The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1874-09-04
THE TRAGEDY ON RED RIVER.

The parish of Red River, of which
COushatta is the parish site, is situated
on Red river, bounded on the south by
Natchitoches parish and on the north
by Bienville. It is one of those new
parishes made by the Republicans for
the convenience of Republican Office
seekers, the population of which is
largely colored, ignorant and easily
controlled. For some time it has been
expected that trouble would spring up
between the whites and blacks of this
parish, as it may be safely calculated in
all the parishes where the negroes,
are led, as in that parish, by rapacious
and INSCRIPTIONS political leaders
whose meat and bread depend upon
negro supremacy.
The other day, planter of Red River
parish was waylaid and shot at by two
negroes on the highway. Up to this
occurrence, the relations between the
whites and blacks were pacific, If not
cordial; but the assault on Mr.. Will
hams, the planter shot at, seems to
have been the signal for immediate
wariike preparations by both whites
and blacks. Doubtless, tho exciting
rumors common in such cases obtained
speedy circulation in fact, it is stated
that, on the part of the negroes threats
were deflantly made that not a white
man, woman or child should be left
alive in the parish The whites gather
ed at Coushatta, picketing the APP
proaches; the negroes collected on a
were shot at. This further oxasperated
the white men, who, probably, think
ing there was a way open to stop the
impending conflict without bloodshed,
sought out the white Republican leaders
of the parish and put them in arrest,
hearing which the colored people dis
handed. These W hite men were officials
.-one the sheriff, another the tax-col-
lector, another tho supervisor, and so
on, all of whom agreed in writing to
resign their offices and to leave the
State. Selecting some sixteen citizens
as their guard, these six officials re-
quested to he escorted to Shreveport.
The party duly took leave Of Coush atta
with the intention OF going to Shrcvc-
port.
Meanwhile, news of the impending
trouble had sped far and wide, some of
the citizens of Texas, it is said, rushing
to the rescue of the ovcrpowered whites
of Red River parish.
l,1 80 -
Coushatta, was informed, it seems, of a
design to overpower his guard, seize
and lynch the six men under his charge.
He made all possible haste by flight to
escape the supposed pursuers, (who are
said to have been Texans,) but without
success. The party was overtaken
within about 30 miles of Shreveport,
and the six men taken from the guard.
Three were shot and killed on the
spot, the remaining three meeting Il
road, short time afterwards. The
remains of the murdered men were sub
sequently inferred by citizens living
in the vicinity of the bloody tragedy.
Whatever may have been the intcn-
tfons of those who committed this
bloody deed or the provocation moving
them thereto, it would be inconsistent
with the course Of the TELEGRAPH, in
whose columns the employment of force
and demonstrations of violence, aggres-
sively, have been plainly rcprobated,
not to condemn the murder Of these
men. We have said, and now repeat,
that no greater injury can be inflicted
upon this State than acts of this nature !;
because, Radicalism in Louisiana can
perpetuate its rule only by arousing
sympathy at the North, by the cry o.
persecution, as it has done since 1868.
1t is not zeal, but madness and reckless
ness-it is practically aiding the Radi-
calls to prolong their term of power, and,
to remove further and further the day
OF redemption to which all good citizens
have been SO long anXiously looking,
as men who are ship-wrecked and we'll
nigh undone-to call up again the