The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1873-05-24
LETTER FROM GEN. DcBLANC.

ST.. M.\HrlNsVILI.E, May ii, 1878.
To his ENcclicncy john Nfcf:nery, Gov
! crnor of Louisiaua:
,Gi.-Thc United States troops arrived
here on Saturday last, and on Monday
evening l and ton others surrendered
to Col. DcKlyne, Chief Deputy United
States Marshal, who held warrants
against us.
Had VIC attempted amy resistance or
any attack after the arrival of tho Fed
eral troops, which had been sent as u
posse comitatus, tho Deputy Marshal
would have used them to capture those,
or any of those, against whom warrants
had been issued, and, under tho prctcNt
OF executing process, would hnVejoincd
the police and compelled us to submit
to the latter or fro i,s Tie direction of
the United States posse comifatiss.
| Under these circumstances exclusive
ly wcsuspcnucd opcrationson Saturday
last, and not before, to tho knowledge
ofGcn. Badger, his officers and privatcs.
On Friday hight our men fired on one
of their picllcts.
| l was shown, this morning, II report
! dated st. Martinsvillc, May 10th, from
Gen. Badger to Gen. Baldcy, in which
the former says that We occupied an
| almost inaccessible swnmpy island until
Wednesday, when hc moved and at
| tackled, driving us from our camp.
This report is as grossly incorrect al
| ii is false. Wcwcre not on any sWnmpy
| island, but on II plantation, ut II short
| distance from st. Alartinsvillc. There
Gen. Badger attacked us, and did not
| 0'irc us ono step. On the contrary, nS
soon as he left town and appeared witt,
his forces, artillery and infantry, ""
| ~.
rifles and gun, without frng II shot,
and ready to charge ns soon :s he would
hav" reached the point where our shot
guns could havc boon used with effect.
In order to bring Cen. Badger on tn"
chosen field, we did not put one single
man on the road which led to il, and
did not return fire; but two small de-
tac!lmrnts of our men appeared on his
flank and he immediately fell back
and returned to the tourt-iIousn and
we to our camps.
ON Friday night-:,s even the spies
who entered Our camp can certify to
Will" Wn were receiving rrinforrrmrnts
and messages offering rciniOrrrmrntS,
the news came that the Federal troops
had arrived; and on Saturday morning
| discharged first the volunteers, after
wards a portion of my command, and
camp.
We were not dispersed, and Gen.
Badger did not try to- find me Willie !
was surrounded with armed men. We
separated fully organized, and for one,
Oti,y one, rcnSon--wc did not intend or
wish to come in cOtiict with Federal
authorities and Federal troops, and by
so doing assist those who had II plan to
place us in tho alternative ofsubmitting
to the police or committing high treason
against the United States.
AS to the charge brought against us
that we intended to interfere with the
rights of colorCd citizens we deny ii,
and to sustain our denial rely on the
evidence OF the most prominent Of their
own class in this community. We have
already proposed, and sti!l propose, to
recognize the election Of every Radical
candidate in the parish of st. Martin,
without distinction Of race or color,
prOviu"d they recognize your election
nS Governor. He WHO seeks Justice
should do justice.
pass ilnotircI thc many reports
which have filed the columns of the
New Orleans Republican, and in which
it is proclaiincI that Gen. BadScr has
done this, and was ready to do that;
that he would have cleaned out and
kfff"t every boty. we arc fot tihfS
by birth or by education, and in order
to preserve our own esteem and that
Of II few chosen friends, We state facts
as they occurred. Badger attempted
! to drive Us and was driven. Without
the arrival Ola Federal officer and Fed
cral troops, BADGER and his reinforce
mcnt3 would have been driven from
the parish Of st. Martin.
! Very respectfully,
hItIBIh DIES DEhI.A%t',
! lLalGllnl l'4lIl1.r Ninrli.l MINI.