The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1878-07-03
ELIZA PINKSTON.
The Truth Regs riding a Story that Star.
tied the Country.
New York Herald, 18th.

New YORK Herald, 18th.
During the counting of the presidential
vote of Louisiana, in New Orleans before
the returning board and the visiting states
men, In November, 1876, the country was
startled and shocked by the introduction, as
the victim of and witness to savage demo-
cratic bull-dozipg, of a colored woman named
Eliza PinkstOn. She had been severely
wounded, was apparently dying, was brought
in to give testimony lying on a sofa or settee,
and gave a remarkably succinct and dra-
matte statement to the effect that her hus-
band, Henry Pinkston, had been dragged
out of his cabin by gang OF democrats and
murdered before her eyes because he was a
prominent republican, and that the same
gang then brutality beat, cut and shot her.
She seemed still greatly debilitated when
testifyiDg, and her story and her appearance
produced profound impression IN New Or
leans and through out the country. Her ap
pearance complete surprise to the
democrats of the state and of the county
(Ouachita) in which she lived, and where
the brutal outrage is said to have been COM
mitted. They appear to have at first accept
ed her tale, but as soon as they could reach
the county and look into the story the truth
was positively denied, and later it was
charged that Eliza PinkstoD, having, with
her husband, been the victim of quarrel
with some of her cOloIed neighbors.
had been picked up by repub-
licans, brought to New Orleans, tutOred
carefully in the part she was to play and
the evidence she should give, and was then
suddenly and In the dramatic manner
which will be remembered, brought before
the returning board as a sample of demo
cratic brutality. The denials came too late.
however ELIAS testimony mad gone over
the country. 1t was given out that the poor
creature could not recover from her wounds.
She dropped out OF public sight and at'en-
ton as other events came up. and until
lately ii was not even known in New Orleans
whether she was dead or alive. She had
disappeared from Ouachita parish, and no
one thought of her.
ELIAS STATEMENT.
A correspondent of the Herald CHANGED TO
learn few weeks ago that Eliza was still
alive; that she had recovered from her
wounds; had married again. and had re-
moved to Madison county, Miss, where she
and her new husband, Waymond Pritchard,
a respectable colored man, were living on the
land of Mr.. w. J. Mosby, as tenants. The
Herald correspondent had the curiosity to
visit Eliza and talk with her, and finally pro-
cured from her and from her present nus
band sworn statements. Eliza here states
under oath
1. That she was induced to appear before
the returning board and make the statement
there given by two republicans, o. III. Brew
2 That she received for her testimony and
the part she acted on that occasion $780,
a very large sum of money to woman in
her condition; and she now swears that Of
this money she took $50 in hand and al
lowed the remainder TO lie in the hands of
Brewster, from whom she says she has never
been able to get it back.
3. She denies that her husband ever
took any part as a republican in politics,
and asserts that he was engaged in a quar-
rel with a colored man, having no relation to
politics; and that while she does not know
who killed her husband and wounded her
self she believes 1T was this colored man;
also that, contrary to the testimony she
gave before the returning board, she never
knew who committed the outrage.
4. That she was brought by republicans
from her home 10 New Orleans and instruct
ed by them to pretend that she was more
seriously hurt than she was, and also in
structed TO lay the blame of the killing and
assault on the democrats.
g. That, so far from being unable to walk,
she had walked, on the days before giving
her testimony, considerable distances, as
we'll as up ana down the custom honse stairs
in New Orleans; that on the day of her ap-
pearance before the returning board she
walked up the stairs, but was induced to lie
down on a sofa and allow herself to be car
ried into the room to produce the greater
impression.
Her presenthusband, Waymond Pritchar1.
in an affidavit confirms Eliza 8 story as being
that which she has always told him slice he
married her.