New-York tribune., 1879-01-14


NYw.OEIEANs Jan. 9.--In the latter part OF
Octoher renorts of a race conflict III TenSas Parish
wore t,lcrraphed to the newspapers. They were
NOT very definite but their purport, as ! remember
them. WAS that negroes had killed a white man,
hat tj, friends had in revenge killed number ol
pegroes and that militia companies had gone M from
other parishes and had restored order ana pre-
vented general uprising of the blacks. lhe Gus
tomary assurance that there was nothing poiItIca'
IN the affair was added. letter from lady sub
seaucutly GOT into print IN the North aIcHhV
that tlcyr had been general hunt and massacre of
nacroes and that over sixty had been killed.
The investigations Of the Teller Committee t"o"
new hght on this dark and rather mysterious occur
renee and show that 1t was purely polt'cal III ltS
org,n and was part of general scheme for bull
oznp Il northern parishes of the state Where 'h'
Repub' cans began to organize to Drlhs o"' Tue"
vote at The November election.
Tcnsas had been strongly Republican since recon-
s,ruction. II is rich cotton country. stretching
along the Mississippi for about fifty miles and run
rip,, hack INTO the interior about twenty-five miles,
The pOplIation is q triflc over 1000, ana tue
blacks outpumber the whites by nearly ten to one
Until tbo late campaign the Republican party was
managed bv a few native white men, who heid tie
hest Offices The leaders were Judge Cordlll, men,
Der Of the legislature and Mr.. Rcgrater' the Sher-
IT, These gentlemen and few followers d'ier-
mined last Summer to change their politics and
ioin the Democrats. They were Tenomlna'ed
for their old Offices by their new
associates. and Immediately became Voieh'
"whitc mans government champions. mum
Der of prominent citizens who had previously N"'e"
with fine Democrats bolted and started an inde-
pendent movement, dislk1ng the renecadeS VINO
odtakcn the lead of their party. Among them
11.i.,- -,,1,, bp ST.
the community. The independents announced that
they would support the Democratic Congressional
ticket. but that they meant to make lone fight
for the parish offices. They nominated a PARISH
ticket and il; was not long before the colored
leaders gave them assurances Of support There
upon tie straight Democratic leaders began cam
palpn of threats and dcnuuciatlon, declaring that
if the independent candidates were elected they
would never live TO take the offices.
The Rcpublcaus. under the lead of q coicrcd
preac5rr named Fairfax, who was called the great
Ajax OF he Republican party G'd moi desire al
first to have conte, over parish offices, and ua@r
oyertures to the Democrats for JOINT ticket, but
the Democrats, although IN small min"niY' n"H
de ,cri.Iucd to carry things with high hddo. iA'\
rcDu1,.d the propostion for compromise. and s.lj
ifthe Republican, pat u? tl"S t th.T Graduates
head, would be targets for hundreds Of bullets. a
il . 7
14th OF October, 10 decide what >hould he done.
Tensas is IN the Vth Congressional District
There were two Cuugres>latu TO ci,ct-ouc L. Fl -
vacancy and one tor the next regular form. HE
lcpubllcaus had nominated Judge Lud'lW9 90
Nn,rcc. former Cmef Justice OF the N,gtc. ard
Falrfly. Who lived at Waterproof little town on
the Mississippi River. Ludcinc carya.scd IN"
district, bat when he came 10 s.. Jo>cpf-, tl"
county seat Of Tcn>as. 10 hold a meeting, ice wa,
smut .ut ly a prcycuture. The Republican, all
over the STATE complained last Fall thH
the rr.vcuture was used for political puI-
pose, interfering with their movements and
meetings. but not with those Of the Democrats.
In this case II was reported that judge Lui.lfpS
had severely criticised the action OF the St. Jo~epH
authorities, and a rumOr spread among the whites
that the negroes We're threatening to break the
lines by force. and hold their nominating conven-
tion in the town ON the 18th. It probably had no
more foundation than the false alarms OF negro rs-
ipcs which have 50 often excited the fears of TIE
Southern whites. Very likely the story was started
lo make a pretcxt for the violence which followed.
On the night of the 1911 OF October Fairfax Was at
his house in Waterproof with his wife, four colorcd
men and three COlored woD-n, all neiehhols and
friends. There had been 30 trorhe ~
the ucighborhood, and they had not the
slightest reason to appTehcnd violence. Suddenly
there appeared a body of armed white mon, about
6Ctecu M number running along the levce toward
the house. They were not TenSas men, hut came
from the adjoining PARISH Of Catalonia, and were
led bv "a noted Democratic desperate and negro
hatcr named Peck. The gang mad" rush for thc
door of the house. shouting "N here's thai ID
scorn1rcj. Va.rfax7" A. soon as the for, most uau
got into tho hall they began firing, reemdl">s Of
the sc-r4us of the women. Fairfax ran ont Of the
J. I. .tI, q hi.-l &c ff tit,
woods. One of the negroes named skinner, hid he
aind a door and was dragged ont and shot After
,e fell aburdozer put his foot ON him and fired
nx shots INTO him from revolver. Another
1irup,I out of a window AMI 50 escaped with tUl-
et-Ioi, through his arm. The f ih nc-rn, uau-cj
Branch craVled under the bed, but was discovered
md dragged out While trying to get away hc rs
ihot through the night arm with Niu'h,:tcT he
,all which cut the tendon and diaa' 'lcd Aln Tor
ifc, and slightly wounded with huckShot IN tie
back and leg. He escaped. Both th'Se wounocd
men testified before the committee, In the melee
the companions of Peck outside and inside the
house i,cd wildly, and chanc" shot struck Peek
and killed him. Unque.tonahIy the object OF the
raid on Tirfax was 10 Kill linn, just before tie Ec-
ppbbron convention. for the purpose Of terrifying
the NEGROES from taking part IN the election. No
pthcr reasonable motive has been ASSIGNED The
fact that the attacking party came from another
parish bears ont this suppositon, for il cs;ah
isbed cu,toin with the bulldolcrs TO have all bad
Jobs done by men from distance They trade
work. a raid!ug company going to nci"hboring
parish in return Tor help gwen them By their
friends the1e Probably the Democratic leaders IN
Tcnsa, sent for Captain Peek to start the bnld,zug
for them by an act that would strike terror 10 the
blacks and deprive them Of their ablcst leader.
After Pecks death III, men rode about the
country for several days, shooting at every
negro they saw. Nobody knows how many
were Killed. Governor Nichols says in hs
message that there were only three, but