The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1873-05-17
The Trouble i'm the Parish of
st. Martin.

tIlS luCIIiD6nIt 10 MI. ' clZey, WHO, us
Mr.. Fournet himself acknowledges, was
last election. Mr.. Fournet's excuse for
not giving up the Office to the Clerk
elect, was that he does not recognize
Kellogg as the Governor of the State OF
Louisiana, and therefore, would not
give it up to any one holding a COM
mission from him. MI. Veazey, failing
to obtain possession of the Office by
amicable means, and not wishing to
resort to force or violent measures to
get possession of it, concluded to wait
until the opening of the District Court,
by Judge Train, in that Parish, when,
he imagined, he could be placed in pos
session by1egalO rjudicialmeasure with
out any trouble. But this hope vanished
as the term for holding that Court drew
near; for a few days before the first
day, he was assured that Mr.. FOurnet
and his friends would not recognize
Judge Train, nor would they obey my
order emanating from his court. Know
ing that the difficulty which he had
thereto studiOusly avoided, would arise
even from the attempt to execute the
orders of the court for the purpose of
placing him in possession of his office,
and determined to avoid it if possible,
for he knew that if it once started it
would eliminate in blOOdshed, he ap-
piled to Gov. Kellogg for troops, think
ing their presence in his town would
conserve the peace of the parish, enable
the District Court to hold its session
quietly and give force and efficacy to
It's mandates. Gov. Kellogg seeing from
the statement of Mr.. Veazey. and other
| gentlemen of the parish, that there ex-
listed an absolute Necessity for troops
there, sent up Gen. Badger with one
hundred and twenty-five State militia
men Cor MetrOpolitans as they are called
here) and one piece of artillery. Gen
Badger at the head Of this detachment
arrived here early last Sunday morning,
and after tarrying an hour or two, left
for St. M%artinville. The FOurnets, in
the meantime, were not idle. Learning
that this militia force was coming they
and their friends headed by Col. De-
Blanc met at the Courthouse on last
Saturday night, organized and dis
patched parties to the neighbOring par
1shes to solicit assistance for the pur-
pose Of enabling them to repel the Gin
vaderS." The exact strength of Col.
LeBlanC's force on Sunday morning,
we have not yet been able to ascertain,
but it is supposed that he had from one
hundred and fifty to two hundred men.
With this force, however, he left the
town, III the approach of Gen. Badger,
and marched out to the Cypress Island
about three miles where. he has re-
manned ever since. Gen. Badger, meet
ing no opposition marched into town
and took possession of the Courthouse.
Saturday night, between the hours of
two and three o'clock, two Of the State
troops, while on picket duty, were ap-
J1pOoohnl NV n 7,nr4ry 20 ~ ~, 80
walking behind their horses. On being
halted by the two pickets, this party
fired upon them, w0unding both-one
severely but not mortally, the other
slightly. The party then reiterated
rapidly leaving two of the horses two
guns and a pistol, all of which were
found next morning by the pickets who
replaced the wounded ones. After this,
all was quiet until Tuesday night about
two o'clock when Gen. Badger fired his
cannon one in the direction, he under
stood the Coils force was approaching.
This, OF course, startled all the men,
women and children in town from
their slumbers, and caused no little ex-
citement and uneasiness. No more fir
ing of cannon, nor skirmishing, until
four o'clock in the evening of Wednes-
day, when Gen. Badger took with him
sixty of his men and field piece and
~marched-to the distance of a mile from
town in the direction of Col. DeBlanc's
camp. The Col. seeing Gen. Badgers
approach, deplOyed his men, and at
tempted to cut him off from town, but a
half dozen rounds of shell from Bad
gers ~12-pOunder foiled this piece of
strategy and prevented it from being
crowned with the success anticipated.
After this Gen. Badger having accom-
plished his object, returned to town.
On yesterday and the day before, the
opposing forces remained in their camps
quietly and harmlessly watching each
others movements. At a late hour YES
terday evening, Maj. Longstreet, son of
Gen. LOngstreet, arrived here with
fifty mounted State Militia. They came
from Brashear city by land, there being,
for the last three days, no boat comuni-
cation between that place and this.
1t is currently reported here, that while
passing through Franklin some irres-
pOnsible parties of thattOwn manifested
a disposition to oppose their march
hlther; but influenced by the sensible
advise of the respectable and law-abid-
ing citizens of that place, they aban-
dOned the design. The Mai. pitched
his camp o little beyond our town last
night, and this morning left for ST.
M~artinsville to join Gen. Badger. A
detachment of 9. S. troops is at
Brashear City, awaiting the means of
transportation to this place. They are
expected here to day.
All quiet last night, and this morning
Saturday in st. Martin. There NAV
be some skirmishing this evening. In
consequence OF the suspension of steam
boat communication between our town
and Brashear we have had no CITY mail
for the last three or four days. The
Inconvenience and irreparable injury
this political caprice Of the A. M. T. Co,
has caused to III citizens and the
travelling public will, we hope, wrest
from them the contract they have SO
1agrantly violated.
Judge Train on last Monday opened
his court in St. Martinsville, but all the
records of the Clerks office, and the
Mortgage books and seal of the Recor-
der's having been previously abstraGted,
he was forced to adjourn sine die. 1t is
, rumOred here as we are going to press,
: that Col. DeBlanc's force has dwindled
down to a Corporars guard. We have
} always maintained that the Citizens OF
our town and parish are men of sense
and intelligence, men who are ever
ready to contribute, to, and support any
, measure, tending to the development OF
the moral and material growth and
) prosperity OF the community. Men
who, have minds of their own, capable
of Judging for themselves and dis,
tlngulShlng right from wrong and argu-
t ment from fallacy; men who will not
l bark at the noon or go on q Don Qui-
{ tOtic expedition when solicited by Tom,
5 Dick or Harry with the assurance that
( their doing so would he n 8faathar n,