DeSoto Parish, Louisiana; Parish Court 1843 - 1890 (names of judges, attorneys, jurors, clerks, recorders, assessors, superintendents, coroners, elected officials, elections, and politics --------------------------------- Submitted by Gaytha Carver Thompson Typed by Trudy Marlow ************************************************ Submitted to the LAGenWeb Archives ********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ********************************************** COURT: The first record of the parish court of De Soto is dated June 5, 1843. James Welsh, parish judge, presided. Louis Demas Bossier qualified as sher- iff, and Cesaire Flores as deputy. Judge Welsh qualified before Judge W. Jenkins, of Caddo, May 2, 1843. Dr. William Long, an Irishman, the first court clerk, qualified before Judge Welsh, May 26; M. C. Williams, G. W. Airey, J. A. Gam- ble, Simon De Soto and T. D. Hailes, justices of the peace, May 5; C. W. H. Haislip and Jerry Keefe, as constables, June 17; J. E. Cunningham, as deputy sheriff, and Jacob D. Wemple, as deputy clerk, on June 5, 1843. The first cases were pre- sented August 7: Javis Andrews vs. Samuel Will- lams, and J. C. Porter & Co. v& Moses C. Williams. Judgment by default in the first case, and dismissal in the second resulted. S. P. Jones and J. B. Elam were the attorneys present. The district court journal opens May 2, 1844; J. G. Campbell was judge, and W. L. Tuomey district attorney. The grand jury comprised C. A. Edwards, Isaac Hesser, Hosea Ibarbo, Rosemond Chamard, Thomas P. Hall, E. D. Anderson, George G. Haden, Robert Haden, George T. Phelps, Nau- flet Sandefer, James Somerill, Philip Flores, H. Wagley, Lertin Rambin and Felix Hesser. On May 14 one William D. Murphy, a native of Kil- dare County, Ireland, petitioned to be made a citizen, and his prayer was granted. In 1845 F. R. Houston was district attorney, and later C. Chaplin filled the position in the absence of Houston. A number of indictments for assault and battery were presented this year, and in December the certificate of the Supreme Court, admitting Elisha Basse, an attorney, was presented. Robert E. Davis was indicted for murder at this time. Sabine, De Soto and Red River form the (then) new Ninth Judicial District. The judges of the district courts who presided at Mansfield since 1844, are named as follows: James G. Campbell, 1844; James Taylor, Six- teenth District, 1846; E. R. Olcott, Seventeenth District, special, 1848; Bullard, Sixteenth District, 1850; Roland Jones, Seventeenth District, special; H. M. Spofford, Eighteenth District, special, 1853; H. A. Drew, Seventeenth District, special, 1854; T. T. Land, Eighteenth District, special, 1854; William B. Egan, Seventeenth District, special, 1857; David Cresswell, Eighteenth District, 1857; Roland Jones, Eighteenth District, 1860; A. B. Levisee, Tenth District, 1868; C. D. Bullock, spe- cial, 1871; R. J. Looney, 1873; C. Chaplin, 1875; J. H. Sutherlin, special, 1876; David Pearson, Seventeenth District, 1877; J. L. Logan, 1880; E. W. Sutherlin and W. P. Hall, special, 1880; S. L. Taylor, First District, 1881; J. B. Elam, special, 1881;. C. M. Pegues, special, 1882, and W. P. Hall, in 1884; Judge Hicks, special, 1884. The members of the old and present bar are named as follows: S. P. Jones, J. B. Elam (died in 1885), W. L. Tuomey, F. R. Houston, C. Chaplin, Elisha Basse, W. J. Hamilton, W. F. T. Bennett, James Welsh, John H. Townsend, J. H. Sutherlin, J. H. Kilpatrick, A. R. Mitchell, R. J. Looney, Sam Wells, J. L. Logan (died in 1886), C. M. Pegues, C. D. Bullock, R. Mundy, John L. Scales (died in 1880), J. F. Bell, W. H. Wise, W. P. Hall, Edgar W. Sutherlin, J. C. Pugh, J. B. Lee and Henry T. Liverman. The office of district clerk was held by Dr. William Long in 1843-45; J. D. Wemple, 1846- 54; J. H. Sutherlin, 1854-67; W. B. Taylor, 1868-71; W. C. Reynolds, 1872-80; L. M. How- ard, 1880-84, and G. H. Sutherlin, 1885-90. The sheriffs were L. D. Bossier in 1843; H. H. Womack, 1846; Ben Youngblood, 1850; J. H. Dillard, 1852; T. J. Williams, 1858; J. W. Elam, 1863; Boling Williams, 1865; Robert T. Carr, 1868; w. p. Sample, 1874; J. J. Yarbrough, 1879, and L. H. Huson, 1888. The recorders of the parish were James Welsh in 1843; M. W. Holman, 1846; John H. Quarles, 1848; W. McMichael, 1850; W. R. Jackson, 1851; S. F. Smith, 1854, followed by W. R. Jackson and D. M. Heriot, who was serving when the office was abolished. J. Douglass, D. D. C. C., signs the record of deeds in April, 1880, for the district clerk, who is ex-officio recorder under the constitution of 1879. The assessors in the order of service were James E. Cunningham, Cesaire Flores, H. Har- ville, L. B. Camp, Ben Youngblood, Samuel F. Smith, J. H. Sutherlin, W. K. Brown, Hilaire. Flores, J. B. Moore, J. P. McElroy, S. H. Town. send, T. W. Brodnax and R. A. DeWeese. D. M. Heriot is the present assessor. The superintendents of schools have been T. P. Hall, G. S. Hart, A. S. Flower, A. H. Thig- pin and J. Douglass. The coroners were J. J. Clow, 1847; A. R. Mitchell, 1850; E. G. Betts, 1851; J. G. Steel, 1854; W. S. Donaldson, 1867; 5. F. Walker, 1880-88, while the office of surveyor has been held by J. L. Cole, J. Wemple, S. L. Wagley and J. W. Pitts. In 1851 T. T. Williamson received a majority vote for representative and Isaac Morse for Con- gress. In June, 1852, J. B. Elam was elected delegate from the senatorial district, but D. F. Roysden at- tended, and D. B. McMillan, from the parish, to the Constitutional Convention. In 1847, when C. M. Pegues came, Henry Phillips was representative and served in both houses until 1860. Joseph B. Elam, Jacob D. Wemple, William T. Fortson, D. B. McMillan, L. L. Tompkies and D. A. Blackshire were early representatives. Samuel Clark was senator, succeeded by Henry Marshall. In 1861 J. B. Elam was representative and with Dr. Chapman was Re-elected in 1863. Henry Marshall was elected a member of the Confederate Congress in 1861. J. B. Elam and T. M. Gatlin were chosen in 1865. In 1860 there were 634 votes recorded for Breckinridge, 364 for Bell and 2 for Douglas. J. B. Elam, Y. W. Graves and Henry Marshall signed the ordinance of secession as representa- tives of De Soto. In the convention of 1864 De Soto was not represented, but in that of 1868 M. H. Twitchell was the representative. In 1879 M. J. Cunningham and R. B. Stille represented the dis- trict and E. W. Sutherlin and B. F. Jenkins, the parish. William W. Pugh was speaker of the House from 1856 to 1859; C. M. Pegues was clerk in 1879; Mortimer Carr was speaker in 1870-73. This Carr represented De Soto in 1868-70, al- though he never saw the parish. The Starlight campaign was introduced in 1871-72. Wiggins (colored) and Bill Peyton (white) were representatives, vice Elam and Stephenson counted out, and Maj. Twitchell, sen- ator. In 1872 Wiggins died and Robert T. Carr was chosen to fill vacancy. In 1872 Carr (white) and Dave Johnson (colored) were elected. John L. Scales and Charles Schuler were elected in 1874, and Twitchell was declared senator. In 1873 the ballot boxes were taken to the Starlight plan- tation by Twitchell and DeWeese and J. D. Wem- ple and John Wagner, elected representatives, were counted out. They would not permit any white man to be present. In 1876 George I. Pitts and James T. Means were chosen representatives and Joseph M. Cun- ningham, vice Blunt, senator; B. F. Jenkins and S. S. Potts in 1878; S. C. Hall and W. C. Harris Were elected in 1880; J. H. Sandiford and Boling Williams were elected senators in 1878; George Graham and W. H. Davis were chosen in 1882; E. W. Sutherlin and B. W. Marston, senators; B. F. Jenkins and W. C. Harris were chosen representatives, and Joseph Henry and J. Fisher Smith (succeeding Sutherlin) senators in 1886. In January, 1866, a number of citizens was ar- rested by Federal troops, charged with being ac- cessories in the murder of a colored woman of De Soto in November, 1865. This was followed by several arrests for alleged political offenses. In 1868 the negroes attempted to terrorize the peo- ple and assembled in force at stated times. On one occasion, while the public square was filled with the new citizens, J. B. Hewitt and John Sheppard, then devils in the Times office, equipped a roller-mold on R. J. Bowman's patent wheels, in cannon-shape, and turned it on the crowd, scar- ing them into dispersM. In 1870 the Radicals appointed two or three polling places in the parish. George Washington, a genial negro, was candidate for representative, but Mortimer Carr was elected. This strange re- sult was effected through the gullibility of George Washington. It appears Carr was present at Starlight plantation and gave out the Radical tickets. In doing so he would assure the negroes that George Washington was the candidate, cau- tioning them at the same time not to show the tickets as their enemies might undo their votes. George Washington was also present, and in his most courteous way would tell the negroes to step up to "Mista" Carr's box and get their tickets. Dr. Chapman and some white men from Mansfield went to Starlight through curiosity, and the Doctor, suspecting that something was wrong, got young Hewitt to snatch a few tickets, and thereon the name of Mortimer Carr was printed. George was very much irritated, and told the negroes to stop voting, but Mortimer had carried his point, and, with the boxes in possession of his friends, he was declared elected, and ultimately chosen speaker of the House. The evening of that election it was moved and seconded to attack the Starlight plant- ation institution, and put press, ballots, Radicals and all in the river; Col. Hollingsworth was to lead. The expedition was ready, and would have carried out the plan had not Joseph B. Elam prevailed upon the daring men to have patience. In 1872 the Knights of the White Camelia League were organized for protective purposes, with Dr. Du Bose, president. About this time the plan of holding elections in the court room at Mansfield was abolished, and a window in the clerk's office selected as the place for recording the votes. This dissatisfied the negroes, who left town in a body, but returned armed. At the same time a company of United States cavalry, under Maj. Hutchinson, came in. J. B. Elam made a con- ciliatory speech and the cavalry dispersed the ne- groes. The cavalry arrived in time to prevent a bloody riot, for both negroes and whites were well prepared to try their strength; while at Pleasant Hill John E. Hewitt notified the settlers to be pre- pared for battle.