New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1877-01-14
TIE HOWE COmnllTTFE.


Ten O'CLOCK yeNeerday morning, and cOntin-
ued the investigation Of East Feliciana.
e. z. Dewing swOrn-Is Judge of the
Fifth District Court, comprising East and
West Felieiana and Iberville; presided in
the trial of Lewis Jones and others in East
Feliciana in May, 1875. Furnished q copy
Of his charge to the jury in the case, as fol
lows:
Gentlemen Of the jury, Lewis Jones,
Perry and Williams are on trial for the part
they took on the memorable day East Fe-
liCiRne will ever remember. The law IN
der which they are being tried reads Rs fol-
lows:
Section one, act No. of 1873: ''That if
any three or more persons being armed
with clubs or any dangerous weapon or
weapons, or if any ten or more persona
shall assemble in tho city of New Orleans
or in any town, city or parish within the
State for any unlawful purpose, or with in
tent to disturb the pnblic peace, or to cause
public disturbance, the persons 80 assem-
bled thRll be deemed guilty of q misde-
meano-, and, upon conviction, ehsil be pun
ished 0y fine of not less than 500, and
not more than $500, and by imprisonment
not lees than three months, nor more than
six months, at the discretion of the court"
What was riot at the common law has not
been adopted in our statutes; the crime
charged is under the law of 1873. The
question for you to determine is, was there
an unlawful purpose in the cause of the
assembling, Or was it for the purpose of
causing q public disturbance that the de-
| PENDANTS assembled the people on the day in
| question: The defendants explain the cause,
/ namely: To protect Lewis Jones from chae-
tisement of 500 or 1000 lashes. 1t il for you
| to say whether that wSs an unlawful pur-
| pose, and whether they assembled for that
| purpose alone, or for any other purpose, or
| with intent to disturb the public peace If
Jones was in danger of q whipping of 500 or
| 1000 lashes, he had q right to protect him
| self, and it he assembled men for that pur-
pose only, then under the act of 1873 he is
not guilty; but if he passed beyond, and
collected men to terrOrize over the com.
munity, or for any unlawful purpose, he is
guilty, and so with the rest.
Judge DswiDg continued his testimony
as follows:
He had prepared the charge to the grand
| jury in reference to disturbances there in
October, 1875, and submitted it to District
Attorney Revele, who advised him not to
deliver 1t, and he then charged them orally;
detailed the disturbance that eDsued, the
shooting of Henry Smith, the sheriff, and
the adjournment of the court in cOnse-
| quence; heard it said that if Smith had ap-
| pointed Tom FuquR deputy sheriff there
| would have been no trouble; the Judge, with
the escort of nine or ten gentlemen, took
the train next morning for Port Hudson; the
escort said they feared some desperate men
| might interrupt him; had never held court
there since.
Lieutenant Davis, Thirteenth United
| States Infantry, sworn-Was on duty in
| East Felieiana from July to November,
| 1876; Captain Rogers was In command, but
on the day of election was at jackson with
| ten men; cOlOred men complained that they
were not allowed TO hold Republican meet
| ings or vote that ticket; while at Clinton
colored girl told him that the bnlldOzers
were hanging her mother, and Captain
\ Rogers was notified of colOred men having
been whipped for circulating Republican
documents; witness had been shot at Just
before the election while riding from Jack.
con to Clinton; never knew who fred.
Henry Smith, eOlored, sworn-Was sher-
| i'll of East FeliciRnR until driven from the
parish; detailed the circumstances of the
lawlessness in East Feliciana and the driv-
ing from the parish of Gair, Ray, Clark and
| himself; he went to Baton Rouge and re-
ceived four dispatches from leading white
citizens of the parish, stating that he should
be given protection if he would return; he
went back and remained till the meeting of
the court in 1876; the morning the court
opened there was an excited crowd of white
men at the courthouse; Aleck Skipwith
stepped on my foot; ! asked him why he
did il; he said would get worse than that,
and that God damned blue-bellied Yankee
sOn OF bitch in there also, referring to
| Judge Dewing on the bench; the Judge was
Obliged to adjourn the court; was shot in
the hip; left the parish; went back again
later and was told that must leave and
not go back again until after the election;
have not been there since.
George T. Norwood testified to the opera
tons of the bulldozers in East Felicisna.
He stated that there we're two elements in
the Democratic party in the parish-the
1 h01I0o1eT and tho anti. hnlldOzaH Tao frat
was headed by K. A. Cross and Captain j.
A. Norwood, and the latter by Judge
| Lyons, Judge MeVea. and Messrs. Porter
and Wedge. The latter were victorious in
the primary elections, but afterward, al
though the bulldozer associations were dis
solved, their operations were not discon-
| tinued, and the conservative candidates
accepted their support. He had always
voted the Democratic ticket, and voted it
this year.
James De Grey, recalled-Testifed in re-
gard TO the affidavit of John PLANT as TO
the attempt to assaseinate Supervisor An
dersOn, cOrrobOrating the testimony of An
dersOn.
Z. A. Rigby, colored, sworn Reside here;
left East Feliciana in December, 1875, be.
cause was afraid to stay there; my broth
/ erin-laW, John Gair, and Babe Matthews
had been murdered; had taken prominent
| part in politics, and been notified he must
stop it or leave
| Captain Thomas s. Adams, sworn-Re-
side near Clinton, East Feliciana; took lit
| tie interest in the late canvass; attended
only four meetings, but so far as l know the
| campaign was conducted on conciliatory
| plan; saw q force of some forty armed
negroes in the woods near Clinton, and re-
| ported that fact to the people in Clinton,
i which created considerable excitement and
/ caused the whites to assemble and guard
/ the roads; think that the day saw the
| armed negroes was the same day Ray and
other officials were driven away.
The committee adjourned till 10 A. NJ.
| Monday