New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-02-01

retributive standpoint. 1t only shows 20 NY
| mind the lingering curse and mcckery Of
slavery. It would seem as if the avenging
| hand of God We're pointing in the most tan.
talizlng manner, through His never-chang-
ing laws Of nature. to the folly and mean.
ness and pulling weakness of human I'M US
tice-pointing thus to the inevitable damna- :
ton both in Il me and eternity Of that inhu.
| mainly in 1nan which SO often and SO M.
necessarily makes countless thousands
mourn.
And there were before the war class
! and style OF men inha biting all the rich
Red river bolt oms Of Bossier parish SIM.
| lar to those who inhabited Bossier Point.
| They were rich Shareholders. And many
! them rich. ]: is thus Misunderstanding into
| account the natural wickedness and coryup.
| ton of the human heart in the matter Of
wealth in this wolld-that they should have
! been. and should still be maddened 70 some
! degree over the freedom of their former
slaves. large numbers of whom still i've
| among them. and some If whom are now
more thrifty than their former masters. and
| Outvoting them constantly at the polls.
And still, about all that il produced in this
rich landed region is by colored labor. ard
| most OF which. in most cases. sill! Of
| course tails to the share Of the iandholder.
| The negro. as a general rule, does not yet
own land in any portion of the South.
! believe he more generally does SO in Bossier
| Point than any other locality with which !
! am acquainted. Bat still they produce.
| throughout the South. the great bulk Of
| whatever is produced from the soi!and the
more especially SO in the rich Red river
| bottom region Of Bossier parish. l: would
| seem therefore the most naked and mex.
| cusable folly from merely personal and
| selfish standpoint, that white men-iand.
holders who are mainly if not entirely de
| pendent upon colored labor for support
| should willtully and maliciously put poor.
unprotected freedmen to the sword, by the
| scores and by tie hundreds simply because
| they are colored men and vote the Repub.
| lean ticket vote for the party and the
| country which freed them. All this would
| seem little strangely romantic, not to say
| tragical. 1t would seem most strange, fool
| ish and wicked. And yet it has been done
| to most shameful and damnabe extent
| throughout the South since the war, and
| the parish of Bossier has about as damnable
| black spot Of this character on her skirts
as any locality know Of, which shameful
fact shal! proceed to show and demon.
| strate.
After the election OF April. 1865. had re.
suited in the ratification OF the new const.
tuition and the choice of Republican State
officers, the Democracy became thoroughly
| maddened. The leaders had just seen tina:
by force, fraud and intimidation their vote
had been increased throughout the State
| largely over that cast few months before
| for dele gates to the Constitutional Convsn.
ton. 80 j: was determined tina: the foul
| means thus used should continue 20 be
! used and increased. There was gyea: .ys-
tenn and determination in this matter. \
secret 'Oldey' was organized !hroIghou:
the State. having as its inviting il 20:
plausible v:elext the purpose o: enabling
intelligent white Men 10 sule she country
| over and in defiance OF the power o; the *.
Moran: and uncu'tiyatei negro. however
largely he :nigh: be in the majority: bUt
under cover of this secret order it was soo:.
found that both colored and white Kepub.
| leans were 70 be hunted down at nigh. by
| disguised demons. and murdered like wild
beasts. And beside. the terrible work and
terrible influence Q; this most ieilisi. 'c..
! der" it was publicly and deliantv gwen
out that iencetor:h the co.c,ei man had 70
vote the Democratic ticket. or no. vote al
all: tina: he should not live and Cd. ia the
country unless lie voted with the white
maE-that is, viii. Iii. :,;@.e: :la..e: an.
former oyerscsr.
s, the bloody wo,i: commenced il. Geal:
ealnest-very dead earnes.-about :ne ;i.s;
demonstration OF the kind be;n. the assas.
siIation of w. Il. Meadows. Of Claiborne.
as related in my last article. OF course thi.
was suilic!on. in that parish. where the
white and the black We're much more equally
divided than in TIE river parishes. ard
where the black man could not have tia.
organization and protection as in some other
localities. As soon rs Meadows was muir.
dered it was understood that the colc.e.i
population throughout Claiborne were abou:
properly tanned for the time being. and
that for some time 10 come there would 70.
be many more colored Republican votes cas-:
in that parish. And SO it proved.
But in Bossier parish and other localities
where the colored population predominated
largely, say three or four :e one. the work
of intimidation was no. so easy. !. wa.
soon found that to quiet and tame the col
ored man to the practlca! rule OF slavery
again, and deter him from expressing ard
exercising the rights Of {. freeman. NOR.
than one or two must be pa. % tie sword
and to the assassin's gun and dagger. I:
was found that hundreds mus. be slain and
otherwise tortured and gotten on. OF the
and at once accomplished, in manner and
style that would make an ordinary Uo.!oc
ashamed of his tribe and his race
1t will not be presumed to be denoei tina:
in the parish Of Bossier. during the autumn
Of 1868, there were at least 100 coloyei
men murdered and assassinatei IN a ma,.-
ner and under circumstances yeDrgnant
alike to Christian civilization and 70 the
most ordinary dictates Of humanity. lie.
cency and honor: and that many.-a dozen
or two at !east--wers sent to thu. :euiteU.
tiary. in i manner and for reasons "a.
known to proper and TAI. con .t.Uc.ioc q.
the Jaw.
1t is known. at teas. by all Southern me-.
well acquainted wish the .cai,. and charac.