New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-03-10
THE GRANT PARISH PRISONERS.

Thirteenth days proceedings in the tria
Of w. j. Cruikshank and others in tn,
United States Circuit Court, Judge Woods
presiding, charged with conspiracy ant
murder in Grant parish last April:
Arista SHINES swOrn-Am a servant ir
Mr.. Tom HickDan's house; my mother
Victoria Scott, is the family cook: know
uothlng OF our people carrying provisions
to Tom Hickman Easter Sunday; Hickman
spoke Of colored men having been killed a,
Colfax, and said it was shame; knew
that there was to be a fight at COlfax
Easter Sunday; Tom Hickman was at home
all the time: James and William Hickman
were at the house Easter Sunday; can't re-
member at what hours the family takes
meals; Tom Hickman was home Monday
and Tuesday because his wife was afraid
| of the people; saw no white people of the
house several days before the fight; swear
positively that no provisions were sent to
Tom Hickman at Colfax during the days
| named.
M. f. Lazard sworn-Was born in Ra-
pides parish; live in Grant parish now; WAS
on my plantation (Plaisance). eight miles
below Coltax, on Easter Sunday and ten
days before; everyb body left their places
fearing that the colored people would exc
cute threats that bad been made; there WAS
Il
| Of my household; some of the ladies went
to Alexandria; saw colored armed men in
| drOvee inducing plantation hands to go to
COlfax several days before the fight; saw
no armed white men; saw pickets seven and
half miles below Colfax, near my place,
, and knew some of them; they beat one of
my cooks, and they took some of my stock;
| they tried to take my horses, saying that
| they held government orders to book them:
they turned my horses loose when ordered
| them to.
| Cross oss-examination-Do not know a single
| man, except Abe Singleton, who made any
trouble at my house; the men took Mrs
Cazabat's horse and she told them to let it
| alone; no cOlored man ever threatened me;
can't remember the name of any particular
white man who was threstened; can't re-
member more than two or three colored
| men that l heard make threats; heard
Spencer Jones and Jim Green; Spencer is .
witness IN this case; white men told me-
that they had camp on the Darrow; Easter
| Sunday saw Mr.. Built and his son Ben;
did not see Cazabat until after the fight;
have not heard anybody say they were in
the fight; never talked with white men
sbout the Sight.
y. J. Butler sworn-Isst April was in
Colfsx; left COlfax on the third day of
April and got here on the seventh; lived in
Smithfield quarters; was employed in a
! store kept by Peter Bolden; about the time
l left Coitax, saw old Mr.. Hadnot at ColfAx
With squad Of men; saw them about noon;
Gilly Hadnot and Mr.. TORY were with
was nothing peculiar about Mr.. Hadnots
dress; there was nothing unusual about the
men; Hadnot had a pair Of pistols; they
had double barrel guns; left COlfax because
l WAS ordered to by Eli Floeers; saw that
Judge Rutlands house had been robbed;
told Flowers that it was wrong; Flowers
told me that had better leave Coltax in
side of twenty-four hours or ! would be
killed; left the next evening; was never
induced by the colored men to join them in
the courthouse; when l left Colfax guards
were stationed about the town; saw no drill
ing in COltax, but did in Smithtield quar-
ters by Flowers; never knew Allen as a
captaine
Cross-examination-F and I had
not had quarrel; don't know who broke
into Rutland's house; we sOldiered together
on Ship Island; was in Colfax when Rich
ardson left.
James Patton sworn 90 IN March and
April last year was living three miles be-
low Colfax, at Maurice Crafts store; on the
fourth of April left there because the ne
groes were running in crowds to Colfax; /
am a Republican in politics; went to Ben
Crafts store at the mouth of Cave
river; went into COlfax just after the fight
ended: was opposite the town nearly all
day, looking at the fight; don't know Glenn
Ont Penn, but saw a man called by that
name. whose foot was lame did not see him
across the river Easter Sunday; remained
In Colfax until near dark; saw a white flag
hanging out of window in the courthouse;
saw Clement Penn in Colfax just before
dark; saw old man Hadnot and Mr.. Harris
in Colfax wounded; before the thirteenth
Of April several black men visited Crafts
store and stated that they had run Oft old
Hadnot; Levin Allen told colored men at
our place that if they had no arms they
could have his when he was killed; he said
they intended to kill the rebels; heard col
ored men make threats against white peo-
pie; heard and saw firing between two par
ties of mounted men near Colfax before
Easter Sunday; there was drilling almost
daily; we counted 200 or 300 colOred men in
COltax before the fight.
Cross ssexamination-When left Crafts |
store had heard of the death of Jesse Nc |
Kinney; after deserting the store ! re-
turned to place below the store; got out |
few bales of cotton to have 1t shipped;
felt unsafe while there; it was in Grant l
parish; knew nothing of bodies of armed |
white men; during the evening two men |
crossed from Coltax to get whisky for a |
wounded man; one OF the men remained |
anu WCuO DdCh Win Cuc ObUcr, ne CDlu
me that they had taken the courthouse, and |
there was no danger for me to go over;
saw only the one boat; do not know the |
man in the boat; saw Nash in Colfax; while |
there, saw about l2O white men; saw many |
dead and wounded cOlOred people lying
around; the courthouse was burning when
l saw the white flag out of window.
Mrs. y. j. Butler swOrn-Am o j. But
ler's wife, and live in Grant parish; did not
live fbpra last Eoofor NupIoy 1oft tLo
third Of April; knew Judge Rutland; went
to his house the morning after his house
was robbed; the things were broken, and
things had been stolen; never saw any of
the property atterward saw a casket con- 7
tanning the embalmed body of the judges
turned upside down; knew there
was to be . fight; saw armed colored
men drilling; Mr.. Flowers drilled the men.
CrOss-examnation-S Judge Rutland
when he left; saw nobody shoot at him
then; my husband and Flowers had q Sc
we're quarrel; Flowers drew a gun on my
husband; don't know anything about drill
ing; don't know one gun from another; do
not know who broke into Rutland's house;
the coffin had been in the house three or
four years; the coffin wa. not broken; never
saw the embalmed body; Mrs. Rutland told
me she had had it five or six years.
John Miles sworn-Live in CoIfax and
was there last April; lots of colored folks in
Colfax before Easter Sunday; Levin Allen
lad command of the men; Nash sent for
ne to meet him at the time the white flag
,ame into Colfax; told Levin Allen about
Nash; Allen, accompanied by several of his
riends, went out to see Nash; Nash asked
Allen what he intended to do; Allen asked
Nash if he knew of the letter he (Allen) had
ent to old man Hadnot; Nash said that
iadnot was not the man of that company;
\ Hen told Nash that he intended to remain |
Is he was until assistance arrived for him;
lash then told Allen that he would give
lin fifteen minutes to get the women and