New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-06-23
The Mosnt Plea.,p, r1--@.--

Oil conversant with the affair "a s,..h
loe'y, indeed it is safe to ssy no one will
sen oil he knows Day before ve.tsra..
'aele were several who knew five colored
~on were hanging from the cross.bar of
.uo ss'e AZ the Mount Pleasant plantation,
Ai'nough the spectacle was plain from the
hurricane deck of the Bertha, TODAY tbara
can not be found passenger or an otica-
VINO ever heard of such . thing. Thew
Ieier 10 Captain Basoom's report. OF that
s'er' out 1t has been said that both he and
oherit Foreman saw the men hanging. On
inc otner hand it is said that Captain Bas.
com only learned of the hanging after he
returned to Bayou Sara, though they were
hanging there when he was copyinp the
captured records of negro society.
first as to the proprietorship of the
Plantation of Mount Pleasant. In 1866 a
man named Smith, from Ohio. with q com.
mendable idea that he could make money
oy improving the country, bought it. It
oon'ained lSOo acres, just on the bank of
inc river. He established q colony of in.
dustrious colored families. They each Dur
chased from him such portions as they
thought they could pay for, on a mortgage
10 secure him. They had at the time of the
RAID paid most of it. Smith purchased
other properties in the parish of East Baton
Rouge. He was no politician, but was in.
tent on improving the country and making
money. Sch men are of value to any
decent community. He purchased the Glib
oons place, six miles off on the Clinton
road, and was cul.ivating it. Last spring,
his colony project being success and he
on the fair road to an honorable fortune, it
was concluded to run him off. Cause.-The
worked for himself and to his own profit.
and gave the negroes chance to work for
themselves. So he had q notice to quit
He sold his stock and cattle, two hundred
dollar horses for 800, and the rest in pro-
portion, and quit. He is now in Ohio.
Then the Regulators turned their jatten-
ton to Mount Pleasant. 1t was the most
prosperous of the parish. To the murder
GUS vagabonds who despise the labor
necessary to obtain an honest dollar it was
"agin justice" that such things should be-
Various ''jobs" were ''put up" but this
people were too peaceable to be stirre un-
till this last outrage occurred. Then they
suffered as has already been told.
With the exception of the helpless old
man, and the few little children spared, and
the five unfortunates swinging on their own
threshold, there are none of the COL ny left.
They had . fine stock Of farming imple-
ments-they have been stolen They owned
horses, mules and cattle-they have been
driven off. They had 600 acres of cotton
the words of man from Baton Rouge
sit has gone to the devil" The plan
tation made fine crop last year, and
prospects, were brighter this, but there will
be nothing to- show it. The Regulators
work has been done, and we'll done. They
would have paid their debt to Smith, but he
has no debtors left, and they no homes
Now for Captain Bascom's apology. In
tenor-and perhaps he will feel compli-
mented by the comparison-his report is
League subcommittee than an army Off
Ger reporting to a superior. He says he
arrived at the scene at five O'Clock Satur-
day, but falls to tell when he left. He
found 200 white men from all parts Of the
country, who received him with "marked
cordially and courtesy" A quarter of his
report is then devoted to the cause of the
difficulty" which he must have learned
from hearsay. Ellis, who may be supposed
to be the man who was said TO be killed be-
cause he was a negro Democrat, is not
killed or beaten, as other reports have it,
but instead of that Captain Bascom fills
the heshy part of his leg with shot. As he
says he talked with him afterward, it may
be assumed he is not dead and the murders
have all been committed by the other side.
Captain Bascom is positive the negroes
had "a small cannon of one or one and
half inch calibre," from which the whites
"fell back promptly" but he didn't see it,
and though the fleeing negroes left behind
them the carriage, his report does not show
that he saw that even, and how he learned
the calibre is mystery. He knows it killed
q horse though. He remained till ne was
satisfied the party had escaped, and then
went to inspect the books of the club cap
tured by "fortunate accident" j. O., the
frightening of q woman who had them in
bag. They show there was an organized
club, of which fact he says he was inoredu-
Ions. and forwards an cath, evidently drawn
mn by an ignorant man, which simply coz
tains pledge to defend their wives and
children. He has nothing to say OF the at
tack, the driving of the negroes to the
swamps, the shooting of some, the hanging
of others, or the desolation of the planta-
ton. He s'understands" the books will be
sent to the congressional committee, and
"hel;evesv the sheriff of East Baton Rouge
took "eharge of those who were known to
belong to the club"
A court of inquiry on Bascom would De
in order.
Par contra, even the New Orleans Times
has word, as follows:
All the REPUBLICAN says in this para
uranh ia true. Major Baseom's report 10
General Aueur shows that the Regulators
we're the "Union Right Shoppers" negro
oroaniz "a alton, who disturbed their own peo'
ME because they were not Kepuoncans.
The ssidle lawless" persons mentioned, who
envied these hard-working. honest coiorea
men. are the pestilent vagabonds VINO nave
made trouble in that section ior LILO pau
two years.