Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1874-10-10

by JOIN MoExERY, the Representative
| Of Ouachita Parish, and now claiming
to be Governor Of the State. As the Republic
ans carried the State in 1867, the ex-rebels telt
that active measures were needed on their part.
They carried on Ku-Klux operations Of the most
attrocious character during this and the succeed.
ing year. In St Landry Parish two hundred
blacks were murdered. In Caddo many white
| Republicans were assassinated, and near Shreve-
port thirty negroes were shot in body. The
total number of murders of this kind in Caddo,
from Sept. to Nov. g was 242. In Bossier'
Parish at least 30S persons fell victims to rebel
| ferocity. One DR.. WHITFIELD VANCE, accom-
panied by few more "high-toned gentlemen
met upon the road two colored
women riding upon mules to reclaim, if pOssi-
bic, the bones of their slaughtered husbands
This "high-toned doctor, with his own aristo-
cratic hands, hanged these women at the side of
the road with the halters of their mules, and
went home doubtless feeling a calm satisIactions
! at having been able to do that much for the
cause of white civilization" The same chival-
rous gentleman dragged from under his own
mansion a negro who had sought safety there.
and enjoyed the pleasure of placing a bowie
knife upon his shoulder and of driving it, point,
downward, to his heart. Another wounded
negro he covered, in the woods, with brush and
logs and fired the pile. The man yet
lives to exhibit the scars of his fearful burns
The natural and desired results of this reign Of
terror was a rebel majority for SEYMOUR and
BLAIR of over 10000. Caddo which cast I,278
Republican votes in April, cast but one for
GRANT in November, 1868. The same tactics
were revived in 1872, and, as the horrors of COu-
shatta have shown, begun again in 1874. After
describing that massacre, Of which an account
has already been given in our columns, Mr..
JEwETT adds:
For month past the white Republicans of Lincoln
Parish have been counted this Plaee our
Der has been three, our greatest six armed to the
teeth. and the alert, night and day. Is we'll
derstood that any attack upon US would be met by
desperate defense, which would cease only with
White Leaguers the "number of their mess" and con-
sequenty have not been attacked, but we live in
constant preparation and know not what hour an
ira allowance of whisky might bring the crowd upon
US. I have neither space nor time to instance each
of enumerate the parishes Tietimized
The number OF them is seventeen. From what have
stated, and when add that Lincoln and Red River
furnish fair samples Of the WHOLE that in Caddo during
the past two months there have been not less than
thirty isolated political murders, you can form some
idea of the Estate Of affairs in louisiana"
If the above details are true, and there Is
abundant reason for believing them essentially
so, the pacifcation of Louisiana is a work that
demands the prompt and careful attention Of
the national authorities. If emancipation had
just been effected, and the new order Of things
had hardly begun, disorder and cruelty might
be expected. Nearly ten years have elapsed,
however, since the surrender Of LEE at Apo
mattox, and yet savagery without pallistion and
without measure rules IN every district where
fear does not compel the rebel miscr eants to
keep the peace Cancellation and reasoning have
been tried long enough. A large part of the
Kentucky hemp crop could be put to a profitable
use on the Lower Mississippi.