The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1874-09-02
NEW ORLEANS.
The COushatta Troubles.

The COushatta Troubles.
| SHREVEPORT, September l.-Major A.
| +. Stephenson, of De Soto parish, who ar
rived here to-day, furnished the following
account of the CouShatta troubles, which
! is no doubt substantially correct:
1t seems that in Red River parish,
where the negroes are largely in excess
of the whites, much apprehension and
alarm have been felt by the latter on ac-
count of threatened outbreak of the
negroes instigatcd, aS was generally be-
. licved, by Edgcrton, Dcmees, Twitchcll,
: Willis, Holland and others. The
lives of several respectable white
citizens of the parish had been
threatened by negroes, and II few
DAYS ago Mr.. Williams, respectable
citizen of the Third ward of Red River
parish, was fired upon by two notorious
: desperate negroes near Brownsville in
the lower edge of the parish, being fired
at BY them with double barrcled shot
guns. On last Thursday night small
party of white men went to the cabins
! of these negroes with the view of arrest
ing and lodging them in Jail, when they
were fired upon from the cabin and one
of the party instantly killed. The
negroes then attempted to escape to the
woods when they were both shot and
killed by the party attempting their ar
rest. On the next day Friday, large
body of armed negroes, between three
and four hundred III number, assembled
near Brownsville swearing vcngcncc
against the whole white race and dcclar-
ing they would not leave II white man,
: woman or child alive in the parish.
This Created Great Apprehension
and excitement at CouShatta and through
out the surrounding country, and on
Friday night the roads leading into the
town were pickcted. Two young men,
Mr.. Joe Dickson and Mr.. Pickcns wh"
were on one of the posts halted II negro
who WAS coming into town with II sack
of buck shot, but he paid no attention 10
the summons and ran off into the darkness,
being fired at by one of the parties with
out effect. In the evening they went
into town to report what had occurred,
and were returning to their post when
they were aCCOStcd on the street by
Twitchell and two notorious negro dc>.
pcradocs-Andrcw Basley and Bob
Smith-all of whom were armed. They
had few moments conversation with
them, but not violent, and had
turned around to proceed to their post
when they were fired upon twice by this
armed party from the rear, and without
warming. NiCkson was dangerously if
not mortally wounded by this fire. He
now lies in very critical condition. Mr..
Pickcns escaped unhurt. The firing
party then run of, Ba>l"y and Smith
escaping altogether, and Twitchcll for
the time being. That night and the
next morning F. :. Edgcrton, Homer j..
Twitchell, r. A. Dcmcc,I W. F.HowrlI,
G. c. Holland and W. {. Willis, all
white; besides number of negroes were
arrested and placed under guard. All of
the party who held office then vOluntar-
ilv rendered and wrote their resignation,
and they with the others voluntarily pro-
posed il "A guard wa, furnished them To
Shreveport to leave the State, to return
no more.
This was at Once Assentcd 10.
and the prisoners requested Mr.. John
Carr. a reliable and trustworthy citizen
present. tu take charge of the guard for
their protection. On Sunday morning
at 10 o'clock Mr.. Carr, with Il guard of
about sixteen men. started with the above
named prisoners. except the negroes
: who were released. Not long afterwards
party of between forty and fifty men,
supposed to be All Texans, who had come
into ConShatta started in pursuit with
the avowed purpose of lynching the prls-
oncrs. Later in the day Mr.. Carr Was
appraised of the fact, and put his horses
and those of the prisoners to the top OF
their speed to avoid being overtaken
While nearing the Hutchinson planta-
tion, on Red river some thirty miles be-
low Shreveport, with Il view of crossing
there and destroying the fat-boat t. pre-
vent further pursuit, he was overtaken
by the pursuing party, his guard over
powered and the prisoners taken away
from him. and three of them, Edgcrt"n
Twitchell and Demees shot on the spot
The other three. Howell, Holland and
Willis. were carried back n short dis
tancc to near Wards store and there
shot. The citizens in the n"ighborho"d
assembled Yesterday morning and buried
them in the graveyard near Hutchinson
plantation and the last three on the spot
where they had been killed, near Ward ;
store.
The Governor has called out an cXtra
regiment of State militia To- be CON,
posed of picked white men. Orders Were
issHed some days ago in view of AN ap'
pretended White League disturbanc,
and the entire absence of United State,
troops from the State. Recruiting ha'
been quietly going on and it i >tatcc
that a number of ex->oldicrs of buti
armies have volunteered. This regimen
, will BE- mainly to keep down disturban
ces in and around the city.
The Cotton Crop.
The following is condensed from tn,
. National Cotton Exchange crop repor
for August: In Mississippi, Louisiana
/. Arkansas and Tennessee the crops gen
, erallv are suffering from drouth. Tn,
prospects are less favorable than for tn