Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1875-01-22

| bodies were discovered near the court
house. Six dead bodies were found under
warehouse, all shot in the head but one
| or two, which were shot in he breast. The
only white men injured from the begin
ming 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 any lawful warrant for the ar
| rest of any of the blacks, There was no
| evidence that either Nash or Cazabat alter
the affair, ever demanded their offices to
which they had set up a claim, but the reg
lister continued TO act as parish Judge and
Shaw as sheriff."
These are the facts In this case. under
stand them to be admitted. 10 hold ths
! people Of Louisiana generally responsible
| for these atrocities would not be Just, but
| II is a lamentable fact that insuperable OBJ
structOns were thrown IN the way OF pun
| ishing these murderers and the so called
| conservative papers of tho State not only
! justified the massacre, but denounced, as
! federal tyranny aud despotism, tho attempt
| OF tho United States officers to bring them
| to Justice. Fierce denunclations ring
| through tho country about office 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 perpetra-
tors or this bloody and IN onstrous crime.
Not unlike this was the massacre in Au-
gust last. Several Northern young men of
capital and enterprise had started the little
| and HOutlshing town OF COushatta. Some
| Of them were republicans and Office hold
| ers under Kellogg. They were therefore
doomed 10 death. Six OF them wero seized
aud carried away from their homes, and
murdered In cold blood. No one has been
punished, and the conservative press of
| the Stale denounced all efforts to that end,
aud boldly justified the crime,
Many murders of like character have
been committed in individual cases, which
cannot be detailed here. For example
Crawford. judge OF the parish, aud the dis
trict attorney Of tho twelfth judic al dis
trict of the State, on their way TO court,
were shot from their horses by men in am
bush on the Sth of October, 1873, and the
widow OF the former, in a communication
to the department of Justice, tells a piteOus
tale of the prosecutions of her husband be-
cause he was Union man, and Of the ef-
forts made to screen those who committed
the crime, which, to uso her own Ian
suage, leit two widows and nine orphans
| deSolate.
To say that the murder OF a negro or a
white republican II not considered a crime
in Louisiana would probably be unjust to
great part OF the people, but il is true that
great number Of such murders have
been committed, and no one has been pun
ished therefor, and that the spirit Of hatred
and violence is stronger than law.
Representations being made TO me that
The presence Of troops in Louisiana was
unnecessary and offensive to the people,
and that there was no danger of public dis
| turbance II they were taken away, early in
| last summer, the troops were all with
| drawn from the State. with the exception
| OF small garrison at New Orleans bar
| racks. 1t was claimed that Il comparative
| stale OF quiet had superVened. Political
| excitement as 10 Louisiana affairs seemed to
| be dying out, bat the November election
| was approaching, and il was necessary for
| party purposes, that the flame should be
| rekindled. Accordingly on the 14th Of
| september, ID. Penn; claiming hat he was
! elected lieutenant governor in 1872. issued
| an iniiam matory proclamatio calling up
On the militia Of the State TO arm, assem-
| lie and drive from power the "uSurpers,"
| as he designated the officers of the State.
| The white leaguers, armed and ready for
The conflict, promptly responded. On the
| same day the governor made a formal req
| ulsiiIon upon me, pursuant TO the act OF
| 1875, and section four, article four of the
constitution, TO aid in suppressing domes-
! tic violence. On the next day Issued my
| proclamation commanding the insurgents
| 10 disperse within Ave days of the date
| thereof, but before the proclamation was
| published in New Orleans the organized
| and armed forces recognizing a usurping
| governor, had taken forcible possession OF
the state house, and temporarily subverted
| the government. Twenty or moro people
were killed, including number OF the po-
| lice of The city, and the streets OF the city
| were stained with blood. All that was de-
| sired in the way Of excitement had been
accomplished. That there WAS intimida-
tion of republican voters at the election,
| Notwithstanding the precautions taken. ad-
nllts of no doubt. The following are spec
| linens of the means used On the 18th Of
| October, 50 persons signed and published
the following at Shreveport:
I'VE, the undersigned, merchants OF The
| city Of Shreveport, in obedience 10 the re-
| quest Of the Shreveport campaign club,
agree TO use every endeavor to get our EN-
p'oyes TO vote the peoples ticket at the en-
suing election, and in the event Of their
| refusal so TO do, or In case they vote the
radical ticket, we shall refuse TO employ
them at the expiration of their present
| contracts"
On the same day another large body OF
| persons published, in the same place,
| paper, In which they used the following
language:
1--WE, the undersigned, merchants of the
city Of Shreveport, alive to the great iIn-
portance OF securing a good and honest
government for the Stale, do agree and
pledge ourselves not 10 advance any sup
plies or money TO any planter, the coming
year, who will give employment or reIt
land to laborers who vote the radical tick OF
in the coming election"
l have no Information of the proceedings
OF the returning board for the said election,
but 1t Is Ii matter of public Information
that part OF the time taken to canvass the
votes was consumed by the arguments OF
lawyers, several of whom represented each
party before tue board. l have no evidence
That the proceedings OF this board were not
in accordance with the law under which
they met. Whether In excluding from
| hpir taf at hnN
right or wrong, is question that depends
upon tho evidence they had before Them,
bet 1t Is very clear that the law gives them
the power, If they choose TO exercise it, of
deciding that way, and, prima facie, the
persons whom they return as elected are
entitled 10 the offices for which they were
ca didates.
Respecting the alleged interference by
the military with the organization of the
Legislature Of Louisiana, on the 4th inst,
have no knowledge or information which
has not feen received by me since that
time and Published. My first Information
was from papers Of the morning of the 9TH
did not know that any such trouble was
anticipated, and no orders or suggestions
were ever given to any military officers in
that State on the subject prior to the occur
renee. am well aware that any military
Interference By any of the military officers
OF the United States with the organ! !zation
OF state Legislature, or any of its pro-
ceedings, or with the civil department. OF
the government is repugnant 10 our ideas
OF government, ! can conceive of no case
not Involving rebellion or insurrection
where such interference by authority OF
! the general government ought TO be per-
nlitled or can be justified, but there are
circumstances connected with the late leg
islative imbroglio In Louisiana which seem
to exempt the military from any Intention
al wrong inithat matter, knowing that they
had been placed in Louisiana to prevent
! domestic violence aud TO aid in repressing
It. The revolution was apparently, though
10 = kalI H.