The Ouachita Telegraph - Oak Ridge Race Riot Date: Oct 2000 Submitted by: Lora Peppers ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ************************************************ The Ouachita Telegraph Saturday, July 2, 1887 Page 3, Column 2 *** The Oak Ridge Riot. The telegraphic account of the Oak Ridge riot have been rather meager but we are enabled to give pretty much the true details of the deplorable affair from information derived from parties from the scene of action. On the 25th ult. A negro had been arrested for an alleged criminal assault upon a white woman. Upon investigation the evidence did not disclose any criminality upon the part of the negro and he was discharged. The people of the Ridge were highly incensed against the negro, however, and that night took him out for the purpose of whipping him an forcing him to leave the country. While in the act of whipping the negro the party of whites were fired upon from ambush by a crowd of negroes headed by Jerry Baldwin. Two whites, Messrs. Baker and Gardner, were wounded. This act brought about a race issue, with dire results, and terminated as it only could, in the utter annihilation of the negroes engaged in it. After shooting into the whites as before stated, Baldwin and his crowd went to a negro cabin near by and waited for a renewal of the trouble. The whites got reinforcements and ascertaining early Monday morning, the whereabouts of Baldwin, went to arrest him and those with him. When the whites got within shooting distance of the cabin they were again fired upon by Baldwin and his crowd. G.W. Higginbotham was instantly killed and John Conger mortally wounded and Messrs. Moore, Baker and Gardner were slightly wounded. The fire was returned with deadly effect, six negroes being instantly killed. Four of the negroes who managed to escape were subsequently captured and hung. Monday two other negroes were captured and jailed. The whites held a public meeting and decided to hang one of them. This was done openly at 5 o’clock. The other negro having established his innocence was discharged. Another negro was captured the same day and hung on the banks of the Bon Idee, near Oak ridge. The total number killed was 13; 12 negroes and 1 white. John Conger, it is reported, cannot recover, being shot eleven times with buckshot. T.G. Bringham, editor of the Sentinel, was not wounded as reported. He had a narrow escape, however, his hat having been perforated. Several negroes implicated in the riot escaped but they are being pursued and if captured will be killed. *** We can't tell if this article refers to the Oak Ridge in Morehouse Parish, Jackson Parish, or Tangipahoa Parish. If anyone can tell by the names or the body of water mentioned, please let us know. Received 10/06/2005: "I just finished reading the article on the "Oak Ridge Race Riot" in the archive project on USGENWEB. At the end of the article there is a request for input as to which Oak Ridge in Louisiana this article refers. You probably know the answer by now, but I just thought I would reaffirm that this Oak Ridge is the one in Morehouse Parish. It refers to the Bonne Idee waterway, which runs through Morehouse Parish northeast of Mer Rouge. Also, the 1880 census has a number of the names mentioned in the article. Foremost of which is G.W. Higganbotham, who is listed in the 1880 census in ward 5. This ward is in the area of Oak Ridge. Helpfully, Dale Thompson" Helpful, indeed! Thanks, Dale. # # #