New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-08-18
Rebellion Still Advancing.

Rebellion Still Advancing.
The evidence of open resistance to lawful
authority in many o f the parishes, partlcu-
larly in North Louisiana, is daily accumu'
lating. Having no disposit ion to exagger-
ate the condition of affairs in any OF the
parishes where lawlessness has go far gained
the ascendency as to murder with impunity
and actually compel those invested with
lawful authority to stand aside and make
room fer the lawless and their sympathizers,
we have endeavOred to confine ourselves to
such evidence of rebellion as has been
given in a duly authenticat ed form. 1t ap-
pears now that what has occurred in the
parishes of Natchitoches, Rapides, De Soto,
Caddo, ETC., is but an organized scheme to
reduce all the parishes of this State, II pos
sible, to submission to the rebel element to
republican government, the ultimate OBJ
ject being to return the administration OF
the national government into Democratic
hands.
Our latest authenticat ed accounts III re-
gard to the conspiracy to overturn Republi.
can government in Louisiana comes from
Lincoln parish. A United States commits
sioner in that parish, who, being duly
sworn before clerk of the district court,
makes the statement that he is citizen OF
the United States; that he is resident OF
the parish of Lincoln; that he is COM
missioner of the United States; that during
the month Of May last he was clerk OF
the court in and for the parish of Lincoln;
that on or about the twelfth day of said
May he duly qualified in said Office by
fling his bond and oath Of Office as direct
ed by law; that upon the Friday
following the second Mon day in said May
he made due demand upon one Spencer l..
Colvin, late clerk of court in said parish,
for possession of said office and the seal and
| records thereof, no part Of which were then
yielded and delivered to him; that he sub
seuuently made further demand in writ
ing upon said Colvin for po session Of said
office, seal and records, and for the appoint
ment of a day upon which possession should
be Weld ed and delivered to him the said
Jewett; and that to said demand in writing
no reply was received; that he was credibly
informed that an armed mob of desperate
characters, residents of said parish and
others contiguous thereto, had been gather
ed and lay in wait for him in the town OF
Vienna, in said parish, and in buildings
near to the courthouse the reof for the
purpose and with the intent to assas-
sinate and murder him, the said Jewett
and Others, his political friends present
with and supporting him, if he should make
| further demand for or attempt to assume
| possession of his said office, and the seal
| and records thereof, as provided by law;
and this upon the ground as he was in
| formed and does verify believe, that he the
said Jewett was not an old resident OF said
parish of Lincoln. That thereupon he the
| said Jewett, with the desire to avoid blood.
shed, and believing it to be for the interest
| Of the Republican party and of the North
ern portion of the State Of Louisiana, and
against the advice Of a portion of his friends
did resign the said office, being further
moved to do so by statements made to him
| that the said Colvin and his friends and the
said armed mob would quietly yield posses
| sion of said office, ETC., to a Repub.
lican resident of long standing in said
parish when such should be appointed.
| That thereafter John Jones, of said parish,
was duly commissioned as clerk of the
courts in and tor said parish of Lincoln, in
the room of said Jewett, and that said
Jones qualified according to law; that the
said Jones has testified before him, the said
Jewett, appearing as commissioner OF the
| United States in and for the district OF
Louisiana; that he, the said Jones, did, on
the thirty-frst day of July, A. d. 1874 de-
mand said office, ETC., from said -Colvin,
| still in possession of the sa me by force and
| violence, and without color Of title; and
| up the same to him, the said Jones. Jew.
EFT deposes that he has received infor.
nation, and actually believes that an armed
mob OF men has been organized for the
purpose of preventing the said Jones from
obtaining possession of his said office, and
! of preventing John w. Harrison from OBJ
tanning possession of his Office of recorder
of Lincoln parish; and that said Jones
and Harrison are in danger of being
assassinated if they remain at the court
house and attempt to exercise the functions
of the respective offices to which they have
been lawfully appointed; and further, that
there exists an extensive conspiracy on the
| part of the lawless and desperate men Of
the Democratic party in the parish of Lin
coin, and other parishes in the fourth and
fifth congressional districts of the State of
Louisiana, to prevent the said Jones and
the said Harrison, and other Republicans,
from taking possession Of offices to which
they have been lawfully appointed, and to
evict others who are in lawful possession Of
public ofice.by force and violence.
These facts were sworn to on the seventh
day of the present month of August, and
are corroboroted by the sworn statements
of leading citizens of Lincoln parish, all
going to show that an open state of insur-
rection exists there, sas well as in many
Of the adjoining parishes, that can not be
| allowed with safety to life and property
throughout the entire State to progress fur
ther. The rebellion has already assumed
sufficiently formidable shape to demand
the attention of our State and national au-
thorities. Already the opposition has de-
clared its intention Of carrying the State