New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1877-01-18

naJion OF the case and t0rWarde0 the report
to military authorities; the charge that /
was made tool Of in plot in the matter
of the investigation of Carriers death is q
willfnl and malicious lie; in regard to the
taking of q cOlored man from within my
military line, it is not true; the basis of the
charge was that oolored man was inter.
fered with about 200 yards from our lines;
one of my men went down and stopped it;
when the citizens went out to CRrter's they
stated that there was secret organization
of c0l0red men out thsre which they were
going to investigate, and they wanted dis
interested party to go along; Lieutenant
lamar went, on my direction; on the even
ing of election day D. A. Weber said to me
that the election had been peaceful SO far
as he knew.
To Senator McMillan-Have heard of
armed bodies of white men riding through
the parish; heard of half dozen or so OF
such cases when first went there; didn't 500
them; heard of whippiDgs; heard of armed
men going into Wilkinson county, MISSES
eippi, and again to Mount Pleasant, and
q gain on the occasion of the killing of Car
ter; think this latter party was about TWEEN
ty-dve strong; know that John j. Barrow
was in the party; he was put on the Demo-
cratic ticket for sheriff after l. c. West was
killed; went deer hunting three timee, and
stopped over night at Captain Barrow's
house, about ten miles from town;
"hoh no Oamo W 0o"Dusou 10 meet
him occasionally at DR.. Mumiord's
drug store; DR.. Mumford is quite
an active Democratic politician, and
his store was the resort of Democratic pol
iticians; Captain Barrow waited on me in
regard to the investigation; he said the col.
ored people had formed an organiza alton to
stop the night riding by killing John Bar
row, Robert H Barrow, Charles Barrow
and one other man and their families; l told
him could take no action; they said that
if they went to the civil authorities it would
simply be giving the parties notice; d.
rected Lieutenant Gamar to go with the
party; il was three or four days after that
l heard of the death of Carter; they were
going to the Flower place; Carriers death
occurred that night; Isaac Vessel re-
ported TO me that he was shot at that
night; Lieutenant lamar reported TO
me after he had returned; he did
not report the death of Carter; under
stand that that took place alter the party
broke up; knew nothing of the difficulty
between body of white men and colOred
man in front of my quarters, until long
time afterward; saw u reference to it in the
local paper and inquired into it; think the
colored man was not much hurt; never
heard of colored man being killed ia
frOAt of my head quarters by white man;
| assumed the authority to send Lieutenant
Jomar, although could not take action.
L
EVENING SESSION.
Msior BasoOm continued-To Senator
McMlIlan-ToOk the responsibility of de-
failing Lieutenant lamar to 20 with Cap
tain Bsrrow's party; did not take the re.
sponsibility of further investigating the
killing of Carter than by the report of
Lieutenant lamar; the colOred man, Isaac
Vessel, reported the matter 10 me; have
heard that from fifteen to thirty colored
men lost their lives in the Laurel Hill
affair; heard OF the disturbance first on
Sunday; did not feel justified in taking the
responsibility of moving an infantry com
paby thirty miles to the scene of the dis
turbance; company of white men went
from Bayou Sara; on Monday received or
deTs to investigate the affair; could not get
horse and autographed to that Ell, CT; af-
terward the Bayou Sara people returned
| and announced that the trouble was over;
took mo further measures in regard to the
| matter; have heard that there were Regnla-
tors in the parish.
To Senator Wadleigh-Am by education
and association Republican; the last time
voted was in 1866; parties in Bayou Sara
saw the notes of my dispatch before it was
sent; DR.. MumfOrd and Mr.. John Irwin
were the men; Captain Barrow and Charles
Barrow brought Isaac Vessel and Ben
| Clark to me at Mumford's store; l exam
| ined them in q back room; | was net aware
| that rumors were in circul alton that Charles
Barrow was at the head of body of bull
doZers; l received a communication from
the supervisor of election on the evening
before the election, stating that the roads
were picketed outside of the town of St.
Frsncisville; paid no attention to it turtle T
| than to transmit it TO department headquAr-
ters reported that the poketing roads and
| the attempt to mass people in st, Francis
vile were both political lodges and re-
| 9uired no action from Sle; could not have
received any reply from headquarters be.
fore the election was over.
NJ. j. lamar sworn-Am second lieuten-
ant in the Thirteenth Infantry; was stationed
in Bayou Sara from the first OF May to
| the middle of October under the imme-
diate command of Major Bascom; was de-
| tailed by Major BasoOm to go with party
| who were going to investigate a club of
| colOred men who were alleged to have
made arrangements to kill certain white
men in the parish; Colonel Robert BarrO "
and Charles Barrow were in the party,
which numbered about twenty-five or
| thirty men; a colored man named Ben
| Clark went along; he was said TO have
been a member OF the club; l took him one
side and told him l wanted to know the
truth OF the matter; told him / was a
United States army officer, and that he
need have no fear in telling me the whole
truth; would takeshim to the barracks il
| he had any fear; he said that at a church
meeting the oOlOred people were complain
ing a good deal of bad treatment, of being
whipped, etc that il they shot pig they
would be whipped or shoe at; it had beer
decided to get up a club and resist and kill
all men " no were charged with doing the
whipping and shooting; he said they had
had q preliminary meeting, and were
to have formal organization that night al
a certain tree; Gilbert Carter was said Il
be the leader; we went along to. the tree
but did not find q colored man; Told then
that there was evidently no one there, anC
we returned toward Town; stopped thai
night at Mr.. FoTt's; all but eight of the
party went on; the next morning went tC
Bayou Sara and saw General Brooke; hC
had note from Sheriff Kaufman, stain
that Gilbert Carter had been killed; Gen
eral Brooke said, See here, yOungsteT, how
is thisl" / told him it was a lie; was on
with the party, and they saw nobody
much less kill any one; afterward hearC
the Messrs. Barrow explain TO Genera
Brooke that Carter had been killed Will
attempting to escape, and Vessel was sho
at, but etcaT ed; heard of the killing o
Isaac Mitchell; heard different versions 0
the affair.
To Senator Wadleigh been in th,
army four or five Years; am a graduate 0
West Point; was appointed from the east
ern shore of Maryland; Ben Clark was tn
servant of Captain Barrow.
To Senator MeMllan--Am not acquainted
with the roads; the party which separated
and went on tho WOOdYille road may o
may not have passed nearer the place wher
Carter was killed than where l was.
b. P. Blanehard-Testified as to oficia
statistics of registration and election from
1868 down to date.
Jefferson Carter, oolored. sworn-To S n
I = z 4