The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1875-01-14

Ian effort OF y$ha tsskipd, q butciierys.of
fcitizens was s.comhifsad has~ColfaH
which, in blood !thitstiness' and bsfba-
rity. is hardly surpassed by any acts OF
savage warfare. To pat tue matter
hayond NnntrnsereS, ISua:s ssom, tho
charge of Judge Woods, OF the United
States Circuit Court, To the jury, in
the case Of the United States us.
Cruikshnnk aud others. in New Or
leans, in March. 1874 He suid: In
the case on trial, there are many facts
not IL controversy. 1 proceed to state
| some OF them, i'll the presence and
hearing of counsel on both sides, and
| II state as concealed fact any
matter that is disputed, they can cor.
rect me-" After stating the origin of
the difficulty which grew out Of an at.
tempt Of the white persons to drive
the Parish Judge and Sheriff, ap
pointees of Kellogg, from Office aud
their attempted protection by colored
persons, which led to some lighting,
IN which quite IA number of negroes
were killed. the Judge states: "AIost
OF those who were not killed were
taken prisoners; fifteen or sixteen of
tho blacks had lifted the boards and
taken refuge under the floor Of the
Court House. They were all captured
about thlrty-seven men were taken
prisouers-th number il not definitely
fixed; they were kept under guard
until dark, when they were led out two
by two and shot. Most of the mvu
were shot to death, and a few were
wounded not mortally, aud by pretend
ing to be drnd, were afterwards, dur.
ing the night. able to make their
escape. Among them was the Lev.
Nelson. named III the indictment. Th..
dead bodies Of the negroes killed In
this ALTAR were left unburied until
Tuesday. April Is. when they were
buried by Deputy Marshal aud All
officer oil the Mlddu. from Now Or
leans. These persons found tilty-nlue
dead bodies; they showed pistol shn,
wounds-the great ma ority III the heud
and most Of them III the back ot
the head. 1n addition to the fifty.
nine dead bodies found, some charred
remains OF dead bodies were disco
versd near the Court House. SIX
dead bodies were found uudcr ware
| house-all shot in the head, but Que
|
The only white men iujnred from the
beginning OF the troubles to their close
were Hadnot aud Harris. The Court
| House and Its contents were entirely
| consumed. There is no evidence tnnt
any one in the crowd of whites bore
any lawful warrant for the arrest of
any of the blacks. There is no evil
dence that either Nash or Caz4bat,
after the affair, ever demanded their
Offices. to which they had SGT up
claims, but Register continued to act
as Parish Judge, and Shaw as Sheriff
! These are the facts iu this case, as |
understand them to he admitte.l. TO
| hold the people of Louisiana generally
responsible for these atrocities wouid
would be just; but it is lameutuble
fact that insupernble distractions were
thrown in the way Of Furnishing these
murderers. and the so-called Conser VA
tive papers OF the State not only iusti-
lied the massacre, but denounced as
Federal tyranny and despotlsm, the at.
tempt Of the United States officers to
bring them to justice. Fierce de
nunointions ring through the country
about office holding and election mat
ters IN Louisiana. while every one Of
the Colfax miscreants goes unwhipped
Of justice, aud no way can be found In
this boasted land of civilization and
Christianity to punish the perpetrators
of this bloody and monstrous crime.
Not unlike this was the massacre in
August last. Several Northern young
men Of capital and enterprise
had started the little aud hourishine
town OF Coushata. Some of them were
Republicans and Office. holders under
Kellogg; they were. therefore, doomed
to death; six of them were seized and
carried away from their homes aud
murdered in cold blood. No one has
been punished. aud the Conservative
press OF the State denounced all efforts
to that end, and boldly justified the
crime. Many murders of like cha
racter have been committed in indi.
vidual Gases. which cannot here be de-
tailed. For example, II. s. Crawford,
Judge. and P. 81. Harris, District At.
torney of the Twelfth Judicial District
Of the State, on their way to Court.
were shot from their horses, by men
in ambush. on the 9Th of October,
1878; and the widow of the former, in
communication to the Department
OF Justice, tells a piteous tale Of the
prosecutions Of her husband because
he was a Union man. and of the efforts