The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-01-12


written articles much more severe In previous
: campaigns; and think the article referred
to Is the most incendIary III 1t can be called
incendiary) which ever appeared In the Euen-
The election in Shreveport was quiet ant
peaceable, and the polls were surrounded by
, negroes, waiting to vote, until Mr.: Leonard
, told them the game was up and 70 leave, and
they went home. heard OF but two disturb
ances on the day, the one at Caledonia and the
one at Willis schoolhouse. / know nothing
OF them personally.
The recorder Of the parish is a colored man
| and is well liked.
To Mr. Cameron-The idea intended to be
conveyed by the Standard article was, that
we could and would carry the election. 1t
was intended to encourage and stiffen the
back Of the party. The Democratic clubs did
, not prepare ballot-boxes, SO far as I know.
The question OF three ballot-boxes was talked
OF before election, and / was of the opinion
that the law authorized them. did not care
fully examine the law, but from q cursory
glance at 1t decided that the three boxes
were legal
sergeant-at-arms was dispatched for Hon.
John G. Moncure, Speaker of the House, and
a recess OF fifteen minutes was taken.
HON. JOHN O. MoNcURE.
Have resided in Shreveport since 1861. Am
an attorney-at-law by profession. Am q
member OF the Legislature and Speaker OF
the House OF Representatives. The last cam
paign was very earnest, short and active
one. / know Of no disturbance which came
under my own personal observation. l at
tended great many meetings, as | made a
thorough canvass OF the parish. / was In
Shreveport on the day Of election. It was
absolutely as quiet an election as we ever
had and, have no doubt, as quiet as any In
the United States; and at the time Mr.. Leon
ard told them to stop voting, there were
| large number OF colored men about the polls
| with tickets in their hands awaiting their
| time to vote.
| There were quite number OF white gentle
men at the polls exerting their influence to
get the cOlOred men to vote with them, and
| have reason to believe with great success. /
saw no intimidation and heard no threats. I
heard no reason given by Mr.. Leonard when
he waved the colored men Off was standing
United States Commissioner, when Mr..
Leonard came up and tapped me on the
! shoulder and asked me to send Mr.. Warner to
him. / did SO and he told Mr. Warner he
not at the time understand it, but shortly af-
ter heard that he had given orders to the col
ored men to leave and they obeyed the order
almost to man. Ii boxes were issued by the
Democratic Executive Committee l do not
To Mr.. Teller.-The only disturbance 1
heard OF was the one at Caledonia / heard
OF disturbances previous to election day. /
heard that Mr.. Leonard was making incen-
diary speeches. and it may be that there were
expressions Of dissatisfaction on the part Of
some Of our friends.
II the reports have heard of the speeches
OF Mr.. Leonard are correct, l think they were
incendiary. The negroes at all times except
ing during political campaign are peacea-
BILE, but during the campaign they are armed
and their worst passions excited. 1 think the
affair at Caledonia on election day serious
insurrection. The election, everywhere 1t
came under my observation, was perfectly
fair and perfectly peaceable.
There were two polling places In the first
ward, one at Willis school-house and the
other at Hoses store, think. They were,
living IN the south part Of the parish had to
go to Willis school-house to vote, and the
other polling place was ten miles beyond. In
old times, under Radical administration, l re-
member there was no poll there and people
had to go fifty miles to vote. / remember
well Mr.. Leonard and myself fighting it.
am OF the opinion that the registered vote OF
the parish is $500. think that about 100 Of 1t
Is white
Witness was then questioned at consider
able length as to the Jaw bearing on elections
and whether or not there was any warrant in
1t for placing three ballot boxes at the polls.
After repeatedly stating that he had not given
PEELED to inform MI TsIler who was n nterro
eating him, that he must decline to express
legal opinion until he had given the matter
some study.
EMANUEL AUGUsTN.
Reside in Caddo Was at the Spring Ridge |
poll on election day. The State commits |
sioners refused to recognize my com mission |
was spurious and that 1t was gotten up In |
Shreveport. They would not let me In where
the boxes were.
Attended the meeting at Spring Ridge on
the twenty sixth October, when the trouble |
occurred Witness then gave about the same
account OF the meeting as was related by
Leonard and Harper.
To Mr.. Garland-I did not live In the Spring
Ridge district. lived in Shreveport l was
recommendation OF Mr.. Albert Leonard. I
have no politics.
RANDALL MCGOWAN tcoLoRED).
Reside In the parish Of Pointe Coupee Was
born and bred there. am farmer. l was
there during the last campaign. am a Re-
publican. | have held offices In the parish for
six years. Have no office now. The white
people had SO much prejudice against the Re-
Dublicans that they could not organize There
we're threats made that il we attempted to
organize the leaders would be strung up.
Mr. william tad b tha Archer h Nav white
ng. On the fourteenth of August body {
II armed men came to my house, and |
when they got within mile or two Of it {
heard some firing and some shouting, and &
bout twenty five or thirty men came up, and '
hey surrounded the house in about, as near t
8 can judge, five seconds. looked out and j
aw them all coming and ran out. Mr.. Ben
doore and the same Mr.. VIM. B. Archer came
q. Jimmy Aucoin heard me In the bushes,
nd he yelled Come out here, or I'll ,hoot
'ou," and 1 came out. Mr.. Moore said, cd :
N you," and knocked me down, and he {
aised his gun to kill me, but Mr.. 0. v. Lacon
aid, 'Oh, don't Bob, don't kill him here be- q
pre- his wife" Bob Moore said, "Oh, Cd a
n you, you were going to organize Re S
ublican club were your? and he knocked me q
own again, and that same Mr. O. v Lacon n
aid Don't kill him." 1 asked them II they n
'ere going to kill me to take me away from :
~ wife and do it. Then they took me off.
Witness then said the same crowd which r
ad him In charge visited Levi Adams and n
.hipped him and Polite Power, and dragged a
Is wife about the room because she would not o
,ll where he was; Levi Herman, who they
not, and an old man named Abram, who they
lsO whipped after this.
They went to store to get some liquor
nd turned him loose. The only reason why
hey did not "break his neck" was that they