St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1881-11-19
The Mississippi Riot.
A REHABILITATION OF THE ENTIRE
AFFAIR.

MERIDIAN, November lU.
In regard to the Marion troubles, no
new developments have been made
since Tuesday night, except the arrest
days; and conversations with 40 or so
different participants, recapitulation
Of the whole affair in brief is as follows {:
On Tuesday last while the State cleo
ton was progressing at Marion, this
county, Jos. Barrett, an aged white man,
having just voted, was insulted by a
negro at the poll. Barrett raised his
arm to resent it with blow some say
he drew a stick on the negro. Before
he could strike, another negro, named
Frank Johnson, shot him with pistol in
the neck, cutting the jugular vein, and
killing him almost instantly. George
johnson, colored, formerly slave of
Barrett, ran up to defend his old master
and was shot by a negro, from the eff
feet of which he died to-day. General
shooting among the negroes then COM
menced. The whites were all unarmed.
jeff. Segars (white) was killed by ne
gro named Sam Gillespie. Alex. Har
vey, Democratic candidate for county
assessor, so yards from the scene, was
rushed on by negroes and killed by a
shot through the head; he was shot in
dead. james Hodges, (white) was
wounded seriously in the knee; Levi
Moore (White), was wounded in the
hand Vance Segars was wounded and
expected to die. The negroes doing the
shooting were Gillespie, Frank John
son, Allen and Burwell Brown and
Martin Malone. Marion was not their
voting place they were from another
precinct. Will Vance (white) Republic
can, is said to have induced the negroes
to begin firing. AS soon as the news
reached Meridian, six miles distant,
Sheriff Henderson, with a posse OF rs
men, repaired to the scene. The ne
groes had all left. A party of 30 men
went to the house Of Ed. Vance, (white)
Republican, and approaching him with
warrants Of arrest, demanded his sur
render, and were replied to by Vance
telling them to go to hell they were
then fired on and repulsed. By S o'clock
in the afternoon relief came, and the
Sheriff with his men surrounded the
house. The Sheriff called out to those
inside to surrender. A white flag was
presented at the door.
The Sheriff met the bearer on half
way ground, and on promise that he
would protect Vance and all in the house
a surrender was agreed on, and the
Sheriff drove his buggy up to the gate
to take in the prisoner. Will Vance and
his men gathered about the yard antici-
pating no danger, John Vance at that
moment was seen in STOPPING attitude
behind the corner of the stables near by,
with gun leveled on the posse, but be-
fore he could fire he was shot and
killed. At the same instant, while A.
G.. Warren, of the posse, was pledging
protection to the females of Vance's
family, he was shot through the head
by some one inside the house and in
stantly killed. The Sheriff and Hardin
Jones, of the posse, were slightly
wounded Ed. Vance escaped. Several
negroes were seen to fire on the posse
from the house and run off. No negroes
are known to be killed, but four or five
or wounded. Will Vance was brought
to Meridian by the Sheriff in his buggy
at night, and lodged in Jail. No harm
was offered him. Young Ed. Vance, a
boy OF II, was captured, but was al
lowed to remain at home without mo-
lestation. Yesterday party of so men
went under direction of the Sheriff in
search of Ed Vance and the others con-
cerned in the riot. None were found
except a negro named Martin Malone,
who took an active part in the riot. He
is now in Jail.