The Fairfield herald. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1849-1876, 1875-06-09
.WINNsBORO S. c.. WEDNESDAY, MORNING, JUN
down if they showed their faces 10

11RzsfQ AHzzR
down if they showed their faces IL
the parish. <',l '.' H.'"'a'' - III
Surely the story of these tw,
| parishes tells the reason why dis
content and sometimes disorder orc
found in parts Of Louisiana. "It 1,
not the radicals, but the thieves,
that we hate and oppose" said more
than one conservative to me. And
believe it to be the truth. havelno,
time to wander all over the State ;
but I have examined overy case
whore I have beard Of complaints Of
especial hostility to republicans, and
in every case have found that there
had been gross and long continued
m'ssovernment, extravaganza, denial
OF justice aud tolerance Of disorder
by the courts. I was told for in.
stanoo, that Madison parish was not a
pleasant place for republican" )"
Very we'll. I fnd in four years.
from 1868 to l872-the reconstruc.
tors ran up debt iu this parish of
over $l42,o00. This parish had, in
1870 by the census, only 936 white
persons. 1t registered in 1874 only
255 white voters and 2,l35 blacks.
The few whites were, of course, tho
owners Of ulmost all the property.
Such INDUSTRIOUS mismanage
borne By go few taxpayers, might
very well create ill.feeling and strife;
but the parish gave, in 1874, l,8l4
republican majority, and the vote ran
but fifty five short Of tho registration.
Intimidation is, Of course, out of the
question.
LOUISIANA MURDERs.
In the North we have heard so
much about murders that was very
glad to get hold hore Of some parish
statistics on this subject. Tho State
government, which has almost en-.
tirely neglected to runish murder.
ers-beiog too busily engaged in
ste ling-bas, of course, no such
official returns of cvime as it ought
to possess I have been able to oL.
tain returns, chiefly made by county
clerks and coroners, from only thir
seen parishes, not counting Pla.
qeum ne, which I have before given.
From 1868 to 1875 lthere have been
in these thirteen parishes 3.l3 mur-
dera. Of these uinety-thrse were
of whites by whites, l43 wore Of
colored by colorod, thirty two color.
ed by whites, three colored by off.
GERS of justice, five colored by pers ons
unknown, seven whites by unknown,
five whites by mobs and five ,olored
by mobs. The State has fifty-sevon
parishes. Most of the ,thirteen of
which have given returns have
population nearly equally divided
between white aud black, and l sus.
;pect the figures give more than an
average nam ber Of murders Of whites
by whites aad less than the average
of murders of blacks by blacks.
Plaauemine, for instance, not count
cd in the above list, registered, IN
1874, $40 white and 2,l60 black
voters, and there I found that there
had been since 1868, 33 murders, of
which 81 were of blacla by blacks.
There is good evidence for the state.
ment that the large majority of
murdersin ia tho State in the last six
years are of blacks by blacks, insti-
gated by whiskey and jealously. The
negroes drink less whiske. this year
tsan two or three years ago, when
they were getting much higher
wagee; but their demand for it is 80
strong that | End the plan tors gener.
ally sell it to then in the little plan
tation stores, having discovered .that
ifsthey did not their hands would be
be running off elsewhere to get it, or
some negro would paddle it 10 the
cabins. Tho plantation negroes
commonly carry razor as a conceal.
ed weapono and, absurd as this seems
as a weapnn Of attack, they inaict
serious and often fatal wounds with
it. Tho r"zor seems to be their
favo,ite weapon ol,ewhcro also, for
| found it so in Delaware. They
axe to it probably because it is the
cheapest weapon with keen edge.
1t is not only fact that uyimo has
not eea,punished in the State un-
der the republican neither
crime against the,per.ou.nor against
pro. %: ty--but there is great oom.
plant that the pardon,ng power has
been abused. ! have fond but one
return on the subject, which shows
liberal uso of t,ris prero.
gative. From Janusry j, 1878, to
March S, 1874, Governor Kellogg
pardoned thirteen murderers---al.
most one a month--besides six mon
,convio ed of manslaughter. Tho
whole number of pardous during this
period was eighty four, aud among
tho offences thus oondoned are pois--
oning, rape, shooting into dwelling
burglary, assault with intent ~ kill
perjury and bribing wit !esses. Now
when society is said to be by Cover.
ernor Kellogg in ,disordeied state
aud when Ae bimself acknowledges,
as he did to me, that criWs is not
generally punished, surely it is o.
serious error to pardon with. so free
a hand persona convicted OF suoh
grave and dangerous crimes as l
have mentioned 1t cannot fell TO