Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1873-04-17
NEWS By MAIL.

NEWS By MAIL. -
Judge William D. Shipman Of the Unitsd
States district court has forwarded this week.
from Hartford, Conn, his resignation to
Washington, to take effect the last Of May.
1t is regarded as probable that Nathaniel
Shpman, lawyer Of Hartford, will be APP
pointed to succeed him. The only other can
didate for the place is Simeon E. Baldwin of
New Haven.
The burning of WEIGH, Spring & Co.'s
spring factory at Forestville, Conn.,, Tuesday
morning, caused loss of about 1000, on
which there is an insurance of $4,000. This
makes a loss of about S25O,O0O by fire in
Bristol within few months.
The bloody attack upon the boy John EN-
erson, as mentioned in the Journal Wednes-
day, was a most extraordinary affair. He is
avery bright and worthy boy, and went to
Gambia from Richmond, Va, about . year
or two ago. 1t appears that he resided for
some time with Charles A. Rowe, but has
recently lived with Jesse A. Fits, whose res
idence is about three-quarters of mile from
that of Mr.. Rowe. Tuesday he went to stay
day or two with the family of Mr.. Rowe.
He went to bed as usual, and at about twelve
o'clock the mother Of Mr.. Rowe, who slept
in an adjoining chamber, heard deep groan.
On going to his bed she found him uncon-
scious and lying in pool of blood. His face
face was cut with an axe across the nose and
above the eyes. His left cheek was split
open, and there was a cut across the mouth
to the ear. Three of his upper teeth were
knocked out, and the upper jaw was split
open. Two fingers and thumb on the left
hand were cut off and were found in the bed.
His wrist was also wounded. An axe covered
with blood was found lying beside the bed.
The boy was unconscious when found, but
revived soon afterward. He could not tell,
however, how he was hurt, as he was proba-
bly, stunned by the first blow. 1t appears
that a nephew of Mr.. Fits, who lives in
Lowell, Mass, has been visiting him at Can
da since the beginning of March, and that he
had become quite intimate with young Emer-
son. He had been in the habit Of getting up
in his sleep and wandering of to the houses
of the neighbors. 1t appears that he got up
that night and proceeded to the residence of
Mr.. Rowe, and committed the bloody deed in
the somnambulic sleep. He was found in his
bed Tuesday morning at the house of Mr..
Fits, but his tracks leading to the house Of
Mr. Rowe were plainly visible. He entered
by window, and spots of blood were found
leading from the bed to his place Of entrance.
Beside the bed an axe, covered with blood,
was found, which belonged to Mr.. Fits. The
boy Fits was totally unconscious of having
left his bed during the night. He was sent to
his parents at Lowell yesterday. The affair
causes much excitement among the citizens
of Gambia.
The demonstration of the negroes of Grant
Parish, Louisiana, against the McEnery off,
cials, recently reported, has resulted in one
of the bloodiest conflicts between the whites
and blacks which eyer occurred in that State.
n mt Ina hav inc mt
the obnoxious officials, who, they alleged,
were elected by fraud, entrenched themselves
at Colfax, where they were attacked Sunday
by force of whites and driven into the court
house. That building was then set on fire
and the negroes we're shot down as they es-
capped from the flames 1t is reported that
between eighty and a hundred were killed.
and the terribly suggestive statement is made
thai none were to be found afterward for
miles around. Two white men were severely
and few others slightly wounded.
The captain of the Southwestern, which
brings the intelligence, makes the following
statement: We arrived at Colfax at about
8 o'clock Sunday evening, and found the
white people with the sheriff at their head.
suppose they had captured the town, after
having had a conflict with the negroes. 1t
was reported to ME that about 100 negroes
had been killed and many wounded. We saw
from our boat fifteen or twenty lying around
on the banks dead. One white man was re-
ported killed, whose name did not learn,
and two very seriously wounded-Messrs.
Hodnot and Harris. Mr.. Hodnot waa shot
through the bowels and supposed MORALLY
wounded. We brought Hodnot and Harris
down from Colfax to Alexandria. Three or
four other whites were slightly wounded.
About one hundred negroes escaped, but it
was reported thut the whites were still pursu-
ing them. All the leaders of the riot es-
capped. The negroes ensconced themselves
| in the court house, and the whites finding
there was no other mode of attack left them
set fire to the building. The whites num-
bered in the vicinity of $50 men. The fight
lasted from twelve o'clock until nearly five.
The whites now are in possession OF Colfsx,
and when left late last Sunday night every
thing was quiet.
William Patterson, the English thief, who
made the murderous assault on officer Shaw,
six DAYS ago, at the Massachusetts, State
prison, was sentenced to twenty years in
State prison by Judge Dewey. Tuesday. John
Hogan received sentence Of eight years in
State prison for his first experiment in house
breaking at the South End, last month.
The Presidents has appointed Benjamin +.
Wallace collector Of the ninth Massachusetts
district.
A Richmond despatch says that party Of
Georgia ku klux went to Edgeheld last week,
whipped all the negroes on the plantation and
returned next night, firing on them, killing