St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1918-08-10
SHERIFF FDNTENOT
REPLIES TO HIS
PORT BARRE CRITICS
Parish official Tells Why He Ap-
pointed Davis Walters as
His Deputy
SLAYER OF FoRET WAS
AN OFFICER, SAYS SHERIFF
AS Such Was Entitled to Commission
and appointment was Following
Out Custom in Making Such
Selections

Last week The Clarion published
the resolutions adopted at a meeting
of the citizens of Port Barre anent
the recent homicide in that village in
which Marshal Forrest was killed by
Deputy Sheriff Davis Walters. The
resolutions were in part a caustic
criticism of Sheriff Fontenot and the
sheriff answers them in an open let
ter which The Clarion gladly pub
fishes, as it wishes to give both sides
to this unfortunate affair Mr.. Fon-
tenot's letter, sent to this office last
Wednesday, follows:
Opelousas, La, august Z, 1919.
Editor OF The Clarion, City.
Dear Sir--My attention has been
called to the resolutions published
in the last issue of your paper and
puporting to have been adopted at an
alleged indignation meeting held in
Port Barre, La, in protest over the
death Of Mr.. Marshal Foret; and in
order to keep the record straight and
in fairness to myself, I would ask
that you kindly give me space in your
next issue to answer the same.
In the first place wish to state
that / deplore ais much as any man
ia Port Barre this and the other re-
cent tragedies that have happened
III that community. / feel sure that
the good people Of Port Barre are
not In favor of taking advantage of
incidents like these to make political
or play politics. Secondly, | wish to
congratulate and thank the many
citizens OF that community who re-
fused to attach their names to the
said petition.
The attempt to blame me for the
killing because the man Walters, who
did the shooting, held q commission
as deputy sheriff fails flat when the
facts are known When this man
Walters applied to me for commits
sion he secured the same for the rea-
son that he was at that time spe-
cial police officer of the Town of Port
Barre and justly entitled to COM
mission from me so that he could
properly perform his duties as a
town officer by being enabled to
pursue the malfactors beyond the
corporate limits The chairman and
other prime movers of the alleged
meeting were on the board of alder
men of the Town of Port Barre at
that time. Walters exhibited to me
his special police badge and asked
for commission. | did by this Of
ffcer of Port Barre as have done by
the other officers of other towns.
These indignant Port Barre gentle
men who knew Walters best, who
lived where he lived, and who
thought him good enough to have
position from the town certainly
ought to be the last people in the
parish to become Indignant be
cause under the circumstances he
held a commission as deputy sheriff.
Walters, as far as can learn, was
never suspicioned as being "gun"
man although he was reared In that
community Yet, passing strange as
It may seem, some OF these indignant
and aggressive signers OF the reso-
luton aimed at Walters were silent,
dumb and inactive when man was
killed at the table in the hotel man
aged by the Mayor OF the town. In
fact dame rumor had 1t that they
were in sympathy with the defendant
and even at one time contemplated
a petition or resolution In his be
half. The indignant gentlemen
should remember that all men are
equal before the law and not reso-
lutte against one even before the Cor
oner has held the inquest and en-
devor to justify the other, as It is
alleged some Of them did, before the
jury has passed upon it.
/ propose to do my duty in this
case as / have tried to do 1t in the
Others without regard to the resolu-
tion Of the Indignant gentlemen
who are responsible for the alleged
meeting. The patriotic and INDIG-
NANT GENTLEMEN should not for.
get that a fair and impartial execu-
tion of the law is more to be de-
sired than the future political for
tunes OF any individual. Petty spite