New Articles from the Ouachita Telegraph and Louisiana Intelligencer April 1868 – October 1887 Date: Oct 2000 Submitted by: Lora Peppers ********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ********************************************** The Louisiana Intelligencer Wednesday, April 22, 1868 Murder in Morehouse. Franklin Sinclair, who was one of the candidates to represent Ouachita parish in the lower branch of the Legislature of this State, was killed near Linngrove, on Wednesday last, in the parish of Morehouse, while riding along the road, in company with another colored man. There is mystery in this foul deed, and as murder will out, we hope soon to be able to place the facts before our readers. The murdered man was one of the best educated colored men in the community, had excellent qualities of head and heart, was a friend both to the whites and colored. Saturday, February 12, 1870 MURDER. — Anderson Slaughter, a freedman, murdered his father on the 28th ult., on the Greensboro plantation, near Vienna, and is now at large. Anderson is of dark complexion; 5 feet, 7 inches high; weighs 145 pounds, and is rather slow motioned. He was raised by Mr. J. Colvin, near Vienna. Col. Allen Green has offered a reward of $25 for his delivery in Vienna. The Ouachita Telegraph Saturday, May 6, 1871 CONCORDIA The discordant females of the colored race in Concordia persist in slaying each other. Here is another outrage chronicled by the Herald: A colored woman by the name of Becky Allen, living on the Pittsfield plantation in this parish, while standing in the door of her house on Sunday last, in apparently good health, fell dead. Coroner Randall held an inquest, and from certain facts illicted there was a presumption that her death was caused by a blow received at the hands of one Celia Smith, who is now confined in the parish jail awaiting the arrival of witnesses previous to preliminary examination before Judge Reber. The Ouachita Telegraph Saturday, December 16, 1882 A DOUBLE MURDER. A most brutal double murder was committed in this parish on Saturday the 3rd inst. By a man named John Morgan. He had a man with him by the name of Crump who seemed to enjoy the sport. John Morgan went to the house of Lewis Stewart, a colored man, to buy a beef, and after the beef was dressed and delivered to Morgan, he told him that he never intended to pay for it, and was about to leave when a son of Lewis Stewart picked up Morgan’s gun, and told him that he would keep the gun until he paid for the beef. Morgan then put the beef down from his wagon and demanded his gun. Seeing Morgan begin to insert other cartridges in his gun the young man fled. The old man stepped out and said: “Please don’t shoot my son.” At which Morgan turned and shot the old man, killing him instantly. He then went to the store of W.W. Jackson where he saw a colored man named Morris Brown sitting on a bale of cotton. He raised his gun and said I have killed one nigger and now will kill another, and immediately shot and killed Morris Brown. It is said there is a reward for him for committing a murder in Texas where he resided last year. He was raised in this country, but went to Texas where h resided for a few years, and returned here about a year ago. He and his man Crump are suspected to be the men that robbed the stage last winter, as they answer well to the description, and live only a few miles from where the stage was robbed. It will be remembered that the men who committed the robbery were not traced out of the parish. He is supposed to be yet in the country. The sheriff and his posse are still searching for him. – Webster Tribune. NOTE: Morgan was killed by a posse of citizens in Sabine parish (Saturday, January 20, 1883, page 1, Column 6) The Ouachita Telegraph Saturday, July 24, 1886 ASCENSION. Sampson Rowland and George Salomon, both colored, were hung at Donaldsonville, Friday, 16th inst., for murder. Saturday, July 31, 1886 MADISON Jack Scott, colored, was last week found guilty of murdering a young colored boy named Alf Jones on May 8th last, over a quarrel about a five cents game of craps. Saturday, October 23, 1886 DESOTO. Reeves Smith, a negro fiend who attempted to outrage a respectable white lady near Mansfield on the 6th inst., was taken from the parish jail and hung last Monday night. Saturday, October 23, 1886 MOREHOUSE. A negro laborer, on the Miles place, Harry Scott, while drunk, sat down on the curb of a well and went to sleep. He fell into the well and was drowned. Saturday, November 27, 1886 Page 2, Column 5 WEBSTER. Last Saturday night a small party of masked men broke into the home of Elias Simmons, a peaceable darky, living about two miles from Minden, and shot him to death. It was a brutal and unwarranted murder, and is exciting much interest, especially as persons in good standing here are implicated. The case is a strange one, and the cause of the murder, as yet, is a mystery. The Ouachita Telegraph Saturday, October 15, 1887 Page 2, Column 6 MADISON. The hanging of Andrew Fleming, which is to take place on the 21st, does not appear to deter others from killing; two violent deaths have occurred in this parish within a week of each other; one on the Waterford plantation, in which case the manager of the plantation – a white man – killed a negro named Reuben Savage, and the other in the Mound neighborhood, where a colored man killed a colored woman. – Times. The Ouachita Telegraph Saturday, December 15, 1888 Page 2, Column 4 CATAHOULA. Another Assassination. Information reached this city yesterday of the assassination on Saturday evening last, in Catahoula parish, three miles below Harrisonburg, of Mr. R.N. Stegall, who formerly lived in Natchez. The report as it came to us, is to the effect that on Saturday last, Mr. Stegall, who has been residing at or near Trinity, went to Harrisonburg on business. He was returning to his home in the afternoon, and when about three miles below Harrisonburg, he was shot by some one in ambush on the roadside, the weapon used being a shot-gun, his right side being torn to pieces by the discharge, and he being knocked off his horse. While in the throes of death his assassin stepped up to him, and, placing a revolver to his forehead, fired two more shots into the dying man’s head, thus completing his awful work. The shots appear to have attracted attention, and the assassin hearing assistance coming, incontinently fled, leaving his shot gun behind, which it is hoped may lead to his identification. Mr. Stegall was a quiet, inoffensive man, and it was not thought that he had an enemy in the world. He lived at one time in Natchez, being the engineer at the ice factory and doing other work here, and was well thought of. He leaves a large family who were entirely dependent upon him for support, and they will perhaps suffer. While no motive has been ascribed for the crime, there are certain parties suspected (said to have gone over to Catahoula from Natchez,) and they will be arrested when found, if, indeed, they have not already been taken into custody. – Natchez Democrat. Noah Tayor, a worthless negro living at Harrisonburg, was arrested the day after the murder on suspicion, and the evidence pointing to his guilt, he was taken from jail and lynched by a mob. The Ouachita Telegraph Saturday, October 22, 1887 Page 2, Column 6 LINCOLN. Wright Pierce, a colored man living on the D’Arbonne, about 14 miles from this place, had his house and contents and three of his little children burned to ashes on Saturday evening last while he and his wife were in the field picking cotton.