Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1874-09-09
Louisiana Outrage.


proclamation placing a reward of FIVE
thousand dollars head on all persons
implicated in the Constants agsir, and
accompanied his proclamation with the
following statement, which gives the
reader some knowledge Of the state Of
society down there
"7o the Public:
"Having felt it my duty to issue my
proclamation offering large reward for
the apprehension aud conviction of the
murderers in the Cousbatta outrage,
and TO the end that law abiding citizens
of the State may fully comprehend the
magnitude of the crime committed, and
TO induce and to render mora active
assistance to the officers of the law,
deem it proper to make the following
statement. These facts are gathered
from reliable information received at
the Executive Department
"On OF about August 2S, body Of
persons belonging to a eIni-nilitary
organization known as 'the " hite
League of Louisiana assembled in the
town of Coushatta, parish Of Red River,
in this State, for the purpose of COM
pelling BY force of arms the State Of
GERS of that parish to resign their posi-
tons. These officers we're men of good
character, most of them largely inter-
ested in planting and mercantile pur
suits. They held their positions with
the fully consent Of an admittedly
large majority of the legal voters of
the parish, this being heavily Repub-
licsn parish, as admitted by the Fusion
returning boards. The only known OBJ
lection to them was, that they were of
Republican principles. Frank Edger-
ton, the duly qualified sheriff of the
parish, in strict compliance with the
laws Of the State and Of the United
States, Summoned posse comitatus OF
citizens. white and colcre6, to assist
him in protecting the parish ofhcers in
the exercise Of their undisputed rights
aid duties from the threatened unlaw-
full violence of the White League. His
posse, consisting of sixty-five men, we're
overpowered by a superior force assem-
bled from adj AGENT parishes, and finally,
after several colored and white men had
been killed, surrendered themselves
prisoners, with the explicit guarantee
that their lives would be spared If more
prominent Republicans would agree to
leave the parish, and those holding Of
fee would resign their positions. These
stipulations, although unlawfully exact
ed, we're complied with on the part of
the Republican officials, who we're then
locked up in Jail ioI the night.
"The followiug-named persons were
amongst those who surrendered and re-
signed Homer J. Twitchell, planter,
and tax collector of he'd River Parish,
and deputy United States postmaster in
charge of the post Office at Coushatta
Robert A. Devices, supervisor Of regis
tration De Soto parish clark Holland,
merchant and supervisor of registra-
ton of Red River parish W. +.
Howell, parish attorney, and United
States counsel Frank S. E6gerton,
sheriff of Red River parish, and NJ. Z.
Willis, merchant and justice of the
peace. On the following morning, Sun
day, the 30th of August, these persons
we're bound together, two and two, and
conducted by armed guard to McFar-
lands plantation, just over the parish
line of Red River, within the bound
aries of Bossieur parish, about 40
miles east of the Texas line. There
they we're set upon and deliberately
murdered in cold blood. On the night
before the murder bsdy Of Forty uem.
bers of the White League of Caddo
parish, masked and armed, left the city
of Shreveport, and were seen riding in
the direction of the place where the
murder was subsequently committed.
TIE bodies were buried where they fell,
without inquest or any forluality what
ever
"W. p. KELLOGG, Governor
Lawlessness, as described BY Gov
ernor Kellog, has induced the Admin
istration at Washington to issue the
following to U. s. officers in the South
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, Septem-
ber 3, ls74.--Sir: Outrages of various
descriptions, and in some cases afro
cious murders, have been committed in
your district by bodies of armed men,
sometimes in disguise, and with the
view, it is believed, of overawing and
intimidating peaceable and law abiding
citizens, and depriving them of the
rights guaranteed to them by the Con-
stitution and laws Of the United States.
Your attention is directed to an act of
Congress passed April 8, 1866, entitled
"An act to protect all persons in the
United States in their civil rights, and
IN furnish means for their -indic fion -