The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1873-05-31
Origin Of the ST. Martinsville
Conflict.

Conflict
-----A-1-E ss.E p E - a
We copy the following letter from
the South Western Telegram, as giving
a better insight into the origin of the
troubles in st. Martins parish than
eanything else we have een:INatchi-
toches Times. ''" " ~.
NEW ORLEANS May 8, 1873.
While the telegraph bears you the de-
tails of the conflict at St. Martinsville,
| will give your readers a. brief insight
into the underlying causes Of it's origin.
To do this fully would compel me to
run back through the history Of the
parish for half a century and trace the
progress of the feud between the -Bien-
venu and FOurnet families, which has
always risen. above party. allegiance
and virtually eliminated politics from
their local elections. Every white man
in st, Martins is an .adherent or relative
of one of these two powerful Creole
clans, and their bitter contests for the
parish Offices have frequently been
| fruitful of duels, blOodshed and base
intrigues. Before the war the FOtlrnets
were generally Wings, and the Bienve-
nus, per contra, were deep dyed and
bloodthirsty Democrats. The leading
men OF both clans were astute politi-
clans and some of them very talented
men, but the mass of their poor rela-
tons and followers, commonly called
"Cadlans,7 were grossly ignorant and
always ready to do as they We're bid.
But the warpassed, and the formation
of the new parish of. Iberia left the
BlenYenus with @ small minority of the
whites in the territory remaining, and
the Fifteenth Amendment gave tile
negroes a majority of some two hundred
| oyer all the whites put together. This
altered the old political situation, but
the, common hostility to the blacks did
notsmother the feud which, had been
engerdered through several generations
and transmitted from fatherta son, :
Now a wide field for intrigue was
open, and the Fournets have, since the
wal, by hook and crook managed to
beat their adversaries and hold the
offices. lns1S70 they were hard pushed
both by the negroes and the Bourbon
B~!envenus, when they Joined in will
two carpet baggers WarmOth had SEN
out from the city as registrars. The
two carpet baggers came to the Legis.
lature, where they stood by WarmOtl
through the Carter wal, and the Four.
net, got the parish offices. The negroes
got mad, and the Bienvenu Democrats
cot madden! The cry of fraud rams
ont londly and ballOt-box stuff1ng wal
proved, but all in vain. r. ::
Last summer the Fournets were War
moth Liberals, and the Bienvenus wert
Last Ditchers up to the time the latte
formed an alliance with the negroes BY
which two mHlattoes were sent to tn
Legislature and the Bienvenus got thy
local offices. This gombo was callei
L 4ha SpnYJhIi0oTN @ToEynfJ n 4hn OH NS
every man on it except the colorei
LEGISLATORS were 1Demoerats-and wa
undoubtedly elected. The election wa
fair and orderly, and there was no com
plant Of unfairHess. in the count, bu
the Fournets came to the city and in
duGed the McEnery- returning Board t.
throw out the whole parish"in order II
enable MeEnery to appoint the Four
nets after he should be installed. The,
justified this course on the ground tina
United States troops were stationed a
st. Martinsville on election day, ant
. their voters were therefore .afraid t
come into town.
Gen. DeBIanc is the brains of tn
Fournet faction, and such is the bitter
ness Of the parish and district Judge
elect toward him, his large law practie
will be utterly destroyed if they ar
installed. Train and CASTLE r til
namesse of these judges. They are bot
Creoles and are ignorant, venal AM
malignant, and a disgrace to the ne
groes who undoubtedly elected them
Kellogg has tried TO get them to resign
so that he can appoint decent men i
their places, but they refused, and i
their judicial capacity called upon .hir
! for militia to take possession of thei
offices and enforce their mandates. Fl
could not refuse to respond withOu
giving the disconnected rogles in hi
Legislature a chance to. impeach hin
IF a compromise be effected. no i'm
parchment for opposing rascals viii b
thought Of; CASTLE and Train will b
addressed ont of office, and p Justly in
dignant minority Of the voters Of s.
Martin will be reeoneiled.
This candid statement of the case
u gathered chiefly from old man FouIne
: himself some weeks ago. He then as
2 sured me that his people would rattle
| die than submit to such wretehes a
! CASTLE and Train, and that nothing bu
. United States troops could keep. thel
on the bench. From these facts let tn
! reader draw his " conclusiOns-at
eording to his politics. Delta.