The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1875-02-04
Louisiana Affairs.
TaE CONGRESSIONAL. HIVES i ALTON.

! THE CONGRESSIONAL INVESTIGATION.
New ORLEANS, January 30.-The first Wit
ness called before the. Congressional lnvestlga-
ting COMMITTEE to-day was Geo. E, Head, VINO
testified as follows: | am Major OF the Third
infantry; came to Louisiana about September
10Th went to Monroe on the 25th October !;
was requested by Marshal Seeyle to assist him
in making arrests was shown a warrant ~
thu Marshal and list Of one hundred and iii
ty names OF persons to be arrested on election
day Marshal Seeylc sent detachment to the
town of Cuba to make an arrest; cannot say
whether troops were used for any specific poiit-
ical purposes Seeyle had a number OF blank
warrants in his possession while at Vienna 5, it
was not stated by Seeyle that he had failed III
executing legal processes; he was unpopular,
and prob IDLY would have been unable to make
arrests, but othermen could have done so L
scould Secyle was active in his cooperation
swith the Republican party; troops were kept in
their barracks on election day, with the excep-
ton of an expedition to Cuba ; there were 70
disturbances in the parish at the election or
since; when Seeyle was in Vienna Jail he pro-
posed to me that [. should fill out one OF the
blank warrants iii my possession, with Seeyles
| name, and arrest him, so as to get hiA out OF
the clutches Of the authorities he afterwards
carried out this plan, and filed out a warrant
charging himself with elIbezzlement.
ONE OF THE INTIMIDATED.
| Judge Fl. G. Myers testifed-I reside in Match
itoches parish +; have been there for twenty
years; the principal trouble among the people
originated from the taxes As to intimidation,
| Myers gave as evidence the resolutions OF
mass meeting near the town Of Natchitoches,
and several extracts from parish Democratic
papers; Myers said he had lived in the parish
| fifteen years; during the last election he does
| not think many negroes voted the Conservative
| ticket states that he is afraid to return to-
! NatohitOchnS ha w hrnn ta,,
the papers up to the time of the mass meet
| ing, Republicans were in no danger: never
heard of negroes. that were hung in the parish,
but there has been about thirty murders in the
past few years the population ranges from
nineteen to twenty thousand.
| Mr. Frye then asked few questions as to the
relative registration, ETC., the witness stating
he knew Of but five Or six negroes there who
would vote the Democratic ticket; also.as to the
cause of his leaving home; the witness stating
that it was from fear of personal---very. that
Republicans there were safe up to the time OF
the meeting on the 22d day Of July that he
and his family were ostracsed; did not think it
safe to return to Natchitoches; that there are
no courts held there now except magistrates
courts and no outrages there that he knew OF
personally; thirty-three persons have been kill
ed there since 1868; twenty-five were colored
| men; that there has been no punishment for
murders; some men had been brought to trial,
but were acquitted
Mrs. Octavia Myers wife Of Judge Myers, of
/ Natchitoches, testified as to causes which COM
PEELED the Judge to leave home, and corrobora-
ted fully the statement made by him in his tes-
timony rs to ostracisin, persecution, etc.; she
said before Judge Myers came down to the con-
vention in July, he was much liked, and MS
decisions in court were much eomplimented in
the papers; my husband was once at the point
of death for weeks, and ITO Democrat would
sit up with him; OH the 9th of July a mob
came in town to ask the officials to resign
MORE INTIMIDATION.
Mr.. Isnach, of Natchitoches. was next sworn,
and corroboratel the previous testimony as to
intimidation, etc, in that parish; he was Il Re-
publican, and WAS shot at the night alter the
election; lie was going home, and beard one
shot that was fired at Lis person general in
timidation prevails; the Mayor had two hun
dfed White LeagueFs on ty as policemen. on
election day, though ordinarily there were only
two; the special policeman We're all Democrats;
he was threatened and pre"ented from per-
forming the duties of supervisor by threats
from the White Leaguers, who told him ii he
attempted to qualify they would put him and
his books out OF the way.
Cross-eXamned.-Abou two hundred color
ed men were prevented from voting from in
timidation; saw no violence at the meetings
toward colored mea; WAS two hundred yards
from the court house when Mr.. Pierson was
shot at; was shot at with bnckshot; some fell
after striking me, and saw the man when he
fired; then he broke and ran; have remained
in Natchitoches ever since.
A DEMOCRATIC NEGRO.
Thomas Lightfoot, a colored man, and a res
ident Of this city, testified that while under
bond for cow stealing, MIR. James came to his
house and told him that il he would use his in
fluence. work and vote for the Democrats, he
would obtain his final discharge for the crime
he was charged with, and that he Games did
so that he was offered four hundred or five
hundred dollars by the president OF his club il
he should come before the committee and tcsti-
fy for the Democrats but that he hal not been
offered anything by the Republicans. Witness
also produced a safety certificate, which was
filed in evidence, that he got thirty dollars
from the club, and gave two dollars each to
fifteen colorei: men to vote the Democratic
ticket; that Horace Phillips managed the vo-
tiers furnished by him on election day, and
saw that they voted. The witness was then
cross-eXamined by the counsel for the Conser-
natives, but nothing important was elected.
Sandy Rice, another ooiored Democratic vo-
ter, was next sworn, and identified his safety
certificate and testified as to his connection
with the election that he received seven dol
lars and fifty cents for voting, and that he
kept the money; didn't divide with anybody;
the Democrats offered him four hundred dol
testify in their behalf
KELLOGG RECITEs HIS DIFFICULTIES.
F Governor kellogg was cross-examined at
, great length in reply to Mr.. Mari as to why he