The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1876-06-21
RURAL CORRESPONDENCE.
CANE RIVER,
June 10, 1861
EDITOR DEMOCRAT

Again your old correspondent
comes to the front and desires there
to remain until a Democratic Presi-
dent is inaugurated on the 4th day
of March, 1877.
Things in Natchitoches Parish are
getting a little warmed up since the
return to our midst of two Of the vi
lest and most consummate villains
out of the prisoners of Major James
convicts, viz: Raford Blunt, our ne
gro Senator, and Raby, our negro
Representative. These two Williams
of strife, together with little thief
of a negro from Canada by the name
of Lewis, and one or two low-bred
whites are making blood and thun-
der speeches to the ignorant but kind
hearted freedmen, and sending in
flammatory letters to those who can
read, telling them in both speeches
and letters that the whites are "a set
of d-n towards, and that it is their
best policy to commence the shot gun
campaign first-that the soldiers will
back them, and General Grant and
old Morton have promised the whole
United States army, if it be neces-
sary, during their midnight revel in
carnage and blood" But their letters
and speeches have had as yet but
little effect upon the poor freedmen
but I fear that the atmosphere
will rise to rather an uncomfortable
temperature for Messrs. Lewis, Raby
and Blunt, who openly advise the
poor blacks to kill at midnight our
innocents in their bed ). But if I
mistake not, these villains who have
been plotting, and are still plotting
these schemes of HI against the
peace of the Parish, and the very ex-
istence of it's citizens, are reckoning
without their hosts, for whilst we
have few very bad negroes in our
Parish the large majority of that
population are tired of Radical rule
and would join the whites in mo-
ment to put Blunt, Lewis, Raby and
all the villainous crew to tree, for
ignorant though they be they have
sufficient accumen to discover that
this especial trio are the meanest and
vilest that escaped hemp.
This villain Blunt pretends to be a
preacher, and HI is full of just
such, and if he, Lewis, Raby and one
or two others were out of the Parish
every thing would be quiet and
peaceable, and not word of unkind-
ness would ever be heard between
white and black. He and his sort
may inaugurate his midnight war (2)
but when it comes, ere the sun lights
up the bushes of morn, we tell him
and them, that their bodies will be
found suspended between Heaven
and earth, and their accursed souls
will have plunged into the deep, dark,
, burning caverns of the d-n. The
whites of this Parish court the friend.
ship of the blacks, and we would
have it, were it not for villains like
those just mentioned, stirring up the
most deadly luminosity. Read the
indicator of week before last and
see what these leaders are trying tc
do. But they will fail, and we viii
carry the Parish, and that, too, b,
the votes Of the good Conservativ,
blacks.
But enough of this. I will keer
you posted as to the movements O.
these disturbers of tile peace, provi
ded the indignation of the black,
themselves does not drive tham from
the Parish.
The axe of the approaching Rail
road is now in hearing, and the work
> ing is progressing most astonishing
+. ly, and what is yet more astonishing
y is the quietness with which it i
I. done. An unfortunate occurrence
e took place on one of the barges som
time ago. One Of the guards acci
dentally fell, both barrels of his gu
y were discharged, and two othe
y guards who were near, received til
y contents of the gun (blue whistlers
. in their feet and legs. Fortunatel
no bones were broken. The two me
wounded, believe to be of Rapide'
l. one Mr.. VIM. Neal and young NJ
e McGowen. The balls have all bee
f. extracted, and both men are now d,
Ie ing well.
I have often heard the questio
e asked how these miserable creature
J. these Penitentiary birds, could be {
$ apparently or really happy or col
If tented2 and must say, the thin