New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-10-08
THE KIDNAPPED MAGISTRATE
JUDGE STOKES AT HOME
HIs RECENT ADVENTURES

..
letter flom Hon. F. ]. Stokes, judge of
Grant parish. giving the particulars of his
tsi6s abdactsd from Now Orleans by .
Texas deputy sheriff, aided by police de-
tectives, his arrival in Texas, and his ir-
mediate and honorable discharge from
court when it was discovered that he was
not the F. w. Stokes called for in
tho. reputation, Of Governor Coke. The
party by the name Of Stokes who was
wanted in Texas was . young man, and
answers to the description of the Judge
in NO respect. The matter, it appears, had
already been Investigated by the military
officers ct Colfax, and they had satisfied
themselves that the judge was not the man
the Texas authorities were inquiring for.
Judge Stokes 10 now holding court, and as
soon - he has cleared the docket will come
to the city to look after the parties who
kidnapped and spirited him away.
We copy the following, in connection
with this matter, from the Shreveport
Daily Telegram of Monday last:
On Ssptember'80 our readers will remem-
Der, ve published the following paragraph
in cur daily:
"The sheriff of Cass county, Texas,
passed up On the Colonel A. p. Kouns this
morning for Jefferson, having in charge
Stokes was arrested in New Orleans last
Wednesday, by the sheriff, charged with
embexslementl of fnnds while tax collector
of Cass county, Texas, in 1869. The prisoner
claims to be Innocent of the charge, states
he WAS at NO time tax collector in the State,
and says he can prove an alibi."
Learning on Saturday evening last that
his return home, We sought him for an in.
serview. We found him to be . very gen
Eeuauly and fine lOokiDg man of about
five feet eight inches In height, wearing his
beard long, which was tinged with gray.
In conversation he talked fluently, and We,
interesting, affable and polite. In answer
70 curt tpQui!ise regsr9iugs shis late t.unpleas-
stance, the following, which we lay before
our readers just as given to us:
He was appointed parish Judge Of Grant
parish last Marob, and at the fret. term the
notorious Calhoun succession case came up.
Several attempts were made by the lawyers
to postpone the consideration OF the case,
while the creditors urged that it be pushed.
for six years, and great amount of money
had been squandered one way or another.
A. judge. he insist on the administrator
filing an account and sf atement of his trans
aotiODs, but found that no account what.
ever had been kept, and that the affairs of
the estate we're in aterrible condition. He
then removed the administrator, which
caused quite . commotion, and threats
were made against him, .,..-,.
After the adjournment Of the court Judge
Stokes went to New Orleans, where his
children are living with an old lady friend
This wife being dead), and shortly after his
arrival there his attention was called to an
article in. the Nmes Of that city reflecting
on him, and be went to the office and learned
that II was from the pen of w. B. Phillips
1.-THE decapitated parish judge of Grant
parish and notorious blackmaiier, who is
nov sneaking around the suburbs of New
OrleaDs to evade arrest, being under indict-
ment for murder at tColfax). When he
learned who the writer was, and his inabil-
ity to do him harm, he merely refuted the
stetemept and let the matter rest 4 a. =
written to the sheriff Of Csss county, Texas,
stating that F. w. Stokes, the defaulting
tax collectOr Of his county, some years ago,
was parish Judge of Grant parish, Louis
iAps. and he had better ooms and get him.
The Judge hes this letter now IN bis posses-
sion, for future use. The sheriff, whose
name we believe is Williams, Immediately
WOW w Auo0us REOC0KO4 bu0 uoC698AIY re-
quisition from Governor Coke, and pro-
ceeded to New Orleans and laid the matter
before Acting Governor Antoine. who issued
the necessasy apets for the arrest. s-ss
After thinking he was fully "fxed,"
Sheriff Williams secured the services Of
two detectives in New Orleans and pounoed
on Judge Stokes, who was then in the city.
Judge Stokes got wind Of the affair, and
immediately consulted ) lawyer, who had
taken charge OF the matter for him. The
detectives succeeded in getting him
into .. small boat and carried him
out In the stream, where he was
transferred to tho lssteamer A. p.
Konnts. and taken in charge by Sheriff
Wjlhams. He wss without change of
and had but one. .dollsr. on his
person. He insisted. that be was not the
Stokes they were after, ss his initials were
# >" and the requisition was for .F. W."
Stokes. This was Of no avail, however, and
he was refused all privileges of writing
note or letter, except at the mouth, and that
was left on the whsrfboat with the distinct
that it would not be for.
warded for some time after the Kouns had
gone.
Nothing further occurred to mar the trip
mp the river, except that the judge was the
Dbeerved of all observers on the boat, until
she. got shout - mile and o half below
This was before day on the
of the thirtieth. The whis5le blew
and the boat was hauled up to the bank Oh
he bossier. aide, whom sheriff Williams, his
deputy, and Judge Stokes were put ashore.
The psrty proceeded 20 the residence of |
Captain Sam Head, aroused him, and |
With that gentleman's usual hospital |
ty, heinvited atham N and set out some |
which was partaken of with O
!est, - the morning was raw and chilly. |
After leaving iCaltAin Head'ss the prisoner |
vas taken through the cotton fields to the |
esidence Of AHs Smith, Ct the ferry land |
ng, Bossier aide, where he was closely |
guarded in back room until the Kouns |
'ame in the afterneen, when he WAS again l
,at on her and carried 10 Jefferson.
While waiting on the platform at Jeffer.
on for the train, the judge informed us,
everal took ''squintr at him, and a. they
5bsri6 Williams somewhst thus: aHeres
he man who robbed Cass county of its
money" II vas o. this time that C0l0nel.|
I. w. Longbery stepped up, and, In very
>0lite manner, the Judge says, asked him II
70 had any objection to his converting with
i'm. He replied NO, and after q few words
;olonel Loughery asked him to be kind
nough- tos liftahis haA He did 90, and
Jams and said, HE 10 not the man, VIII
iams."
When nearing Linden, the county seat of
hat'hs had played sthe s6inS mighty ane,
nd hs had better nov, confess, - there
vere 100 people in Linden who would know
i'm ~ soon q they seen him; that it would
imitation, and he itho sheiif) would heip
i'm out. The judge only smiled at the
fort the sherif Wa making to make him
elf seenro for 1n3leAG& laxpSnsss. eta. and