The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1888-08-21
SIXTEEN WERE KILLED.
The Story of the Race Troubles at Free
town, La,

The Story of the Race Troubles at Free
town, La.
NEW ORLEANS, La, August 16.-A dis
patch from New Iberia saws information has
Just been received here of the killing of Ed
Smith, civil engineer of this place, at Free.
town, negro village about ten miles north
west OF here. Rumors have been coming in
torEsome time that the negroes were collecting
at treetown and arming for the purpose of
avenging their supposed wrongs at Abbeyville,
where some characters had been ordered to
leave by the Regulators" and failing to obey.
had been whipped. The exiles have taken
refuge III Freetown. and have inf1amed the
negro element there. 1t seems that there was
a collision today between the whites and
blacks, with the above result. 1t is also
rumored that another white man has been
wounded. The news is meagre, but causes
much excitement here.
Details of the Riot
New ORLEANS, August 17.-Dispatches from
New Iberia says: +. p. Smith was buried to-
day with military and civic honors.
The trouble OF yesterday grew out of spirit
OF revenge on the part of the negroes. The
better element of the neighboring parishes had
found 1t impossible to longer tolerate a certain
class of idle and immoral characters and so had
ordered them away from various places Many
found refuge at Freetown, a small village,
composed entirely of negro families. There
they told their stories to their friends, and
nursed their anger On Monday last, reports
congregating at Freetown. Their number was
estimated at from 500 to 500 mounted men. On
Tuesday they were reinforced sufficiently to
double their number. Feeling their strength,
they assumed threatening attitude, boldly
declaring that the refugees should not leave
be moIested. On Wednesday, the the
number of armed negroes further Increased
and the people of the surrounding country
began to feel some alarm lest these negroes,
hair
some act of violence. On Thursday matters
had not improved up to noon. By this time
residents and property owners of this section
began to collect at points short distance from
Freetown, their object being to dispense these
negroes without violence, and to send those
who did not belong there to their homes. Citi-
zens rode into Freetown and found, as ru-
mored, a large number of armed negroes
quartered there. They asked the meaning of
this and the negroes were silent. They de-
manded surrender of negroes arms promising
that when they learned to behave themselves,
the arms would be returned. The negroes
were ordered to at once disperse. Great ma
Jority OF them accepted terms and surrendered
their arms, which We're found. without excep-
ton, to be loaded with ball or buckshot Rev.
H. Nora, colored minister, left
Freetown in the morning to attend conference
of ministers at New Iberia. During bis
of abortion, every article or thing intended or
adapted for any indecent or criminal use and
book, pamphlet advertisement or notice of
any kind giving information, directly or indi-
rectly, where or how, or of whom, or by what
means any of the herein before men
toned matters, articles or things may
be obtained OR made, whether
sealed as first class matter or not, are hereby
declared to be non-mailable matter, and shall
not be conveyed in the mails nor delivered
from any postotfce nor by any letter carrier;
and any person who shall knowingly deposit,
or cause to be deposited, for mailing and de-
livery, anything declared by this section to be
non-mailable matter, and any person who shall
knowingly take the same, or cause the same to
be taken from the mails for the pur-
pose of circulating or disposing
of, or of aiding in the circulation
or disposition of same, shall, for
each and every offense, be fined upon convic-
ton thereof not more than $1,000, or impris-
oned at hard labor not more than five years, or
both, at discretion of court. And all offenses
committed under the section Of which this is
amendatory prior to the approval of this act,
may be prosecuted and punished under the
same in same manner and with the same effect
as if this act had not been passed; Provided,
that nothing in this act shall authorize any
person to open any letter or sealed matter of
the first-class not addressed to himself.