The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1880-01-16
THE NEW ORLEANS DEMOCRAT, FRIDAY, JANUARY 16 1880

be added that The came painful impression 10
made uuon The minds of all thinking mea
within tbs borders OF Louisiana.
Right here We desire to call attention TO
point which deserves notice. The Tunes
quotes the concluding sentence OF the ConSer-
uatiue's article as confirming the 'vtew which
we tho Tines took OF tho CHASTITY butchery
at Lake Provldence." Tho Inference left for
the Times's readers TO draw Is that "a CHASTITY
butchery" has been committed by the citizens
OF Lake Providence, and that the local news
paper furnishes the authority for tho state
ment Upon this basis the Times proceeds to
arraigus the community Of East Carroll rs
being whisky drinking murderers In part,
and the friends and sympathizsr5 OF whisky
drinking murderers for the rest. 1t takes the
lofty ground that really patriotic newspapers
ought TO unite In condemning and denoune
ing the rulIians, and then goes on TO show
what vlrtuous and patriotic paper the Times
is by condemning and denounclng In the most
unstnted fashion.
| Now the fact Is, and this is where the point
comes In, that tho Carroll Conservative has
never ut any time said that buteh6ry,
ghastly or otherwise, was committed by the
citizens OF Lake Providence. The only person
killed was Mcclure, tho town marshal. A
gang Of drunken rutIlans from the up-conntry
| tlatboats invaded Lake Providence on Sun
day afternoon, disturbing the peace and
threatening tho lives and property OF the
citizens. While in the discharge OF his duty
and endeavoring to preserve tho peace Nc
CURE was ruthlessly murdered by one OF the
/ llatboatmen. In the accounts given by the
| flatboatmen we arc shown the sad and sick
| enng picture OF Mcclure on his knees cling
ing to Brown and begging for his life,
while the incarnate fiend deliberately
butchered him. 1t Is true that
party Of McGuires friends next day broke
through the guard and fired upon tho I'M
prisoned Hatboatmen who had been Browns
companions In the raid, and who had subse-
quently aided him to escape. We are not de-
Tending this act-quite tho oontrary-but we
are most certainly defending the community
of Lake Providence from tho wholesale
charges OF lawlessness and barbarlsm brought
against them by the Times. This com munlty
| is being held UP to execration as set OF re-
morseless cruel Hends, who respect no law.
| regard none of the obligations OF humanity,
whose occupation is whisky drinking and
whose instincts are murderous and brutal.
| In the advocacy Of this monBtrous charge the
Times perverts the record and wilfully mis-
represents the truth. We distinctly claim
that tho Carroll Conservative, to which
tho Times impudently refers for
It's authority does not say one word to JUS
tify the Times In the first place the whole
tragedy was brought on by these hatboat-
men, invaders OF tho town and drunken ruff
fans; In the next place the only man killed
was Mcclure. the town marshal; and, lastly,
It la notorious that tho citizens OF Lake
Providence were endeavoring to execute the
law within the law, and TINT they did nothing
to encourage violence, notwithstanding tho
outrageous violence that had been put upon
Them That few OF the murdered mans
friends attempted to take reprisals upon the
friends and accomplces OF the murderer is
undoubtedly larnentable, but 1t Is, at tho
worst, o natural result OF the original Of
fense-for which offsnse the citizens OF Lake
Providence are In no way blamable.
We regret that CHS outburst OF eK-
asperation occurred we regret that
three of the imprisoned flatboatmen were
wounded But 1t Is not true, 1t is utterly
false and slanderous, aud the Times knows 1t
IL, to pretend that there is anything 10 the
affair to justify the charge OF ruffllnism and
barbarity which the Times has been bandying
so freely and Professionally.
It Is no secret that the Times makes point
J of showing up every incident discreditable to
the South, and o singular companion fact
that 1t experiences great difficulty In perceiv-
Ing, and stll greater reluctance In recording
| hi tprin hag
} ceased TO invite special attention as an ab.
al ract fact, and we should not now refer tC
It, but for the unusually gross and offensive
manifestation OF the policy which the Times
has given us In the Lake Providence affair.