New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-05-21
Eureka. 1 Have Lest 1t.

The Times is happy, or was yesterday
morning. 1t had at that time discovered
the true inwardness OF the Coushatta as
sassinati0n. 1.-THE shooting of Twitchell
and King, at Coushatta." says the Times,
''pr0ves to have been genuine outrage, out
it grieves US to assure our Radicals friends
that it will not satisfy their loyal souls.
Senator Twitchell did not die. He has re-
covered sufficiently to give the namo of his
assassin, and charges the commission Of the
crime upon one Thomas Bean. Then the
public desires to know something of the
antecedents of this Democratic ruffian, and
is sstonished by the discovery that he is NO
Democrat at all, but a Radical of the
most pronounced type and the most viii
famous characteristics. He is 60 we'll
known in the region round about COu-
shatta, that his name is familiar as house
hold words" Then follows an account of
how Twitchell and Bean were political
partners in 1873; how Bean was supervisor
Of elections when Twitchell was Q candidate
for the State Senate; how Twitchell now
confesses that he promised to pay Bean
$1,000 for suppressing returne; how, when
he was elected to the Senate, Twitchell re-
fused to keep his contract, and how Bean
attempted to get even by shooting him
with q sixteen shooter and revolver. The
Times does not inform its readers of the
source of it's information, bat prints the
statement above indicated simply as the
confession Of Twitchell.
The truth lie this entire story grew out of
false rumor, put in circulation by an I'M
known passenger on the steamboat Durfee,
landed at New Orleans from Red river on
Tuesday last. The Democratic papers of
New Orleans printed the sensation ON
Wednesday morning with flaming head
lines, and fattered themselves that they
had dead thing on that little Coushatta
affair. But the evening papers exploded
the cansrd, even Democratic papers being
compelled to crawash In tact it was dis
covered that Captain Bean, the person thus
attempted to be "sespegosted," had not
been out of New Orleans for many months.
Later in the evening 1t was ascertained
that Governor Antoine had received letter
from TWitche!l c0nt1adicting the statement
that he had named Bean as his would be
assassin, that, in fact, the man who at
tempted his life was unknown to him, and
that the life Of his attending surgeon had
been threatened. Secretary Clarke also
stated to newspaper interviewers that Bean
had called upon him since the sensational
report had been printed; that to his per-
sonal knowledge Bean had not been out of
the city for three months, and that the
slandered man proposed to bring suit for
damages against all the papers that had
given currency to the falsehCOd. Mr.. Clarke
further stated that the mysterious person
who, it was claimed, had originated the
story, and who, it is said, pretended to have
come to New Orleans on the steamer Durfee
with communications tor State House Off
Gals, had lot been seen at the State House
at ali.
Thus it will be seen that the morsel which
fhe Times rolled under its tongue with
such pleasure, was simply bit of aloes af-
ter all.
The readiness with which Democratic
papers Geek to shift the responsibility of the
terrible tragedy at Coushatta upon Repub-
lican shoulders is strong evidence of pain
full knowledge on their part that the bloody
work was done by Democratic hands.
The exact truth concerning the horrible
butchery will perhaps never be known.
Twitchell did not recognize his assailsnt, or
he fears to speak, surrounded as he is by
enemies, with even the life of his surgeon
| threatened; and when it is remembered that
the people where the murder was committed
were so interested in the alleged arrival OF
mail at a little country postofice that they
had no time to spare for the Identification
or arrest of the criminal, we have but little
hope that he will ever be brought to jus.
| tice.-St. Louis Dispatch.