The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-10-15
THE EAST FELICIANA NATTER
John Gair Killed.
The Sachems of the Faithful in
Council.
Excitement at the State House

dU UuO DJdUc'lIOuSC
Early yesterday morning Judge Dewing, of
the District Court of the parish of East Fell
ciana, arrived in the city, and took rooms at
the St. James Hotel.
He came in response to the summons OF
Acting Governor Antoine, which summons
reached him at his home in Iberville, for the
purpose Of telling all he knew about the re-
cent trouble shooting of the incendiary ne
gro, Smith, etc.-in the town Of Clinton, par
ish Of East Feliciana. -
Judge Qewing went to the State-House at
about 10 AN, fully prepared to divulge the
history of the affair according to the best Of
his knowledge and belief, but the hour was
too early for the Acting Governor, and while
awaiting his arrival Judge Dewing was in
terviewed, but declined to give any statement
to the reporters until he had made clean
breast of it to Antoine.
He said, however, that the persons who had
advised the adjournment of the court after
the trouble with Smith had subsequently re-
GREETED it, because the difficulty did not
Justify any such hasty action, and he further
volunteered the information that the man
who had written the introduction in the Re-
publican to the statement Of Smith had drawn
on his Imagination. This was all Judge
Dewlng would state until after !" he had seen
Gov Antoine, and the reporters prepared to
wait until that happy after time arrived.
At 10:45 A. My the clock-the Acting
Governor arrived. and Judge Dewing was
ushered into his august presence.
A short consultation took place in one cor
ner of the Executive office, and then the
Acting Governor asked to "be excused, and
every other man but Judge Dswing was in
vited into the ante-room.
In few moments the messengers OF the
office were summoned to the presence Of the
Acting Governor, and on returning to the
gaze Of common mortals there hung about
them an air of mystery and importance, and
with this clinging to them they disappeared.
1t was ascertalned that tn y had gone for
THE sACHEMs
of the faithful, and in q short time they came.
Packard, the great chief; Beckwith, United
States District Attorney, his right bower, and
Hugh j. Campbell, Attorney of the Police
Board, the tool of both.
They entered the Executive Office by the
"back way" and Immediately went into con-
sultatiop, and they consulted for some time
on the question s.what is to be done?' The
statement of Judge Dewing was considered in
connection with the statement of the negro
Smith, and it WAS resolved that the parish was
in terrible condition
This is all that reached the people in the
ante-room, but that law books were examined
is known, and it was reported that the legality
of declaring martial law in the parish was
discussed, and after a review of the books
decided in the negative, and it was further re-
ported that the question of sending the militia
(police) to the turbulent parish, was also
discussed and after due consideration of
existing circumstances was also decided in
the negative.
While the council was in session the report
was received that
JOHN GAIR HAD BEEN KILLED,
and as John Gair was an eX-rnember OF the
House, unseated at the last Legislature, and
was leading man among the Faithful In the
parish of lst Feliciana, the report, while
being generally discredited, was seriously re-
ceived and the private secretary of the Gov
ernor-and during the latter's absence, OF the
acting Governor, Ell. Conquest Clarke. ESD
was instructed to telegraph-and Il. Conquest
Clarke did telegraph-to Biton Rouge for
confirmation or contradiction, but before a
reply had been received, the extra Picayune
appeared on the streets with the following
dispatch
CLINTON, Oct. IA, IL 80 A. M.-The posse
| in charge of Gair, and conducting him from
Baton Rouge to Clinton, were overpowered
last night, eleven miles from this place, by
seventy armed and masked men, their arms
taken from them, and Gair, the party who had
DR.. j. W. Sanders poisoned, was shot to
death the same night.
| Babe Mathews, the negro woman who adj
ministered the poison for Gair, was taken
| from the guards by an armed body and hung
| to a tree in the court yard. All is quiet no v.
The negroes consider it a just retribution
for the crimes of these dangerous negroes.
LAMBERT,
| Editor Patriot Democrat
An enterprising newsboy brought the paper
into the onte-room of the executive Office, and
the Private Secretary paid his nickel, OBJ
tanned one, read the dispatch, and carrying
the paper by the 'sback way" entered the
room in which the Sachen1s were in council
The Sachems were evidently excited,S Tor a
low rumbling sound stole over the transom
and into the dnte-room, and in couple OF
minutes, the Private Secretary came back,
put on his hat and "sailed away" followed
| by two or three of the messengers, who, by a
nod and q movement of the hand, he called
| in his trail.
For Wnlle everything was quieS, dHu VIC
the small fry of the Faithful began to rally.
jim Lewis and Seweil were there, and, In
deed, ali the prominent individuals among
the small fry faithful except Pinchback were
at hand, but none of them were admitted to
the Council of the Sachems.
At about 230 o'clock the crowd of the
prominent individuals among the Faith.
full dispersed, but still the discussion
in the Executive Office continued; and all this
while the reporters were waiting for Judge
Dewing to make his statement to the Acting
Governor.
| At o'clock or thereabouts, the shack way
was closed that is to all intents and purpose:
it was closed. The offices that lead to 1t were
vacated and the doors that lead to the offic
were locked, but about o'clock it was found
that Packard and Judge Dewing had been
piloted into those vacated offices, that thu
locked doors had been unlocked, and that
Packard and Judge Dewing had been con
Quoted downstairs, while the Acting Gov
ernor was entertaining the reporters.
The Acting Governor was jubilant over tn
little game which some one else had con
csived, and he had aided in executing. Blu