Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1873-04-25
TEE BLOODY OGTEslsE AK IN
LOUISIANA.

ne bdltllnOft t'N-ftf cCntallS the
following brief but clear account of
the bloody affray that occurred in
Louisiana on Sunday. By some
arrangement that we do not under
stand, we have DO exchanges from
New Orleans of later date than the
14th. Oar Baltimore cotemporaries
Gazcftc says :
\ serious riot has broken out in
Grant Parish, Louisiana, on the upper
waters of the Red River. The insti-
gators OF the riot, according to the
statement published in the New Or
leans PicuyUii2, were two negroes,
both members OF kellogg's Legisla-
ture, who, with a band of negroes,
took forCible possession Of Colfay, the
county seat OF Grant Parish, ousted
the authorities, drove all the whltC
men from the place. and brok" into
and pluuierel their houses. Those
colorctl men vino did not srmpathizc
with the maraILders wer" also driven
off, The house OF Mr.. 1Iainot WAS
entered by the rIlili;,ns, and the coffin,
containing 4 dead child, WAS taken
away and broken open, under the im-
precision that money WAS sccretcl i'll IT,
The body Of the child WIS left exposed
on the road. HI.til i was replaced by
other parties and returned II tse
house. In the meantime il appears
that Mr. Hadnot had made his escape.
and collecting a band Of twenty-five
men notified the negroes to send away
their women and children, as he in
tended to attack them. The later
news brought to New Orleans by the
steamer ,SDHth1rcstcrn furnishes the
bloody sequel. The negroes. to the
number Of some four hundred,
thoroughly armed. entrenched them
breastworks On Sunday Hadnot'S
force had been increased to IA hundred
and fifty men drawn from the sIlr-
rounding parishes. The breastworks
were stnYmel and taken after two
hours fighting, a4lI The negroes tnen
took refuge in the courthouse, barri-
cading the doors. Fighting was then
resumed, but at a later hour the
negroes threw out flag of truce, but
fired on the besiegers as they ad
vanced, wo1nding several, and among
them Mr.. Hadnot mortaliy. Finding
it impossible to dislOdgc the negroes
hy force OF arms, the court house was
set on tirr, and as they came out from
the burning; lti;nling they were silDt
down Dy the ilflrlated whites. 1t Is
estimated that one hundred negroes
were killed. The others, taking 10
flight, were hotly pursued. Such is
the account which we publish of this
sangllirary affair. 1t is the first fruits
of the obstinate policy of General
Grant, in recognizing a State govern
rlent which the Senators who most
steadfastly support him, have declared
to be illegally constituted.
From telegraphic dispatch which
we find in our Northern exchanges,
dated New Orleans, 18th April, we
get the statement of the Captain of
the steamboat .Soatthacestcr7e, who
arrived in New Orleans On that day:
We arrived at Colfax Sunday eve
ming about s o'clock. Found that the
white people and sheriff, suppose at
their heed, had captured the town
after having conflict with. the ne
groes. 1t was reported to me that
about 100 negroes had been killed and
many others wounded. We saw from
the boat fifteen or twenty lying around
on the bark dead. One white man
was reported killed, whose name [ did
not learn. and two very seriously
wounded, Messrs. Hadnot and Harris.
Mr.. Hadnot was shot through the bow
els and supposed to be emortallywound- /
ed. We brought Harris and Hadnot
down from Colfax to Alexandria.
Three or four other white men were
slightly wounded. About 100 negroes
escaped, but it was reported that the
whites were still pursuing them. All
of the leaders of the riot escaped,
especially the white men.
The negroes having ambuscaded
themselves in the courthouse, and the
whites, finding there was no other
mode of attack left them, set fire TO
the building. The whites numbered
in the neighborhood of $50 men. The
fight lasted from II o'clock until nearly
5 P. NJ The whites are now in pos
session Of Golfa4, and when ] left, last
Sunday night, everything was very
quiet.
1t is said that General Longstreet has
been sent by Governor Kellogg to
Grant Parish to compose, if possible,
the difficulties existing there. He
goes, however, as II Peace Commls-
| sioner, and not at the head of his mll-
latto militia. IAellogg's ideas of peace
commissioners must have changed
somewhat since the late riot in New
Orleans, when he resisted for while
General Longstreet's desire to fire. on
the "populace" before the commission
of any overt act.
Blanton Duncan, of Kentucky, de-