The New Orleans daily Democrat., 1878-11-12
THE CALEDONIA AFFAIR
"A usGwT AT THE POLLS IN CAnD0 PAR
HsM ON ELECTION BAY.
several white and ColoFed HeH KILLED
Peace Finally Re~EstahlisRnesa.
shreveport Timesl

several white and Colored Meh KILLED
peace Finally Ne-EstablisEaed.
shreveport Times.1
f,ur citizens were thrown into a high state
a,f excitement Tuesday night by the arrival OF
slpo,1rier from Caledonia, a point on the river
some twenty-l five miles, below mere oy lanu,
where one of the polls in that ward were
upened. He reported that the negroes had
Hred upon some white men, killing one and
wounding two others. There were very Few
white men In that section and large NUMBER
of negroes. Help was asked for, as the mos0 nos
serio.ls apprehensions were entertained. I'm"
anndiatelv on receipt of the news arrange
ments we're make with the captain OF ne
steamer Vicksburg to take q party doWI. 20
some thirty young men, under charge Oh WI WI,
II. 4 Vinson, went aboard and the steamer
left about o'clock yesterday morning.
During the forenoon of yesterday nutnpet- t,l,,
less rumors We're ailoat n feeTem'o snaca ~ I
dan1tv sheriff appointed by Sheriff Hentier
fn attend the polls at Caledonia, came up, ana
yve learned from him the following partcu-
lars. which are no doubt perfectly cotrecoi IT,
During the day there, was no serious dls' lis,
f,,rhance at the polls. There we're about $50
votes polled nearly all by negroes, many OF
whom voted the Democratic ticket. There
was trifing disturbance however, Wneh IL
was noticed that fifteen or twenty negroes
started toward negro house some fifty yards
from the one where the voting was going on.
Az another time when some boys who were
wrestling, created some &c c4hhluslon: ~ sm1laI h;
excited erlspicion and directed the attention
s,T the whites to the house in question. 1t was
evident that something was going on in that
house and The abar q efeton o
ihere and investigate the matter. lie
started TO the house wholly unsuspecting any
danger, four other gentlemen accompanying
him, namely Messrs pen ana WalteE meNooi oFow-
preached the house and soon observed that
the negroes In it had guns and were going
through the manual of arms, He stepped up
to the door, when Immediately several guns
side and thus saved his life. Mr.. Norwood
meantime approached the door, when he was
shot, receiving a, wound In the Jaw
M ao1s Msska j. thea fea vent in around thS sas tSs
house, when he was shot. q small shot
striking him in the back of the head. In
stantly rejecting that another shot would be
fired, he fell to the ground, and thus escaped
The second charge which passed over him.
Mr.. Calhoun during the firing received sew
erai shot in the arm, and Mr.. Walter Crowder
"a charge through his hat, fortunately not in
iuring him; Mr. Ben Crowder escaped by
guns. Mr.. McNeal says one Of the negroes
near him was shot dead, and, he has no doubt,
by his own friends, as only one of the gentle
men with him had plstol-the others were were
through cotton field near, or in which the
house was located, retaining their guns and
continuing to fire, and soon reached the
swamp.
Hhe afternoon. At the time there were not
more than twenty white men on the ground
There were some twenty-five negroes near the
polls, beside the twelve or fifteen armed ones
who we're in the house. When the firing
commenced the former rapidly made off,
On an examination Of the house a number
OF muskets. rifles and shotguns were found In
and around 1t, besides a good supply OF am |
munition. Mr.. McNeal's theory is that the
nrogramme was to wait until most of the |
white men had left, when the negroes would
make rush on the store-house in which the
election was being held, capture the boxes, |
and probably murder every white man pres
was precipitated by his going to the house. |
The fact that there we're SO many extra
weapons found would indicate that all the ne
groes who expected to take part In the affair
had not yet congregated in the house.
OF course the most intense excitement pre-
vailed Couriers were Immediately dispatched
in all directions for aid, and during the night |
there arrived probably as many as eighty
white men, Meantime the negroes made an |
demonstration-comtDg near and dis |
charging o volley., Ao A'Ae "'"' A7'eAAe' !
Yesterday morning q pursuit wAs made of
che negroes engaged in the ehootlng and, |
from the best Information we can gather, six
or eight Of them were killed ana several
wounded. This quieted the affair, as no negro
was disturbed except those known to have en-
gagged In, the attack.
Yesterday, 1t being apprehended that under
the excitement and Indignation excited by the
wholly Huprovoked assault Of the negroes,
ssxeesses might be committed by the whites,
Nol Ward and Messrs. Wise, Ford and Sim
mons left here for the purpose of checking
them They got as far as River Dale where
they found Mr.. }. u. Cawthon, VINO had lust
returned from Caledonia He told them
everything was quiet when they returned to
Che city late last evening. Mr Cawthon in
formed them that there was some hope OF Mr..
Norwood's recovery, though he had vomited
blood shortly after being wounded-certainly
q very bad symptom:
RI should be borne in mind that Mr.. McNeal
1s not a politician, but had been deputized by
Sheriff Heffmer Republican. He simply
went as q matter Of business. His statement
rf the facts can be implicitly relied on.
The Vicksburg got on snag, ana thus iost
a good deal of time. It is supposed that she
did not reach Caledonia until late in the after
noon. She will probably return to-day. One
of the young men on her wrote PACK TO q
friend from River Dale, stating that Norwood
was dead but the information we have given
lis no doubt true.
It was not definitely known how many
negroes were kied-reports varying from
eipht to twelve. It is a we'll established fact,
however that none were mOleSted who were
mot positively known to have been engaged
in the murderous assault and who did not
have arms in their hands when they We're
killed. The two principal leaders, Madison
Reims and his brother, in whose house the
c1ns we're stacked and ready for use, sue
ceeded in making their escape
CRIMES AND CASUALTIES,