The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1873-04-26
The Grant Parish Troubles.

The Origin and representations Mur-
dered After 6urrender---statement of a
Resident Planter.
The following letter to the New Or
leans Republican is from the pen of a
highly esteemed citizen of Grant par
ish. He writes in a calm, unimpas-
stoned manner, which carries with it
q sense Of conviction of the truth of
what he states: .........
GRANT PARISH, April II, 1873.
Editor New Orleans Republican:
The causes which led to the unpar-
alleled butchery of the citizens Of the
parish Of Grant by the citizens Of the
surrounding parishes Of Rapides,
Winn, Natchitoches, Sabine, Catahou-
La and the remote parish OF Caddo,
and a few citizens of Tensas, seem
not to be fully ycomprehended by either
the press or public.
Interested, as am, in the agricult-
ural pursuits Of the parish of Grant,
and unwilling to permit the perversion
Ut truth for the purpose Of justifying
the greatest Outrages ever committed
upon any civilized community by a
people claiming to he civilized, I
deem it, in justice to the murdered
dead, imperative upon me to give you
a true statement of the occurrence.
Retrospection followed back to the
year 1860 will give both the immediate
and remote causes Of this most fatal
blow to law and order and the future
labor interest Of Louisiana.
Mr.. D.. w. Shaw, citizen Of the
parish Of Grant, and for over thirty
years o resident of the parish of
Rapides, was appointed to the Office
Of Sheriff Of the parish Of Grant, and
confirmed by the Senate, was commits
stoned by Governor Kellogg and gave
his bond Of Office, and had entered
fully upon the ,lsties of that office.
james Hadnot, . Fusion legislator,
with dozen or mare of his friends,
armed with revolvehs, visited Colflx
some time in the earfA part of April
for the purpose ofinterviewing Sheriff
Shaw and the other officers, and as
certain what they intended to do
| about the claims of other parties to
these Offices. Hadnot said to Sheriff
Shaw-Are you determined not to
surrender your Office to G. G. Nash ?
In reply. Sheriff Shaw stated that he
held his office by virtue of II commits
sion Of Governor Kellogg, approved
by the Senate, and it the Governor
wanted him to surrender his office to
any one, the Governor must com
| mtnicnto with him IN person that he
intended to hold and discharge the
duties of his office until such an in
| terview was had between his excel
lellcy and himself.
Jim 4Iadnot, as he is familiarly
called, replied .tHold Yourself in
readini s, Shaw. You will find out
in u fe] days that We win take not
only y hr Office, but tllat Of Tax Col
lector and Parish judge" The parties
here separated, and two or three days
thcreao oer Sheriff Shaw and others
were permitted to read Il circular let
te, written by Judge Rutland, calling
upon the whites throughout the sur
rounding parishes to rally to the as
sistance of Jim Hadnot in dislodging
Sheriff Shaw and all Of the officers
appointed by Governor Kellogg. Upon
this information Sheriff Shaw and his
deputy commenced summonsing the
people but before they could be fully
collected about the Court House, Jim
Hadnot, with his command of some
200 men, made upon Sheriff Shaw,
near the Court House, an unsuccess-
full attack. Immediately after the dis
comiture of Hadnot, Sheriff Shaw
dispatched Il messenger to Governor
Kellogg to send him assistance, which
would have been given, and would
have reached Colfax in time to have
prevented the massacre had transport
tation been furnished him, SO have
been informed. Hadnot, after his dis
comfiture, with Rutland and others
exerted themselves to secure large
force from the surrounding parishes
adequate to carry out his purposes,
while Sheriff Shaw was restricted by
the limits of his own jurisdiction to
the parish of Grant for aid. This
necessarily involved large colored
force, aided by but a few law abiding
white citizens, as well us colored.
Hadnot with his followers returned
OH Easter Sunday, and renewed his
assault upon Sheriff Shaw in his office
with over 400 armed men mounted
and well equipped in every particular,
against about $50 badly armed citizens
Of tn. parish Of Grant, who manfully
and successfully resisted the assault
ing mob, without the loss of single
man, from about ten o'clock in the
morning until five in the afternoon of
that day, when they capitulated, be-
cause Of the firing Of the Court House
by the mob, who violated the capitu-
lation and put to death every man
within the walls Of the Court House,
i'll order, presume, that no tongue
might be left to unfold the horrors OF
the tragedy. Mr.. D. w. Shaw was
the commissioned Sheriff and i'll the
discharge Of the duties Of the office.
| ~ fr~,, ~