The San Francisco call., 1908-12-06

~ y SUNDAY April ls. 1873, under tree
4 banks the Red river, occurred an
] event that shocked the civilized world. The
whites and blacks who lived the parishes of
Grant and Rapides, in Louisiana,
bad terms since the close of the civil The adop
ton OF the fifteenth the federal consti-
tutien made matters There were more negroes
than white in Grant parish, the whites were
determined the blacks should vote The blacks.
nueo with pride because of their enfranchise
nent. eager exercise their new found powers
OF citizenship. Sometimes they walked miles
polls shutting along the dusty roads, swinging clubs
that they carried beat off ugly dogs or more ugly
on such occasions 1t the the
population guard at the crossroads and
when the negroes along conversation some
thing ensued:
Where you going, Sam?"
Use going vote,
You don't vote you try it the
white around the polls viii you. You better
10 back home"
Sometimes the the of the argu-
turned back Sometimes they didn't If
thsy persisted IN their determination to vote there
fight And If the negroes fought too desperately
they killed
In the spring OF had been an election to
choose officers. BY dint of much club using and
pistol shooting the whites OF parish had con-
werted black residential majority into an electoral
minority. The negroes accepted the suIlenly
ID every cabin there were murmurings-hrst low
loud And As the chorus Of protest sweled in the
x
A the sections where the whites
Matters hastened to climax The blacks burst
ing with anger. armed themselves with clubs and an
occasional and captured courthouse at colfax
county seat Of Grant parish. With shovel and hoe
they threw entertainments feet high and, to
the number OF 400 what move the whites
would make.
They had long to wait From all the country
around the whites gathered on Sunday morning and
surrounded the courthouse. o'clock they called
upon the negroes surrender. The blacks answered
with hOwls Of derisiOn and occasional shot.
For some reason the whites did return the IRE
and the OF the was spent in fruitless
psrleying But as IL o'clock the cry raised
IN the courthouse that building was on hre The
whites selected the easiest means Of
Forcing their enemy's hand The in face
Of emergency lost their nerve The sight OF nre
had taken all the fight out OF them they raised
white flag. Under like emblem the besieEers sent
man to confer with them, and the negroes told
that If they would lay their they would not
be fred upon they marched out
With forked flames dartng from the windows the
negroes quickly accepted the AS wasps hur-
ried by match emerge from their habtation so
did these frightened scufne to get
through the narrow door. as they came out the
whites who stood guard guided to spot
beneath pecan tree that bank of the
river
Suddenly there ranks of the whites
crash Of musketry AS suddenly there came from
the ranks Of the blacks a commingled cry of pain
Negroes by the fell dead in their tracks Ne
groes by the score jumped into the river. Some
were shot as they swan Some drowned. Some
escaped. One hundred and twenty-eight met death
The best people" of the two parishes had the
work Everybody was proud of it. handsome revol-
yer, suitably engraved, given man named
Weston, son Of the postmaster Montgomery for
killing more negroes that day than did any other
man. Weston. in fact was OF the ring leaders
the mob. named Hatch who had recently
been elected herin Of Grant parish leader
Immediately the United States government took
steps TO seek out and punish criminals United
states marshals and detectives were dispatched
New Orleans to the little OF Montgomery Is
miles north Of Colfax the river where lived
most OF the whites who understood to be con-
cerned in the outrage these investigators
ever set foot In the town. Some of them, who went
up the river from New Orleans boats got as
the wharf and were turned back The whites who !