The silver state. [volume] (Unionville, Nev.) 1870-1903, 1879-10-10
A SOUTHERN OUTRAGE.

In May, 1876, RI. Nj. IWltchell, Assem-
stor from Red River parish, Louisiana,
was shot while crossing the river in a
skiff, near the town of Coushatta, the
county-seat of the parish. Twitchell
was manned but not killed. A Con-
gressional committee, of which William
WOODBURY., who then represented Me-
vada in the House of Representatives
was a member, was delegated to inves-
tigate the case. That committee re-
ported that politics had nothing what
ever to de,with the shooting of Twitch-
ell, and the people accepted their ver-
dict as correct. Recently the Virginia
Enterprise empliatically. declared that
Twitchell was shot because he was
Republican, and for no other reason.
Mr.. Woodburn, in an exhaustive com
munication on the subject, denied the
assertion of the Enterprise, and SUBJ
stantiated his. denial by recitfirg the
facts. He says that when he visited
Coushatta as member of the Congress-
ional Committee, he found himself in a
Republican parisll-every one of the
officers, from. Judge to Constable, being
. Republican. From the county Off
eials. he ascertaiced the names, Of the
persons who witnessed the shooting Of
Twitchell, and the names of every
prominent white. and black Repub-
hcan who could. she'd any light
upon, the motive for shooting. They
were. all subpenaed and nearly all of
them appeared and testified before the
committee. The evidence was charac-
terized by an unexpected and singular
Nnanimity, and established beyond
doubt the fact that Twitche!l was shot
by stranger, who had just arrived in
town.. and. who, after the shooting,
passed through camp of fifty Federal
soldiers at Springville and was never
seen afterwards The committee found
Twitchell at the soldiers post ander
care of an army surgeon, and he testi-
fed that he did not know the man who
shot him and did not pretend that he
had been shot by a political enemy.
Mr.. Woodburn asked Twitchell if he
Knew a man named, Todd, native of
Delaware, whose sister, it was rumored,
he had seduced. He replied that he
did know Todd and had had trouble
with. aim, but when asked about
the nature of the trouble, Twitchell
became excited and the surgeon per-
emptorily stopped further examina-
tion on. that subject The evidence
also, disclosed the fact that Twitchell
while member of the Legislature
secured an appropriation for construct
ing levees on. Red river, and. that
Twichell, who handled the money, spent
about fifty per. cent. of it in construct
ing levees around his own and relatives
plantations, and what, became of the
surplus of the appropriation is left to
the inference of the lovers of good gov
srnment, as it was not accounted for
Mr.. WOODBURY. also found from the
evidence that Twitchell, contrary to the
laws of the State, was not only State
Senator, but President of the School
Board of the parish, President of the
Board of Supervisors, County Treasurer
and virtually Tax Collector. Republi-
can school teachers testified that he
contracted with them in secret to give
them $25 or $50 per month, when the
regular salary was from $50 to $50, they
agreeing to receipt for the latter
amounts, and he to pocket the difference.
AS President of the Board of Super
visors he contracted with friend to
build courthouse, which cost much
less than the contract price, and
he was interested in the job. 1t was
also shown that taxes levied on lands.
were out of all proportion to their
value, and THAI. he, by means of such
onerous levies. was also benefited
pecuniarily. A prominent Republican
OF the parish testified before the COM