Hide Article Text (OCR)
The Trouble an the Parish of Si. Marlin.last di.v par-pur- in-Col.Jl'roin tlult; lUoriu Prr»)m*«-*, May lotli.lTlm trouble existing in the parish of .St. .Martin, sprung out of the refusal of | Mr. Ponrnet to give uu the office of ' Clerk of Court, (of which he was then the iueumlient) to Mr. Yenzcy. who, as Ml*. Founiet himself acknowledges, was fairly elected to that position at the last election. Mr. Fournct’s excuse for not giving up the Office to the Clerk-elect. was that lie does not recognize Kellogg as the Governor of the State oV Louisiana, niul therefore, would not give it up to any out* holding a commission from him. Mr. Yeazey; failing to obtain possession of the office by amicable means, and not wishing to resort to force or violent measures to get possession of it. concluded to wait niit.il the opening of the District Court, by Judge Train, in that Parish, when, lie imagined, he could he placed in possession by legal or.iudicial measures without any trouble. Hut this hope vanished as the term for holding that Court drew near; fora few days before the first day of the term, which was last Monday, he wo* assured that Mt. Fonmet and his frieuds would not recognize Judge Train, nor would they obey any order emanating from his court. Kuow*-ing that the difficulty which he had thereto studiously avoided, would arise even from the attempt to execute the orders of the court for the purpose of placing him in possession of his office, and determined to avoid it if possible, for he knew that if it once started it would culminate in bloodshed, lie applied to Gov. Kellogg for troops, thinking their presence in his town would conserve the peace of the parish, enable the District Court to hold its session quietly and give force and efficacy to its^namhites. Gov. Kellogg seeing from the statement of Mr. Veuzey and other gentlemen ol the parish, that there existed an absolute necessity for troops there, sent up (Jen. Badger with one hundred and twcuty-live State militia men (or Metropolitans as they are called here) and one piece of artillery. Gen Badger at the head of this detachment arrivud here early last Sunday morning, and after tarrying an hour or two, left for St. Martinville. The Founiet *, in riie meantime, were not idle. Learning that this militia force was coining they and their friends headed by Col. De-Bbmc met at the Courthouse 011 Saturday night, organized and patched parties lo the neighboring tshes to solicit assistance for the pose of enabling them to rei»el t Invaders. The exact strength of JtaBlnnc's force 011 ■Sunday morning, we have* not yet been able to ascertain, but it is opposed that be had from one hundred and titty to two hundred moo. With this force, however, he left the town, 011 the approach of Gen. Badger, and marclied out to the Cypress Island about three miles where, ho has remained ever since. Geu. Badger, meeting 110 opposition marched into town and took possession!! of the Courthouse. Saturday night, between the hours o! two and three o'clock, two of tbo State troops, while on picket duty, were approached bv a party of six or seven men, walking behind their horses. On being halted by the two pickets, thus party fired upon them, wounding both—one severely but not mortally, the other slightly. The party then retreated rapidly leaving two of the horses two i gnus and a pistol, all of which were • lobnd next morning by the pickets who : replaced the Wounded ones. After this, all was quiet until Tuesday night almuf two o’clock w hen Gen. Badger find his cannon once in the direction, he understood the Col’s force was approaching. This, of course, startled all tho men, women and children in town from their sluniliers, and caused no little excitement and 1111 easiness. No more tiring of ennnon. nor skirmishing, until four o'clock in the evening of Wednesday, when Gen. Badger took with him sixty of Ilia men and field piece and marched-to tlic distance of a mile from town in the direction of Col. DeBlanc’s ramp. The Col. seeing Gen. Badger's approach, deployed his men, and attempted to cut him off from town, hut n half dozen rounds of shell from Badger’s 12-| mu in dor foiled this piece of strategy and prevented it from being crowned with the success anticipated. After this Gen. Badger having accom-lished his object, returned to town, yesterday and the day before, the opposing forces remained in their camps quietly and harmlessly watching each Others movements. At a late hour yesterday evening, Maj. Long*treot. son of Gen. Longstreot, arrived hero with fifty mounted State Militia. They came from Brashear city h.v land, there bciug, for the last three days, no lioat comniii-eation between that place and this. It is currently repotted here, that while passing through Franklin some irresponsible parties of that town manifested a disposition to oppose their march hither: lmt influenced by the sensible advise of the respectable and Inw-abiding citizens of that place, they abandoned the design. The Maj. pitched his camp a little beyond our tow n last night, and this inoriiiqg left for St. Martinsville to join Gen. Badger. A detachment of XJ. S. troops is at Brashear City, awaiting the means of transportation to this place. They are expected here to day.All quiet bust night, and ibis morning (Saturday) in St. Martin. There may be some skirmishing this evening. lii consequence of the stupeunion of steam-bosit communication between our town and Brashear we have had no City mail for the last three or four days. The inconvenience and irreparable injury this political caprice of the A. M. T'. Co. lms caused to our citizens and the traveling public will, we hope, wrest from them the contract they have so flagrantly violated.Judge Train 011 last Monday opened his court in St. Martinsville, hut all the records of the Clerk's office, and the Mortgage books and seal of the Recorder’s having been previously abstracted, he was forced to adjourn sine die. It is rumored here as we are going to press, that Col. DeBlanc's force has dwindled down to a Corporal's gnard. We luive always maintained that the Citizens of our town nud parish are men of sense and intelligence, men who are ever ready to contribute, to, and support nnv measure, tending to the development of the moral and material growth and prosperity of the community. Men who. have minds of their owu, capable of judging for themselvea and distinguishing right from wrong and argument from fallacy; men who will not hark at the moon or go on a Don Qni-totic expedition when solicited bv Tom, Dick or Harry with the assuramje their doing so would be a their hats.’’ No. they are men of more pride, mind and independence, and this assertion of opinion of the character of the citizens of our town and parish Is fully justified and supported, bv their denunciation of the St. Martinsville trouble, winch they have looked npon as a war for office, with which, as tncy rightfully think, none lmt the parties directly interested, should have anything to dp ; and which they maintain, should be left to tho law applicable to sncli contests, to adjust. No more than twenty-five persons in this parish, have taken any active part in this straggle for office, notwithstanding a dozen of the Col’s (night) sergeants have, since its commencement been knocking at the dead hour of night at $he doors of houses waking the peaceful inmates from their sweet slumbers merely for the purpose of soliciting those of them, capable of hearing arms and mounting the Democratic war steed, to hasten to the scene of conflict there to support the Bourbon cause and hear its banner to victory. But all solicitations and earnest appeals of those “Sergeants’’failed uf the effect, so sanguinely anticipated. Our peaceable, honest sensi-hie and industrious citizens would not permit themselves to he 0 easily lured from the duty they owe to the government, to society and to their families, hv the .Siren-like voice of the Seducer. They knew the character of the St. Martin struggle and denounced all such proceedings as the worst enemy to the peace nf society and the prosperity and happiness of the State.The Latest—This (Saturday) morning at 10 A. M. the Iberia Waring a dc-tndiiuent of Fade Sam’s troops, plyed her course, quite majestically up the beautiful Teelie, to St. Martinsville. This evening, we Mippose tlm griin-visaged war’’ that has, been tor the lost, eight days, been mounting barbed steeds to frighten the souls of fearful adversaries. and that has threatened to shake the world from the center to ita circumference, will return to tho dominion of peace, to yield oWdieuce to it* civil government and laws, and where, it may w henever it feels like it, “caper Him lily in a lady’s chamber to the lascivious pleasing* of a lute.”Plsiin Talk.;From tlio Alexandria Democrat!As regards tlm affair of titty new subscribers,’’ will the public permit the Democrat to rise and explain? “in milking up a defence in the late Colfax riot. the leading citizens,** mentioned by the Republican, could not “depend with absolute certainty upon the Democrat to put forth the most plausible side* of the story. These leaders so-called had very little use for the Democrat, and fura rather lavish their “fifty dollars and fifty uew subscribers ou tin* enemy, who was supjiosed to Ik* 011 the winning side, tlinn even deign to aid or look 10 the Democrat for honest sup port, such support, as in all times and under all circumstances it has extended to and advocated the cause of the j»elt;»-n»lo. the true people of Rapides. These ew, very few* who arrogaU**‘to themselves all the honors and emoluments of the people’s triumphs and rights, had rather come to the support of their enemy and their enemy’s organ, than stand by an old and tried defender. But we u.o pleased to know* and record tlmt they have Wen justly and shamefully blasted in their poor undertaking, and come out the humbled victims of a misguided zeal in a wrong direction. The Democrat needs no dmiceue or tickling to strike in the right path, as of old and ever stands 011 its own merits and battles for the right. And above all some of onr friends w ho participated in tlm Colfax horror, need no defence at our hands, nor any white man engaged in the sacred cause that culminated victoriously at Colfax. We are pained to be forced to write thus plainly, lmt having Wen driven to the wall by those who should W onr friends, we are forced to strike some one in relieving ourselves from the mean position wo were attempted to W forced in by those, who know Wtternnd should act more consistently. They have made a serious faux jnut, which we trust they are awate of now, and we honestly forgive them the ungracious compliment to us auil our journal.Physical Resistance.—The Bossier Banuer, of tho 3d inst., says 011 this subject:Wo have heretofore Wen rather reticent upon the all-important subject of tax resistance. When we left New Orleans hist March we were somewhat disgusted with the situation. Wc felt that the people of the State, especially of tlm country parishes, had Wen trifled with, and to some extent, deceived. We were promised, before leaving our homes in January, an efficient, active and aggressive organization of the Peoples Government. After a long and weary struggle, with empty nurses and much tribulation, it was mockingly denied us. Worn out with the nmuy promises of honest action and the subterfuges resorted to defeat it; and at last humiliated with tlm Jackson square farce, we regarded the “retreat to tax resistance” as only a further artful dodge of those wlto desired to assume a virtue though they laid it not;” and we determined, and so stated there, to take no active part in it until wo were, first, satisfied tlmt its originators were in earnest; and second, that r.Wro was a Iiojh; of making the move strong enough to secure a partial success, at least. We have hesitated and awaited patiently public sentiment, because wo were unwilling to advocate physical resistance. and yet it is idle to talk of succeeding without it. If there is tax resistance there should Ik* allowed no tax sales. Our people cannot afford to Iks sold ortt of house and home, and their plows stopped in their fields. To hope for any success whatever, resistance must be made to every branch of the Kellogg usurpation, and the Mc-Enery Government organized and completed in all its departments, and actively aksert its authority. Aru wo prepared to do this ? Are we ready and willing to meet Kellogg’s militia with McEn-ery’s milit ia f No half-way measures will meet the demands of the hour. It is a fight or a foot race on one side 01* tlm other. We fear the United States bayonet; we deplore tlm state of auai-chy that might follow, and are unwilling to advise our people to that resistance which alone, if any, can give us relief. _^ 'There is not a single good reason why between the honest imoplc of this State, black and white, there should not ho harmony, and n mutual working together to put honest men in office and 'thieves in the penitentiary.It seems to me that political demagogues and dead boats, unprincipled, selfish men, seeking only office and caring nothing for the public good, have deceived and lead the people. Blacks and whites are alike interested in having honest State government, and they win have it, if they will. Then* is 110 good reason why they should not act together. They would have acted together, I believe, in the Inst campaign, had not placc-hunting politicians, who knew that were they tho imople. to act fairly and squarely together, tho party hacks were forever undone: and so mouthing wire workers and demagogues, appealing to prejudices, kept the people asunder.I am in favor of taking steps to get together representative men, honest men. of both races, that, artiugtogether as equally possessed of poljfri. nl rights in seeking one common and noble end, the good of the whole body politic, we may destroy corrupt and had men and establish decent State government, and that Iwi fell it peace and prosperity once more. “ fentlier ifff**0’ Hlwdl wo commenceTThe above is an extract from a communication in the Picayune.It cannot Im done by excluding tho negroes from office, as was done by tho Democrats in the last campaign. Thcv are two numerous to vote for the candidates of any party without being themselves represented. Sharing the officesand legislation with them, is the price of the union nlmvo called for.A pious negro woman was once caught by her master stealing a gooso, and the next Sunday she part«*ok of thecommu-niou, after which her master accosted her as follows: Why, Hannah, I suw you to-day nt the communion table. Yes, tank de lord, niassa, 1 was lowed to he there wid de rest of His family.” But. Hannah, I was surprised to sec you there, said he; hut what about that goose r She looked a little surprised, as if she did not understand the question, bat, catching flic meaning, exclaimed: Why. sgh, do you tink I’ at goin’ to let an ole goose stand between me and iny makcr I
Newspaper Details
The Opelousas Journal
Opelousas, Louisiana, US
Sat, May 17, 1873
Page 3
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
USA 19 Jun 2022
Other Publications Near Opelousas, Louisiana
The Opelousas Patriot
The Opelousas Journal
The Star Progress
Saint Landry Democrat
Saint Landry Clarion
