Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-09-04
COUSHATTA.
The Official Statement of the
Usurper Kellogg.
A sample Of the stories Going Nortl

A sample OF the stories Going North.
NEW ORLEANS, Sept. 3.-GOv. kellogg
has issued proclamation placing a reward
Of 5000 a head on all the persons impli-
Gated in the COushatta affair, and accom-
panying his proclamation by the following
statement:
To the Public: Having felt it my duty
TO issue my proclamation Offering a large
reward for the apprehension and conviction
of the murderers in the COushatta out
race, and to the end that the law-abiding
citizens Of the State may fully comprehend
the magnitude Of the crime committed,
and be induced 10 render more active as
sistance TO the officers Of the law, deem
proper to make the following statement.
These facts are gathered from reliable infOr
nation received at the Executive Depart
ment. On or about the 18th day of August,
1874, body Of persons belonging TO
semi-military OrgaSizatiOn known as the
White League OF Louisiana, 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 thai
parish to resign their positions. These Of
ficers were men Of good character, most of
them largely interested in planting and
mercantile pursuits. They held their pO-
sitiOns with full consent, having admitted
ly a large majority of the legal voters Of the
parish, this being a heavily Republican
parish, as admitted by the fusion
returning boards. The only known Objec-
tion to them was that they we've Of
Republican principles. Frank Edgeron,
the duly qualified sheriff Of the parish, in
strict compliance with the laws of this
4 = ~, al
a posse comitatus Of citizens, v hite aud
cOlored, TO assist HIM protecting the parish
officials in the exercise of their undOubted
rights and duties from the threatened un-
lawful violence Of the white leagues. His
posse, consisting Of siXty-iiye men, wene
OverpOwered 10y \ superior force assembled
from adjacent parishes, and finally, after sew
eral cOlOred and white men had been killed,
surrendered themselves prisoners with an
explicit guarantee that their lives would BE-
spared, if the more prominent Republicans
would agree to leave the parish, and those
holding office would resign the position.
These stipulatiOns, though uRlawfully ex-
acted, were complied with on the part of
the Republican officials, who We're then
locked up in Jail for the night. The follow
ing named persons were amongst those so
surrendered: Homer J. Twichell, planter
and Tax Collector Of Red River and Deputy
United States Postmaster, in charge Of the
POstoffice at COUshatta; RObt. A. Devices,
Supervisor and Registrar of DesOto parish;
Clark Holland, merchant and Supervisor
of Registration Red River parish; W. +.
Howell, parish attorney and United STATES
Commissioner; Frank ). Edgerton, Sheriff
CT Red River parish; M. e. Willis, mer-
chant and Justice of the Peaee.
On the following morning Sun
day) the thirtieth Of August,
these persons were bound together, two and
two, and conducted by an armed guard to
the Mcfarland plantation inst over the
parish line of Red River, within the bOun-
daries of BOssier Parish, about forty miles
east of the Texas line. There they We're
set upon and deliberately murdered in
cold blood. On the night preceding the
murder a body of forty members of the
white league Of COldet Parish, mounted
and armed, left the city of Shreye-
port and were seen riding in the direction
of TIE place where the murder was subse-
quently committed. These bodies were
buried where they fell without inquest or
any Formally whatever.
WM. p. KELLOGG, GOy'r.
An Entirely Different Version OF the
Origin Of the Troubles
A special to the Picdypme from Shreye-
port to-day fully confirms Maj. Stephenson
Sta-emeut, and gives additional particulars
of the Coushatta affair. The shots which
wounded Dickson were fired from Twich-
ellis house where Devices, EdgertOn,
Twichell. Howell, Willis and Holland were
congregated with a party Of negroes, all
armed. Mr.. Dickson had cOnyersed with
them 4 few moments before they shot him.
| The conversation was far from
violent and the assault was with
out the slightest prOyOcatiOn. a
number of negroes who came into COushat-
Ia after the troubles, to surrender theiI
arms and ask protection of the whites
stated that Twichell and the Others, a;
above named, had furnished them arms and
ammunition, and told them that
The Time had Come
for them to strike for their rights.
A respectable white lady above Coushatta
was approached by negro who drew his pis
| tOl upOn her.cursed her and told her that th'
negroes intended to kill everything in the
| country thai looked white. The miscrean
\ escaped.
Everything was quiet in Red River a
| last accounts.
The False Statement
eminating from kellogg that the peOpl,
from Caddo parish had anything to do will
the disturbance is absurd. The affair wa!
over before asuspicion of it was entertaine'
by a respectable white person in Caddo
with the exception Of the extreme southern
point Of the parish, where there are verI
few whites. a courier from the uppe
point Of Red river did not reach ShrevepOr
until Saturday, whereas the disturbance