Northern tribune. [volume] (Cheboygan, Mich.) 1875-1885, 1876-12-09

Last week, Wednesday, Brevet Major
General, Lieut.. Col. John r. Brooks. OF
the United States army, was one of the
witnesses before the Louisiana Return
ing Board, and was examined and cross
examined at length. He is white man.
and an officer too well known to be dis
believed, or to be got rid of by the thin
device of saying that '.Niggers will lie"
or by. sneering that his testimony is "a
Republican lie," for he is not a Republic
can. No attempt to impeach his evil
dence was made, or could succeed. Gen.
Brooks swore that he has had command
tor some months in the bulldozed parish
es of East Felicisna and East Baton
Rouge. He testified positively. of his
own personal knowledge and observation.
as follows
s'Just prior to the election, there was
a complete system or organization of the
white or Democratic party which had
the effect of terrorizine the blacks. The
threats were as follows: discharge, bodily
injury, and in some cases death, III case
the blacks did not join the Democratic
clubs and vote the Democratic ticket.
/ saw one Coleman Brown who was then
suffering from bullet wound in the
thigh. Gus. Jackson came to me about
the last of October, who had bullet
wound in the head, still open. The rea-
son he gave for the shooting was because
he would not join the Democratic club.
About the first of September, Paul john
son was taken from his house by body
OF armed and disguised men. He has
never been seen since. Shortly after,
Monroe Beacham disappeared i'll SINH
lar manner. l have seen men with the
marks of ropes around their necks and
wrists. made by men placing ropes around
their necks or wrists. tying the other end
to the pOpmel OF saddle, and starting
OFT at too brisk pace for them to keep
up. Many Democrats admitted to me,
on more than one occasion, that many
violent acts were committed in the back
country. AS to peace and order, and
obedience to the law, do not think
there was much in the back part of the
parish of East Baton Rouge, nor any
where i'm the parish of East Feliciana.
The organization of the Democratic clubs
partook, so far rs | could observe, of
military character About the middle of
July, was coming down the Mississippi
river OH the steamboat Katie. observed.
about $50 o'clock, a body of armed white
men on the boat. They landed about
two miles below Mount Pleasant, and
they marched in that direction. What
they did there is a matter of Eotoriety. |
This refers to the massacre there. In |
what is called the back country, l think |
the system of threats, whipping and kill |
ing, which has existed for the past ten |
months, has So completely terrorized the
timid blacks that but few of them would |
dare to vote as they pleased. As to the |
fact of many black men having been
killed by unknown persons, L would say |
that know such to be the case, from All
examination of the inquests, which in
quests did not cover all the cases of men
found dead, for the reason, given to me
by the coroner liz person, that he had |
been notified to hold no more inquests in
the country, and was threatened with |
violence to himself if he did so. In East !
Feliciana parish the record of the vote
cast there tor the Republican ticket
would seem to indicate complete terror
ism on the part of the Republicans of
that parish. My own judgment, based
upon the information received from
large number of black voters of this par
ish, is that the threats made, and the acts
committed by the whites against the
blacks. or, in other words, by the Demo-
Gratis against the black Republicans, were
of such IL nature and of such force as to
deter the Republicans from voting as
they chose, or at all"
Certainly this testimony ought to con-
vince the most incredulOus. 1t proves
conclusively that there was not fair and
free election in most of the precincts in
the two parishes mentioned. Yet these
two parishes are the very two the Demo-
Gratis most loudly insist upon having
counted, as they gave large Democratic
majorities.