Feliciana sentinel. [volume] (St. Francisville, La.) 1877-1892, 1877-09-22

cool and determined.
On tho outskirts of the meeting, JUS
tin Bourtlonnay, q member of the White
League, was most foully murdered by q
Radical desperate and paid hanger-on Of
Kellogg; yet, such was the caluness of
tho crowd, that although there were
fifteen thousand of Bourdonnay's friends
around, who felt that Kellogg would par
don the murderer (as he attempted to
do), they refrained from what almost any
other crowd wonld have demanded, al
law.
Thus began the campaign of 1874 in
New Orleans. The first blood was split
by the Radicals.
There was no need of blood to arouse
the popular feeling. Every deed OF the
Kellogg government, from its very incep.
tion, rallied the people against it. His
false title, his lies, his standing army,
tax seizures, illegal and arbitrary arrests,
military expeditions to the country, the
abolition Of courts. pardons, murder, ra-
pine and theft-all these had made our
people desperate and determined. There
were no courts to appeal tosthey had
been abolished no law, it hadTeen mur-
dered. The only remedy lay in arms.
The registration Offices were thrown
open at the beginning of September and
then the Radical plan of the campaign
became only too evident. This was to
throw such difficulties in the way of the
registration of white citizens as to prac-
tically disfranchise them and, at the
same time, produce some popular upris-
ing, which the Radicals hoped, with their
State arms, backed by United States
troops, to defeat and break thereby
the spirit of the people and the opposi-
ton to the fraudulent Kellogg govern
ment.
From the first they meant that the
campaign of 1874 should be fight Of
armed forces not contest of votes.
An appeal based on the Coushatta af-
fair was made by Kellogg, through Laun-
dalet Williams, early in September, for
nse in Louisiana. These, of course, were
promised him. At tho same time his
own forces were largely increased in
number, particularly on September 4,
when they were joined by large nnm-
Der of levee hands, thieves and convicts,
falnililrly known as "The Mulligan
Guards" and drilled each day to make
them thorough soldiers.
On the other hand, companies Of ci:i-
zens werc organized in all PORTIONS of the
city. There ere no lack of men-evcry-
body offered himself freely to Louisiana
but weapons were sorely needed. The
police were armed with the finest breech-
loading rifles, supplied by tho United
States government as the States quota
of arms, while the citizen soldiery had old
shot-guns, rusty Belgian rifles, and many
not even these.
On September 8, two boxes of second
hand Belgian rifles, intended for tho citi-
zen soldiery, were seized by the Metro
politans as they were being conveyed to
Olivier's gun storo OH Canal street and
carried off to the police station. The
owners of these guns claimed their prop
erty and made several attempts to get
them back. A court Of competent juris-
diction, heard and decided the case and
ordered Badger, Chief of Police, to
surrender the guns to their true own
ers. Badger laughed at the order, re-
fused to obey it, aud when the court
sought to punish him for contempt, pro-
duced full pardon previously written
out by Kellogg, which absolutely author
lied him to defy all courts and law.
Not content with the seizure of private
property the Assistant Attorney General
discovered statute, begotton of Radi-
cal Legislature, creating a crime known
as treason to the State, and the gentle
men who owned the guns the Metropoli-
tans had stolen, were arrested and held
to answer for the crime of owning them.
Fearful of a popular outbreak in con-
again called in from their beats that
night, and concentrated, fully armed for
a sortie, at the stations. This practice
was followed for several nights in sue
cession, during which the streets were
free to burglars and murderers, while the
police drank themselves into braggart
courage at the stations.
On September 10th, the police, en-
bolded by their late successful seizure,
invaded Oil vier's store and carried off
some seventy more muskets, A large
crowd gathered at the corner. There
were some threats, but no violence,
The next day, the police visited the
lsvee and carried off six more boxes of
guns, just landed from tho steamer City
of Dallas.
Another attempt was made to take
the matter into court and test it judicial
ly, but this the Radicals would not per-
NIT, and continued their arbitrary acts
in defiance Of laws and courts. A SINH