New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-05-28
News from the Interior.

From the New Iberia Sugay.Borl, May
90:
On Saturday night, May -, ar ARRAY oc
CURED at ball on Bayou du Large, De
tween Paul Gaze, assistant postmaster, OF
HOuma, and one Oliver Bourgeois. Pistol
shots were exchanged. Both are badly
wounded-Caze, it is thought, will die,
while it is almost certain that Bourgeois
will recover. Gaze was conveyed to Houma
to his sisters residence. The two are
young men-Caze unmarried, and BOur.
geOis being married not more than six
months.
A serious quarrel took place at Tiger
vile. between two negroes, last week. Roc
ert johnson, ono of the party, was stabbed
in the back, and James Lewis (ex-member
of the police jury " as shot at several times.
The wounds are thought not 10 be danger
Gus.
The sawmll CT Mr.. J. A: Kildre.h, OF
Centreville, was burned on Tuesday night
of last week. We learn that Contract to
saw large quantity Of cypress lumber for
the Philadelphia centennial building had
only that day been completed, and this fact
renders the burning still mo:e unfort unate.
We believe it is considered the work OF an
incendiary. We synpathize with Mr.. Hill
dreth in his loss.
From the Shreveport Times, May D:
We have already mentioned the killing of
William II. Allen, in this parish, on the
twenty first instant. Depredations upon
the property. principally OF negroes, in the
locality of Hog Thief Point, have been
going on for two or three months. Mules
have been stolen, and usually the best stock
was selected. Allen has been suspected
with being prominent man in, if not the
leader of the band, which is supposed to
have confederates in Texas. A man by the
name Of Watson has been intimate with
Allen, and was regarded by the neighbors
as the worst man of the two. Vague runors
have been circulated as to his antecedents,
and among them one to the effect that he is
an escaped convict from Texas, and that
there was reward of $500 offered for his
capture. The negroes of the neighborhood
have at times manifested disposition to
take the law in their own hands, but have
been discouraged fJOn doing so by the few
respectable white men living in the Point
a thinly settled portion of the parish.
The first intimation of the murder that
we could trace up was given on the after
noon of the twenty-frst instant by Watson
to Mr.. Stephens. 1t seems he met the
this place, and told him that band of
about twenty five negroes had endeavored
to capture Allen and himself; that they had
killed Allen with his own CUR, and shot
him, Watson, il the breast or stomach, and
that he had taken Off the top of the head of
one of chem. This statement reached us
through two or three intermediate parties,
and we can not vouch Tor its accuracy. The
facts subsequently proved that Allen was
not killed with his own gun. Watson, we
are informed, told Stephens that ne was
coming on to town and give himself up,
which he did not do. however, though a
Young man who knows him says he saw
Watson ride down Texas street Thursday
or Friday.
Mr.. Stephens went on to the Summer
Grove neighborhood and told several gen
tlemen what Watson had told him, and
party Immediately went in search of the
body of Allen. After il. was found Mr..
William Stitts came to Shreveport for an
officer and was accompanied to the spot by
Justice l.. E. Carter, who impaneled a jury
of inquest. Their verdict was to the effect
that deceased had been murdered by par
ties unknown.
We do not know whether the party who
did the killing were negroes or white men,
or both. 1t seems reasonable both from
Watson's statement and from the improba-
bility that Allen could have discharged his
pistol after he was shot, that the intention
was to capture him, and that he invited his
doom bv firing on his assa',ans us. On the
other hand it might be argued that he
would have been more apt to first use his
gun, and that he used the pistol because the
wound he received had disabled his left
arm. There were small shot mixed with
the charge of buckshot that did the killing
an indication that the killing was done
by negroes. as we never knew a white man
to SO mix shot, and it is not an unusual
practice with negroes. The Erwin Andrews
mentioned in the note to A'en is a negro.
The note, however, We are satlsted, was
not written by negro.