New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-02-14
..It,, An Q.let rber, Nev.,,

l Auc NuACo&O IHCST'OCCUN publishes u
following letter from the famous hunoEis
Eli Perkins, who, it appears, has lately +,
turned from visit to Shreveport:
PALMER HOUSE, CHICAGO, February 10.
To the EDITOR Of the Inter Ocean:
1 have just returned from Shreveport
Louisiana. / went there to write lette
against the White Leaguers. l was n
qussted by the New York Graphic to evel
lastingly destroy the Louisiana bandits
The New York Iribane also employed m
to write against Kellogg and Grant and Ii
for the reoels and White Leaguers gen
orally. After being Colonel Mario wized il
the ShrevepOrs restaurant by unrecon
structed rebels for two days, I've conclude,
to write on the side of the bandits. / an
for the White League because they told m,
privately that '.if Grant would take ava,
Sheridan and tie federal troops they woul,
bring peace to Louisiana and settle tn,
whole matter in thirty hours!'
"HOw!" asked, grasping several bandits
| hands at once.
on Republican son-Of-a-gun or run him out o
Louisiana before the mail could get tt
Washington. Then we'd have peace
wouldn't We. eh!' and the White Lacquer
looked gently down at the muzzle OF his
pistol.
| told him thought they would!
| 'Why," continued the White Lacquer, al
he put a cartridge in his six-shooter. ''we
| used to have trouble down in COushatta
! we maze everything tranquil one day, when
| we hung the six planters, and now it is as
peaceful and quiet down there as a small
pOx hospital
A moment afterward I went into a res
| taurant with White Lacquer. In fact,
| was dined and wined by White Leaguers all
the time was in Shreveport. They made
confdant of me. I'm not going to take
sides in the great question; but I'm going to
I'm going to give you his exact words,
which shows l am on the side OF the
bandits:
THE STORY OF coUsHATrA.
"Will you tell me the story Of the Cou.
shatta murder?' asked this White
Lacquer, as he swallowed his dish of copper
lined New Orleans oysters.
Yes; will tell you how we brought
peace to Coushatta," he replied. Then,
laying his navy revolver down on the floor.
he commenced
You know, Mr.. Perkins, that Coushatta
was little Yankee town down in Red
River parish, sixty-fve miles south of
Shreveport, on Red river"
Was town, did I understand you to
say. MT Bruce"
Eyes. was town-a stirring, excited,
it peaceful down there now! You bet your
bottom dollar we have We had to clean
out the whole town and kill few 'Yanks'
and 'Darks,' but it's all quiet there aow."
"HOw was it! Tell me the facts " ex-
claimed, as tremblingly lifted up another
oyster.
"Well," continued the Lacquer, "you
know in 1871 six Yankee planters settled in
Coushatta. They were Homer j. Twitch-
Scott, a Mr.. Cone and Mr.. Devices. These
Damyankees began to raise cotton and get
our 'niggers' away from us to work for
them. Before these 'Yanks' came, we could
hire likely 'niggers' for 81 month, but
they demoralized them by paying the greedy
rascals $l2 month, and then we old time
Southerners had to pay the same price, and
preferred to work for the Yankees. In
little while. by working and managing and
stealing, these Damyankees built up the
town of Coushatta till it had 400 people
HOO darkies and 800 whites. Then they went
down to New Orleans and got the Legisla-
ture to make new parish-Red River
parish. They formed it from portion of De
Soto, Natchitoches, Bienville, Caddo and
Bossier. Dswees and Twitchell got the bill
put up heap of stores and houses, laid
sidewalks and built courthouse, aud
feathered out generally. They swelled
around in New Orleans clothes, and lived
in frame houses, with carpets and iron
stoves. They did not know that we few
old soldiers over on the ridge were a gettin'
ready to scoop the whole Yankee concern.
But great guns. didn't we scoop 'em,
though! Didn't we!''
Chow was this 'scooping' done!' I asked.
innocently.
"Why. in the first place. Eli, come of our
Req river fellows got up fuss with lot
of these Yankeeized darkies. They got up
a row with Darkey Dick, Tom Jones and
Dan Winn. We had to push the towards
into it and knock 'em around good deal
to get 'em to show fight, but we did it. Yes,
we had to insult 'em good deal to make
'em show their teeth, but you know, Eli,
that the biggest coward will fight if you
push him hard enough. l tell you, Ell, a
Yankee or a Yankee niger does hate to
get into a muss with our Old Louisiana fell
lows. You bet he does! We shoot, we do !
Well, this Niger row was on the twenty
fifth Of last August-cotton pickin' time,
and just the time when we wanted to raise
hell with the Yankees. The next day after
eight of our Red river fellows, old soldiers,
and the best fighters on the river, rode !
down into the edge of COushatta, intending |
to arrest the 'niggers' who didn't show us |
proper respect the day before. We got our |
revOlvers or VIM, and fetched him in |
easy, but Tom Jones, he rebeled. He said |
he wouldn't be taken without warrant, |
Tom, Gid, and he ran into a house and fired |
and killed Mr.. Brotherton, one of the best |
shots in our crowd. This raised the devil, |
and in five minutes we sailed in and killed |
both Dan and Tom. and every niger we
could lay our hands on. We cleaned out
the whole crowd, and frightened the whole |
tnwn of Coushatta till every niger and |
Yankee trembled in his boots. Then we |
rode back into the country. peacefully and |
quietly, to consult. We made up Our minds
hat this was the time to get rid of these
Damyankee planters who were demoralz.
ng labor, paying the darkies big wages,
md getting rich. and swelling around in
fankee buggies and white shirts, while We
Door old COnfederlt soldiers had to ride on
horseback and wear hickory shirts.
'Weli. how did you get rid of these mis-
.rable Yankees!' asked, deeply interested.
This way, Mr. Perkins: The next night
here was to be white ball in Coushatta.
All the boys were on hand, armed and ready
% shoot, but we couldn't get chance. Not
! niger or Yankee showed himself. We
ound they were frightened to death. We
old 'em we were going to kill 'em, and they
lad got together In schoolhOuse to defend
themselves. The Yankees-Twitchell and
Cone, and Holland, and Howell and Scott
we're with them. They were an awfully
cared set-these 'Yanks' and darks were.
can't help laughing when 1 think of it
low. Well, after our fellows got pretty
nil of whisky, Red River Sam came in and
aid the niggers and Yankees we're arming
o attack us in the ballroom. Sam said
hey were going to kill women and
hildren. That was a good joke" said
lr. Bruce, putting his finger to his
ose,, when the 'Yanks' and 'nigs' were