The Opelousas courier., 1896-03-21
The Shooting Saturday Night.


Bellevue. and Jesse Roy, of Arnaudville
were shot, the latter fatally, near Des,
marais' store, by T. B. Brooks, A. D
Harmanson and Chas. Thibodeau
4 who were acting as special police off
GERS appointed by Mayor Thompson
lhe matter created intense excitemeD,
that night, and the next day, notwith.
standing the rain which fell for severa
nours, large numbers of armed men
friends of all the parties, came into
town. The sheriff was in the country
and Mayor Thompson issued procla.
nation calling upon the people to dis.
perse. The next morning it was found
that the Court House had been well
stocked with guns and that the men
who had done the shooting were guard
ed there by their friends. The day
wore Oft with considerable suppressed
excitement, and Tuesday morning
found the same conditions prevailing
Rumors had been circulated that "the
regulators" were coming, 600 strong, to
| lynch the shooters, and at about 8
O'Clock tue cry was heard: "They are
coming" Considerable excitement pre-
vailed for little while, but it was soon
found to be false alarm. Soon after
Mayor Thompson suggested Il confer
ence of his advisory board and six of
the other faction. This was agreed to,
and the conference was held at once,
The result was an agreement for the
appointment of twelve special police,
SIX from each side, to preserve the
peace, and the Mayor was to call on the
armed men to retire and put up their
guns. These measures we're promptly
carried out, the Sheriff came in soon af-
ter, and quiet has prevailed ever since.
Jesse hoy, who was beaten on the
head and shot twice in the back, died
| on Tuesday night and vas buried here
on Thursday morning. The other two
are slowly improving, one being Sc
riously hurt, and it is hoped will recov-
On Wednesday the preliminary ex-
animation of the parties who did the
shooting was held before Judge Per-
rault, and they were released on bonds
of $4,000 each.
| As TO the circumstances attending
the shooting, they were given as fol-
lows in Tuesdays Times Democrat
The following is the statement of John Roy,
one OF the neutrality-suspicious.:
with my brother Jesse Roy, and Adrien
Roy and Paul Remigoss, I came from Flat
sas at dusk, and after supper went to saloon,
where we danced and frolicked for while. We
were not drunk, and Judge Brooks came in the
went out. We soon left and went to Desmarais'
store and met negro who used to live in my
home, Arnaudville. He told me he had given
up politics. and told him that was all we ask
ed /; that we wanted q white mans election this
| time. Adrien gave him u dime and told him to
go aud get drink. Just then Brooks passed
us and went on the store gallery. Brooks turn
ed without speaking and came back with Thi-
bodeau aud Harmanson. He took me by the
arm aud said: Come with me- l asked him
where to. and he replied that he would take me
to jail. I asked him why, and he said because
was swearing on the street I told him did
not swear, and was not going,
ierked away. AS did this he struck me with
his pistol on my head. Just as he struck me,
Thibodeau hit Jesse with a rifle and my brother
staggered aud fell with his hands against the
wall. AS he fell DR.. Harmanson shot him in
the back with q pistol Brooks at the same
time shot me in the arm and two bullets passed
through my coat near the heart, the coat being
omen, jumped off the gallery and pulled my
pistol, but it broke open, and snapped lt sew
eral times before noticed this. The cartridges
fell out as it broke. had no more. Brooks
left me and fred ut the others. During the me.
lee Adrien was also shot. He also drew his re-
volver and fired three times at our assaiiants.
.Jesse did not shoot at all. The Others fred first
NV brother then said to me: John, I am
wounded to DEATH and caught hold Of him
and helped him to 9 dago shop, where o we we're
quarrel. am afraid my brother will die.
Brooke and his friends went away after
Adrien was shot"
beaten Lazaro at Vile Plate. Lazaro was
drunk at the time ard insulted Honore Fusi.
lier, and after calling him liar had caught
3 Iistoi on ~ the head several times. He said al
90 that be had accompanied Registrar SWGras
to several Of the polls Of the parisn ne ages sa
Landry parish AdEiep Boy is no relation and
,>asjdes in Arnaudville.
r. "a explained that the people OF
v;lia Plate, learning that an attempt
Vita vnI ~, M !. lie to drag the negroes to
Moua w. rae;stration office there, and that
on e0 armed force from other sections
yrnnld be present on the nccas,op' So
licited outside assistance, aho tness
three citizens of this parish lespohoeo
to the call. - ,o
The friends OF tue men Who were
s,,ot denounce the Killing and wound
ing Of these men as an tunprovoked anu
wantop act, and the Mayor has been Sc
verely criticised for what IL considered
his unfortunate choice OF special peace
officers. These officers, to justify them
selves, claim that the met, or one o,
tLann. was swearing on the street ana
.not thew resisted arrest, Granting this
m l,a trne. it is not alleged that the swear
inc was OF such a nature as TO distIlo
the naighborhood hence the men natn.
rally felt that they were unJnstiy ueaie
with. and had the peace officers been
of a more pacific nature, ibis silgnt
.,,;sdanaannr would not have brought
aho,,t such terrible results.
These lamentable occurrences nave
suddenIy and violently brought the
Community face to face with tue serious
conditions that confront us. On one
aide we find relatively small minority
of white men, consisting or fopuists
and disafYected Democrats, insisting
that the negro shall register ana vote
against the Democratic State, district
and narisl, tickets. On the other are
arsoved large majority OF the Wnlle
naonle, the proportion approximating
three or four to one, who are equaiiy
determlned that the negro shall De
nniatly hut firmly eliminated from tue
cnntest. and who insist that the wishes
Of the majority OF the white people
mnst be respected. Their attitude On
this question has the sanction OF prop.
ahIy nine. tenths of the white people OF
tLe State, who represent the virtue'
wealth and intelligence of the common
waaith. Thus. we find that all the or.
~anized and unorganized moral and
snd material forces that support
and nnhold civilization are arrayed
a1o;nst 4 mere handful of malcon-
tanns who. ia order to carry out
thar selfisb aims, are pursuing course
wh;ch mar have the most deplorable
cnnsennences. The outcome OF any
,sSnd of conflict between such uneyeniy
Kschad forces cannot be doubtful, and
ma; n, More the cooler heads on the SIDE
w .ha ~ minority to pause ere it be TOO