Rapides gazette., 1873-11-15
Grant Parish Horror.
COLFAy. GRANT PARISH Oct :

CoLFAx, GRANT PARISH, Oct. q.
Night before last terrible outrage was
perpetrated some five or six miles from this
point, which, for cOol-blooded strocity and
| demoniacal devilishness, has not been sur
passed at any time III any country.
Mistress LacOur, descendant lrom the
old French family of that name, her daugh-
ter, beautiful and intelligent young lady
of seventeen, (whO has recently arrived
home from boarding-schOoD, two sons,
| aged fourteen and seven years, and a baby
aged 13 months. named Cora Kellogg
Wells, daughter of Momford +. Wells, son
of exGov. J. Madison Wells and tax col
l-ctor for this parish, were in the house.
The ladies were making preparations to re-
tire for night. The hour was 8 O'clock,
the baby was about being laid in its era
| die, when shots were simultaneously fired
| into the rOom In which the ladies were
| from the front and back ofthe house. One
shot passed through the musqnito bar.
| The shots were evidently fired from q mus
ket and revolver. An effort was then
| made to force open the front entrance TO
the house. Hastily collecting the family
| together, Mistress Lacour passed them out
| by the back way unobservel.
| The party who made the attack were
evidently colOred men under the influence
of liquor. This much was discovered by
| their voice. How many there were, il was
impossible in the excitement, to distin-
guish. Mistress Lacour, Miss Lacour Gear
rying the baby), and the two sons then
went TO the house of 70 colOred woman near
by and claimed her protection. They had
not been in the house more than moment
however, before the rutfians appeared at
the door and demanded that they be driv-
en- ont, threatening to burn the house with
her and the fugitives in il if the latter
were not compelled to leave it, adding
that they were company who had been
given authority to kill all the rebels; that
all those in the house were rebels and that
they would kill her and them too if she
gave them protection.
DRIVEN OUT.
The colored woman then drove the par
ty out, saying that she wanted no white
blood in her house. Peter, the eldest son,
managed to escape unseen in the darkness,
and started off to give information of what
had transpired. The lauies, with the
Youngest boy miss LacOur still carrying
the baby, which had bee. given into her
charge during the illness of its mother),
started in tn direction of the woods, a
short distance beyond the house. AS on
the former occasion when they left their
own house, they were not Immediately
followed by the negroes, who appeared for
a moment TO forget their purpose in their
hnrrahing and b.,isterousness. The ladies
had not, however, gone but a short dis
tance along the lane skirting the side of
the woods before they were overtaken by
one of them, whom both recognized as
Hampton Henderson, a colOred man of no.
al ,.bara.t,r xrh g.,
years ago outraged and murdered a colorcd
woman, and hid her body in ditch, but
who escaped punishment for this crime
through the influence of one of the Hiek-
man byOthers, for whom he worked.
OUTRAGE UPON OUTRAGE.
Henderson told the ladies' to follow him,
and he would escort them to the residence
of Mr.. Wells. The ladies obeyed, knowing
that they were helpless and absolutely
within his power Entering the woods on
the pretence of making short cut to the
house, the villain took the baby from Miss
Lacour's arms, laid it down, and then seiz-
ing the young lady, forced her to the
ground and outraged her in the presence
of her mother aud brother, threatening her
with instant death by butcher knife
which be held in his hand.
Taking up the child, be now ordered the
party to follow him, conveying them
through the woods into a road to within
three hundred yards of the house of "A col
ored man of good character, named Ralf
Marcus, where he quietly left them. after
placing the child in the road. Finding
that Henderson was not Rear them. and
giving no thought To the baby IN their ter
ror. they fed into the woods, travelling in
circuit all night rs was proved " hen Nr.
II 4 \.
bayOu not more than half mile from
Marcus's house, they being afraid to ven
ture forth in the daytime. The baby was
fonnd at sunrise, uninjured, though i'll with
cold.
VENGEANCE.
The news Of the outrage spread like
wildiire. The Parish Of Rapides was in
arms in no time, to avenge the deed upcn
the heads of the cavalry of the Metropoli-
tan Brigade OH board the OzarL, who were
represented to be the perpetrators thereof
The company of Pelican Pioneers of Alex
andria were making basty preparations for
an verland trip to Colfax, and the whole
coun try around was in terrible state of
excit einent, when the news arrived as Civ
en above, and the Indignation and threats
Of vsngeance took another direction al
thou gh many citizens sa d that but for the
arriv al Of the Ozark the outrage would not
have Ocenrred.
Mr.. Wells is determined to shoot Hender-
son On sight. and went.to bis house tonight
for that purpose, armed with two revol-
vers. Arriving at Hendrrson's house about
9 o'cl Ock, Mr.. Wells was in the act of dis
mour iting when he was fired at. Return
ing he tire several times in the direction
OF the light from the musket, which was
ev id. entity loaded with buckshot, Mr.. Wells
escaped.
TIE SPIRIT OF THE TIMEs.-Our gener-