The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-01-12
THE TELLER COMMITTEE.
HON. yNO. c. MONCURE ON THE STAND
POINTE COUPLE PARISH
TAKEN UP.
q Fifth Day.

Fifth Day.
The Teller Committee met, In accordance
with adjournment, at o'clock yesterda,
morning.
JUDGE L. Y. REEVES
was the first witness called. Am residen
of Tensas parish. Am lawyer and plant
er. Was chairman Of the Democratic Execu
tive Committee OF the parish. The commit.
tee held Its sittings In st. Joseph. Until re-
Gently the Republican party has been In thu
ascendency In the parish, but within the pas
few years the leaders of the party have be
come possessed Of property, and have nc
quired material interest In the welfare o.
the parish. It was decided in the last cam
paign that the proper way to allay threat
ened political excitement was to place In the
field ticket composed of men Of both parties
A ticket Of the kind was nominated and styled
the Democratic ticket.
An opposition party was started by dis
satisfied man who had been defeated for a
place on the Democratic ticket. This new
party was denominated the independent
Am satisfied that the difficulties which sub
sequently arose did not originate In political
causes. The visit OF Capt. Peck to Fairfax
was, In my opinion. for the purpose OF expos
that the color line was to be drawn, and the
people were greatly alarmed. Capt. Peck s
visit was to induce Fairfax to forego mis- pur-
pose of arraying the blacks against the
whites. The result OF the visit Is known
Capt. Peck was killed and fight ensued In
which several Of the negroes were wounded
and subsequently died. This was the starting
point OF the troubles In the parish and the is-
sue was no longer politica! one but con-
test between the whites and the blacks.
Tho uaUronc oyotharnd N larOa uuyp hoy.y
and ito restore order the sheriff of the parish
and Judge Cordill got together posse. War
rants for the arrest of Fairfax and others
were issued, but they were not executed
order and deserves great credit for doing 1t.
Lucien Bland was the defeated candidate
who organized the Independents. The Demo-
cratic Executive Committee did not call on
Capt. Peck and his command Voted on cleo
ton day at the poll at st. Joseph, but did not
remain at it, as | was sick. Everything was
quiet and peaceable.
To Mr.. Teller-Several negroes were on the
Democratic ticket. The convention was held
with open doors.
Am satisfied from the well known charac-
ter Of Capt. Peck that his mission to the par
ish was q good one and not q bad one.
Witness was then called upon by Mr..
Teller to repeat all the rumors OF con-
fiicts and disturbances which he had
heard, and he was subjected to rigid
crOss-examination as to how far his personal
knowledge Of them went. Col. Reeves. on
several occasions, found 1t necessary to cor
rect Mr.. Teller In his Interpretation of his
tCOl. ReeveSo testimony
Senator Cameron read that portion Of Gov.
Nichols message referring to the trouble In
the parish
Witness Il do not propose to dispute that.
am inclined to believe that the Governor has
given an honest narrative Of his views In re-
gard to that matter. He has given what he
believes to bel the facts of the case. The
proposition OF compromise made by the
Republican convention was not accepted be-
cause It was believed that the Democratic
party had already secured the intelligence
and integrity OF the party by the first com
promise, and it was thought that 1t would b.,
better for all parties to abide by 1t and not
enter into new one.
@. WASHINGTON NORWOOD, !.
called by the Republicans sthe bulldozed
bulldozer." was next called. Mr.. Norwood
wound received by him at Caledonia. The
wound being in the face, 1t and his head were
muflied, and he spoke with great difficulty.
He testified as follows: am g resident OF
Caddo. have been wounded. ] received my
wound on the fifth OF November. election day.
between 4 and 5 o'clock, at the hands OF q
mob OF the oppressed people Of the State. |
The first shot fired was by the negroes at me. |
see that some of the witnesses, whose festi-
mony is as good as mine before this commit |
tee. have stated that the white men fred the |
first shot, and one celebrated black man said
that Geo. w. Norwood was tie man who began |
the shooting. He is not an honest man, be he |
black or white. / did not fire shot that day, |
being the first man wounded. |
The election was as quiet and peaceable |
one as ever saw. Everything was pleasant |
until between and o'clock, when diff |
Guilty occurred between DIR. Morse commits
sloner, and Q negro whose name was not In
the book. Madison Reams, the mouth-piece
Of the Republicans, interfered, and finally Dr.
Morse gave him the d--n lie, and some little
disturbance resulted, but it was quieted. Pre-
vious to this, strange proceedings on the part
81 the negroes were observed and commented
on. know that negroes went into Reams'
house and came out with arms In their hands.
heard some one say-who it was do not
and see about those guns and
stack them"
Mr.. Mcneil, who was recognized on that day
.s the deputy sheriff, said to me and others,
Come on and let US stack those guns" We
went, and when we got to the house / saw a
young colOred boy and a colored woman
handing out guns to the negro men.
stopped down to look under the house and
ano one OF the colored men stepped from ;
around the corner and fired l was struck in
me shoulder and In the face. My wounds
re-, .po NOT py YET healed, and pieces OF shattered
one nave been recently taken out. Three
less polnted'ont their locationl
! am not Democrat, and / affiliate with !
ne Democratic party because there is no Re- 9
publican party In the State There ia q niger
,arty and thieves party opposed to the Be- Z
aaocracy. put no Republican party. opposed !
aadison Wells because believed and still be-
leve MIN TO De thief, and told the negroes ]
nat II they could not vote for my man to vote =
It least for man who was known to he hon. r
st. and not one known to be a thief 9
Witness went ON to give his Ideas OF the Re- s
ublican party and the Democratic party in Y
his State, and was stopped by Mr.. Teller and 4
sked to confine himself to the events Of the
ay. He complied with the request remark- b
ng, however, that considerable latitude had
cen allowed to the cOlored Republican wit. 2
esses, and he thought he was entitled to the Z
anne, 8
To Mr.. Garland-I do not know that anv a
ne else was hurt by the discharge which
ounded me-
10 Mr.. Teller-Five or six men were In the =
arty which went to Reams' house. They X
ere not armed. Could see theboy and woman I
anding out the guns through two doors. Do
OF Know where Reams was at the time. 1t
as about seventy-five yards from the poll !.
IL place to Reams' house