Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1876-12-06
INDUSTRIOUS ATRoc1TY.

/, MoNsTRoUs ATRoCITY.
. The Awful Deeds of the De1nt
cratic Party Of Louisiana.
NEW ORLEANS, Nov. 2G.--Thcrc a
rived in this city to-day number {
witnesses from Ouachita Parish, wf
! present a most pitiful spectacle, an
: whose stories are SO awful that pc
sons who cannot sccsthem and hca
them tell their own tales would b
justified in incrcdulity. They wei
brought down by military escor
with a United States Deputy Marsha
and there was no little difficulty j
getting them away from the parisl
Among them is Ben James. the U. !
Deputy Marshal, who was shot Will
carrying the ballot-box to the Lon
Town poll on the morning of clcctio
and left for dead. He has two bulls
wounds in his head, two wounds j
his right arm, which is broken, an
, one in his hip. Another is Eliza Pinl
ston, whose husband, Henry Pink
ston, and whose baby was murdcrc
by band of bulldozcrs on the Satui
day preceding the election. Eliz
was present and saw her husband Gu
all to pieces in his own house, and hi
body dragged out and shot full o
bullets after he was dead. The bab
was killed in her arms. She has
bullet wound in her breast, whicl
passed through her lung and out o
her back, deep cash from knife II
her neck, a bullet wound in one leg
a cut with q knife from the hip ncarl.
to the knee, and her head is covcrc,
with wounds, one of which was givel
with the butt-cnd of q pistol, and tn
other with an AK. The cords in on
of her feet are severed. She was lcf
for dead, and how she has survived
so long seems to be miracle, rs fo
two or three weeks she has becl
almost constantly hunted by Tildci
men, who murdered her husband ant
babe. Henry Pinkston is represented
as colored man somewhat diflcrcn
from the majority in that he seemed
incapable of fear. Tho bulidozcrs haG
been to him several times to get hin
to join. democratic club, hut he had
openly declared that he would dc
no such a thing, and, when threatened
took no pains to conceal his contempt
for the bulldozcrs, and said he wa.
afraid of none of them. On
THE SATURDAY NIGHT BEFORE THE
ELECTION,
Eliza states that she heard body OF
horscmen stop in front of their house
and man came to the door whose
voice she recognized, and said he was
Brewster, Republican candidate for
the Legislature, and that he had made
arrangements to have him Pinkston)
safely conducted to Monroe, where he
could vote the republican ticket on
election day. She said: "No, you are
not Mr.. Brewster. Henry is not
here y They then broke in the door,
and one called out: "Gag him! God
damn him! Gag him !" And the
room was filled with armed men, who
with lhcir knives stabbed her hus-
band till, as she said, his body was
filed with holes, and the blood drop
ped like water on the floor. They
then dragged him out and shot him a
great many times afterward. A man
said TO her, ELIZA put down that
baby" She said: sTf you arc going
to kill me, kill my baby too" a man
then with his knife
CUT THE BABY's THROAT,
at the same time cutting Elias hand,
which was thrown up to guard the
child. She was then cut and shot and
left for dead. When she came TO her
senses she had not stitch of clothing
left on her back, and she went to
many of the colorcd peoples cabins,
but most of them were afraid to give
her shelter, for fear of the vengeance
of the bnlidoZers who were hunting
her.. Her story is almost beyond be-
lief, but her wounds are there to tes-
tify more eloquently than words.
ANOTHER WITNESS.
James Henry Coleman, n colorcd man,
was under the house when Pinkston
was killed, having jumped out of the
window. After the men left who
killed Pinkston, he crawled out, bu
was taken on the road by the samC
party. A rope was placed about his
neck, and he was dragged down to
the river, and he believes that it was
the intention to drown him, but q
shot was fired, and the party. fol
some reason, gallopcd OIL and left
him.
STILL ANOTHER.
Joe Sheldon has bullet in hi;
breast, and his hand is all shot tc
pieces. He states that this course was
taken to induce him to join demo.
cratic club, and he was shot two
weeks before election. He did final.
ly vote for Tilden and Reform at the
Trenton poll. A man named Willie
Howard, who is a leading democrat
and who denounced Congressman
elect Leonard and Attorney Genera
Hunt, the republican candidates, a:
liars at a republican mass-meeting
previous to election. Sheldon had
refused to join n democratic club
and masked men had visited hi;
house during his absence. On hi:
return his wife told him about it, and
urged him to join the club, as nearly
all the colored men around there had
done so for fear of losing their lives
He left home again, and when ht
started back he was met on the road
by this man Howard. 1t was dark
night, but the lightning occasionally
made it bright. He saw the man fir,
twice into the air, and he was afraid
The man asked him who he was, ant
when he told him, he said: sDon'
kill me, Massa Howard. I'll go righ
with yc now and jine the democratic
club Howard said nothing, bu
commenced to fire at him until ht
fell. When he revived he crawled t
a colorcd mans house. who was afraiC
to let him in, and when he faintct
again he was laid out on the back
gallery for dead.
There are several other witnesses
in the party whose cases are nearI,
as hard, and there are somc parts O
the story of Eliza Pinkston too Lor
riblc for publication.
Ben James sworn statement is sub
stantially as follows: 81 have lived il
Ouachita parish about twenty-on,
years. At the last election | was ap
pointed United States Deputy Mar
shal at the Third Ward poll. A
Constable of the ward, to whicl
position I was elected in 1874, ha,
charge of the ballot-box. l live a
Monroe, twelve miles from the polls
| started from home with the ballo
box ut l o'clock in the morning.
"Whcn got about two miles from
town was halted at the end of til,
lane by two men. 1t was brigh
moonlight night. These men aske,
me where l was going. told then
II was going to Logtown with tn
box. They said they had better SCI
Mr.. Head. They called him and h,
answered. Two other young mel
came up, and they had guns Th
name Of one was Cook. Both wcr,
white men. Head then came sp. III,
asked me where was going. l mad
the same reply that I had to the 9th
crs. He said: you can't go yc
AWHILE lie asked what l had in tn
box. | said had papers.
STARTED TOWARDS HEADQUARTERS.
He said: you will have to go dowl
to headquarters and have the box ex
amincd.' Head ordered the tw,
young men who were armod 10 &c