The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1874-09-11
A Statement to the Public.

H. Having felt it my duty to issue nv
proclamation offering a large reward for
the apprehension and conviction of the
murderers in the Coushatta 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 assist
anCe to the officers of the law, I deem it
proper to make the following statement.
These facts are gathered from reliable
information received at the Executive
Department:
On or about the twenty-eighth day of
August, 1874, a body of persons, belong
ing to a semi-military organization
known as the White League of Louis
lana, assembled in the town of COushatta,
parish of Red River, in this State. for the
purpose of compelling, by force of arms,
the State officers of that parish to resign
their positions.
ines officers were men OF good char
acter; most of them largely interested
in planting and mercantile pursuits.
They held their positions with the full
consent of an admittedly large majority
of the legal voters of the parish, this
being a largely Republican parish, as
admitted even by the Fusion Returning
Boards.
The only known objection to them was
that they were of Republican principles.
Frank S: Edgerton, the duly qualified
sheriff OF the parish, in strict compliance
with the laws of this State, and of the
United States, summoned a posse COM
mitatus of citizens, white and colored,
to assist him in protecting the parish
officers in the exercise Oftheir undoubted
rights and duties from the threatened
unlawful violence of the White Leagues.
His posse, consisting Of sixty-five men,
was OverpOwered by a superior force
assembled from the adjacent 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 it the more prominent Republic
ans would agree to leave the parish, and
those holding Office would resign their
positions.
These stipulations, though unlawfully
exacted, were complied with on the
part of the Republican officials who were
then locked up in the jail for the night.
The following named persons were
among those so surrendering and re-
signing:
Homer j. Twitchell, planter and tax
collector of Red River, and deputy Uni
Ccu 0titteS postmaster IN Cnafgo or the
p~Ostoffice at Coushatta Robert A. Dew
ees, supervisor of registration, DeSoto
parish; Clark Holland, merchant and
supervisor of registration. Red River
parish W. J. Howell, parish attorney
and United States commissioner; Frank
5. EdgertOn, sheriff of Red River parish
NJ. G. Willis, merchant andjustice of the
peace.
On. the following morning, Sunday,
the thirtieth day of August, these per-
sons were bound and conducted by an
armed guard to the Mcfarland planta-
ton, just over the parish line of Red
River, within the boundaries of Bossier
parish. about forty miles east of the
Texas line. There they were set upon
and deliberately murdered in cold blood.
On the night preceding the surrender
a body of forty members of the White
League of Caddo parish. mounted and
armed, left the city of Shreveport and
were e riding in the direction of the
place e the murderwas subsequent
ly committed. Their bodies were buried
near where they fell, without inquest or
any fOrma1itv whatever.
WILLIAM P. KELLOGG,
.. Governor.