The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-02-04

their officials to resign is entirely false The
thought it better and wiser to bear with tn
officials, such as they were, than to precipi
tate trouble, and probably conflict with tn
negroes, by interfering with them. The whit
people did not intend to interfere with tn,
officials and took occasion to give them ever,
assurance that they would not They adopt
ed more peaceful plan. They went among
the negroes and showed them the enormitie
OF carpet-bag rule; told them at the (then
present rate of taxes no one would be able t.
cultivate, and that there would be no labo
wanted in the parish.
| The better class of negroes saw the truth o
the arguments presented, and openly ex
pressed their determination to form a coali
ton with the whites, with view to establish
ing better parish government. But the
rulers of the little parish failed to see thu
point Of the new departure. They began i'm
mediately the work of organizing the negroes
against the whites in the usual way, and the
more the whites Abored to win the confidence
OF the negroes, the more vigorously Devices
Twitchell ct ais, applied themselves to the
work Of firing the negro heart with terrible
illusions to his past slavery, visions of bull
whips in the future and promises of mules,
lands, money. idleness and political prefer.
ment as the rewards of fidelity to the Repub.
lican party. But while many Of the negroes
under these teachings came to regard the
white man as a foe, to hate him for the past,
and to distrust him for the supposed future
designs upon their liberties, there was large
number Of more intelligent negroes who
doubted the fidelity OF the carpet baggers and
continued to adhere to their expressed deter
mination to vote with the whites.
From the very inception of the campaign
it became apparent to Devices and Twitcheu
that they could not hope to carry the election
against the white people even with their
fraudulent registration and election laws,
without the Intervention of Federal troops to
intimidate the whites.
The Radical press and politicians cried
continually for troops. Every strong express
sion Of an indignant people against the cor
ruption of the men in power, as represented
to the authorities at Washington and the
country at large as indications of an inten-
ton only waiting an opportunity to murder
negroes and Republicans. But these Efforts
failed; and these fiendish men resorted to the
criminal expedient OF creating strife between
the two races in order to give Kellogg the
much-cOveted excuse for calling United States
troops. No fair man, when he reads the fol-
lowing letter, can doubt this theory:
New ORLEANS, La, Aug. 4, 1874.
|. s. Edgerton, Sheriff parish Of Red River, La:
l received your letter this morning have seen
the Governor and United States Marshal; as
soon as some overt act has been committed
United States Marshal can be sent up there, and
will, doubtless, take United States troops with
him. will advice you in case demand is made
for your resignation to be certain first that vio-
lence is to be used in case you do not, and, to
save your life, resign.
NJ H. MITCHELL.
1t has long been the game Of Republican
leaders in this State to incite the negroes to
commit outrages, with view of arousing the
whites to an uncomfortable indignation that
would prompt them to visit fierce punish
ment upon the aggressors; this accomplished
it is the second feature of the game to employ
the Republican press and Radical following
to misrepresent the affair and proclaim that
the white people are venting their hatred on
the white Republicans and negroes, and that
troops are absolutely necessary to put down
and keep down the new Ku-klux, or "Ban-
dltti." The result Of the incendiary teach
ings upon the negro mind was wonderful.
Tame and docile men were converted into
DULLES, polite and industrious
aborers we're transformed into idle brawlers, !
Ind what was once happy and prosperous
and became a section OF sorrow and strife.
From the evidence in the case it appears
hat the initial act in the "Coushatta outrage"
eight miles below Coushatta. Several me-
,roes who had trifing misunderstanding
With two white residents of the parish, r. S.
Zones and A. J. Williams, threatened the
ives of those two gentlemen. The neighbor-
lood is thickly inhabited by negroes, and
,nder the circumstances, Mr.. Williams deem
ID it prudent to leave home wit his family.
The night after his departure, four negroes,
Dick, Tom Jones, Dan Winn and his son,
rmed with double-bareled shot guns, visited
lr. Williams house and searched the prem
ses, but finding no one they departed. They
we're however fully recognized by persons
wing near by. The following night, eight
White men arrested Dan VIM and then went
f arresting him also and delivering the two
nto the hands of the sheriff.
But the instant the party got the on gallery,
ones fired both barrels If his gun into the
rowd, killing Mr.. Brotherton, a worthy and
gentleman of the vicinity. This
exasperated the white men, and
ushing into the house, they shot down
ones, who afterwards recovered from his
Wounds, but in the melee VIM was killed,
" whom it is not known, though there were
that led many to believe that
ones, in shooting at the whites, had killed
is friend, as we'll as MIR. Brotherton.
When the report of this affair reached Cou-
hatta, number of the most respectable and
citizens of the town and parish
and expressed their condemnat on
t the killing Of Wins no matter by whom
be deed was done. There was much excite
lent among both the negroes and whites, and
be citizens, fearing general riot, called
pom Homer j. Twltchell and Robert Devices
wo of the leading Republicans, (this fact
hould be borne prominently in mind.) In re-
ulted in an agreement bet Teen the delegation
t white citizens on the one part, and Twitchell,
,ewees, Edgerton and other Republicans on
le other part, to leave the investigation and
of the killing to the civil author
les. And further, the citizens agreed to work
.ithfully and vigilantly to restrain the whites
.om any further acts of retaliation, and the
republican leaders solemnly pledged them
elves to restrain any manifestations Of violence
n the part Of the negroes
Ostensibly for the purpose of obtaining all
le facts in the case, Sheriff Edgerton, his
equity, and the coroner, Immediately on the
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