The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-07-30
NEMESIS.
The Murder of Needham Walters.
The Phillips-Shelby Case.

One ]. B Phillips and one Alfred Shelby
have recently been brought out of the depths
of obscurity into which circumstances hai
forced them, and in which they would nc
doubt have been happy to have remained
and to-day are known to the public as the al
legged murderers of the unfortunate Needhan
Walters.
| The terrible affair at Oolfax is still remem
bered. After it was all over troops were sem
up, and shortly after the arrival of the troops
Needham Walters was arrested on the charge
OF killing man named White and setting fire
to the house of Phillips, the accused. Wal
tiers was placed under guard, and it is related
now. as it was then. that during his imprison
ment Phillips offered to secure his release for
a specified sum of $500, which wasi agreed
upon by all parties.
When it became known that Walters had
raised the required money. and had it on his
person, report was circulated that he had
| made his escape, which was supposed to be
| true until few days after, when bis body
was found floating in Red River, thirty miles
below Colfax. A corouer's inquest WIS held,
| and verdict of coming to his death at the
hands of unknown parties, rendered.. His
bead was nearly severed from his bbdv, be-
| sides two stabs with aknife. On examination
tue sum OF fifteen cents was foundi Oh hts
person.
An investigation elected the 'facts and cir
cumstances that pointed to Phillips and
Others as the murderers, but whilb the in
vestlgatlon was in progress Philips came to
this city, but the law followed him il Justice
did not, and on Wednesday, December /, he
was arrested by Capt Lawler on al warrant
issued by Judge Staes, of the Second
Municipal Police Court. on the affidavit of
Ed. v Marie, charging him with bei1g &C ses-
sorry, "before the fact to the murder bf Wind
ham Walters, by feloniously, willfolly end mali
ciously procuring, counseling and hbetting
certain parties, to afiant unkno WI, to kill
said Walters"
Phillips was placed under bonds pf $1,000
to appear and answer. He f1rnid he'd the
bonds, was released, and that was the last
that was ever heard of the case before Judge
Staes, and indeed Of the murder of William
Walters, until short time ago, wbeh a man
named Coleman, representing himself to be
Sheriff of Grant parish, came to dhis city
with warrants for the arrest of j. B. Phillips
and Alfred Shelby, issued on an Indictment
found by the Grand Jury of the parish tor
the murder of Walters.
Phillips foresaw the coming trouble and
jumped the town, but Shelby was arrested
and confined In the Parish Prison, Ind after
considerable moving around in the courts his
counsel at last ct Shelby up before Judge
Braughn, of the Superior Criminal Court, on
writ OF hd6eds corpus. The points raised
were that Callam, under the law, wis not the
Sheriff OF Grant parish, and that thh warrant
on which Shelby was arrested was in formal.
Mr.. Gallon was placed on the stand to
prove that there was an Indictment pending
against Shelby and Phillips for murder ard to
establish other points bearing on the case, and
after argument, the matter was sub United to
the Court.
The Court ruled that both points id the petit
ton were well taken. The Sheriff of Grant
parish had been removed; and under no pro-
vision OF the law was the Governor author
lied to appoint another Sheriff.
The law provides that when a Sheriff is
q constable shall act. It'll had been
shown that there was no constable in the
parish, but for the purpose of making the
arrest the Court could have appointed any
individual.
The warrant was informal, for It did not
bear the seal of the court, and there was
nothing to show that the parish did not have
a SEAL
The Court therefore granted the petition of
habeas corpus, but under section 2097 Revised
Statutes which makes it the duty of every
judge to hold for trial, on satisfa Glory evil
dence, any person accused of a crime, re-
manded Shelby to the Parish Pribon, to be
delivered to the authorizes Of Gran4 parish.
It is given forth, and underst bod, that
Phillips, who is understood to be d consum-
mate scoundrel, and one of the men who
reused the negroes and inclted them to take
up aims against the people of Grant parish,
aud then with Ward, Calhoun, and two other
aiders and abettors, left his dupeslto the fate
with which they were overtaken at Co!fax;
It Is given forth and understood that
this man Phillips "knows so netting u
that somebody wants to suppress, and
that the warrant for his arrest AID
he arrest of Shelby was issued for the pur-
pose of getting them both in eli bo" and
putting sstopel' in the com 1nunicative |
mouth of the knowing Phillips, and some peo-
pie have been 'soft" enough to believe this, |
md have raised small breeze, and some |
,ther people. just as simple as these, who |
aised the zephyr, look upon Phillips and |
Shelby as martyrs.
During the last session of the Legislature,
he extra session after the compI omise had |
'een effected, Phillips intimated that he had |
o ething to tell; in fact, Phillips, through a
circular, announced to the comm unity that |
lie was very knowing individual, and that if |
committee was appointed he would show
what was what. committed was ap-
pointed much to the CONSERVATION bf Phillips,
10 doubt-a committee, majority of whom
we're Conservatives and before Them Phil
ips endeavored to show "what was what"
nd failed. The committee declared that
zone of the charges had been sustained, and
'ut Phillips in the light of black mailer.
Good palatable tea, 60 cents per pound, at the
'ea Depot, Camp street.
fETE CHAMPETEE AND BALL.-M |essrs. ]. d.
layer 4 Co., mine hosts of Barn ess Hotel,
Mississippi City, are treating theiE guests to
aliphtful entertainments every SAtnrdau and