New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-08-26
The Lancaster Eeud.

The feud between the friends of Kennedy
and Sellers, at Lancaster, has reached
alarming proportions, and resulted yester
day in severe fighting, in which lives were
lost and property destroyed. We protest
against the mischievous folly that charac-
terizes this as "war of races" or strug-
gle between whites and blacks, There are
whites and blacks engaged in it, as there
are Democrats and Republicans, but it has
not been, go far, even q strictly political
fight, much less a race issue. The whites
and blacks, Democrats and Republicans.
concerned, are concerned and are RESPONSE
bic as individuals, and not as representa-
tives of races or parties. The outgivings of
newspaper correspondents and others, who
have lost their Judgment in the excitement,
the tendency of recent political discussions
to stir up passions about questions of race,
and the liability to a silly panicky frenzy
about negro ''risings," which comes to our
people as a legacy from slavery, will not
make this feud any more of war of races
than it is, but may result in the death or
injury OF colOred people, who have no more
to do with it, and want no more to do with
it, than if they lived in the Africa Of their
ancestors.
The difficulty originated in personal
rencontre between Mr.. E. D. Kennedy and
Mr.. William Sellers, and has been, SO far,
confined to those interested by close per-
sonal friendship and relationship to them.
This rencOntre was on the morning after
the election. Mr.. Kennedy has been cir
cult clerk of Garrard county for several
terms, and was a candidate for reelection.
feated by Colonel j. K. Falkner, whose ma
jOrity was eleven votes. Mr.. Sellers has
been twice elected Representative from
Garrard in the Legislature, and now holds
that position. Colonel Falkner was his per-
sonal and political friend, and it was his
advocacy Of Colonel Falkner's claims that
doubtless furnished Mr.. Kennedy with oc-
casion for wrath against him. The num-
bers engaged in the feud are variously esti.
mated at from forty to one hundred on
each side.
The company OF United States soldiers
stationed at Lancaster is commanded by
the pro tenn. circuit judge on Thursday for
detail of forty men to aid civil posse,
but the request was withdrawn, and he
ordered his soldiers into their quarters.
The action of the citizens meeting on
Thursday, at which q committee was ap-
pointed to mediate between the contending
parties, show two things-that the great
body of the community was not taking part
in the feud, and that the feud did not at
that time have the aspect of war OF races
to those most interested in it and best In
formed about it.
The white population of Gatrard is some
thing more than twice the colored popula-
ton, and the white population OF Lancaster
nearly twice as great as the colored. So
there is no necessity for anybody to be
alarmed about the fate of the whites. The
fact. as related in our special dispatch, that
the soldiers, when called in yesterday eve
ming, were fred on by both parties, shows
that some feeling more powerful than mere
party antagonism Influenced them. The
father of Mr.. Sellers was killed in the
famous Hill and Evans feud that convulsed
Garrard twenty. years ago. We are in
formed, but we do not know if correctly or
not, that the Kennedys were also concerned
in tha. feud on the side antagonistic to that
on which the elder Mr.. Sellers was ranged.
How much that has to do with embitteripg
the present trouble we do not know
Louisville Commercial, august %.