New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1877-01-06
WHOLE NUMBER 3OO5.

John Gair was afterward taken from
Deputy Sheriff Wood ward and posse, and
murdered.
To Senator Sanlsbury-WAs ordered to
leave the parisb, and left; went back in
about two weeks; remained in the parish
two hours; X. A. Cross sent me word By
the deputy sheriff, Samuel Chapman, that
"if l did not leave the parish L would be
hung as cure as there was God in heaven"
came again to the city and reported to the
Governor, and went TO Baton Rouge; from
there l went TO Clinton with the sheriff and
his deputy on his assurance of protec-
tion; remained two or thI go miles from
town, and sent in to see what the feeling
was was in the Office of Mr.. Herman when
DIR. Saunders came to me and said: 81 am
appointed and commissioned by the white
people of this parish to cay that this parish
is not large enough to hold y0u;" told him
/ had important business to transact and
would like to have little time; he said l
could have three days to leave the parish;
young man named Nash was present; was
charged with being come nected with an up
rising of the cOlOred people on the twenty
fourth of July; did not know there was
such charge until / received letter from
Colonel Hardee; do not know that Gair's
sister ever confessed to having poisoned
DR.. Saunders family; il was so ru-
mored among the whites; never heard such
a story among colored people; was at the
house of cOlOred member of the Legisla-
ture named r. Il. Ray, since dead, when an
attempt to attack him was made by four
persons; only recognized three-Calhoun
Elaker, j. A. Norwood and j, w. Saun-
dera; the sheriff interfered and Ray left
that night; HopgoOd went to the placs
where it was said the colOred men were as
sembled. and reported that there we're no
colored men to be found there or anywhere
else.
To Senator HOwe-Have heard that the
alleged confession of Catherine Matthews
was made when in the hands of some young
whiteymen, who had a rope about her neck;
she was afterwards hung; she was about
| eighteen years old.
James DeGray-Reside in Clinton, East
| Feliciana parish have resided there since
| May, 1866; went there as q United States
| officer; was deputy collector, assistant as.
SCISSOR, and have held other offiees; have a
small plantation there; there have been so
many disturbances in the parish that l
/ scarcely know where to begin; the trouble
/ first comm snced IN the district court in
1875, on account of some ruling of the dis
trict Judge, E. F. Dewing; in the October
| term the court was completely broken up,
| and the Judge had to leave the parish; in
| one portion of the parish the colored peo
pie had armed, in consequence of the
| threats to take one OF their leading men out
and whip him; the grand jury found true
| bill against the parties, and although they
| were not punished, the white people
were displeased with the action of
the Judge; subsequent to that some
oolored men were whipped in Clin-
ton; the name Of one was AleIanderi
afterward the leading oOlOred men OF the
parish, John Gair, T. M. j. Clark, K. r.
Ray and others were driven from the par
ish; Gair was killed; Babe Matthews was
killed; thought they would hang me at
one time; l was charged with having
knowledge of an alleged uprising of the
cOlored people; satisfied them that knew
nothing of it; know nothing Of 1t now;
know of an uprising of the whites; they
had meeting after Gsir was killed and
adopted resolutions setting ferth that they
held Henry Smith responsible for what
had occurred, and in the future they would
hold me responsible for what might occur;
a committee waited on me and submitted
three names from which | was to select a
candidate for sheriff; l selected one of
the names, that of member of the COM
mittee, T. L East; l was afterward waited
| on by a committee and told to have nothing
more to do with politics; | complied; this
all took place in 1875; in February, 1876, /
resigned my Office of tax collector; Frank
Powers was appointed remained in the
office of collector; there has nothing of inn
pOrtance happened since, except killings,
| and whippings and other outrages; have
never seen any one killed, but am satisfied
there were good many; have seen colored
men who showed their marks where they
had been whipped; there was one Repub-
lican vote cast in the parish, believe
there are about six white Republican; did
not vote the Republican ticket because
did not dare TO; it was not safe for any one
to do it.
To Senator Oglesby-There were 400 OF
500 armed men in Clinton the night after
Gair was mardered; they comprised nearly
all the white men in the parish and some
from Mississippi; they say Doctor Saunders
was poisoned; saw him the next day, and
he told me how he was poisoned and what
effect it had on him; it was impossible to
organize colOred clubs on account of the
white people whipping them; various causes
were assigned for whipping.
The committee adjourned till 10 A NJ.
to-day.