New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-09-17
7. q. DESLONDE,
Secretary OF stats. Get -
A STATEMENT TO THE PUBLIC.

Having felt il my duty 20 issUe ny proclamation
offering large reward for the apprehension and
conviction ofthe mU,derers IL the Coushatta out.
rage, auG to :he end that the law abiding citizens
O. the State may fully comprehend the magnitude
OF :he crime committed and be induced to render
more active assistance to the officers of the Law,
deem it pIope. 70 make the following statement.
These facts are gathered fsor, reliable intorHa.
ton received at the Executive Department.:
"a OK about the twenty. e,ghth day Of August
1854. 8 body Of persons, belonging to a semi mill
tary organization known as the White League of
Louisiana, assembled in tie town 0: Coushatta
parish Of Red River, il thu state, for the purpose
of compelling, by force Of arms the STATE officers
oftl nat parish 10 resign their positions.
These officers We:e men OF good character: most
Of them Largely interested IL planting and mercan.
tile pursuits. They held ,hei. positions with the
ful. consent Of al admittedly large siority of the
le.a. voters OF the parish this being largely
Republican parish. as admitted svea by the Fusion
returning boards.
The only known objection to then. was that thev
were OF Republican pyincpea Frank S. Edgerton
the duly qualified sher;! Of the parish, in stric:
compliance with the laws Of this State and OF the
United States, summoned posse eonisa:us Of cit
!zens white and colored to sssis: him in protect.
'ns the parish officers il the exerci4 OF theic w
Lawful! violence Of the " hi:e Leagues. His posse.
consisting OF sixty.dve men. was overpowe1ed by
superior fo'ce assembled from the adjacent par.
ishes. and finally. after severa. eoored and white
men had bee.. killed, sure ndered themselves pris
oners with the explicit guarantee that theis Eves
would be spared il the more prominent Repub
.icahs would agree TO leave the parish, and those
holding Office would resign .her positions.
These stipU.aticns, thou gil unlawsuly exaeted.
were complied with on the part of the Republican
officials, who were then locked Up ia the Jail foy
toe night.
The following named persons were auoas these
so surrendering and resisrin::
Home: J. Twitchsli planter aaa tag collector Of
Bed River, and deputy United States postmaster
in charge of the postotfce a: CoUsha.ta; Robert A.
Devices, supervisor ofregistrat,os De soto parish:
clark Holland. merchant and supervisor Of regis.
trat.cn. Red River parish: ". J. howell, parish
attorney and United States commissioner; Frank
5. Edgertoa. sheriff Of Red Rive. parish; n. c.
Wills, merchant and justice of the peace.
Or the following morning, Sunday. the tnireie:a
da! OF August. these persons were bound and
conducted by an armed guard to the Mcfarland
plantation. Just over the parish line Of Red River
within the boundaries of Bessie. parish. abo,,.
forty miles east Of The Texas Ina. There thev
Teie set upon and deliberately murdered in cold
blood. Theis bodies were buried near where fhev
fell, without INQUEST or any formality whatever.
On ese night preceding the surresdera bodv Of
sor-y members OF the White League Of Caddo
parish. mounted and armed, left the city of
Shreveport and were seen riding in the direction
OF the ? ace where the murdes was subsequently
committed.
WILLIAM P. KELLOGG.
seizp Governor.