The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1872-06-29
COULEE CROGHE AGAIN.

ANE
called on the 10th inst, " to vindicate
their characters i'll regard to an article
published in the 0pelousas Journal, on
the 8th inst, headed another outrage
The best reply we could give to this
meeting, would be the publication of the
damning testimony taken before Justice
Knox, last week, ON the preliminary ex-
animation of the parties accused of the
murder of Willis johnson or Jackson.
But we have some regard for the legal
rights of the accused, and do not wishto
publish the testimony which identifies
the parties who committed the murder,
and thus prejudice the public against
them SO that they may complain of not
getting a fair trial. We will, however,
make enough extracts from the testimo-
ny to show the condition.of society in
that part of the parish where the murder
was committed, and to substantiate
everything said ON the subject, in the
JOURNAL of the 9Th inst.
In the article of that date, we accused
no one of the crime, we did not econ
denim" nor E"hunt down Coulee Croehe,n
but simply condemned the perpetrators
of the crimes committed there and re-
commendedthat the good citizens should
hunt them down.. We said nothing that
We thought could be cause of offence to
any good citizen at Coulee Croche, OF
any other place.
We were led to say what we did, be-
cause the deed was the greatest crime
known to the law, and it is the duty Of
a parish paper to not only record such
eventsas mere news, but to condemn and
expose such deedsin sucha way tlatthe
community, instead of sleeping over the
matter, will make efforts to bring the
perpetrators to Justice. If the journal
had said nothing OIL the subject, '.the
citizens of Coulee Croehen would proba-
bly, have had nothing to say, and every
thing gone along as if no erime had been
committed. flushing up crimes viii
not put a stop to their commission, and
we are glad that we published an article
that stirred up the good citizens of Cou-
lee Croche on this subject, even though
it at the same time seems to have made
ON of them mad with lis.
One of these citizens, whose name fig
ures in the proceedings of the meeting,
was in Opelousas ON Sunday morning
after the article appeared in the JoURN-
AL, and we heard him state in Phillips
store that on Thursday previous, which
was Corpus Christi, that his daughter,
accompanied by 4 colored woman, went
to Grand Coteaa, and passed a party OF
men undera tree n~eartheroad side, who
ran after them, fired their pistols at
them, and used the most indecent and
obscene language in speaking to them,
His remarks were not very compliment
airy to the state Of society in that section
of course he alluded only to the badly
behaved and la~w-breaking part of the
community.
IN addition to reasons already given
for our publishing denunciatory articles
against crimes, we have the material in
terests of the parish 1T heart. IF the Ia.
boring portion of the population is ter,
rorized and driven away, who is going
to till the felds2 H martial law is de,
elared and some of oar best and mos
laW-abiding citizens arrested, convicted
and sentenced under the KulkIx law
and imprisoned for ten or more years il
a New York penitentiary, as is said tt
have been the case in South Carolina
while the really guilty parties escape
what will the good citizens and the par.
ish generally gain Hlerebyg We would
advise onr Coulee CrOche friends no
to waste their energies and good inten.
tons ON the journal. but turn then
Eagainsf f1e k1klN who arc numbering
and driving away the laborers from thei
fields, and who will eventually, il the,
are not checked, have some Of them, th,
good citizens, III Anew York p~enitentia
~. Wesag this for their good, and hops
they will heed it, and not wait for th,
day 10 come when some of them ma,
repent IN sackc1oth and ashes iii d for
eign prison.
Mr. Theonile Prejean, on whose plan
tation IN goulee Croehe, Willis jackson
was killed, testffes before Justice Knox
that sfhe killing Of Willis created
g~reatterrpr among the freedmen Of wit
mess, two Of them left two or three day
after, /. O., Toussaint and Jack, sine
that, last Saturday, Elizabeth and Men
vile quit witnesses nlaee-but the wo
men were willing to reInain on the plae
provided witness would allow them +
sleep iii his house. Don't know VIII.
Willis was killed. This il the seeon,
negro killed within Gle last two or fIre
years. a great many be the heedme,
are ID 4 state of terror for the last ST
months, in that ReigIlborho0d. Witaes
has about two hundred arpents in cult
walton, ncorn and cotton he had sey
eral freedmen employed IL the begin
ming, but has now only ID left. I'll
freedmen were working vel, the Gro
wa promising. While not q matter [
notorietY yet witness heard OF fnequer
oecnrrenceso t1Is kinds
Mr.. Preean further testifes that On
81 the ecusedWaspreaentafflem qne:
over the body Dc Willis jackson, talkin
and converting Ike the balance. an
that there sre severaI respectable cit
zas present.
Another itnessWhoNa ID presently le