The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1888-08-25
TIE NEW IBERIA RIOT.
Twenty Negroes and One White Man
Killed.

Brief mention was made in last Sat
urdsy's Telegraph Of the riot near New
Iberia bet the whites and negroes
The lateness Of tho arrival Of the new:
before that issue Of the Telegraph wat
published prevented our giving full do
tails. Appended is II full and fair ac.
count of the affair taken from the Plea
yune;
LAFAYErrE, La, Aug. 1.-THE riot
briefly reported from this point ut a
late hour last night, as occurring al
Cade's station, really occurred about six
miles southwest OF that point ut Free
town, which is located in the corner OF
Iberia parish, and onIya short distance
from ST. Martins, Lafayette and Yer
properly located four miles southwest
Of Burk station. on the Morgan road,
and about ten miles from New Iberia.
FREETowN Is A LITTLE TOWN OF NFs
GRoEs
but more of neighborhood, rs it COW
ers about four square miles with fifteen
families living in small hut.like houses
from 100 to 400 yards apart, With small
fields attached from which they arc
supposed to make living, and these
houses and fields usually belong to the
family using them.
About the centre of the settlement is
store kept by a negro,a Baptist church
and a schoolhouse. But few white fam.
hood. There ulG but few houses there
I,in u e. tai,
gro houses.
1t is understood ths, for some years
FoRAGtNG AND DErREDATfoNs->
in stealing of cattle, corn and cotton on
the outlying white neighborhood has
been carried on, aud supposed to have
been dCne by some Of those ut Free
town. This is said 10 have been known
to be true Of Andy Smith and one or
two Of Tom Simon's sons. Several Of
these negroes arc reported TO hays been
whipped for it, but it was not possible
to detect the ringleadcr, Andy Smith.
1t is said that few days since the
regulators OF that neighborhood sent
him word that they were going 10 whip
him. He Immediately drew around
him sixteen TO eighteen
NEGROES OF TIE NEIGIIBoRuooD,
all of whom were armed with Wiuches-
ter rifles, Old muskets and doublebar-
relied sho,guns, numbers Of tho latter
Of recent purchase In New Iberia.
This was but a few days since. lie then
sent word to the white people to come
on, TINT he and his friends were ready !
MT I 10 Il h 4 I,n
lives OF four or five white men near by
Andy Smith, the leader OF the blacks
in this trouble, has shot two or three
white mon in tho past five years, aud is
SHOWN 70 be of desperate courage and
ncanness.
The four or five whites receiving this
letiant message
BELIEVE ED TIL EIR LIVES wERElN DAN
GER,
ia and AbbeVittc, across the Iiuc, and
ntO Lafayette, TO tho effect that they
would be Killed and appealed for help. |
In response TO this call about 15O to
800 men from thcse three sections
,eachcd FrcCtown after tho dinner hour
IF yestarday. They found these armed
negroes, about eighteen in number,
HAHRICADED
n Il new four-room frame house, built
~ their pastor, Rev. Celeste Noop, who
vas ut the timo In New Iberia, holding
protractcd meeting among his people.
These negroes had sent NOop's wife
lway and were its sole occupants nj
hc time.
Tho hO,ISr WAS surrounded Inv the
whites, and a halt-hour's delay occur
cd in n parIey on tho part of tho whites
Who assured Smith and his crowd that
I was peace il il was desired and not
'iolence, and il the negroes would sur
cnder their arms the whites would
AXE them away Tor the present but at
subsequent time when peace was full
y established they should be returned
o their owners, and
GUARANTEE 40 VIOLENCE
o any of the party.
In the interest of this purpose, the
whites secured the services Of old man
'otn Simmons, fathcr-iu-faw OF Smith,
nd father of Louis ard Edward Sim
nons, two of the occupants ofthc house,
nd also old man Sam Cofit, each of
whom bcsought the barficadcd ucgrues
0 comply with the request TO surren-
cr their arms and prevent any one
rom being hurt. Sufiy silence was the
My response. The pacttying efforts
we're Intellectual. The hitcs were
bout twenty feet from the house
{ the whites, approached the house,