The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1912-05-25
A History of the Colfaxl Riot
Correcting the Msstatement that it Was Massacre
of Innocent Negroes by Whites Without Cause or
Any Grounds or Warrant of Justification.
trrom The colfan La.l Chronicle. June 3. lsss.l


ship at the time of the riot were Judge
A. Cazabat, Democrat, and Shep. Will
liams, Republican. In the controversy,
Judge Rutland, who sympathized with
the whites, made visit to New Or
leans in their behalf, as stated by the
Mascot. After the riot Rutland aban-
doned the Republican party and became
a Democrat.
The second, most glazing and unjust
statement, is as to the manner in which
the negroes were killed. In order to
put our account of this affair in con-
nected shape, we will rehearse all the
important occurrences of the day and of
few days previous. To begin with,
the condition of affairs were about as
stated by the Mascot, namely, two sets
of officers, one Democrat, the other
Republican, held Kellogg's commissions,
and had been instructed by him to hold
their places by force Unnecessary. The
whites secured possession first, and
were soon driven off by mob of ne
groes, who installed their officers. A
meeting of the whites (Democrats)
was called for the first day of April, to
assemble at Colfax, to consider the
propriety, and the best measures to
pursue, in order to gain possession of
the parish government. The negroes,
to the number of two hundred or more
assembled at Colfax early on the morn
ing of the first. They were nearly all
armed, and exhibited their weapons
with such freedom and made such open
threats of violence in case the whites
attempted to hold their meeting, that,
although large number of whites came
to town to attend the meeting, it was
deemed best not to assemble. This ac-
ton of the whites seemed to give the
negroes greater confidence and they
began to boast and make direful threats
that they would kill all the white men
and take the women and raise up new
people. In the next four or five days
several hundred negro men, women and
children gathered at Colfax, all making
the most terrible threats and conduct
ing themselves in such an insolent
and violent manner that the whites be-
came terrorized and fled from their
homes under cover of night. The ne
groes finding the houses vacated broke
them open and took possession, rifling
the stores and residences of everything
in them. Their acts of vandalism dur
ing these days of terror almost beggar
description. In the house of Judge
Rutland they found coffin containing
the remains of a child, awaiting trans
! portation, which was ruthlessly thrown
into the yard, face downward, and the
lid broken nearly off. Among the cata-
logue of crimes committed by them
was robbery, rape, and murder. The
whites were terror stricken and the
alarm spread into adjoining parishes
like wild fire. The call of the citizens
of Grant parish for help was responded
to by the adjoining parishes, who sent
about two hundred men to their assist
ance. These men encamped within two
miles of Colfax on the 9Th of April,
and demand was made on the negroes
to disband and give up the offices and
records of the parish then in their pos
session. This they refused to do, and
set to work throwing up breastworks,
saying they proposed to fight it out.
Capt. C. C. Nash, who is at this time
a resident merchant at Colfax, was the
acknowledged leader of the whites, be-
ing the sheriff elected by them, and he
made repeated demands for the negroes
to disband or he would attack them and
drive them away by force. Day after
day the same demand was made ant
refused. Thus things went on unit
the morning of Easter Sunday, Apri
18th, 1873, when the negroes were
notified to dispense, or else to remove
their children, as an attack would bs
made on the breastworks. The negroe.
sent off their women and children ant
manned their Notifications. The two
opposing forces were somewhat reduced
in numbers, owing to the fact that the
attack had been delayed so long the,
|, thought there would be no fight, and ,
large number of men had left and gon,
home. At the time the fight com
menced, little after 10 o'clock a. m.
there were about $50 white men, som'
25 of whom were kept detailed to holt
the horses, and about $50 negroes be
, hind the intrenchments. A kind o
| sL irrnish uas lanf nm all dau unit