New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-03-08
THE GRANT PARISH PRISONERS.

II UAhNA hh4Sb AASOINAhSs
Trial In the United states Circuit Court.
Twelfth days proceedings in the case OF
the United States against w. J. Cruikshank
and others, charged with conspiracy and
murder in Grant parish last April.
District Attorney Beckwith announced
that he was unable to identify Jacques Le-
cour with the indicted person of that name,
therefore released him. Judge Woods then
declared Lecour competent witness.
Maurice Craft sworn-L;ve opposite Col
fax, three miles below; left my home last
April because some armed cOlOred men Wis
tied my house. called for whisky and drank
it; they told me they were going to Coltax,
as there was going to be a fight; this was
about eight days before Easter Sunday; was
at my brothers house, opposite Coltax, on
that day; there were about JU people
there; remember seeing Clement Penn; saw
some Of the fight as l stood on the bank
opposite Colfax; saw Nash and saw
white flag at the courthouse; heard firing
and saw colored men marching and drilling.
Cross sexanination-My e store is three
miles below Colfax, same bank; Fuller
johnson was one of the men who took
whisky at my house; some of them bad
been my customers previously; colored
"
when left my store left it in charge of q
colored man; had $1,000 worth Of goods in
it; some goods were gone when l returned
to my store; whisky and molasses were
taken, but can't say positively that any
thing else was taken; the things in the
| store were not tumbled; when l went to
my brothers store, ten days before the
fight, saw my brother and Mr.. Grant
there; Graut was looking over to
Colfax; Easter Sunday about 300 people.
black and white. gathered there; Clement
Penn was doing nothing; am positive saw
| him at my brothers store Easter Sunday;
| the people were not armed; it is unusual
| for so many people to congregate there;
| Penn had something white on one of his
| feet; saw several men in a tree, but can't
| remember anybody beside Penn in it; it is
| ten or twelve feet to the first limb, where
| the men sat; saw Penn on the limb about
| III A. n. Easter Sunday; the tree is 400 or
| 500 yards from the courthouse; the court
house began to burn at noon or one
] O'Clock; heard artillery; do not know
what became Of all the people who
| were at my brothers store; two colored
| women told me about the fight; several
| days before the tight saw Grant and others
sink the ferry fiat; never heard white
| man say he was in the battle; Grant and
Patton went over to Colfax while the court
| house was burning; they told me that ne
groes had been killed and told other things
| about the trouble; first knew that Penn
| had been indicted when he was arrested.
jacques Lecour sworn-Last April lived
| four miles from ClOutieryille; saw Prud-
| homme Lemohe at the church Easter Sun
| day; did not hear of the fight until two or
three days after it happened; did not know
| the men who told me.
Valcour Villere sworn-Iive twelve miles
| from Colfax; went there last fall; Easter
| Sunday was living twelve or thirteen miles
| from Colfax on the Dartigo; know Oscar
Givens and Denis Lelnoine; d. Lemoine
| was ae my house Easter Sunday, for / was
| with him; did not see Givens that day.
I Crosse xamiqatiOn- week or ten days
| before Easter Sunday was told that there
| would be fight in COlfax; Denis kemoine
| told me. but didn't say when the fight was
| to take place; he told me several days be-
| fore the battle; Neiley Dean also told me;
| first heard that ". Lemoine was 10 be tried
here some time in Februarvs
Richard Grant swOrn-Llved Oh Zane
river in April, 1873; own plantation oppo.
site Colfax. know Clement Penn, now in
court; saw him at Robert Aaron's store, OPP
posite Colfax. Easter Sunday; he arrived
there half an hour before the fight; big
crowd was there that day; saw Richardson,
the Erazers, Aaron, A. Keller, Ferrier
there; saw colored people drilling across
tuo IINtT cNtit IL SVCiAFu " LAiO thtlC
were $50 colored men; witne ssed some of the
fight; saw a body Of armed white men near
Culfax; l was on the river bank, opposite
Colfdx: saw $50 white men moving toward
the courthouse; heard an order given for
white men to mount; heard d volley and
then saw the white men retreat; helped to
sink the ferry fiat as u cautionary measure,
before Easter Sunday.
Cross-examination-Ca say that saw
'lAyn a
don't think there were $50 people there
then: am sure that sid hot cross the river
that day; spoke with Clement Penn during
the day; do not know the manual Of arms;
saw the colored men drilling in Colfax;
they had guns and were drilling; can't ex-
plain what drilling is; did not near com
mands; Sunday evening knew that negroes
had been Slaughtered; think 1 heard fling
after dark; went to Colfax Monday; saw a
wounded colored man who tried to speak
to me; l did nothing to relieve him; re-
manned there half an hour; forget who went
over to Colfax with me; know IF no prepa-
rations to bury the dead; counted forty.
four dead negroes.
David Mccall swOrn-Easter Sunday last
l was ut my house below Culfax, in Rapides
parish; met Clement Penn on a public road
ON Easter sunday, about nine o'clock in the
morning; he wore white hat, and one of
his feet was outside the shoe; did see him
again that day +; he was on his horse.
Cross 'uation-H Heard there was to
be a fight on Easter Sunday beard it two
or three days before; it was the regular
talk in my neighbcrhOod.
J. f. Ferrier swOru-Live one mile and
half from the mouth of Cane river; knew
Clement Penn all my life; last Easter Sun
day passed the day with him opposite Col
fax, on the river bank, on the point opposite
Coltax, about 400 yards from COifaX; saw
Clement Penn with him on cotton wood
tree limb. about fifteen feet from the
grounG; helped him up because his foot
was wounded.
ii A. M. Easter Sunday; there were both
colored and white men on the point; four of
us were on the limb, Clement Penn, two
Frideaus and myself; We remained on the
limo halt an hour: assisted to b lp Penn
down; l started for home about sundown;
knew nothing of the fight until / saw it;
heard the report of small piece Of artil-
lery in Colfax: heard no shooting when l
left; saw people on foot running down the
road toward Cury's point; saw mounted
men following; saw men fall on the Colfax
bank, near the courthouse; can't say how
many were shot or fell; more than one fell
about noon; can't say whether they were
white or black; believed that somebody was
hurt; did not see Grant cross the river that
day; crossed at nan past tWriVe; dld not
see anything going on IN Colfax then; saw
armed white men; Clement Penn crossed
with me; found wounded man in Rich
srdson's house; it was Frank Noses
we took him over to Grants house
in skif; We took him over half hour
by sun; knew the wounded man !;
Moses remained on Grants place week
afterwa ard Clement Penn could not help
us take Moses back; the courthouse had
been burned when We got over; Moses
could not walk: We toted him on plank;
he did not die; saw smoke from the court |
hou-e; saw prisoners; they were at Rich |