Year: 1876

Is b eplflt OF laWl0sen6eS ABROAD, encOUr-
aged by Democratic politicians of the
worst sort for selfish ends, devilishness go
terrible that it can not be put down now by
well disposed citizens, and worse is to come
The hanging of five colored men at Mount
Pleasant, near Port Hudson, a week since,
is but a sample. Except for selfdefense
there can be no excuse for murder. The
white Regulators do murder with the great
est relish, and seldom seek for an excuse
until the murders have been committed.
They killed John Gair, and they hung his
sister while in the custody of the sheriff


because these two persons were suspected
of poisoning a white citizen. The white
citizen is alive and we'll enough to-day; but
it is not well enough with the dead victims
of the mad men, and it is not we'll enough
with the bulldozing community whose
stained and bloody hands will never be
clean, and which hands are yet ready to
do further deeds of violence.


AS in case of the Gair murder, there was
no excuse for the quintupled murder at


Mount Pleasant. II is alleged, according
to Major Bascom's apology for the muir
derers, that one James Ellis, colored, was
shot by band of colored Regulat ors.
Ellis was known in his neighborhood as a
bad man. A few nights previous to the
night on which Ellis was shot he had at
tempted the life of one Of his fellows. 1t
was cowardly and wicked act to shoot
Ellis, and the man who did the deed, be
he white or black, should be punished ac-
cordlng to his deserts. The bulldozing


Regulators hung five men for the murder
of Ellis, men said to belong to secret So
ciety organized for mutual protection in a
parish where Regulators are allowed to
ride, and where human life is held as
worthless. There are several good reasons
why the five men should not have been
hung for the murder of Ellis. This
first is, they we're hung by strangers,
who had no business to be there;
and without an investigation by officers of
the law; it is certain that five men were not
guilty of killing one man, though four out
of five might have been accessories; there
is nothing to chow that Ellis was not shot
by white men, one of the strangers who did
the deed for the very purpose of bringing
about the after result of negro numbering
called riot and ret1ibution; the most i'm
portant reeson why the five men should not
have been hung for the murder of Ellis, is
the fact that Ellis is not dead! He was
wounded, as we have been informed, but
survives. That is small matter, however,
in the opinion of the White League Regu-
lators. They rode out to kill; they rode out
to break up the prosperous colony of col
ored planters at Mount Pleasant: they
brought terror to the neighborhood they
visited; they rioted and murdered, and rode
back to their officers to receive congratula
tiors and brevets for brave and meritorious
conduak while obeying orders.


Ircideutal to the main tragedies may be
mentioned the brutal and criminal treat
ment practiced on Rev. Minor Holmes and
others in a church at Port Hudson. Minor
Holmes is colored Baptist preacher, who
inherited his religion, integrity and good
character from a pious family of note in
Virginia. He is not politician. He owns
q little place of ten acres, rents ten djoin
ing acres, in East Feliciana, and has eight
head of stock. Holmes works his crop on
week days and breaches to his people on
Sundays. AS an example of an honest,
hardworking mon, and useful citizen, he
is the peer of any white Regulator who ever
shouldered a shotgun in the Felicianas.


On aturday afternoon Holmes left his
home and went to Slaughter's warehouse
and store, which is at Port Hickey, about
mile from Mount Pleasant. While trad.
ing at the store he first learned that Ellis
had been shot on the night previous. The
citizens were trying to find out who the
assassin was, and the young Mr.. Slaughter
told Holmes to get in his buggy with him
and 60 to Port Hudson, as the people
would inquire what he knew about the
matter. Holmes still regards Mr.. Slaugh-
ter as his friend, and it appears that neither
suspected harm. Arriving at Port Hudson,
zens-men he knew and who knew him
and he remained unharmed at Campbelrs 3
store during the night Of Saturday and the
most Of the following day. About five
o'clock Sunday afternoon he was in
formed that the people were satisfied he
had nothing to do with the secret
order at Mount Pleasant. and that he should
be protected. BY this time the strangers
had arrived, armed Regulators, no less than
hundred in number. Robert Young, Cap
tain Keller, Scott McVeigh, Captain Lin.
year. and other citizens of Port Hudson ap.
peared particularly anxious to protect the
fourteen men in custody, and took them to
the white Baptist church, and placed q
guard over them, feeling that the strangers
meant mischief About twelve of the strange
Regulators pushed aside the guard at the
church door some time near midnight, and
demanded the names of the men put in the
church for safety. Learning that Holmes
was a well known preacher, one of the bull
dozers said, "Let US hang the damned
preacher, any way. 1t was preacher who
made fuss at Woodville" The rufians
had ropes with them, and first put
one around the neck of yellow
man named Tucker. The rope was
passed over a beam which crossed the
church near the pulpit, and Tucker was
put to the torture Of being lifted once or
twice, but was not much h9rt. The brutes
then made Tucker, who wal nearly fright
ened to death, put the rope around the
neck of Rev. Mr.. Holmes. Holmes heard
the order given to pull on the rope an
knew no more until he came to his senses