The Portland daily press., 1874-09-04
THE LOUISIANA MASSACRE.
Reward GGered for the BIurdcrers-State-
nsent by Sow. Kellogg.

Reward offered for the BIurdcrers-state-
nsent by Gov. Kellogg.
New ORLEANS, Sept 3-Gov. Kellogg has
issued proclamation, placing reward of
$4,000 head on all the persons implicated in
the Conshatta affair, and accompanying his
proclamation by the following statement
To the Publlc:-Havng felt it my duty to is
sue my proclamation offering large reward
for the apprehension and conviction of the
murderers in the Conshatta outrage, and to the
end that the law-abiding citizens of the state
may fully comprehend the magnitude of the
crime committed, and be induced to render
more active assistance to the officers of the law,
i deem it proper to make the following state
ment of facts, gathered from reliable Informal
ton received at the Executive Department:
On or about the 2Sth day of August, 1874,
body of persons belonging to Semi-military
organization, known as the White League of
Louisiana, assembled in the town of Constant
ia, parish of Red River, in this state, for the
purpose Of compelling, by force of arms, the
state officials of that parish to resign their po-
stions. The officers wer7 men of good charac-
ter, most of them being largely interested in
planting and mercantile pursuits They held
their position With the full consent of an adj
mittedly large majority of the legal voters of
the parish, this being heavily Republican
parish, as admitted by their fusion returning
boards The only known objection to them
was that they were OF Republican principles.
Frank Edgerton, duly qualified as Sheriff of
the parish in strict compliance with the laws of
the state and of the United, States, summoned
posse c0mmttaus of citizens, white and COL
ored, to assist him in protecting the parish off
GERS in the exercise of their undoubted rights
and duties from the threatened unlawful vio-
lence of the White League. "s
His posse, consisting of Is men, were over
powered by superior force assembled from
adjacent parishes, and finally, after several COL
ored and White men had been killed, surren-
dered themselves prisoners with the explicit
guarantee that their lives would be spared if
the more prominen, Republicans would agree
to leave the parish and those holding office
would resign. These stipulations, though I'M
lawfully exacted were complied with. Part of
the Republican officials were then locked up in
Jail for the night.
q The following named persons were among
those who surrendered and resigned: Homer
j. Twitchell, planter and tax collector of Red
River parish, and deputy U. S. postmaster in
charge of the pest Office at Conshatta; Robert
A. Devices, supervisor of registration OF De
Soto parish; Clark Holland merchant and
supervisor of registration for Red River parish;
w. E. Howell, parish attorney and U. S. coun-
sci; Frank S. Edgerton, sheriff of Red River
parish, and M. E. Willis, merchant and JUS
lice Of the peace.
On the following morning, Sunday, the 30th,
these persons were bound together two ard two,
conducted by an armed guard to McFarand's
plantatan, just over the parish line of Red
River, within the boundaries of Bossier parish,
about 40 miles east of the Texas line. There
they were set upon and deliberately murdered
in cold blood. On the night preceding the
murder members Of the White League of Cad
do parish mounted and armed, left Shreveport
and were seen Kidding in the direction of the
place where the murders committed
Their bodies were buried where they fell with
out inquest or ady formality whatever.
(Sisned) VIM. j. KELLOGG,
Governor,