New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-01-29

1 ACASu, tuc tTOODIc duu DISSATISFACTION Ii
not ascribed to the kellogg government.
Cross-examinati0n- Judges Sayle and
Eagan represented a mild type of Conserv
at!ves in Shreveport. and Mr.. Leonard rep
resented the White League branch: Leon
ard is leading man; regard the Shreve
port Times as very violent paper: Leonard
told me he was editor and proprietorbf the
Times; he said that at one time United
States marshal could not serve a warrant in
Caddo parish without assistance; there ex
lists spirit OF lawiessness in that section
he said, but now marshal can serve writ
without the aid of troops; Leonard told me
that If the Returning Board did not return
the proper officers for them, the peOnle
would take the remedy in their own hands
and there would be trouble.
DR.. Scruggs-I know Ex-Governor Wells;
he and met at the City Hotel ON one occa.
| sion. when two drunken men evidently in.
tended to make fuss with the Governor:
We left, but the Governor expressed desire
to give the men fight; we did not know
the persons; this was in the hotel dinin p.
| room, about the twentieth of last Noysm.
Der; l was told that tae drunken men
would probably attack the Governor.
| RafOrd Blunc-Reside in Natchitoches:
am State Senator; am pretty well acquainted
with the people of my parish; last June q
meeting was held By persons who called
| themselves taxpayers; Mr.. Cunningham
| said if the people desired they could take
| charge; was slave in Georgia and Louis.
| lana; have little education; have lived in
Natchitoches twenty.One years; the general
condition of affairs between the whites and
blacks there was toIerably pleasant up
to last June; portion Of the
| meeting was not taxpayers: it was
proposed to reduce the taxes; also to de-.
mand the resignation Os some officers: in
July last the Republicans held mass
meeting; many white men made suspicious
movements, and Mr.. Duplex, white Re.
publican, was carried of: those officers we're
told to resign on the sixth of July or thew
would be assassinated; some OF us were in
favor of the police jury resigning, and they
did resign; when on steamboat, on my
way to New Orleans, some men went on
board and said they intended to fix me:
during the night the men were put off the
boat; on July 25 We held nominating
convention in our parish; armed men
were assembled in room in the town: |
understood that they were there to assassin
ate US if we nominated certain district
judge and district attorney; we did not
nominate those officers then in consequence
OF the threats; as soon as the convention
adjourned the delegates left for their homes,
believing that it was not safe for them to
remain in town; few days afterward the
armed men appeared again and made the
tax collector resign; was told that there
was no objection to me; when l was in
Alexandria in August last man
assailed me and said that all of
US would be strung up before this
trouble was over; [ had to pay $25 for
hack to go home in. ard l expected to be
killed; after that was hunted and be-
lieve white men wished to take my life, as
they said / had too much influence and was
in their way; they (the white mem told me
l must get out OF the way; thought l
would, rather than be killed; told them
if they attacked me 1 would try and sci, my
LIFE dearly; | resigned my position on the
school board; they continually said they had
nothing against me personally; there were
regular meetings held by persons generally
known as White Leaguers; did not dare to
attend their meetings; l seldom slept at
home; other cOiored men remained in the
woods until after the registering Office was
closed; about 500 colored men did not regis
ter; some of those who registered could not |
vote, because the registrar spelled their |
names wrong; there was a reign of terror |
up to election day; resigned my position
as Senator to save my life; there is peti- |
ton in my parish asking Congress to do |
to protect the colored people; |
cOlored men believe that the whites !
intend to reduce them to slavery again; |
the negroes are better of financially |
than when they were slaves; many |
of them have purchased property |
since tho war; more cOlored men have made |
money since the war than planters have; on
election day many. of my people were pre-
vented voting as they choose; some of them
voted the White League ticket; they voted
that way to save themselves; without the
presence OF troops on election day think
that not more than 500 colored men would
have voted; white people agreed to employ
men who voted the Democratic ticket and
lext men who did not vote at all.
Tbs committee adjourned until half-past
even o'clock.
Evening Session.
Senator Blunt recalled-We have separate
public schools for white aud cOlOred chill
lren; co!Ored children attending the schools
re in majority; it was long time before
he whites would send their children to
'ublic schools; there are ten colored Demo-
rats IN Natchitoches parish; when cOlored
Democrat wanted to vote there was back
Oor open for him. never knew of Black !
league; as a general thing colored men
vho worked on shares came out about even
+ behind; in some instances laborers would
eceive bit OF paper which was worth |
othing.
Cr0ss-examination-I was proprietor of
ne official journal, but am not now; never |
ad been paid dime for use of nv print ,
lg material; Mr.. Cunnin CHAM was the de-
sated candidate for district attorney; |
elieve that the Wkite League organization
-as military one; at 10 A. NJ. On the six I
senth of September the White League was
Osted; at least 1900 Republican voters
ere intimidated and did not vote at tue
.st election; the police jury appointed the Q
lection commissioners; the supervisor was f
Republican. he could not perform his
4, <o< % l. |
ave paid as high as $40 per acre rent: the d
reatest number Of murders was committed |
7 white men. h
W. H. Maxey-Reside in Claiborne par. 4
h; in my opinion there was not free, fair
I'd full election there; at a meeting in that
arl5h a cOlOred man was SHOT by a white | a
an, the latter was tried and discharged:
ter the fight over thirty white men formed | Q
line, most of them armed with shotguns: d
10 Republicans were beating drum, and q
o Democrats demanded that the colored a
en- be disarmed: they said the negroes a
ould be fired into in ten minutes if they O
d not disperse; the sheriff was armed, and a
i'd he could not disperse bis crowd; the same n
the Justice OF the peace the mayor said the | ri
,publicans could have their club meet. | e.
gs; but that they must not march or beat | v
drum; l was compelled to leave town in | I
g. night. and was broken up in business | Al
cause was Republican; 1 was often / d
by bad men with deadly v
'apons; l am entirely broken up tinan- v
lily in consequence: I was a Union man | Il
ring the war; there are some things can ii
t tell; at the close of the war l had h
$4,000, and to-day l am a bankrupt; h,
was impossible to have fair registra- a,
n and election last year; when Mr.. e,
Emery made speech in Homer, and ST
ian about half way through his speech he OF
d there were too many Maxeys and tt
and if some of them were a,
ng 1t would be a good thing; a man said e,
emily to me, with his hand on his pistol, hi