New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-03-06
THE CHANT PARISH PRISONERS.


and others, charged with conspiracy and
murder in Grant parish last April.
District Attorney Beck with took hold OF
W. L. Richardson, a witness Tor 0eIense.
and cross examined him. When Mr.. Beck
with finished, the witness there was an
impression that he fwitness) knew out
little of the case. The District Attorney
called him willing witness.
Cross-examination the hrst DAY OF
Anril knew some of the men who entered
town with old man Hadnot; they came TO
hold a public meeting; some OF them had
guns: Hadnot's son and Johnny HadnOt
and Toney were in the party; the old man
carried a gun: do not know that any effort
was made to hold a meeting; alter HadnOt's
suuad left number OF armed cOlored men
visited INV house; was not molested that
night: knew one OF the men, Spencer; night
of the second, at four o'clock, men visited
INV house; it was dark, but | think the
voice that called on me to come out was
Carriers; can't swear that it was his; Bap-
tiste Elsie made threats: he said there was
to be a skiimmage that night; | felt unsafe,
and sent word for some of the leaders
to call on me; Flowers called and assured me
that would not be molested; atterward, be
fore daylight, Carter came TO my house ana
when l raised an alarm Carter fred bis
gun. and heard the ball whistle; suppose
morning arranged TO leave Coltax: col.
cred man assisted to remove my household
goods: few of the colored men assisted me
to move; do not mean 10 say That these
men plundered NE; however, Things were
stolen from me, such as bacon, pork, sugar;
Register told me he was sorry TO see lIe
moving, as all the bad ones had gone; did
not leave Colfax because l knew That there
would be "a fight; Cazabat asked Nash if he
tbat lot r.
housed. and said it must be done it it took
200 men: expected to see trouble on the
seventh because CaZabat ard Register had
said that they would both hold COURT
the terryboat was sunk; do not know who
sank it; it was done to prevent cOlored meu
from crossing; can't distinguish the Tea
lures OF man or tell if he were white or
black across the river; l swear that heard
black men in Coifax yelling to people OF
tue opposite bank, calling them bad names
and telling them to get away: could not see
that thew were black, but am confident they
were; never said in Alexandra that
NV house in COlfax was burned after left it;
nv new home is seventy-.iye yards from the
river: the Colfax courthouse Is seventy or
seventy five yards from the river; can't see
the courthouse from NY place; did not go
on the Colfax side of the river for several
DAYS; was unaware, except from rumors,
that there was to be trouble on Easter Sun
day: didn't feel safe in going back to Col
fax: have heard Nash, Scarboro and John
Henry Lewis say they were in the fight: have
talked with Nash and Scarboro about the
fight: can't give any further information of
the riot than | have already given; can't
distinguish an individual across the river;
remember Gilbert, whom l saw last July;
perhaps l gave him description OF the
fight; Clement Penn lives in Grant parish;
first saw him Easter Sunday morning at my
house. in front of Aarons store, about
eleven o'clock; he was standing Oh the bank:
saw him frequently during the day; several
of US went down on sand bar to look at
the fights Clement Penn and others got on
a cotton tree limb, seven feet high; the tree
was three or four feet in diameter; the hinb
was foot in diameter; in the early part of
April there existed an opinion that the
moral force contained in large body OF
men would accomplish our ends; Easter
Monday went to ColtaX; saw men going ard
coming: no one proceeded to bury the dead
that dav: l recognized one corpse: saw one
or two men not quite dead: saw Cazabat,s
commission from Governor Warmoth: W!i.
liams (deceasedl was appointed NJ Gov.
ernor Kellogg; Register was Alniss!Oiet
by kellogg atterward.
DR.. A. Il. Conley sworn-tiy residence Is
in Montgomery; lived there last April: a
mass meeting was TO have been held IN
Colfax, on request of the citizens: Rutland
informed us i'll the last week OF March that
the ColtaX courthouse had been seized. and
that something should be done to remedy
the evil: some Of our people went TO ColiaX
on the first Of April: they went unarmed:
T. Baker. G. Roberts and others from Mont.
gomery. III Grant parish. went down 70
Colfax: IL is twenty-five miles distant: saw
the men when they returned. soon after
sunset: know an attempt was made by
Deputy Constable Payne 30 arrest some one
IN CoIfaY.
defense offered certified copy Of affidavit
ana warrant issued by Judge Reagan. Mr..
Beckwith objected to one portion. that is the
return made by The person who represented
himself as a special constable. The court
ruled that the return. having been made by
one of the indicted. could not 60 in unless
the fact Is established that the constable
was duly sworn and quaiifea.l The witness
swears that Payne was sworn deputy con
stable.
The affidavit asserts that Flowers. and
others, robbed the house Of Mr.. Rutland at
Colfax. and Payne says lie ATTEMPTED to
serve the warrants, but was reveIled ty
force.
Cross examination-Saw several men
sworn in as deputy cOnstabies tor Justice
Reagan's court; about the sixth of April
saw a band of armed white men in Mont
gomery; armed men there every day: Rut-
land went away on the steamboat j. L.
Moore; w. P. Hopkins was not a deputy
constable; did not see him in Montgomery
on Easter Sunday: the armed men were -
60 to Colfax to suppress trouble; Rutland
ON the streets that he was a
ruined man; | was in Montgomery Easter
Sunday: know several men left montgomery
to 60 to Colfax; saw Oscar Watson Monday
after the fight; | was never sworn as a
deputy or special: know nothing OF any
other warrant.
w. 3. Shackleford sworn-Live in Grant
parish, and lived there last year. near the
Coltax courthouse; know that an attempt
was made at the end OF March by MI.
Shaw to obtain possession of the cOur-.
house, and he succeeded; saw armed col
cred men around the courthouse: ma
jority were armed on the last day of March
X. Harvey and Rally informed me that an
armed lot OF nen were to take the court
house next day; Colfax was noisy that
night; beard Brantley's voice giving orders;
that a mass meeting was to be
held on the first of April; saw none drilling;
did not see coloTed people doing anything
in particular; on the second OF April went
to Rutland's house and found that it had
been pillaged; was told by several-A. Till.
man, Shack White and others-that | had
better not cross the river so often: 20 stay
on one side or the other: then | had moved
opposite CoIfax: saw coiored men drilling
in Colfax; am Republican,.
Cross-examination - Could distinguish
men over in Colfax. just below Calhoun's
warehouse. drilling: heard military come
mands and could distinguish individuals;
the liver is 500 or 500 yards wide at that
point; had spyglass; did not see armed
colored guards until the time that Hadnot
was coming to take the courthouse: was
not molested in any way; left Colfax be.
cause anticipated there would be a fight
and that the ~hi,es intended TO take the
courthouse; saw nor heard no shots 1T
Richardson when he was crossing from Col