New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-03-13
officers of Grant were no. able to execute


resorted to on the fourth of April, and is
important, as it indicates the intent of these
people.
Meanwhile there was . gathering OF
forces, and Calhoun, an infirm man, who
could not cope with boy of fifteen, bear
ing letter to the executive of the State
asking assistance to quiet the parish. was
seized by party, including Hadnot and
Cruikshank, and taken from the La Belle
and searched. The last seen of the letter
it was in the hands Of CruikshaDk. They
put an armed guard with gun over this
feeble man. and the next morning Hadnot
sent him on mission to tell the people in
the courthouse to disperse. The answer was
that they were willing to if Nash aud his
armed men would do the same.
Events were not still in Colfax. Jesse
Mckinney was shot to death in the bosom
of his family. That news came into COlfax,
and they knew if they dispersed it would
be to meet death in detail. Then this war
rant, directed 70 . man who had no
authority to execute it, was brought by the
justice Ragan and Paine and a mob Of
twenty -four or twenty-five men. They took
Recorder Smith and sent him, who never
saw the warrant or knew the names in ic,
and he had an interview with those in Col
fax The news of the murder of Jesse
Mckinney came while this was in progress,
and from that day to the thirteenth the
town was in q state of siege. Meanwhile
Register had left for New Orleans to obtain
assistance. and only returned when all was
over. Many others left. That there was to
be fight was known all over the country.
and many came To see it. The fight was =
violation Of law by the assaulting party.
Nash could have opened or delayed it as he
chose. The negroes. rs shown, were only
on the defensive. But Sunday was chosen.
and the one the most reverenced of the
year. Easter Sunday, for the motive that
they might not be interrupted from without.
A set OF men, mounted, proceeded down
the road that so commanded the scene that
they had only to face about to be in line of
with flag. Levin Allen meets him, and
there occurred an incident that is the only
bright one in all this bloody history. Nash
told them to lay down their arms and dis
perse. What right had he to tell them thati
No set of men. with any manhood in them.
could go home divided and meet individ-
ually the fate of Jesss Mckinney. That
halt hour was the stiffness before the
storm. and here occurred tho incident
that counsel have chosen TO com.
ment on with a eneer. Levin Allen
hour when the conference broke up and
death was in slght, this poor miserable man
Shaw, and may ] never again sec man
look as he did on the stand, said, "What
shall 1 do noWF' Levin Allen told him.
"0ld man, go away and save yourself if
you can" There is more merit. more man
hood, more chivalry in that sentence than
san be conceived. Consider the Importance
Df the presence of Shaw. He was their
civil head, and when Allen in his self,abn
gatioh and in the face of the bitter force
OF told hi. t, 4, al I.,
skin might be black, but he possessed soul
far winter than any Of ths horde that at.
lacked him.
And when I consider tho manner Of this
miserable Shaw, the Sian ders he heaped on
the living and the dead, can only think
how poorly remembered are the noble SEN
timents and generous acts of life. That
nan Allen may have been the lowest of the
Ow, he may have never had another good
impulse; but at that moment when he told
Shaw to 60, the man was grand, and signi.
led theaRossession Of inherent manhood.
But a2ter this interval this attack was
made at long range on the poor wretches
luddled behind the iptrenchments that
we're calculated for 1000 or 1900 men, and
hey were driven from chem into the court.
house. Some fled toward Cuneyville. and
hese were pursued and slaughtered. And
low. il the sole object of Nash and his
lurdes was the courthouse. they had &C.
.omplished il. Bat that was not the inten.
ion. 4 seige would have caused it to be
Iscatsd. But the artillery and small arms
played increasingly upon it.. But it wa.
Ound that the walls sheltered the inmates.
Then Cruikshank caused Pinkney Cham.
'ers 10 approach it. and shielded by the
vail. and perhaps protected by his color. he
set fire to the roof.
Surrounded hy 4 hn fire on tsi1a and ohfvp
he poor wretches assembled and attempted
o put out the flames, and were driven from
hem By fusilade below 10 listen to tho |
lailstoim OF bullets. Human ingenuity
an not conceive of o greater complication |
# horrors. 1t was in the natural order
hat at this stage Shack White and Aleck |
illman shauld, with a page from book
nd piece of p shirt, chow q flag of truce. |
! shout told them if they came out they
7ould not be hurt. The firing did not cease.
nd when they came out they were
les by ve1leys from all sides. And
ere comes in che fiction OF a flag of |
ruce from the attacking mob. Look at |
he situation. The burning courthouse |
1rces them Out-a superior force outside. |
rofched and shriveled from the fire inside, |
is not in nature that they should have
enewed the fight OF fired outside. There !
not insanity enough OF fright to cause it, I
marvellous man, Maritani, who did his |
uty to humanity by watching the fight |
'om across the river. says he saw it. The I
istance is 500 yards, az far as from the ]
20 the further side Of Christ's
far to tell white man from
olored or horse from mule. But such |
scility of vision did this wonderful Mari. !
ini have, that although he could only see !
ne-third of one end of the courthouse, and
warehouse was between him and it, he says
Q saw through the smoke Of the fire and the
urnt powder the flag at the courthouse,
nd another. about tive feet by three, in the !
ands " white man. If it appeared that
ze to him It must have been as large as
10 mainsail Of q schooner. Ne don't know
lother marvellous thing-tO keep back bis
xn men. He remembers this in detail.
ut he don't know q man in tho fight. and
never heard OF any gathering.
The carnage was not arrested, and the !
Oss- fire continued. We can nOe fathOm
e designs of Providence, but it would not
we been strange if it had permitted half
this mob to have been killed by it. Both !
adnot and Harris were struck by balls,
I'd as the negfOes were compelled to use
lckshot in their rifles. 1t Is fair to conclude
ey met their fate Iby the hands OF men
ey had invited to the slaughter. ?
Seven poor wretches remained in The |
urthouse. And here comes in the state !
ent of Benjamin Brim. he rushed cut
ID tell on his face. There was firing all
ound and over him. One said, "This old
gger is not dead" and he was taken to
g foot of a pecan tree. One 1nen sent him |
to the courthouse for those who were in |
ere. Six came out on the assurance of
i'm, but one remained. This poor wretch,
tn correctness of judgment and an in
apidity and stoicism which l admire, pre-
rred to remain and be burned to death I
ther than face the hell of human passions I
at ragged without. He only said. "We
il be killed if we go out"
But Brim saw many more horrors. He {
IS guarded all day and then taken with
Ter prisoners toward the sugar house He {
ard firing and asked if they were shoot
, the prisoners, and was given the con- {