Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1876-11-30
Intimidation i'm Louisiana.

Democratic editors have feasted with
a good deal of satisfaction upon some
of Mr.. Redfield's letters to the Com
mercial from New Orleans. Here is
an extract from one of his dispatches
of the 23d inst, to which the attention
of those who profess 10 want fair and
honest count, is directed:
"To-night 1 spent some time at the
Custom house, reading the latest
affidavits made. Nineteen men we're
all busy copying affidavits, which will
give you some idea OF the magnitune
of tho business. Two copies are taken
of each affidavit-the original is for the
use Of the Returning Board, one copy
is for the Northern visitors, and the
other for filing away. These docu-
ments are not printed blanks, as has
been supposed, but each case Is written
out from the statement OF the witness.
They vary in length from two pages of
legal cap to ten. Some ofthese sworn
statements are simply horrible. Ii they
can be sustained, the Democratic goose
is cooked. No party can afford to have
a President elected by such means.
Most of the affidavits, while not detail
ing horrors, yet show plainly enough
that there was systematic cintimidatiOn.
The most horrible one in the lot is the
affidavit of woman, who swears that
on Saturday before the election, in
Ouachita Parish, her husband was la
ken out of bed at night and murdered
because be had been an active Repub-
lead. His body was savagely mutilat-
ed in her presence, and ber baby taken
from her arms and its throat cut. The
ruffins said they wanted to finish the
stock. She was herself severely shot
and cut. She gives names and details
particularly.
Here is another extract from his dis
patches of the 25th inst, to which we
invite attention:
Large numbers of witnesses from the
bull-dozed parishes arrived at the Gus
tom House yesterday and to day. !
spent several hours among them, talk
ing to witnesses and examining affida-
Wits. Unless the sworn statements OF
these people can be overthrown, the
Democrats need not attempt to covince
the country that they got their majori-
ty fairly.
One woman testified that the bull
dOzers took her husband and son out
of bed, at 3 O'Clock in the morning, and
killed them. Her story is almost too
horrible for belief, yet she tell it in a
straightforward, simple way, that car
ries conviction. Her daughter saw the
whole affair, and there is no discrep-
ancy between the witnesses.
Two weeks before the men had been
warned to leave in ten days, but were
advised by white friends to remain, as
but little significance was attached IT,
the anonymous warning.
A copy of the proceeding ofthe CDro-
ner's inquest upon the bodies of the
murdered men substantiates the story.
This was in East Baton Rouge.
The stor -es of all the witnesses from
the different parishes agree as to the
fact that their offenses were political.
The condition of these poor people is
pitiable. They are without protection,
unless they become Democrats and yell
with the largest mob.
Those who have been numbering the
defeIseless blacks i'm the bull-dozad
parishes are net even arrested. The
civil law is utterly powerless. The
poor negroes are ground between two
mill stones.
The Republicans are heaping up a
mass of testimony which will win theil
cases at the bar of public opinion un
less the Democrats Can overthrow it.
When the country sees the testimony
that have seen to-day, there will be
less complaint tecause the Returning
Board throws out certain parishes, OF
parts of them.