The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1873-04-24
The War of Races in Louisiana.
New ORLEANS Anr;l1z

New ORLEANS, April II.
The recent civil disorders in Grant Parish,
La, growing out of the political differences be-
tween the whites and blacks, eliminated at
Colfax on Sunday, by a desperate battle, which
continued about two hours, resulting in the
defeat Of the blacks of whom sixty were killed
and wounded, while the whites lost but one
killed and two wounded. A gentleman arri-
wing on the steamer Southwestern, from the
Red River country, states that on Sunday night
the boat stopped at the woodpile, near Colfax,
where negro, armed to the teeth, requested
the Captain of the boat to stop at Colfax and
take some wounded white men to Alexandria,
which is situated some twenty-five miles fur
ther down. On their arrival at Colfax, they
found about one hundred armed men on the
bank. The passengers went on shore, and on
reaching the scene of the fight discovered, by
the light of lanterns, many dead bodies of COL
ored men riddled with bullets. In the store
house near the landing about thirty negro
prisoners were huddled together, and strong
guard surrounded the prison. Several white
BILE has been brewing in Grant parish during
the past two weeks. For three or four days
previous to Sunday the blacks proved too nu-
merous for the whites, and the latter were COM
PEELED to seek refuge in the surrounding coun-
try; and in the meantime it is stated that the
blacks plundered the town, threw up rude for
tifcations and boasted that they would drive
the whites from the parish The whites, how
ever, after being driven from the town, were
reinforced from the adjoining parishes, and, on
Sunday, led by the Sheriff of Grant parish,
tney advanced in body toward Colfax. On
their arrival there flag of truce was sent to
the blacks, asking their surrender, but warming
them at the same time if they meant fight to
take care of themselves and their women and
children. The negroes refused to come to
terms, whereupon the whites charged the breast
works and the negroes retreated, taking refuge
in the Court House, from which they kept up
an incessant fire for some time Finally, a
friendly negro was bribed to fire the Court
House, which was successfully done. After
vain attempt to extinguish the flames, the
blacks displayed white flag in token of sur
render Two white men Immediately ad-
vanced, but on reaching the doors of the Court
House, they were shot down. The negroes
then rushed out in body, and the whites,
being terribly infuriated, fired into the mass
as they came out, killing them wherever found.
Finally, the Sheriff got his men under control,
and order was restored. The people were so
excited that they could hardly give the accu-
rate number of killed and wounded. The
negroes had improvised several rude cannon
from old cast iron pumps, which we're loaded
to the muzzle with slugs The negroes, it is
said, were instigated by white man named
Calhoun and negro named Ward, both of
whom escaped from the vicinity before the
fight.
WASHINGTON, April IS.
The following dispatch received here last
night, dated New Orleans, April 18th, and ad-
dressed to Hon. G.. H. Williams, Attorney
General: "Deputy Marshal DeKIyne has re-
turned from Colfax. He arrived there the day
after the massacre; the details are horrible
The Democrats (white) of Grant Parish at
tempted to GUST the incumbent parish officers,
with colored posse Several days afterwards
recruits from other parishes, to the number Of
three hundred, came to the assistance of the
assailants when they demanded the surrender
of the coored posse. This was refused an
attack was made, the negroes driven into the
court house, the court house fired and the ne
groes slaughtered as they left the burning
building, after resistance had ceased. The
bodies of sixty-fve negroes, terribly mutilated,
were found near the ruins of the court house.
| Thirty who were known to have been taken
prisoners are said to have been shot after their
surrender, and thrown into the river. Two of
the assaiants were wounded. The slaughter
is greater than in the riot of 1866 in this city.
Will send report by mail"
A dispatch to the New York Times, from
New Orleans, says: Later news from the
scene of hostiHties, at Grant Parish, show that
the massacre of negroes at Colfax Court House
was even more horrible and complete than at
first reported. 1t appears that not single
coored man was killed until all of them had
surrendered to the whites, when one hundred
unfortunate negroes were shot down in cold
blood. After the butchery the whites scat
tered in every direction, and many left for the
Texas border. No arrests have yet been made,
Grant Parish being over two hundred miles
from the mouth of the Red River and but few
boats leaving the city. The State authorities
have great difficulty in procuring transporta-
tion to that region for the militia troops that
have been ordered from this city. A small
number of State militia arrived at the scene
the day after the massacre and buried over
sixty bodies of colored men,"