The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1914-03-14


The following account of tn,
Colfax riot contains such a glar
ing misstatement of some of thu
occurrences on that memorable
Easter Sunday of April IL, 1873
and does such injustice to a ma,
jority of the whites who took
part in that unfortunate conflict,
that, for the purpose of correc.
ton, we publish the article entire.
1t is from the N. O. Mascot OF
May 81, 1882;
During the summer of 1873, in the
town of Colfax, parish of Grant, the
nation was thrilled by one of the most
frightful massacres ever recorded in
the annals of this State.
According to the published state
ments Of the time, a negro ring leader,
named Ward, undertook to take forci-
bic possession of the parish offices of
Grant, and install negro incumbents,
claiming to be elected in opposition to
Judge Rutland, and other white parish
officers, who held commissions from
w. P. Kellogg, then Governor of Lou
isiana.
The testimony elected at the trial of
the case, before the u. S. District
Court in this city, was to the effect.
that Ward and gang of negroes claim
ed to be legally elected officers of
Grant parish, after taking forcible pos
session in several instances, were fin
ally driven by the infuriate whites, into
building, formerly sugar house in
the town of Colfax, which was then
used as a court house. This edifice
was surrounded and fired by the whites.
and the negroes who attempted to es-
cape were at once seized and stood in a
long line, each being securely pinioned,
After remaining in standing position
several hours the signal was at last
given, and the massacre commenced.
The row of negroes were shot to pieces
where they stood, and the slaughter be-
coming general, negroes throughout
the parish were shot on sight. If the
writer be not mistaken in the summary,
one hundred and twenty dusky corpses
in one heap told the dismal story, and
for days together the birds of prey in
the parish Toasted upon negro carrion.
The individual directly responsible for
this horrible butchery, whose fiendish
brain conceived the murder, and who,
with deliberate deviltry, carried it into
execution, is person named to The
Mascot by a prominent Republican,
who makes not the slightest objection
to the use of his name, and expressed
to The Mascot his entire willingness to
testify under oath to the exact truth of
the revelation be is about to make. To
quote substantially the gentleman's
very words, he said:
lone day in the spring of 1873. l
was sitting in the Office of w. p KEEL
logg, Governor of Louisiana, when
Ward, colored member of the Legis-
lature. and colored political leader
in Grant parish, entered the Governor
Office, with the commissions of the
newly elected Republican parish officers,
which had just been received from the
Office of the Secretary of State I
heard w. P. Kellogg direct Ward to
deliver those commissions to the parties
designated, in person, and say to each
of them that he. Kellogg, expected
them to take possession of their Offices
and exercise their fullest functions,
even if in exerting their authority it
were necessary to resort to evidence. I
heard Ward ask Kellogg if he were au-
To tell these men that they
would be sustained by the Executive
of the State, and Kellogg replied, IF
will sustain them with the
entire militia force under my command.
Ward had scarcely left. when Judge
parish judge, and the Demo- |
cratic leader in Grant, made his appear
ance in the Governors Office. He also
had an entire set of commissions issued
to white Democratic officers of Grant |
parish. Kellogg intimated, in unmis-
taxable language. to Judge Rutland,
that the Democratic party claimed a
of the votes cast in Grant.
and that he had commissioned them,
but that their ability to retain the Of
ices would depend upon their exhibi-
lion of pluck. Feeling satisfied that a |
fearful conflict of Races was about to 1
be precipitated. called at the office of |
the Secretary of state, and discovered I
that two sets of commissions, one DEM |