The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1876-07-12
PROCEEDINGS OF THE COL
ORED UNION RIGHTS
STOP
The Character of Radical Negroes
at Port Hudson.

The Character of Radical Negroes
at Port Hudson.
Baton Rouge Advocate, 26th ult.l
The history Of Radical turbulence at
Port Hudson runs back to 1867. In
that memorable year carpet b"ggers
sprang up among us as thick as feas in
manger-(God knows they have
sucked harder) of course Port
Hudson got her pro rata. These birds
Of passage gathered the negroes together
from the various plantations, breathed
into their ears nothing but "war to the
knife and the knife to The hilt" against
the native white people, and the negro
actually became belligerent when his
employer exacted of him strict compl-
ance with his contract as a field hand.
Amy day in the week when called on by
his carpet bag leader to ''tend meetin'
he would lay aside everything, buckle on
his pistols, Che never had less than two,)
shoulder his musket, mount his employ
er's mule and gallop off to the place of
rendezvous, where he would meet the
men of his beat ard be taken in charge
by the captain Of that beat. Then III
regular military order they would march
to the place designated for meeting. At
ter hearing harangues of the most foul,
false and incendiary character from the
lips Of men, some of whom are to-day
fastened on us Ms officers by the Return
ing Board, they would depart bowling
and dumning every white person who
passed them by the wayside, ladies not ex-
cepted. Such is the character Of the ne
groes who gathered themselves on Smiths
Mount Pleasant plantation. We re-
member very distinctly that in October,
1870, about two hundred Of these Port
Hudson negroes made an armed raid
into East Feliciana to the town of Jack
son for the openly avowed purpose Of
killing the men, ravishing the women,
sacking the stores and burning the town,
and it was only through the forbearing
disposition of the white people, and the
firm, prudent action of Sheriff Du Pew,
that fight between the races did not
take place on that occasion. This is not
the only raid of the kind they have been
engaged in, but our limited space warns
us that we cannot enumerate more Of
them in this article. In justice to a
large number of colored men at and
about Port Hudson we must say that the
extreme proceedings of the men of their
race was not concurred in by them. Now
for the
"COLORED UNION RIGHTS STOP"
Their minute book shows that on May
% the first meeting was held at Mount
Pleasant. That Henry Logan, James
Moncrief, Ruben Delcome, Charles
Turnbull, Paris TripIet and George
Brown figured as leading spirits; George
Brown being selected as President. At
ter the meeting was called to order it
was stated that the meeting had been
called for the purpose of organizing a
military company. The object Of this
organization is not clearly defined, but
taking their own declaration and the tes-
timony of others who were at their meet
ings together it is evident that this mill
tary organization had for its object ''war
upon (what they termed) the id
white dimicrat regulators. The plan
urged by some Of their leaders, and this
plan appears to have been adopted, was
to first organize squad or company on
every plantation in the parish, and all
men Of their race who refused to Join them
were 10 De secretly ht4loO MS kLliiHS
was to be plausibly smothered over by
laying it on the "white regulators" and
thus the good work was to go on until the
organization was completed in all essen
tial particulars. The next move was to
adopt n system of assassination and the
life of no white man or woman was to be
spared who in any way opposed the free,
full and unconditional elevation of the
negro race to a social as well as political
equality. This was the true object of
their organization which Triplet and 9th
ers boosted had been hastened by the ac-
ton of the regulators" and that their
lives and sacred honors were pledged to
the cause The next thing after laying
open this magnificent scheme for black
supremacy and white determination was
to select some system by which secrecy
could be maintained 80 as to keep in the
heart that WHICH was not prudent to go
on paper Accordingly the following
test oath was required of every negro on
joining the ''Colored Union Rights
Stop"
twill you solemnly swear that you
| will Join and protec: and keep faithful all
orders or secrets that pass or go on IN
said meeting, and protect each otfense
that any of your members or men may
get in, and do agree to take oath to this
effect that if any of the above oath IS
violated do agree to suffer death"
| This test being adopted, the following
obligation was inscribed in the back OF 81
the minute book, to which members, at
ter initiation, signed their names:
~ do solemly swear that | will pro
tect. aid and assist any member in any
and all troubles or ofenses which may
happen during the period of the year
| 1915, and do faithfully take my oath tc
this effect, SO help me God"
| On June I'd, in accordance with the
motion of adjournment at meeting OF
May 29th, the originators and members o.