New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-05-17
THE WEST FELICIANA TROUBLE
ADDITIONAL PARTICULARS
General Augur Ordered to Maintain
Peace.

Testimony is conflicting ss to the mur'
derers Of Aaronstein and their motive for the
crime. A dispatch received from Sheriff
Kaufman by Acting Governor Antoine
states that deceased was accused of buying
cotton seed from the negroes, and was con-
seeuently in bad odor with the Regulators.
A private letter, received IN this city by
friend Of the deceased, q merchant, which
we have been permitted to copy, reads as
follows:
BAYOU SARA, May l3, 1876.
Max Aaronstein was killed by squad OF
armed men. who rode up to his store and
shot the poor fellow without word OF
warning. I'm glad you are away from
here.
1t is also said the cause of AarOnstein's
death was his refusal to let the party have
whisky.
Another statement is that the original
cause of all the riot and lawlessness was
similar to the cause Of the great fire in
Chicago. Mr.. Aaronstein possessed COW
or calf which was killed, and this tres
paes was supposed to be committed by .
colored man. Mr.. Aaronstein lived near
the Mississippi line, and entertained pecu-
liar ideas of his rights 40 citizen. He &C.
lected the man he concluded to have been
guilty Of killing his COW, and capturing
him whipped him nearly to death. Sub
sequent to this body Of the friends of the
man who was whipped attacked Mr.. Aaron
stein and killed him.
The subsequent proceedings were the
result of q proclamation by the sheriff of
wilkinson county, Mississippi, who seems
to have entertained even more exalted
ideas of his powers than Mr.. Aarenstein
would have granted to him, stating that an
uprising of negroes for unlawful purposes
existed in West Feliciana, calling on them
to disperse and for posse to put them
down. Then followed the murders of the
colored people by all who chose to follow
the command of this sheriff from Missis-
sppi.. This proclamation was never pub.
lished in the New Orleans papers, but the
Associated Press had It, and the Northern
journals have probably published it.
Other intelligence shows that the COM
mander of the United States forces in that
vicinity has been directed to move his com
pany to the scene of the trouble, learn its
extent, and preserve order at all hazards.
private letter received in this city yes
terday, from Bayou Sara, written on the
fifteenth, says the shooting of colored men
reported yesterday occurred inside of the
Mississippi line. Some 500 armed white
men were reported to be in the neighbor
hood of Woodville, and large bodies Of
colored men had congregated in the same
neighborhood. Skirmishing was going or
at the Methodist Church, near WoOdville
at daylight Monday morning. Fighting
was also reported at q point about twelve
miles from Fort Adams. 1t was reported
that several colOred men had beer
taken from the neighbOrheod of Laure
Hill, in West Feliciana, inside the
Mississippi lines, and hung. In the va
rious affairs, several white and colored
men had been killed and wounded. The
colored men are reported to have taker
prisoners and horses. A force of white
men was said to have left Woodville Mon
day morning, to attack colored party OF
a plantation near the line. The whites
have plcketed the whole country and thu
negroes coming in report that they are
hunting the negroes with dogs. Most o.
the Republicans of West Feliciana had
crossed the river into Pointe Coupee fol
safety. The people of St. Francisville and
Bayou Sara, with very few exceptions, took
no part in the affair.
Dispatches have been received at the
State House, to the effect that the autnorl
ties at Washington have directed Genera
Augur to preserve the peace in West Fell
ciana. General Badger, accompanied by
Senator West, interviewed the Presiden'
at the White House yesterday on the sub
ject.