The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-03-04

statement and the adjournment caused much
excitement In the convention. All left the
courtroom hastily think went out III The
street after the adjournment. The report
about the negro attack was credited by Tho
people.
AZ soon AZ the convention adjourned went
off and went TO bed. The excitement In tho
town was due to this apprehended attack
left town Sunday morning and went directly
home.
i never heard Of the candidacy of J. Mad
Wells for Congress. | don't remember Of his
being a candidate first In the latter part 81
October The town Of Natchitoches In front
is about n mile long aud two blocks In width
It liz long and narrow town.
CROSS EXAMINED ny MIR. LEONARD.
| arrived In town between and 10 o'clock
ON the morning Of the twenty-first ] heard
of no apprchpnsioDs that morning of an at
tack When Mr.. Cunningham spoke OF the
attack that was the first | knew of II. |
never knew Of negroes making an attack be-
fore | have been In the parish since 1863
The motion For the recess was made by MIR
Raines. | can not remember In what words
put the motion to the convention. Before
left motion was put to make Mr. Gun.
niDgham the leader, and IN charge of all pres
ent. ! think he took command. j did not
arm myself. Someper passed mo pts
tol-a short one whena young man passed
me, end said he was younger man than me-
and gave II to him. went down to try and
get gun. When left town ! did not have
any arms
On my way home was not molested I
made several speeches during the campaign,
/ never carried a gun 10 the places where |
was 10 make speeches. On one occasion |
think ] may have, when we were to have
ward election. There was meeting Of the
committee and IL was decided that the lead
ers Of the Republican rioters should BIO ar
rested.
A recess of ten minutes was then taken.
After the Recess.
businesses.
reside in this city. am photographers
In September last, was In the city of Match
itoches. | reached there In the early
part Of June or July aud remained there
seven months. | was there on the twenty
first of September last. | was ut the
Democratic Parish Convention at the time.
There were reports of n meeting OF the Re-
streets were that the negroes were arming,
and these reports were beeved by the people
of the city. | heard something Of these
rumors before the convention. | saw nothing
OF the affair down at the quarantine station.
1 intended TO go down there when the conven-
ton adjourned. | went to get arms, but could
find none. apprehended trouble went To half
dozen places to get gun but could get
none. 1 saw others trying also. The only
reason people wanted arms was to resist the
attack. II was In the evening that a man
asked me II Mr.. Cunningham was upstairs,
and asked me 10 tell him that there was fight
when Mr.. Cunningham announced the fact to
the convention IL produced much excitement.
The streets were considerably excited, The
day after the first alarm | know there was
guard placed out and preparations made to
resist. Sunday there were a number of peo- |
pie on the streets and reports came In that |
the negroes were coming from different |
points. That excitement continued all day, |
and Monday was pretty much the same
thing. The only reason assigned for putting |
nr<pt9 u
CROSS EXAMINED ny UNITED STATES DIs-
TRIUr ATTORNEY.
On Friday heard that The negroes were
going TO hold a meeting the next day, and
on Saturday morning / heard they would
make an attack.
Up TO the time of making tho motion TO
adjourn the convention was going on quietly.
1 cannot recollect the exact words and who
made It. | tried to get q gun from MIR,
Carvers store, but did not. / went to several
places. was keeping house In Natchitoches
at the time. and that night my
ger stated that 100 negroes had attacked the
guard at the quarantine, and | believed IL.
The report was generally credited. / am a
member OF 2as, and have been for five
months / know Its ritual, and there is
nothing political In 1t. | never knew the
lodge belong to TO have ANYTHING to do with
politics. In the initiation there was nothing
like marching In the lodge.
CHAs. r. PORTER.
sworn l reside in the town OF Nachtoches.
i have lived there little over n year. | was
In the town ON the twenty-iirst of September
last. On that day | was deputy postmaster
of the town. / went that morning In pursu-
ance OF my duties when i was asked III / did
not want to 80 and hear the speeches at the
convention. I went. The convention was or
Uanzed with all the usual officers. / sat in
side the bar. / heard some one make motion
Mr.. Raines then offered a resolution, but
there was 80 much confusion. 1t was not heard
all over the room. 1t referred to procuring
arms. Another resolution was made, giving
70 MIR, Cunningham the leadership. He told
them to procure arms and meet on Front
street. | got n gun and fell in with Major
Russell. We walked down TO dirt bridge, and we
saw groups OF ten or twenty, and also large
body. saw one negro waving his hat over
his head and all of them were very much ex-
cited. Some one proposed to search Lewis
house. We searched ii, and found nothing A
number then returned and we took drink of
water at Mr.. Genius ! afterwards passed
MIR. Blunts house. There We're O number of
men outside, lying around
Soon MIR. Cunningham came from the court
house with crowd. He said: Boys, |
want five men TO take Blunt" volunteered
with others. We went in and one of the bows
moved Blunt's bed and discovered a trap
door. Blunt was ordered to come down.
He said more than once, "Oh for Gods
sake don't Kill me- for will leave the parish"
The cause OF all the anxiety that day was the
threatened attack of the negroes. | can't say
what was the object of searching Lewis house.
The reason Blunt was taken was to preserve
the peace. | had never heard any one ever
say at that time that j. Mad Wells was
candidate for Congress.
After had eaten dinner ] went down town.
The first thing | saw was q proclamation of
the mayor, setting forth that the town was
In danger and calling upon the good people
TO arm themselves at once j then went and
borrowed horse and reported to Mr.. Gun
and he told me to go to the dirt
bridge and report anything unusual. / got a
friendof mine, Mr. I. I. Brazeale, who went
with me- About 4 80 p. m, and In half an
hour, noticed number of negroes crossing.
One negro ! saw coming down the lane
toward us. | said: Hold on, old man. !
want to talk with you He Immediately got
down in ditch and put his gun through the
lowest rail. We advanced on him with our
pistols and he reiterated along the levee be-
hind the fence He got off. | heard loud
ciappng of hands and applause among the