The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1881-04-29

Was KukIuxed Out of Louisiana,
His Property Destroyed by Fire, and
His Life Threatened.
Senator Georges denial of Senator
Dawes story of the destruction of
Massachusetts, mans property in the
South because of his political affiliations
is met with a counter denial by the Boston
Daily AdUertiser. In the statement of
the victim, Mr.. Charles Heath, who is
now resident of Maiden, four miles
distant from Boston, the only mistake
Senator Dawes made was In locating the
troubles in Mississippi. They occurred
in Louisiana, and their recital reads as
near like chapterin "a Fools Errand "
as one pea looks like another. Mr..
Heath's plantation of nearly 1000 acres
was in Caldwell parish, ten miles below
Columbia. He and his brother, who is
a New Orleans merchant, bought the
place thirteen or fourteen years ago,
and had established upon it gin house,
grist mill and repair shop, fitted up with
improved machinery. For several years
they ran the place under white over
seer, and were not seriously interfered
with by their neighbors, but in 1877 or
1878, when negro was put in as over
seer, the trouble began.
Says Mr.. Heath. "The Sheriff of the
parish came to me and my broth
er and said something like this
" We understand you are to divide
up your land among the niggers for
them to work it without a white over
seer. The niggers are stealing every
thing they can lay their hands on in the
way of stock, even when they have a
white man to oversee them, and what
will they do if left to themselves? The
white people are not going to let you do
it. We cannot afford to do it, and you
cannot afford to do it, and we don't
mean that you shall start out in that
way"
The reply of course was that the
brothers, having paid for the place, had
right to run it as they pleased. A ne
gro named Harris was appointed over
seer, and was threatened. Gov. War
moth said he did not have militia force
enough to protect all such cases, and
the result was that party of masked
men rode up to his cabin at night, called
him out and shot him, making such
wounds that he is now a cripple.
Then the usual Kuklux platards were
posted around ordering Mr.. Heath to
leave the place, and threatening death
and destruction of the property. But
the real trouble began about Christmas
last. At that time young Bostonian
went up to Heath's place with view of
buying him out. He represented him
self to the people there as being native
of Louisiana. They welcomed him very
kindly and said "We are glad you
are coming here to take Mr.. Heath's
place. Mr.. Heath is good man. We
don't have anything against him. He is
a good man, but he is a - Yankee.
We don't want that kind here, but want
our native men," Says Mr.. Heath: 81
had been for some time trying to effect a
sale and get out Of the country as easy
as possible. While the neighbors showed
no enmity to my face, always treating
me with the greatest apparent respect
and friendship, they were ct the
same time exhibiting the greatest
enmity behind my back. I had
had interviews with one or two
parties about selling out, and I
would have sold out at very great sac
rifice if [ could have seen chance to
get my money. [ could have sold out
fast enough by letting them take my
property, taking back mortgage, and
letting them pay for it from the proceeds
as fast as they could earn it. I was
holding off and trying to find somebody
that had some money. When they
burned me out I had no place to stay,
and [ had to get out then. We had
about 81 200 insurance. I have nothing
left there but half dozen pair of mules
and the land. The whole place, with
improvements, was worth $25, 900. They
burned up my tools, wagons, gristmill.
mill, blacksmith-shop, repalr-shop, ev-
erything clean. I got out about $400 or
$500 worth of goods III about twenty
minutes we had to work in, and we came
within an ace of being burned up alive.
The only thing that saved us was that
the wind blew the flames away from the
building in which we we're sleeping"
Mr.. Heath claims that he had been a
public benefactor rather than an enemy
to the parish where his property was,
and can only explain his persecution by
his desire to elevate the negro. He de-
tails many petty acts of cruelty, and
concludes by saying: "The trouble is
hat ,he native SCutherners are envious
toward anybody that comes into their
neighborhood, particularly Northern
an who il opposed to the solid South.
they knew what my politics we're, al
though l never have talked politics there
OF advised the negroes, beyond telling
them what [ thought was for their in
terest. I never advised them who to
vote for and who not to vote for, and
tried to keep aloof from politics alto
gether. A few days before I came away
the District Attorney of Caldwell par
ish was in New Orleans, and [ took
the trouble to hun him up, and had
long talk with him. l said to him ::
Mr.. Ware, you cannot afford to have
me burned out and driven out of your
parish without taking some notice
of it. well, he said, think likely
our folks will notice it.. This was a
Month after the fire and more, and moth
ing has been done. I said to him 4
have got letter that I received last
summer from the postoffice just above
me, Hogan's Landing, telling me if l
re urned to the parish, they would pay
me visit. | am going to mail that
letter, and you may make such use of it
as you think proper. l told him if he
would advise the parish to offer reward
of 500, 5000 or $500 that [ would offer
as much more to thoroughly investigate
this thing. have made no secret of
these matters in New Orleans, but have
told them openly. No allusion has been
made to the fire in any Southern news
paper that I've seen. Whenever negro
is murdered up there in my parish, they
take no more notice of it than though il
was dog shot. They don't even hold
an inquest. They don't give publicity
to anything of this kind. When a public
man like Judge Crawford is shot, every
body finds that out. !"
ANIMUS OF THE BOURBON SENA.
TORS.