The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1874-03-25
PRICE-FIVE CENTS.
From the New Orleans Bee I'D march,
The Trial of the Grant Parish pri.oue

The Trial of the Grant Parish Prisoners
We closed our article Of Tuesday on the result OF
the deli oerations in this trial. with the following
appeal to the District Attorney Mr. Beckwith:
1--WE appeal to his intelligence, his heart and TO his
sentiments as good citizen. with the confidence that
| ne viii not disappoint our expectation"
Mr. Beckwi h has di appointed our expectation We
presumed too much on his intelligence his heart and
| sung men, who, in 'ur opuon, have done nr
| than feso t to the ri ht of legitimate defense the
| almost unanimous opinion OF the community so well
reflected by the division of the jury has no we ht
with Mr.. Beckwith.
EH' we leave asl. the quest on feeling to calmly
examine the affair from the standpoint OF criminal
| law.
| Mr. Beckwith preteads that the fight at ColfAx
the result OF great conspiracy that all who
had any part cipation in it responsible for the
death OF the thirtysix negroes killed at the Of
the contest He has gone far to say that those
who have done nothing than approve and ratify
these things after they were done should he con.
demned a. the others. From his avowsl there 10
then but single and identical criminal afAr, which
| should comprise al the homicides. How II Il then
that he has divided his aocut ations and that Mr..
Lewis. acquitted Of the murder Of two of the killed
with the simple substitution Of anotherr
Has Mr. Btckwth the intention Of trying the sccused
thirty-sx times in succession2 This would be moro
than hatefuly ridiculous; it would be illegal. The
constitution Of the United States says that NO ps.~
son shall have his life put in peril twice for the sane
on'ense But if the death Of the thirtysix negrses
at Colfax has been the result Of crime. Mr. Beck
with alleges it is very evident that there 10 connsc.
ton between the facts and there Is only single and
identical criminal ofense All Of Mr.. Beckwiths AZ.
gnment in effect, directed to that connection A.
he could not prove that it such and such Ct
| the accused who had killed such and such negro, he
has maintained that their criminality resulted from
their participation in the fight Consult the criminal
jurisprudence Of all countries and it win be that
the attempt of Mr.. Beckwith to divide-to DETAIL to
speak-his accusation, is an unjustfabe proceeding.
tends nothing less than to elnde the very pre-
else provision of the constitution which have cited
! abovc-a provision which renders sacred principe
| recognized by all codes =. ..5
Judge Woods we'll understood it for ordered the
release bail of Mr. Alfred Lewis acquitted, the
ground that the accusation of ofrense
analogous with the first, with the simple substitution
of the name of William Williams in place Of that Of
Tillman.
judi e Woods refused to put the other accused
der ball. although OF the jury, called the pur-
pose testified that there were nine jurymen for ac
qutta of Of the accused and eleven urymen for
the acquittal Of four others. We bow before the de-
cson Of the court, but depore the fate Of the
| fortunate citizens who will be su jected ~ long
months Of continued imprisonment, possibly for the
whole summer, when the opinion Of the majority II
the jury established strong presumption in favor
| Of their innocence.
We have never ceased to say that the accused had
acted only in the of the most legitimate Defense
| and we persist in believing that no jury will be
found in New Orleans, impartially chosen, who viii
find them guilty Only in the court that Mr.. Beck
with may succeed in composing his jury, entirely Of
ignorant and fanatical negroes, will he succeed in
conviction The testimony of the defense has fully
confirmed what has been stated relative ~ the force
| Of the negroes and to their military organization
The defense able to cite thls point extracts
| from the Radical organ of New Orleans, Who during
the fight a, Cofax, published the following in its
issue Of April IL, 1873.
But there is one thing apparent-the ajorisy
of Grant parish prepared TO cIa ont the local mi
nority Of Grant in twenty hours ieas, If not
| prevented In Grant parish il seems
there local majority Of coored men. not only
customed to the trade Of but equipped with
Of the most perfect character"
| Another article Of the same number containsts
following:
| According TO the last reports from the scenee
conflict, the difficulties in Grant parish seem to hat
been serious than at first believed The colOrst
population to have reached height OF e1asper
ton and resolved to obtain redress Of the wrong,
they had suffered or believed they had suffered, and
no. TO disband until they had obtained guarantees ol
the future. (.
according to statements most worthy Of belief,
they are well armed, we'll disciplined and are conf
dent Of success The prOvOcation which has driven
them to Il at attitude is not very clear Al last We
have heard nothing sufficient 70 justify it.
The negroes, not even the field hands, are DO longer
the weak and simple creatures they before the
war. The years Of freedom which they have en-
joyed have had their effect on them, as well as the
military education which many of them have received
in the United States army. The time il passed, If
| ever it existed, when handful Of whites could
| brighten q regiment Of colored men,"
| Well Federal justice has lot enough persecution
sor the ha. whites, no to defend their prog
erty their liberty their wives and their dang htorf
have not hesitated to meet III arms troop Of foe
or five hundred negroes, intrenehed in the Courte
house Cofax, and who had been living there, fror
piliage during several weeks, throwing terrG
throughout the neghborhood and forcing white FAM
lies to quit the parish.
The privilege Of being admitted TO bail 10 refused to
these whites after quasi-scqula by the najory OF
the jury. 1t will probably be their tate 10 undergo
year of Imprisonment. We not help thinking that
Federal justice has two scales and weights when we
reflect that the murderers Of Judge Lwes and Mayor
Schonberg, assassinated while they proceeding
! unarrned on a mission Of peace, by band OF armed
negroes, still at liberty without an Hort on the
part Of federal justice to disturb them.
I Tho COIfay FIGHT WAS depjOrable indeed, but those
who were the victims the aggressors and the pro-
vokers and the Governor recognized by the Federal
authority though fully forewarned Of the troubles
did nothing to prevent conflict which he knew to be
inevitable. Nothing in the whole Of the trial
HIS shaken conviction that the whites of Colfax
had acted in a Of legal The majority
of the jury thought do, and this authorizes
invoke 10 behalf Of the prisoners the eympathies
| Of all friends Of justice. 81
| Black Crook-Academy-Bla Crook.