The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1874-09-11

belonging To semi military or
ganization known as the White |
League of Louisiana, assembled in
the town of Coushatta, parish of
Red River, this State, for the pur
pose of compelling, by force OF
arms, the State officers of that par
ish To resign their positions.
These officers were men of good
character, most of them largely
interested in planting and mercan-
tile pursuits. They held their
positions with the full consent of
an admittedly large majority ofthe
legal voters of the parish, this be
ing a heavily Republican parish, as
admitted by the fusion re-
turning boards. The objection
to them was that they were of Re
publican principles. Frank Ed
gerton, the duly qualified Sheriff
of the parish, in strict complia
with the laws of this State and OF
the United States, summoned 81
posse cOnaitdtHS of citizens, white
and coiOred, to assist him in pro
tecting the parish officers in the
exercise of their undoubtcd rights
and duties from the threatened I'M
lawful violence of the White
Leaguers. His posse, consisting
of siXty-tiYe men, was overpower-
ed by asuperior force assembled
from the adjacent parishes, and
finally, after several colored and
white men had been killed, sur
rendered themselves prisoners,
with the eXplici. guaranty that
their lives would be spared if the
more prominent Republicans
would agree to leave the parish
and those holding office would re,
sign their positions. The stipula
tions, though unlawrully eXactel
were complied with on the part oil
the Republican officials, who were
then locked upin jail for the night
The following named persons art
among these so surrendered anC
resigned: Homer }. Twitchell
planter and Tax Collector of Rec
River and Deputy United States
Postmaster in charge of the pos
Office at Coushatta; Robert A
Dewes, Supervisor of Registration
of De Sofa Parish; Clark Holland
merchant and Supervisor of Regis
tration Red River Parish; W. +
Howell, Parish Attorney ant
United States Commissioner
Frank S. Edgerton, Sheriff of Rec
River Parish; NJ. c. Willis, mer
/ chant and Justice of the peace
On the folie4ging morning, Sunday
the Both of august, these persons
were bound togethertwo and two
and conducted by an armed guar
to the Mcfarland plantation, jus
, over the parish line OF Red River
within the boundaries of Bessie
Parish, about forty miles east o
the Texas line. There they wer
set upon and deliberately murder
ed in cold blood. On the nigh
preceding the murder n body @
forty members of the Whit
League of Caddo Parish, mounte
and armed, left the city of ShrevC
port, and were seen riding in tn
5 direction of the place where til
murder was subsequently commit
, ed. Their bodies were bnrrie
; where they fell, without inques
| or any formality whatever.
: WILLIAM =. KELLOGG,
: Governor.
A special to the New Orlean
Picayune, dated Shreveport, Sep
, 3, says: additional informatio
of n reliable character fully col
, firms Major Stephenson's state
ment, and gives additional parti'
ulars of the Coushatta affair. Til
l shots which wounded Dickso
= were fired from tho Twitche
3 house, where Dewes, Edeertol
l Twitchell, Howell, Willis, and Ho
, land were congregated with n pa
j. ty of negroes, all armed. NJ
e Dickerson converscd with them
: few moments before they shot hin
. The conversation was far from vic
lent, and the assault without til
1 slightest provocation. A numbe
! of negroes who came into Cou.
hatta after the trouble to surren
der their arms and ask the proteC
) ton OF the whites, stated tina
: Twitchhcll and others had furnish
ed them with arms and ammun
ton and told them that the tim
had come for them to strike 70
their rights.
"a respectable white lady abov
Coushatta was approached by
negro, who drew his pistol on hel
cursed her, and told her that tn
negroes intended to kill everything
in the country that looked white
The miscreant escaped.
'tEverything was quiet in Rec
River at last accounts.
The false statement emanate,
from Kellogg, that the people from
Caddo Parish had everything t,
do with the disturbance, is absurd
| The affair was over before n sus
piciOn of it was entertained by /:
respectable white person in Caddo
with the exception of the extreme
southern point of the parish, wher,
there are very few whites. A
courier from the upper point o
Red River did not reach Shreve
port until Saturday, whereas tho
disturbances were all Quilted by
! Friday morning."