New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-01-25
A Card from Judge Hamlet.
VERNON. JACKSON PARISH. Ia.
January l9. 1874.

January ~. 1874. }
EDiroR REPUBLICANS:
4 communication from Senator Black.
burn, in your paper of the thirteenth in
slant. embodying a letter to that gentleman
from this place, of date the fourth instant.
contains charges and insinuations against
myself, both personally and officially.
which seem to require some notice. l will
quote from the latter what more particu.
larly concerns me:
Gan the parish officers resident in Ver-
non appear to be in harmony Gand sympa-
thy with clan of about twenty armed vile
lians, instigated to deeds of crime by lead
ing FusiOnists, and in their favor the great
est distortions of law are allowed by j. Z.
Hamlet, lately appointed parish Judge.
Hamlet has released confessed thieves,
owners of considerable property, on a bond
of $50. know they will never be brought
to trial.
1.-THE parties who shot the lately ap-
pointed sheriff are not yet apprehended. 1t
is really impossible to apprehend them
without considerable fighting and blood
shed, and you know that no posse of citi
zens here can be relied on to carry the law
to that extent. Such an attempt would
only result in the death of the officers. Be-
sides, these parties, if arrested, can give
any amount of bond, and Judge Hamlet
| would make it merely nominal, and the
criminals would be sure to escape justice.
IL hope that just judge will soon take
| the place of Hamlet, and then. with about
fifteen police not afraid to stand TO the
right, we would be able to arrest and 'm'
prison all Offenders
| shall premise what have 70 say in
! reply TO the allegations and speculations Of
Senator Blackburn.s correspondent by re-.
ferrno 70 a few facts in regard to the Dsrish
;ndoeshin of This rarish. JUDGE Nat Riyes
! died on the Fourteenth of Octnber last. after
an illness of . little Less than a m.nth. Nv
| commission from Governor kellogg. to fiji
| the Vacancv thus .reated ia dated Decem.
! her :. and entered unon the duties of the
Office ,he ninth of the same month. NV
! FIRST and only court held since. was on the
/ fonrth Monday of Decemher. IL was the
| regular term for probate busines, exclus.
! iyeIv hut nothing was done in consequence
of fbe absence Of attornevs and the recusa.
| tion Of the iudge. Tins il has happened
| thar hpf one term NJ the oarish court ha.
been held in this parish since last August,
| and that a probate term al which no Grim.
J NAL business could be done,
lam M a loss 10 conceive what "distor.
! .;ona of law" have allowed. can not.
oerhaps. better yindicate myself from this
monstrons cha,ge than nv conving in full
| from nv nrivate docket (which in no essen.
| tiai res1ects differs from the court docket
evervthinp that I have done IA parish Judge
since came into office that Ia Of a Grimm al
! nature---only two cases:
! i estate Va. 2. a. Fulford.-On the com.
plant. under oath, of Isham Wimbish IA
! freedman,. that said Fulford did. ON the fif.
| ,eenth December- 1874 assault him with a
! dangerous weapon ipistoll. aud break open
| mis- meatbouse. with intent to commit the
crime of robbery. and did. then and there,
rob him. said atfiant. of more than 200