidavit about the first OF August, since
which time, according to the defendants,
the parish was in a pcaceable state. The
defendants knew nothing of the affidavit
until their arrest, and complain that they
were taken away from their plantations
and business to answer the charge just at
the time when their presence was most
needed for their occupation.
l. The testimony Of DR.. Bates, justice OF the
peace, went to show that the defendants
came to his house and took the Bush people
(seyeral of them) away. The Bash parties
had come to him, and, saying that the de-
PENDANTS had banded together Tor their
prosecution, wanted to know whether some
thing could be done to stop it, as, under
the existing state OF. things, they
were even afraid of their lives be-
fore the affidavit was made. While they
were at the house the defendants, headed
by jackson. came and took them away,
saying that these parties who had come to
him, as Justice Of the peace, for relief, had
been burning houses and acting very badly,
and that they - proposed to Chastise them.
After standing near his house for halt an
hour, they took the parties away. Dr.
Butes saw some of them afterwards, but
could not testify what the defendants did
with them nor did he know of any previous
difficulty, but knew the causes of the pres
ent one from hearsay which he narrated as
follows: Some OF the stock thereabOuts
getting into the field belonging to some OF
the Bush family, had been shot. MIR. Jack
son had reason to suppose that 1t was some
of his stock. 1t was alterwar |, as learned,
found that it was not. 1t belonged to some
negroes. The Jac!1sons got into Il difficulty
y.
sons shot one of the Bushes down. The
other jackson was afterward setupon and
beaten by the friends OF the Bush family.
After that rumors were circulated that 1t
was intended to burn the house in which
| the Jacksons lived. In the opinion Of the
| witness, this was the whole cause OF the
! difficulty. 1t was Mr.. Marshall that told
him that the negroes had burned houses
| and acted badly.
r Ha nf Dr.
when some of the Bush family were car
| ried away and lie testified that on the first
| approach of the Jackeon party up the road.
| he ami those with him ''cut for the back
ward" but the attacking party ran around
with their pistols cooked went for the
| Bush party and with himself brought them
out. Witness himself, when prisoner,
| told those who held him that he knew
nothing about it, and Mr.. jackson told him
then to 90: but he and the remainder OF
| the party first took those of the Bush fam
| ily whom they had caught to the woods,
! then brought them back to the house again.
| Though witness had no personal knowledge
! of what had been done with them, he had
| heard they had been whipped. Witness
| thought the cause Of the trouble lay in the
bad feeling between the jackson and Bush
| families and their respective adherents.
! Henry Burch corrOboates the testimony
| of the previous witness. He was ques-
toned as to any opposition to his voting in
| Rapides, and answered there had never
| been any difficulty in voting, as all the
colored men were allowed to participate.
| In the opinion of the witness politics had
! nothing TO do with the trouble. Witness
voted the Radical ticket at the last election.
The testimony of Mr.. Hadden, besides
being corroboration OF the previous ac-
counts in that the Bush party were taken
| across the lawn into the woods and then,
after a little time, brought back. went TO
show that Jenkins. one of the assaile1 par
ties. worked for him the next day hard as
ever he did, and that he never complained
OF being hurt, or said that he was fright
ened. The version given by witness was
that it grew out of a personal difference
between the Bush family and their friends,
the jackson family and their friends ard
that there was no intention to drive the
Bush family out of the parish. He had
reprimanded jenkins for leaving him and
going off to another parish, but there was
no intention ''to deprive the negroes OF
their political rights"
This preliminary examination being con
cluded. the defendants and witnesses we're
both placed under 500 bonds to appear
| when summoned.