The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-09-14


the occasion, alarmed the police, who were
hastily called Ia from their beats to the st.
lions, where they stood armed with rii1e ano
cannon, ready to attack the citizens, should
my outbreak take place. There was none
The crowd was enthusiastic, but, OF the same
time, cool and determined.
On the outskirts of tho meeting, justin
Bourdonnay, member OF the White League
was most foully murdered by Radical des-
Derado and paid hanger-on OF Kellogg; yet,
such was the ealmness Of the crowd, that al
though there were fifteen Thousand OF Bour-
donnay's friends around, who felt that Kel-
lorg would pardon the murderer (as he sub
seauently attempted to dol, they refrained
from what almost any other crowd would
have demanded an Immediate vindication OF
justice-tynch law.
Thus began the campaign of 1874 In New
Orleans. The first blood was split by the Rad
icals.
N THE KELLOGG GOVERNMENT.
There was no need OF blood to arouse the
popular feeling. Every deed Of the Kellogg
government, from It's very inception. rallied
the people against 1t. His false title, his lies,
arbitrary arrests, military expeditions to the
country, the abolition OF courts, pardons,
murder, rapine and theft-all these had made
our people desperate and determined. There
were no courts to appeal to, they had been
abolished; no law, 1t had been murdered 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 difficult
ties In the way of the registration Of white
citizens as to practically disfranchise Them
and, at the same time, produce some popular
uprising, which the Radicals hoped, with
their State arms, backed by United States
OF the people and the opposition to the fraud
alent Kellogg government.
From the first they meant that the cam
paign Of 1874 should be a fight Of armed forces,
not contest OF votes.
An appeal based on the Coushatta affair
was made by Kellogg, through Landaulet
Williams, early In September, for more Fed
eral troops fer use in Louisiana. These, Of
course, were promised him. At the same
time his own forces were largely increased In
number, particularly on September 4, when
they were Joined by a large number Of levee
hands, thieves and convicts, Familiarity known
as "The Muligan Guards" and drilled each
day to make them thorough soldiers.
On the other hand, companies OF citizens
were organized In all portions Of the city.
There was no lack Of men everybody offered
himself freely to Louisiana-but weapons
were sorely needed. The police were armed
with the finest breech-loading rifles, supplied
by the United States government as the
States quota Of arms, while the citizen sol
diery had old shotguns, rusty Belgian rifles,
and many not even these.
THE sEIzuRE OF ARMS.
On September s, two boxes Of secondhand
Belgian rifles, intended for the citizen soldiery,
were seized by the Metropolitans as they we're
being conveyed to Oltvier's gun store on Canal
street and carried Off to the police station.
The owners of these guns claimed their prop
erty andImade several attempts to get them
back. A court OF competent jurisdiction heard
and decided the case, and ordered Badger,
chief OF the police, to surrender the guns to
their true owners. Badger laughed at the
sought to punish him for contempt, produced
q full pardon previously written out by Kel-
logg. which absolutely authorized him TO defy
all courts and law. Not content with the sci
zure Of private property the Assistant At
torney General discovered a statute, begotten
Of Radical Legislature, creating q crime
known as treason to the State, and the gen
tlemen who owned the guns the Metropoli-
tans had stolen were arrested and held to
answer for the crime of owning them.
Fearful Of popular outbreak In conse-
auence OF this outrage, the police were agai n
called In from their beats that night and con
centrated, fully armed, for a sorte, at the
stations. This practice was followed for sew
eral nights In succession, during which the
streets were free to burglars and murderers,
while the police drank themselves into brag
CART courage at the stations.
On September 10 the police, embroidered by
their late successful seizure, invaded Olivier'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 levee
and carried off six more boxes Of guns just
landed from the steamer City of Dallas.
Another attempt was made to take the mat
ter into court and test it judicially, but this
the Radicals would not permit, and continued !
their arbitrary acts In defiance Of laws and
courts. A similar attempt to seize some
guns that came in BY the Jackson Railroad
proved unsuccessful and the arms we're safely
distributed at Leeds foundry.
1t was publicly known that the steamer
Mississippi, which was expected to arrive in
this port Sunday, September IS, contained
q large supply of arms for the citizens. This
was well known to the police. In fact, the
citizens made no concealment of it; claimed
the right to have arms sent them, and de-
ciared that they would vindicate this right, !
On the other hand the police authorities de- |