The People's vindicator. [volume] (Natchitoches, La.) 1874-1883, 1875-04-10

is my answer. l have but one re.
quest to make Of you. Ifyour objec,
is my assassination, do it upon the
street, and spare my family this dis.
graceful and cowarlly scene"
During the campaign It was impos.
sihle for the Republicans to hold any
meeting. Open threats Of assassina
ton were made. Violence in every
form was offered. was insulted on
the streets not by Que man, but by
half a dozen, who wanted to take nv
life. l saw Col. Burke, who told me
to keep away or l would lie killed
When went up to Campte to make
a speech on the Saturday before the
election, l met q lot of men armed
with bowie-knives, sticking out OF
their scabbards. ! said to some Re.
publican friends "It will not do ia
have any meeting to-day. Let US "a
home, back to Natchitoches." just
then q company Of cavalry, unde,
some Lieutenant came up; and the
moment these parties saw the cavalry
como, they rushed into the stores and
took out their arms; and then We
had a peaceable meeting. But the
cavalry was present.
know that there was not a full
and fair registration in the parish
know it; for on the day of the cleo
ton l was in Natchitoches, and q
number of colored men came to me
and asked if they could vote!
said: "You can vote I presume, il
you have registered properlyi "Well,
they said, We could not register
asked whyi They said, "they would
not let us register" That was their
answer. I know at the poll, at
Campte, ward 4, there We're a hun.
dred and seventy votes Of colored
men rejected; and that was on &C.
count Of misnames. remember one
man named Baptiste, and the name
was specified Bat t.i-c-e, instead Of
B-a-p-t-i-s.t.e, and his vote was re-
jected.
know that other Republican lead
ers were prevented from taking an
active part in the campaign. The
Senator from the District was one
among them. I was tho only Repub-
lican who did take an active part +;
and did it at the risk of my life.
My brother-in-law, Col. Levy's broth
er, came to me and begged me to
quit the Republican party. "You are
subject, he said, at any moment to lie
shot, or have a knife run in your
back" I said, "Is it possible that
am liable to be assassinated." He
said, II am connected with you by
marriage and will do my utmost to
protect you; but could not begin to
do it'll was told by my brother-in.
law and several Of my friends re.
fused to speak to me on account Of
this pressure brought to bear upon
them.
Now, will stato that before
joined the Republican party, no such
feeling existed against me. occupi.
ed positions, and never was slight
ed to my recollection before. But
sir, it is very different now. 1un-
derstand that they have seized my
property worth three or four thou.
sand dollars for q judgment debt Of
fifteen. That is q piece Of their per-
secntion.
Q. State whether you were in the
town of Natchitocles at the time they
forced the officials to resigni
A. l vas present.
z. State how it was done? Did
you see a large number Of people3
A. Yes. on the 27thiof July, 1874,
they held q mass meeting, and q res
olution was adopted requesting d,
H. Boullt, Tax Collector; H. G. My.
ers, District Judge; d. H. Bonllt,
Jr., Judge, and Mr.. Booster, Parish
Attorney, to resign. They had a
very large meeting; most of the per.
sons present were armed. l even
noticed arms upon gentlemen, on that
day, that never saw wearing arms
before.
Q. What was the number assem-.
blel9
A. I suppose five or six hundred
probably more. D..
Q. Did you SEQ any there from
other parishesi
A. Yes, I saw a gentleman from
Winn parish, and 4 gentleman from
Red River parish.
.. In this crowdf
A. Yes, and they took part in th<
meeting.
Q. State any act Of violence or any
thing they did in fartherance Of thei1
object.
A. A Committee of nine vas A.
pointed to call upon these gentlemen
Mr.. 'Boullt aud Henry G. Myers lIai
left town three days before, and con
sequently they were not called upon
This Committee Of nine went t,
Doctor Boullts Office, the tax collec
tor.
q. Do you know what took plac'
at DR.. Boullt's object
A. In his house / don't know. saw
the crowd 60 there, and l saw then
come out. On that day was stand
ing in q commanding position ~ as t
he able to zee. Some ono remarked
"What are they doing at DR.. Boullt'
house," and one Of their crowd re
marked, "that they went up there Il
hang that God damned scoundrel.'
said, II would like to see them d
it," lie then said to me, 1--WE vii
hang You, if you don't look ont"
said. lyon just, try to hang me.
Then Col. Russell, who was in com