The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1875-01-28
JACKSON c. H. OH1O THURSDAY, JANUARY %. 1875.


These persons found ffty-nine dead bodies.
They showed pistol shot wounds, the great ma
| jority in the heart and most of them in the
| back of the head. In addition there were found
| some charred remains of dead bodies near the
| Court House. Six dead bodies were found un-
| der warehouse, all shot in the heart but one
or two, which were shot in the breast. The only
| white men injured from the beginning of these
| troubles to their close were Hadnot and Harris.
| The Court House and its contents were entirely
| consumed. There is no evidence that any one
| in the crowd of whites bore auy lawful warrant
| for the arrest of any of the blacks. There is no
| evidence that either Nash or Cozabat, after the
| affair, ever demanded the offices TO which they
| had set up a claim, but The Register continued
| to act as Parish Judge. These the facts in
| this case, as understand them, admitted.
| To hold the people of Louisiana generally re-
sponsible for-these atrocities would not be fair,
| but it is a lamentable fact that insuperable OBJ
! structions were thrown in the way of the pun
| ishing of these murderers, and the so-called
Conservative papers of the State not only Justi-
! fed the massacre, but denounced as Federal
tyranny and despotism the attempt of the Uni
| ted States officers TO bring them to justice.
Fierce denunciations ring through the coun-
| try about office-holding and election matters in
| Louisiana, while every one of the Colfax mis-
creants goes unwhipped ofjustice, and no way
can be found in this boasted land of civilization
| anu 10 PUNISH the Ol
| 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 and fonr-
| ishing town of Coushatta. Some of them were
Republicans and office-holders under Kellogg
there We're, therefore, doomed to death. Six of
| them were seized and carried away from their
homes, and murdered in cold blood No one
has been punished, and the Conservative press
| of the State denounced fO that
and boldly justified the crime.
| Many murders of a like character have been
committed in individual cases, which can not
here be detailed. For example, T. S. Craford,
Judge of the parish, and the District Attorney
of the Twelfth Judicial District of the State, on
| their way to court, were shot from their horses
| by men in ambush.
On the sth of October, 1873, the wife of farm
er, in communication to the Department of
Justice, tells piteous tale of the prosecutions
of her husband, because he Union man
of the efforts to seize those who had committed
a crime which 'to us left two widows and nine
orphans desolate.''
To say that the murder of negro a white
Republican is not considered crime in Louisi-
ana, will be unjust TO great part of the people
| but it is true that great number of such muir
ders have been committed, and no one has been
punished therefor, and, manifestly, the spir-
it of hatred and violence is stronger than law
Representations were made to me that the
presence of troops in Louisiana was unneces-
sary, and that there was 10 danger of public dis
turbance if they were taken away. Consequent
ly, early last summer the troops were with
drawn from the State, with the exception of a
small garrison at New Orleans barracks. 1t was
stated that comparative state of quiet had su-
pervened. Political excitement as to Louisi-
ana affairs seemed to be dying out, but the No
vember election was approaching, and it was
necessary, for party purposes, that the f1aL Ie
should be relighted.
Accordingly, on the 18th of September D. B.
Penn, claiming he was elected Lieutenant Gov
ernor in 1872, issued an inf1ammatory procla-
nation, calling upon the militia of the State to
arm, assemble, and to drive out the usurpeTs,
as he designated the officers of the State. The
White LIE lguers, armed and ready for the con-
f1ict, promptly responded. On the same day
the Governor made formal requisition upon
me, in pursuance of act of 1885, and section 4, OF
article 4, of the Constitution, to aid in the sup
pressing of domestic violence. On The next day
issued my proclamation, commanding the in
surgents to diSperse within five days from date
thereof but before the proclamation was pub
lished in New Orleans, the organized and arm
ed forces, organizing a usurping government,
: had taken forcible possession of the State
} House, and temporarily subverted the govern
5 ment. Twenty or more people were killed, in
Guiding number of the police of the city. The
streets of the city were stained with blood. All
that was desired in the way of excitement had
been accomplished.
That there intimidation of Republican
voters at the election, Notwithstanding the pre-
cautions taken 10 deny it, admits of doubt.
The following are specimens of the means
used
On the 18th of October eighty persons signed
and published the following at Shreveport:
awe, the undersigned, merchants of the city
ofShreveport, in obedience to request of the
Shreveport Campaign Club, agree every
endeaver to get our employees to vote the peo-
pies ticket at the ensuing election, and in the
event of their refusal so to do, or in case they
vote the Radical ticket, to refuse to employ
them at the expiration of their term OF serv-
ice.''
On the same day anoth er large body of per-
sons published in the same place paper, in
which they used the following language:
ave, the undersigned, merchants of the
city of Shreveport alive to the great i'm
portance of securing good and honest govern
ment to the State, do agree and pledge our
selves not to advance any supplies money to
any planter the coming year, who will give en-
. ployment or rent lands to laborers who vote
the Radical ticket in the coming election"
have no information of the proceedings of
the Returning Board for the said election which
may not be found i'll its report, which has been
published, but it is a matter of public informa-
ton that great part of the time, taken to can
vasS the votes, was consumed by the arguments
of lawyers several of whom represented each
party before the board. There is no evidence
that the proceedings of this board were not in
accordance with the law under which they act
ed. Whether in excluding from their count
certain returns they were right or wrong is a
question that depends upon the evidence they
had before them; but it is very clear that the
law gives them the power, if they choose to ex-
ercise it, of deciding that way and prinaa Jacie
the persons whom they return as elected are en-
: titled to the offices for which they candi-
dates.
Respecting the alleged interference by the
t military with the organization of the Legisla-
ture of Louisiana, on the 4th inst, L have nc
5 knowledge or information, which has not been
received by me since that time, and published
e My first information was from the papers OF
the morning of the 5th of January. 1 did not
= know that any such thing was anticipated and
+ no orders and no suggestions.were ever given
t TO any military officer in that State upon that
= subject, prior to the occurrence. am well
1 aware that any military interference, by the
f officers troops of the United States, with the
: organization of State Legislature, or any O.
e its proceedings, with any civu department
o of the Government, is repugnant to our ideas o.
y government. l can con ceive of no case, not in
n volving rebellion or insurrection, where sucl
i interference by the authority of the General
> Government ought to be permitted or can bC
d Justified. But there are circumstances connect
e ed with the legislative imbroglio in Louisiana
|, | which seem to exempt the military from any
IL intention of wrong in that matter, knowing
It that they had been placed in Louisiana to pre-
d vent domestic violence and to aid to repress it
d The revolution was apparently, though it Il