The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1874-09-04
Murders i'm North Louisiana.

SIlS S'b VI AANP9 = ~~~ ~AO ~ P"AAOA
cal meeting, were attacked by a body
Of men. Custer escaped, but Headricb
was taken into the woods and murdered
The Shreveport Times, Il white league
organ, says:
The impression which has got abroad
that Headrick vas killed on account OF
politics is entirely erroneous. Squire
regarded in his parish as an honest, quiet
aud law-abiding citizen, and though at
one time Il conservative Republican, he
has been al earnest advocate of the
white mans movement, and only a week
or ten days ago published a card in this
paper announcing his connection with
that movement. DR.. Custer is also as
sOciated with the white mans party.
There is no earthly reason therefore,
why either Squire Headrick Or DR.. Gus
ter should have been injured by the ad-
vOcates of the white mans movement,
even admitting the absurd idea that its
advocates are numbering all their OPP
ponents. 1t seemsthat there are several
persons on the Texas side of the line be-
tween whom and Squire Headrick there
existed a fierce feud, and it is supposed
that those parties took advantage of the
excitement which had been raised by
whisky and politics to perpetrate the
murder. This is reasonable theory of
the horrible affair and is sustained by
statements of DR.. Custer himself. But
be that as it may, it is evident that q
most foul, cowardly and brutal assassi-
nation has been perpetrated, and we
hope the authorities will use every
means in their power to ferret out the
COWardly perpetrators of it and bring
them to justice.
And the Shreveport Southwestern
tTelegram, a conservative Republican
paper, has the following, quoting from
the Mansfield Reporter, a white league
paper of the parish where the murder
took place:
At the present time, when political
feeling controls and party acerbitY rises
to the surface, the majority of offenseS
are charged to the bitterness of partisan
influence. In many cases the charge is
true I; in others it is not sustained. Many
desperadOes will avail themselves of oc-
casiOns like these to give vent to their
ungOvernable passions and thereby ere
ate a feeling that, one aroused, a not
be represSed without blOOdshed and viO-
lence. The recent diabolical outrage in
DeSot0 parish, in which one laW-abiding
and inoffensive citizen was brutally muir
dered, and another forced to fee from
his home and family is sufficiently strong
to bear out our remarks. 1t is possible
that Squire Headrick was butchered on
Thursday last for motives of private re-
Venge, but the fact of his having form
erly taken part with the Republican par
ty, the character of the speeches said to
have been made at Logansport on the
day on which the poor, helpless, unof-
Tending Old mai was massacTed, coupled
with the following remarks from the
gan, in regard to Dr.. Custer, whose life
was also sought, and was only preserved
by a'hasty flight, leads us to think diff
ferent. By the illusions to one of the
parties evidently referred to in the sub
joined remarks clearly show that poll
tics, as much as whisky or private feuds,
had to do with the terrible and cold
blOoded tragedy.
In reference to the political meeting
Mt LOganspOrt on the twentieth, the
Mansfield Reporter of the twenty-seG-
ond, says: a.-
"Quite an interesting meeting was
held at LoganspOrt, in this parish, on
last Thursday. Alarge and enthusiastic
crowd was in attendance, and the people
seemed eterminedto dotheir whole duty
during the present campaign. Messrs.
Pike, Hall and E. w. Sutherlin address
ed the meeting, and their utterances
elected the hearty applause of their
hearers. Carpet-baggers and scalawags
made themselves scarce in that locality.
DR.. Custer was present, and it he runs
as well for the State Senate as he did
when he left Logansport, he won't be
far behind at the end of the race. We
have not yet learned how he came out
in his race from LOganspOrt, but at last
accounts he was leading the party. His
run can only be compared to Devices
retreat from Mansfield to COushatta last
year."
These remarks do not appear to have
their origin in private matters, at least
as far as DIR. Custer is concerned. "
On the Goth ult., the white people, as
the dispatch states, arrested, at Cou-
shatta in Red River parish, north Of Red
River, T. S. Egerton, sheriff; H. T..
Twichell, tax collector; Clark Holland,
register; R. A. Devices, tax collector Of
DeSoto pariShj Gilbert Cane, deputy
sheriff w. F. Howell, attorney and six
leading negroes. Two negroes and one
white man were killed, and one white
man wounded. On the Both, last Sun
day, the prisoners were started to Shreve-
port under guard, On the route forty
or fifty armed men, I" supposed to be
Texans took charge of them andkflled
them. The killing took place east Of Red
River, near the line of Bossier parish. b
DEMOCRACY AND WHITE LEAGUE IN
RAPIDEs.-The Democratic committee
in Rapides has made some very fair pro-
positions to the white league committee
there for a fusion or union, The Re-
publicans have always been JIM the ma
.iority there. The correspondence be-
tween the two committees occupies two
and a half columns of the Alexandria
Democrat, The white league there
claims the majority, and declined to
fuse. Here they propose to fuse, being
in the minority. The reply of the presi-