Juniata sentinel. [volume] (Mifflintown, Pa.) 1846-1873, 1873-04-23
Terrible Riot at Colfax, In Grant Parish.
Louisiana.


A terrible riot took place at Cvlfax, il
Grant Parish, Louisiana, on Sunday, tn
18Th. The troubles of the Kellogg ant
McEnry men bred this Modocish butch
cry. Captain Jack and his crew of un
civilized Indiacs are dreadful creatures
bu. what of the butchers of human kint
in Louisiana, who have been rearet
amidst the surroundings of civilization
Our heart sickeEs at the barbarrity o
our own race. We publish largely o
the dispatches of this fiendish butch
cry.
New ORLEANS, April Is The steam
boat .SouMwcstern, which arrived abou
twenty minutes past two o'clock TO day
brings stirring and important news frou
Grant parish. The whites have retaker
Colfax, and there is not a negro to bt
found for miles around. From passeu
gers on the Southeastern we CLEAN the
following:-
The negroes hal strongly intrenched
themselves in the court house, and buil'
breastworks three or four feet high.
There are, it is said, about four hun
dred men armed and equipped thorough
ly. On Sunday about noon some one
hundred and fifty men, who had gathered
from the surrounding parishes made an
attack on the breastworks, and brisk
fight Was kept up till about three P NJ,
when the works were stormed and cap
tured, the negroes taking refuge in the
court house, the doors of which were
barricaded. After some further fighting
the negroes threw out aag of truce,
and several Getachments of men advanc
ed on it, when they were fired on by the
besieged party, wounding several. among
whom were Captain Hadnot, who was
shot in the bowels, and, it is feared, fa-
tally wounded.
The whites retreated outside of the
breastworks, and, as the only means OF
dislodging the negroes, the court house
was set on fire, and the blacks were shot
as they came from the burning building.
1t is reported that nearly one hundred
were killed, and there were none
to be found for miles around.
WASHINGTON, April Is Attorney
General Williams to-day received the fol
lowing kilograms, addressed to him:
New ORLEANS, April 17-Reports
from Colfax are conflicting and uncertain
A deputy marshal will arrive from there
to night with an authentic report. There
is believed to have been a massacre of at
least twenty or thirty negroes l will
report in detail as soon as l have 1elia-
Bile information.
j. R. BEcKwlTH. U. S. Attorney.
New ORLEANS, April 17.-Mr. Dek-
lyme, my chief deputy, left here last Sat
urday with several warrants of arrest of
parties in the parishes of Grant and
Rapides. He arrived at Colfax on Tues
day morning following the collision of
last Sunday. He returned to day. He
found the place almost deserted except
by women, and caused to be buried the
remaines of sixty colored men found on
the field.
1t is reported that subsequent to the
burning Of the courthouse thirty four
colored men, previously made prisoners,
were taken to the river bank by couples.
there shot and thrown overheard. 1t is
also reported that colored men were shot
in the adjacent woods, where their bodies
are still lying. He found also twelve
go me certainly mortally. The
colored men present composed the posse,
which under the direction of Sheriff Shaw
,white), appointed by Governor Kellogg
had taken possession of the courthouse
and were still holding it.
Mr. Nash, formerly sheriff by the ap
poinimcnt of Governor Yarmouth, and
by Shaw, led the whites
FROM creditable information there appear
ed to have been 10 loss on the part of
The colored men until after their surren-
der, when they were butchered without
mercy, after the massacre in the court
house, from which they were elected by
setting fire to the building Sheriff Shaw
IS missing, and is supposed to have been
killed.
My deputy found it impossible to
make arrests without the presence Of
United States troops. Armed bodies of
whites are still securing the country
The assailan:s consisted of organized
parties from the parishes of Grant, Rap
des, Winn, Catapoula, Natchitoches, and
Red River. and had in their possession a
;ix pound cannon, taken, or as some al
eyed, loaned from the Red river steamer
ohm T. More.
Fifteen months since troops were re-
,u ired to execute warrants in this parish
when a prominent white Republican was
murdered. Nash and others connected
With this butchery were then arrested
No warrants have yet been issued for the
parties connected with this last outbreak.
When the circumstances of this massa