Bradford opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1874-1881, 1875-01-23

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shot wounds, the great majority IN
the head, and most of them In the
back OF the head. In addition to
the Afty-nine dead bodies found,
some cliarred remains of dead bod.
les were discovered near the Court
House, Six dead bodies were found
under a warehouse, all shot in the
head but one or two which were
shot in the breast. The only white
men injured, from the beginning of
of these troubles to their close,
were Hadnot and Harris, The
Court House and its contents were
entirely consumed. There is no ev.
idence that any one in the crowd of
whites bore any lawful warrant for
the arrest of any of the blacks.
There is no evidence that either
Nash or Cazabat, after the affair,
ever demanded their Offices to which
they had set up q claim, but the
Register continued to act rs Parish
Judge, and Shaw ~ Sheriff. These
are the facts in this case, rs under.
stand them to be admitted.
TIE MURDEREEs UNPUBLISHED.
TO hold the people of Louisiana gen
orally responsible for these atroci.
ties would not be just, but it is a
lamcntable fact that insuperable OBJ
structiOns were throw in the way of
furnishing these murdererS, and the
so.called Conservative papers of
the State not only justified the mas.
sacre, but denounced as Federal
tyranny and despOtism the attempt
of the United States officers to bring
them to justice. Fierce dehuncia-
tons rung through the country
about the Otlice-holding and election
matters in Louisiana, while every
one of the Colfax miscreants goes
unwhipped of justice, and no way
can be found in this boasted land
of civilization and Christianity to
punish the perptraors Of this bloody
and mOnStrOuS crime.
THE coUsHATrA MASSACRE.
In August last, several Northern
young men of capital and enterprise
had started the little and flourish.
ing town of COusilatta. 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 and murdered in
cold blood. No one has been pun
ished, and the Conservative press Of
the State denounced all efforts to
that end and boldly justified the
crime.
OTHER MURDERS.
Many murders of a like charac.
ter have been committed in individ.
ual cases, which cannot here be de.
tailed. For example: Z. j. Craw.
ford, Judge of Parish, and the Dis
trict Attorney of the Twelfth Judi
cial District of the State, on their
way to court were shot from their
horses by men in ambush, on the
Sth of October, 1871, and the widow
of the former, in communication
to the Department Of Justice, tells
IA piteous tale of the prosecutions of
her husband because he was a
Union man, and of the efforts made
to screen those who had committed
crime, which, to use her own Ian
guage, cleft two widows and nine
orphans desolate." TO say that the
murder of a negro or white Repub.
lican is not considered a crime in
Louisiana would probably be unjust
to a great part Of the people, but it
is true that great number of such
murders have been committed and
no one has been punished therefor,
and manifestly the spirit of violence
is stronger than law.
Representations were made to me
that the presence of troops in Louis
lana was unnecessary and irritating
to the people, and that there was no
danger of public disturbance if they
were taken away. Consequently,
early last summer the troops were
all withdrawn from the State, with
the exception of small garrison at
the New Orleans barracks. 1t was
claimed that u comparative state of
quiet had supervened; the political
excitement as to Louisiana affairs
seemed to be dying out, but the
November election was approaching
and it was necessary fer party pur-
poses that the flame should be re.
kindled. Accordingly, on the 18th
of September, D. Penn, claiming
that he was elected Lieutenant
Governor in 1872, issued an infam.
atory proclamation calling upon the
militia of the State to assemble and
to drive from power the usurpers, as
he designated the officers of the
State. The White League, armed
and ready for the conflict, prompt.
" responded. On the same day,
the Governor made a formal requi-
sitiOn upon me, pursuant TO the act |
of 1906, and section 4, article 4, of
the Constitution, to aid in suppress
ing domestic violence. On the next
day, l issued proclamation com.
the insurgents to dispense
within five days from the date there,
of, bur, before the proclamation was
published in New Orleans, the Or
ganjzed and armed forces recogniz-
ing usurping Governor had taken
fOrcible possession of the State
House and temporarily subverted
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