Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1873-04-25

The New Orleans papers bring us full
details Of the terrible scenes at Colfax, Grant
Co., La, Of which we gave short account
in our last. They also give history Of
the causes which led to the tragedy from
which it appears that the county Cor parish)
elected "fusion" officers but they were not
returned by the Radical board. Kellogg
the Radical Governor, then appointed Rad,
ical officers but they failed to qnalify, and
he finally appointed the officers who had
been before elected both radical and fusion,
white and colored, except the county judge
who had qualified. This did not suit Ward,
a defeated Radical candidate in the Legis.
lature, who, with an organized force of
blacks, took possession of the court house
at Colfax, the county seat The sheriff
summoned a posse comitatus to recove
possession Of the buildings, but the blacks
were too strong and the attempt was not
made. The "Picayune" goes on to say {:
Ward and his gang bad short time be-
fore killed two of their wn color with small
provacation Having G. upied the village
as military post Trey hegau to threaten
the lives Of political upppnenls, gave some
Of them short time to leave the place on
pain Of death, shot a, 9TH, rs, broke open
and gut ed dwelling he u e., driving women
out and robbing t'ma!- school teacher Of
her jewelry and effect, and even
R1FLING THE COFFIN OF JUDGE RUTLAND's
and Ainging It's body in the middle OF the
highway. They picke'ed the country for
miles, Selling horses and firearms, and
breathing threatening and slaughter, sought
to inaugurats re- ign at tertor to drive out
their political oppouea's and white people,
and to become masters of all they surveyed.
For a period these semi barbarians had
matters all their own way /; but the white
people whom they had thus menaced, at
tackled, in organized l4wlessuess, fortunate
ly escaped to sale distance Sheriff Nash
got together posse Of armed men to the
uuUUG vi loU, tttuf uCu W OOIdA
The negroes, meantime, had fortified their
ground with breastS rhs and prepared the
courthouse for de:e.,. When called on
last Sunday to esur ender the court. house
and disperse they refused. and fight fol.
lowed The result Y as the iDtrencbment.
were taken, the court house was burned.
and number of the negroes killed
THE ACCOUNT OF THE SLAUGHTER.
A correspondent ol the New Orleans
'Times' who was al steamer, writes to
that paper the following account of the ex-
cesses to which the Infatuated whites went.
The writer hardly nj re merciful in his &C.
count of the affair than the whites were in
the execution Of their vengeance, says:
II appears that storm has been gather
ing in Grant parish or the past two weeks,
and three or four days ago the negroes got
too numerous for the whites. and they were
compelled to seek retu- in the surrounding
country. Meanwhile the negroes plundered
the town and threw up rude Notifications all
around, boasting that they would drive eve
ry white man out Of The parish, But the
white men bad not been IDLE Ill the time,
and had been reinforc d from the adjoining
parish, and Sunday morning, beaded by the
sheriff Of Grant parish they advanced in a
body toward Co]iax. On arriving there
they ..s
SENT IN A FLAG OF TRUCE
asking the negroe' to surrender, but at the
same time, if they meant to fight, to take
care Of their women and children. The ne
groes refused to come to terms, and the
whites charged the b esstwnrks whereupon
the negroes retreated and took refuge in the
court house, from which they kept an iuces
SAINT firing tor some time. Finally negro
was bribed by the whites to set fire to the
court house, which VAS done successfully,
and after vainly attempting to extiuguish
the flames the negroes hung out white flag
in token of surrender. Two white men =
Mr.. Hadnot and another whose name |
could not learn-immediately advanced, and
on reaching the door of the courthouse
were shot down, and the negroes rushed out
in body. The whites, who were now ter
ribly infatuated, fired into the mass as they
came out, and. following them up, killed
them wherever they could find them, and
for short time, as far as [ could learn,
NO QUARTER WAS GIVEN,
but finally the sheriff got the men under
control, and tolerabie order was restored.
The number of negroes killed will probably
amount to between 25 aud 30 The peo-
pie were go excited over the evetts of the
day that nothing very accurate could be
gathered from any OF them. Some said 100,
and the lowest number heard mentioned
was 40 or so. The negroes had improvlsed
several rude cannon ONT Of old cestiron
pumps These were loaded to the muzzle
with slugs of their own manufacture. l
was shown several Of The bullets, and they
had the appearance Of being made in
wooden mould. They were oblong in shape,
with 8 rough, uneven surface. None Of
these cannon were fired, however. The ne.
groes were instigated by white man and
negro named Ward, the latter desperate
rascal it is said. Both of these escaped.
Calhoun left the. nvighbo, hood few days
before the ARRAY.
SCENES AFTER THE MASSACRE.
Sunday night. shortly after dark, the boat
loaded at wood pile about a mile above
Colfax, Grant parish and young fellow
armed to the teeth aud very much excited,
came aboard and r'qnest-d the captain to
land a. Colfax and take some wounded white