The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1874-03-26
The Char.e Of Nude Woods.

The recent cnafSe OF y udSe woods, OF the
United States Circuit Court, in the case OF
the Grant parish PRISONERS, we are pleased
to SET, has beep fitting and vigorously
denounced BY flat abiA champion of the
people the Shreveport Times. Nothing
that has transpfed for Wears So shocked the
community as that cotd-blooded and de-
liberate attempt. On the part of a man who
had hitherto bob Il fair reputation, to have
y number Of gentlemen condemned to
death, who, froh all the facts as they We're
disclosed. simuy obeyed the mandates of
duty and the natural instinct of self
preservation. in uniting with their neigh
bors TO defen. their families and their
homes from Iprrors to which those of
Colfax were asnothing.
When that clarge. was uttered the people
of New Orleans looked for some expression
Of INDIGNATION on the part Of their two lead
ing English jurnals. They looked in vain,
and hence waepublish an extract from the
Shreveport Tines, in order that the citizens
of New Orlans may see that there is at
least one pa er in the State bold enough to
express its hnest sentiments:
| aDamrahIe Charge.
7 A few dan since the Associated Press dis
matches annmnced that the charge OF Judge
Woods, in tie Circuit Court OF the United
| STATES. in I'll, trial of the nine Grant parish
prisoners" Vas an impartial and satisfactory
nne. We hive inst read and reread the
! ch.rre andIbelieve that it will be classed
amono the host damlnble utterances that
have ever tisgIacea thP courts Of Christian
countries. Its cold FLOODED malignancy.
clothed in the calm and stately pIra-
seolorv q. the .judtiery, is well cal
culated /, beguile those ignorant of
fine facts of the cBe. while it sends a
child Of horror through the hearts of those
who know them, andhppals helples and
outraged ,eople, by slowing how their eff
forts to lfotect themselves and families
against murder, robbey and rape, may be
proved to be crimes, AID how the benlgnant
| shirt of ilstice maybe transformed b. the
LEGAL necr,lnancy of II American judge into
a tiend. old, heartlss and malignant as
Mephistoiheles. Bytthis charge the ac-
cused wee virtually cut off from all hope
of escape.for any ihy composed Of unpre-
| indeed nen. such a9he law requires-with
no knowledge of the history of the case, and
who might feel bounI to follow the charge
would hare been forfd to convict.
The enbrmity of The charge cannot be
fully com,rehended by its perusal, without
some knowledge OF the character OF the
trial and Gle naturelf the prosecution. The
presiding Judge pisistently ruled out all
the testimony of til witnesses for the de-
tense, going to sliw the origin Of the
troubles il Grant, te banding together ef
the negroes and tlir white coadjutors, to
commit arson, rapi and murder, while he
freely admitted ali be evidence of the null
titude of negroes b light before him by the
prosecution and pfiousiy trained Iii Their
lessons Of perinry. Having thus excluded
from the record thfeal history Of the case,
and admitted to it b entirely false history,
th. Judge proceed in the first part Of his
chargeto recite tthe jury that false his
tory, and IN the sefnd part to state the law
and instruct them apply it to the case as
TINS recited. TIL is the villainy OF the
1 tbipU