The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1876-12-07
The Ouchita Outrage.

FROM the New ] OK sun.
The first reason for tliscrediting the
horrible story OF Ella Pinkston before
| the Louisiana Returning Board was
afforded by the Republicans them
selves. The sinuous Governor Wells
attempted to prevent crosS-examina-
ton OF the witness, and TO postpone all
investigation of her case to time
when that investigation could have no
effect upon the canvass of the vote In
this attempt he was aided by NJ. ssrs
Stoughton, Hale and White of The Re
publican Committee. The motives .
these efforts were so palpably sus
cious that even Senator Sherman ". =
constrained TO ask that the crOsS-eX-
animation might go on.
The reluctance of the lawyers to
submit their carefully prepared and
dramatically arranged sensation 10
the ordinary tes,s by which men sep
arate the true from the false, proved
to be well grounded.
There is no doubt that the woman's
story is true, so far as the facts of the
murder OF her husband and child and
the outrage upon her own rerson are
concerned. There is just as little
doubt that she perjures herself in the
details which connect the affair with
politics. Mr.. Tidwell, the Old gentle
man upon whose place the PinkstOns
lived, testifies that when Elizl visited
his house on the morning after the
n. der, she told him that four or Ave
negroes had come TO her cabin, killed
her husband aud child, aud nearly
killed her. Finkston's life had previ-
ously been threatened by n black des-
perado named Brooks, Republican,
with whom he had had n fierce person
al encounter.
1t was this version of the tragt dy
that was telegraphed at the time to
the New Orleans papers. This, with
unimDortant variations, was the wO-
mans story for three weeks, and
she fell into the hands of keIiOgg's
people. This would have remained
the accepted theory of The murder un-
Ill doom day, had not occasion arisen
Tor a political atrocity, which should
afford Il cO!Orable pretcXt for throw
ing out the vote OF Ouachiia.
Mr.. Handy. the careful correspond
ent of the Philadelphia Times, has
taken pains 10 imyestigate this case.
lie writes:
Nobody i'm the Heighborhood had
TO the outrage until the story came
from New Orleans. Gentlemen with
whom | talked are ready TO testify
that Eliza PinkstOu was a rabid DEM
Ocrat, and that they heard her curse
Republican speaker III open meeting,
just before the election, in language
unfit for publication, alter vainly try
ing TO borrow pistol and to shoot
him. All attempts to connect politics
with this affair fall to the ground, and
l say it after careful investigation, be-
gun with the abhorrence of such an
outrage, and the conviction that it was
a crime chargeable to the Democrats"
1t is worth noting that every de-
mand that has been made for the
prompt investigation OF this crime and
the punishment of the nurderers has
been made by Democrat. From the
Republican Coroner who cglectcd to
hold an inquest on the body of Henry
Pinkston 10 the Republican Governor
who failed to take measures for the
vindication OF justice, the State Off
cials of Louisiana have been careless
OF the horror of the outrage of No
yember 4th, except so far as that hor-
ror was expected to have marketable
value in politics.
The case of the woman Piukston
proves two things: That partisan ras-
cality sometimes overreaches itself.
and that there is no certainty OF The
punishment of murder under Kel-
lOgg's Government.