St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1911-10-21
SHERIFF SWORDS answers
OBSERVER" With PAST
RECORD,
Continued from page u

~AS 1S@4&s Il 44G&O 141y
brother to canvass the Fourth
Ward for him for weeks. The
only campaign money I handled
outside of my own was 500. 90
sent to me by a friend of the
Judge.
In 1892 7 was appointed AS
SCISSOR for the Parish of st. Lam
dry without my solicitation. The
office only paid about $14OO. 90
then, and after the expenses
were paid, there was but a mea-
ger living in it. The Office car
ried with it the Office of Regis
trar of Voters, and I was pre-
vailed on by Judge Lewis, T. S.
F~ontenot, T. II. Lewis and other
straight Democrats to accept. I
accepted the appointment, and
all the older ones know how well
I carried out the trust.
I am the only man living or
dead who went to jail in order
to purify the ballot, and to elm
mate the colored man from the
electorate. They had been used
by the politicians to such an ex-
tent that a halt had to be called.
Other noble men were at work
aiding the same cause. Those
who were to be the recipients
should look long and we'll before
trying to crush those who were
working for the advancement of
their country.
I was not a candidate for any,
thing, and should not have asked
to be appointed a second time as
Assessor las [ did not consider it
a paying Office but for the fact
that I had been cursed and writ
ten up from Main to the Gulf,
and from the Atlantic to the
Pacific, and I wanted vindication
was endorsed by the Fontenot-
Lewis faction and had the largest
petition ever presented to Gov.
Foster written and signed by Mr..
Thos. H. Lewis, and by a very
large majority Of each ward. In
addition, Mr.. Chas. NJ. Thomp-
son had a petition signed by him
self, Judge Perrault, Mr.. Diomel
Durio and others, all of which
was presented to Gov. Foster,
and after he had appointed Judge
Lewis instead of myself, | sup
ported Gov. Foster with all the
loyalty that his most ardent sup
porters could wish. J. J. Thomp-
son, DR.. T. J. Mayer and others
here can attest to that fact.
I did not sit down and nurse
my spleen, but worked for the
man that turned me down, be-
cause | knew the State owed him
much for his anti-lottery fight
and for the Constitutional Con-
vention of 1898.
I went to work on the farm
from 1896 to 1900, when | ran
for Sheriff. In that election |
supported Judge Lewis and have
done so every time he ran. Mr..
w. B. Lewis was employed by
me as a deputy court crier Or
taller from 1901 until sickness
caused him to leave for his
health. never discharged him
to a certainty. Lewis & Lewis
have heen NV LAWYERS since my
election in 1900.
The assessment polls of 1895
or 1896 do not disclose the prop,
erty owned by my opponent when
he made his appearance on the
scene in 1896. If he had nc
property to protect he had some
other motive. [ had property
and a motive too. The motive
was, that whilst | might not OBJ
iect to a mans selling his vote,
greatly cared about being IN
Guided in the sale.
My opponent at that time as
witnesses saith wanted to head
mob to kill Mr.. Thos. Fl. Lewis,
and the undersigned stayed al
Mr.. Lewis house more than one
night, to if need be, die with his
old friend. My opponent had
right to take whatever side he
pleased, and so had [.
If I were an Indian, would be
as the murky waters of the Red
If | were a negro | would be as
black as Crubus, but as | was
VI white | had to stand for thai
race without fear or favor.
have never drawn one drop OF
white blood for a white man,
and I certainly won't do it fol
any other race, and | want the
coming generation to bear thai
in mind.
I expected to be assassinated II
this campaign, for | take it tha'
if a man will try to ~assassinate
character, there would be NJ
compunctions of conscience to d.
a man up. My opponent tried
and so did some of his country
friends, to entice my jailor Il
break with me, but F. L. Douce'
was too honorable for that.
have it from the best authority
that the gentleman has promised