New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-09-13
4 STATEMENT 70 THE PrDlIC.

Having fet. II my lu'y % Issue my :roaamss:'a
offering large seward br she apprehensios aa1
c0nvictiOn Of the murderers - the COushatta "I'
rage. and to the end that tho law abiding cH;seas
ofshe State may fully comprehend the slasn.tad"
Of the crime committed, and be induced to vcndes
more >ctiee assistance to the officers Of the law.
deem it proper to make the following statement.
THESE facts are gathered from reliable astosvse
eion received at Ahe Executive Department.
On OF about the twentv-e,ghth day OF Ausss's
1854 . body Of persons, belonangtO sent. mss.
tary organization known as the White 1easIe Of
Louisiana. assembled N tns town Of fOVshat:a.
parish of Red River. IN this State, Hbr The purpose
of compelling by SOrce a arms. the State ot3ce:s
Of that parislsto resign Their positions
Che0 officers %ese men Of good tharaeses; mos:
of them Largely interested q plantin and me,ean.
tile pufsuita. They held shelr positions with sas
full consent Of an admittedly Large msjorityot sh"
legal voters Of the parish. This being . LARGE.
Republican parisls as admitted sveu w she E1s.a2
0etuDing boards
The only known OH seion - them Vas NAT shev
were of Republican principles. Frank g. Edseyton.
the duly qualified sheriff of the parish, in stE.c:
compliance withAhe laws Of this State and OF the
UniteS States, summoned posse comitasus OF cis'
iztns. white andcolofed, to assist him sns'rosec:.
irs the parish officers in sle sxerciseaOt their III.
doubted rights and duties from the Threatened IN
lawful violence of the w bite Leagues. HIS posse.
consisting Of sixty five men. was everpowered by
. superior force assembled from The adjacent par.
ishes, and finally, after several COiOred and white
men had been killed, surrendered themselves priS,
oners with the explicit guarantee that their lives
would be spared il the moro prominent RspIb
licaHs would agree to !eave the parish. and thoss
holding office would resign their positions.
These stipulations, though unlawfully exacte3.
we're complied with on the part Of the Republcsa
oficials who we're then locked Mp in the TAI: tos
che night.
The following named pefsons Seas Among those
SO surrendering and resgning:
Homer J. ywitcheli. planter and tax collector o.
BED River, aud deputy United States postmaste,
in charge OF the postofnce at Ccushatta Robert 4.
Devices supervisor of registration, De Soto parisis
Clark Holland, merchant and supervisor of regis.
tration. Red River parish; ". J. Howell. parish
attorney and United States commissioners. Frank
s. Edgerson. sheriff Of Red River parish. u. G..
Willis merchant and justice of the peace:
On the following morning, Sunday. the thirtie:h
day Of August. these persons were bound ana
plantation just over the parish line of Red Rive:.
within the boundaries Of Bossier parish: abo-:
forty miies east Of the Texas line. There thev
were Sc. upon and deliberately murdered in cold
blood. Ths:r bodies were buried near where they
fell. without inquest or any formality whatever
On che night preceding the surrender body %
forty members Of She White League of Caddo
parish. mounted and armed aeft the city o:
Shreveport and were seen siding in the direction
Of the place where the .nurden was subsequently,
committed
WILLIAM +. KELLOGG.
ses2p Governor.