Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1875-01-21
cepted by the country-the great crime


been done and said, is that one is hold
ing the Office of Governor who was
cheated out of 20, 900 votes against an
other whose title to the Office Is un-
doubtedly q fraud and in defiance of
the wishes and intentions of the voters
of the State. Misinformed, and mis-
Judging as to the nature and extent of
this report, the supporters Of McEnery
proceeded to displace by force, in some
parts of the State, the appointees of
Governor Kellogg, and on the 18th Of
April, in an effort CT that kind, butch
ery of citizens was committed at Col
fax, which in bloodthifstiness and bar
barity is hardly surpassed by any acts
of savage warfare. To put the matter
beyond controversy, quote from the
charge of Judge Woods, of the United
States Circuit Court, to the jury in the
case of the United States Us. Cruikshank
and Others, in New Orleans, in March,
1874: He said: ain the case on trial
there are many facts not in controver-
sy. l will proceed to state some in the
presence and hearing of the counsel on
both sides, and if state as conceded
fact any matter that is disputed; they
can correct me. After stating the ORR
gin of the difficulty, which grew out OF
an attempt of white persons to drive
the parish judge and sheriff, apPointees
of Kellogg, from office, and their at
tempted protection by colored persons,
which led to some fighting, in which
quite a number of negroes were killed,
the Judge states that the most of those
who were killed were taken prisoners.
Fifteen or sixteen of the blacks had
lifted the boards and taken refuge un-
der the floor of the court house. They
were all captured. About thirty-seven
men were takeu prisoners; the number
is not definitely stated. They were
kept under guard until dark, when
they were led out two by two and shot.
Most of the men were shot to death;
a few were not mortallX wounded, and
by pretending to- be. dead were after
wards during the night able to make
their. escape. Among them w2s the
Levi Nelson named in the indictment.
The dead bodies of the negroes killed
in this affair were left unburied till
Tuesday, April Is, when they were
buried by a Deputy Marshal and an Of
ficer of the militia from New Orleans.
These persons found fifty-nine dead
bodies. They showed pistol shot
the great majority in the
heart, and most OF the time in the
back of the heart. In addition to the
dead bodies found, some charred re-
mains of dead bodies were discovered
near the court house and six dead
bodies found under q warehouse all
shot in the heart but one or two which
were shot in the breast: The only
white men injured from the beginning
of these troubles to their close were
HadnOt and Harris. The court house
and its contents were entirely consum-
ed. There is no evidence that any one
in the crowd of whites had any lawful
tor the arrest of any of the
blacks. There is no evidence that eth
er Nash or Caseabat, after the affair,
ever demanded an Office which they
had set up to claim, but the Registrar
continued to act as parish judge. These
them to be admitted; to hold the peo-
Pile of Louisiana generally responsible
for these atrocities, would not be fact,
but it is lamentable fact that insuper-
able obstacles were thrown in the way
of furnishing these murderers, and the
so-called Conservative papers of the
State not only justified the massacre,
but denounced as Federal tyranny and
iespotism the attempt of the United
States officers to bring them to justice.
Fierce denunciations ring through the
country about office holding and elec-
tion matters in Louisiana, while every
Dne of the COlfaX miScreants goes un-
whipped of justice, and no way can be
found in this DOaSted land of civiliZa-
ton and christianity to punish the per-
petrators of this bloody and monstrous
crime. Not unlike this was the massa-.
ere in August last. Several Northern
young men of capital and enterprise
mad started the hOurishing town of
Some of them were Repub-
leans and Ofice-hOlders under Kellogg.
They were therefore doomed to death.
Six of them were seized and carried
away from their homes and murdered
IN cold blood. No one has been pun
shed, and the Conservative press Of
the State denounced all efforts to that
and, and boldly justified the crime.
Many murders of like character have
been committed in individual chses
which cannot here be detailed. For
L. s. Crawford, Judge of the
Parish, and the District Attorney of
The Twelfth Judicial District of the
State on their way to court, were shot
rom their horses by men in ambush
)n the Sth of October, 1873, and the
wife OF the former ia communication
20 the department of justice, tells pit
,Ous tale of the prosecutions of her hus-
)and because he was Union man, and
If the efforts made to seize those who
lad committed crime, which to use
her language, left two widows and nine
orphans desolate. To say that the muir
Ter of negro or white Republican is
lot considered q crime in Louisiana,
would probably be unjust to great por-
ion of the people, but it is true that Q
yreat number of such murders have
,eea committed and no one has been
punished therefor and manifestly has
Idde6 to them. The spirit Of hatred
md violence is stronger than the law.
was made to me that
he presence of troops in Louisiana was
and relied on the people
hat there was no danger of public dis
urbance if they were taken away.
early in last summer the
roOps were withdrawn from that State,
Win the exception of small garrison
L the New Orleans Barracks. 1t was
tated that a comparative state Of quiet
lad supervened. The political excite
nent as to Louisiana affairs seemed to
,e dying out, but the November elec-
ion was approaching, and it was neces-
ary for party purposes that the flame
hould be relighted. Accordingly on
he 14th of September, A. Penn, claim
ng that he was elected Lieutenant
Governor in 1873, issued an infiamma-
ory proclamation calling upon the mill
tary OF the State to arm, assemble, and
o drive out the usurpers as he desig-
lated the officers of the State. The
white leagues, armed and ready for the
onfiict, promptly responded. On the
anne day in response to the Governors
in pursuance Of the act OF
7Q5 and section of article of the CON-