New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-05-23
THE GRANT PARISH PRISONERS.
Trial in the United states Circuit Court

J. Cruikshank and others, charged with
conspiracy and murder, in April, 1873, in
the parish OF Grant.
Judge Bradley, yesterday morning, in
answer to Mr.. Marr's motion to guash sew
eral counts in the indictment, said that the
subject was too grave to be considered
during the hearing of this case, and he did
not feel it right To stay proceedings. In
the event the prisoners shall be acquitted,
it will be unnecessary to discuss the sub
iect; in case of conviction the court would
decide the question. 1t it becomes neces-
sary the matter can go to the United States
Supreme Court.
Mrs. Mckinney, widow OF Jesse Mckin-
ney, was the first witness. She related the
circumstances of her husbands murder In
the crowd of men who killed Jesse she re-
cognized Denis LemOine, Oscar Gibbons
and William Irwin; her husband was hard
at work when he was murdered, giving Of
fense to no one: she was unable to say who
the man is who fired the fatal shot.
Eliza Smith-Jessie Mckinney was killed
on Saturday: next day saw lot of armed
and mounted white men; they booted at
me as was moving my things away; went
to the Mirebeau plantation; some white
men visited that place and said to US wo-
men, go and beg off your sweethearts,"
calling US bad names: can't say who the
man who said that was; when we returned
home after the massacre We found our
home had been ransacked and some things
stolen away.
Cross-examination-I saw the man when
he shot Mckinney with a'pistOi; at that
time all the men leaped their horses over a
fence; somebody asked if Mckinney was
killed: somebody replied "Yes he's as dead
as hell when Jesse was shot he cried like
a pig; after they shot him they dismOunted:
thew remained about two hours and danced
like mad; went to the other side of the
BAYOU and watched the men: when the
white men killed Jesse he was at work
making a fence; we took the body to the
house and laid it on the house floor: got
coffin at the Mirebeau place; do not know
who robbed our place; that next day, Sun
day, Bill Irwin rode past our house, and he
asked some questions which we did not
answer; another man was with him.
Mary Sadler testifed-I lived in Grant
in April: was on the Ferenzi place at the
time OF the fight; saw twelve mounted
armed white men three days before the
fight: knew none of them; they were the
ones who killed Jesse Mckinney; saw
armed white men every day at that time;
saw Denis and PrudhOmme LemOine on the
morning of Easter Sunday in 'Colfax;
went there because heard my two sons
had been killed; when l got there l saw
plenty of dead colored men; saw white men:
recognized Irwin in the town; he was armed;
saw the white men shooting wounded col
ored men; do not know who the white men
were, except Oscar and Gus Lacour:
did not hear what was to be done with the
prisoners heard the white men call out
names of colored men; next morning saw
some of the men whose names had been
called dead on the ground; also saw some
wounded cOlOred men, saw HadnOt,
wounded: saw white men that morning
driving off horses of colored people;
Prudhomme Lemoine was among them; he
asked some women had they seen horses;
am very well acquainted with Denis
and Prudhomme Lemoine; was at the
when Mckinney was killed all the colored
people were badly frightened. and we
went to Colfax: when we got to Colfax saw
only about twenty colOred men there.
TWitness pointed out Denis and Prud-
homme Lemoine
Kit Smith, i've in Grant parish; was
not at home when Jesse Mckinney was
killed; | lived near him; after Jesse was
killed | returned to the house, but the
stencil was 80 great that | could not go in;
buzzards were in the house; saw about
fifty white men there four days after Jesse
was killed; several of the accused were
l C.
Jesse's crib: saw dead cOlored men in Col
fax after the fight; knew some Of the dead;
Slack Whites body was burned Lank
| Whitman had been eaten by dogs: two
mounted men chased NE on the day OF the
| fight. but my horse was too fast for them,
and escaped.
| Cross seXaminatlon-Gree Brantley left
word for me to go to Colfax; took my
| gun there to protect myself, as the Others
| did; this was before Jesse was killed: we
went there to take care Of public property
as it was said that Hadnot and others in
tended to enter the village; did not remain
in Colfax all the time, but stayed in the
| canebrake part of the time; do not know il
| anybody more than Levin Allen was IL
| command at Colfax; | did not report to
any ybody; saw 10 drilling; Captain Ware
| was in Colfax, sick saw no guards.
| Baptiste Elzie-Was appointed deputy
| sheriff in Colfax on the thirty first day o
| March, 1873. by Mr.. Shaw; was in Cola,
the day Hadnor and party visited the town
John Hadnot, now at the bar, was in tha
party; there were twenty-One deputies
was in Colfax when the earthwOrk wal
made; only part of our men were armed
saw the women and children when the.
lett on Easter Sunday; can't say how man.
| white men attacked US; | remembered tina
when the courthouse was fired We surren
dered; as we went out the white men sho
us; some cOlOred people ran down the roat
pursued by the whites, who shot one maj
that | saw; We surrendered because tn
courthouse was burning; most OF those VIII
went out of the courthouse we're shot: wa
wounded in seven places; returned to tn
courthouse and. got under the floor witt
others; when | went out again Gus Lacou
10 H. ot,n1J q
and obeyed; after that l was put wit
other wounded prisoners and kept unit
eight o'clock at night, when white men be
gan shooting us; Bill Cruikshank. Clemen
Penn and John HaGnot were the only one
| saw that l knew; can't say how man.
more white men were there; my brOthe
Etienne was murdered that night; his nam
was called by Clement Penn and Marsh
saw him next day and his head was mashed
saw many other dead men on the ground
all of them had been prisoners the nigh
before; l managed to escape when the
were shooting our people.
Annie Ezie-Was on the Ferenzi plac
on the day. of the fight; saw armed whit
mon, mounted. on the morning of that day
saw John Hadnot, Clement Penn and Bill
Irwin among them; Etienue Elzie was NJ
husband; saw him when he was pris
oner in Colfax, but did not dare to speak t
him: Clement Penn was one of the me
who shot at and killed nay husband; wa
little distance off and saw them kill hin
| heard him beg for his life.
Counsel for defense succeeded in confus
ing two or three of the United States wi
nesses by asking them such questions a
would mix the memory, Of well educate
people. However, the discrepancie
amounted to but little, and that little aros
from the fact that the witnesses did M
fully comprehend the interrogatories.
The court adjourned until this morning