440 



LOUISIANA. 



Another serious disturbance occurred in the 

 streets of New Orleans on the evening of the 

 22d of September, and occasioned great excite- 

 ment among the citizens. Several colored po- 

 litical clubs halted in their parade in front of 

 a restaurant, when some indiscreet person on 

 the premises persisted in shouting for Seymour 

 and Blair. This occasioned an attack upon the 

 building and its occupants, and led to a furious 

 conflict, in which several persons were killed. 

 During the excitement which succeeded, the 

 following proclamation appeared : 



EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT, STATE OF LOUISIANA, I 

 NEW ORLEANS, September 25, 1868. f 



I call upon the good people of New Orleans to at once 

 repair to their residences, and abstain from any ex- 

 citing acts or conversation. The civil authorities are 

 capable of suppressing any difficulties that may arise, 

 and arresting any offenders, or, if found inefficient, 

 will be promptly assisted by the military. 



I call upon all political clubs to abstain from any 

 display wnatever for the present. 



H. C. WAKMOUTH, Governor of Louisiana. 



Perhaps the most serious outbreak of all was 

 that which took place at Opelousas, in the par- 

 ish of St. Landry, on the 28th of September. 

 Through that month there had been fears 

 of a collision between the hostile bands of ex- 

 treme political partisans in that parish, but the 

 most influential men of both political parties 

 had concerted measures for preserving the 

 peace, and a large mass meeting of each party 

 was held at Opelousas, without any disturbance 

 having occurred. On the 27th the editor of 

 the St. Landry Progress, a Republican news- 

 paper, was flogged into a recantation of an of- 

 fensive article published in his paper, and a re- 

 port got abroad that he had been murdered. 

 Thereupon numerous bands of armed negroes 

 marched upon the town, to the great conster- 

 nation of the citizens. The men of the village 

 went out in squads to meet and disarm the ne- 

 groes, but one company refused to disperse, 

 and a fight ensued, in which several persons on 

 each side were killed and wounded. 



On the 28th of July, by order, Brevet 

 Major-General Lovell H. Rousseau was as- 

 signed to the command of the Department 

 of Louisiana, which includes the State of Ar- 

 kansas, and General Buchanan was transferred 

 to the command of the District of Louisiana, 

 under Rousseau. 



Another unfortunate conflict between the 

 negroes and whites occurred on the 26th of Oc- 

 tober, in the parish of St. Bernard, and re- 

 sulted in the slaughter of a family of whites, 

 and the burning of their residence. Several 

 negroes were also killed or wounded. The fol- 

 lowing correspondence was the result of this 

 affair and several less important disturbances 

 in and near the city of New Orleans : 



HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF LOUISIANA, ) 



NEW ORLEANS, October 2Qth. f 



Brevet Major- General Schofield. Secretary of War : 



I have just received the following official commu- 

 nicationj which I believe to be true, from, the Gov- 

 ernor of Louisiana, and ask for instructions in the 

 premises : 



Major- General L. H. Rousseau, commanding Department 



of Louisiana: 



The evidence is conclusive that the civil authorities iu 

 the parishes of Orleans, Jefferson, and St. Bernard, are 

 unable to preserve order and protect the lives and prop- 

 erty of the people. The act of Congress prohibiting the 

 organization of the militia in this State strips me of all 

 power to sustain them in the discharge of their duties, 

 and I am compelled to appeal to you to take charge of the 

 peace of these parishes, and use your forces to that end. 

 If you respond favorably to my request, I will at once 

 order the sheriffs and police forces to report to you for 

 orders. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, 



HENBY C. WARMOUTH, Governor of Louisiana. 

 L. H. KOUSSEAU, Brevet Major-General, commanding. 

 WAR DEPARTMENT, ) 

 WASHINGTON, October 2$th. J 

 Brevet Major- General L. H. Rousseau, commanding 



Department of Louisiana, New Orleans : 

 Your dispatch of the 26th, forwarding a message 

 from the Governor of Louisiana, and asking instruc- 

 tions, has been received. 



You are authorized and expected to take such ac- 

 tion as may be necessary to preserve the peace and 

 good order, and to protect the lives and property of 

 citizens. J. M. SCHOFIELD, Secretary of War. 



The parishes named by the Governor consti- 

 tute the Metropolitan Police District created 

 by the act of' the last Legislature, in which all 

 the police regulations are under the control of 

 the Board of Commissioners appointed by the 

 Governor, and of their subordinates. After 

 the disturbance connected with the affair in 

 St. Bernard, the commissioners appointed Gen- 

 eral J. B. Steedman Chief of Police, pro tern., 

 who accepted the position on condition of being 

 allowed to choose his own subordinates. Gen- 

 eral Rousseau thereupon published the follow- 

 ing address to the people : 



HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT or LOUISIANA, 

 STATES OF LOUISIANA AND ARKANSAS, 



NEW ORLEANS, October 28th. 

 To the People of New Orleans, Louisiana : 



FELLOW-CITIZENS : I have received instructions 

 from the authorities at Washington to take such ac- 

 tion as may be necessary to preserve peace and good 

 order, and to protect the lives and property of the 

 citizens. As the city is quiet to-day, I think it the 

 proper time to make the above announcement, and 

 call upon the law-abiding citizens to aid me, hereaf- 

 ter, in carrying out these instructions ; and to that 

 end they are earnestly requested to refrain from as- 

 sembling in large bodies in the streets, to avoid ex- 

 citing conversations, and other causes of irritation 

 and excitement, and to pursue their ordinary avoca- 

 tions as usual. 



The police force of the city has been reorganized, 

 and the inefficient members dropped from the rolls 

 and others appointed in their places, and General J. 

 B. Steedman appointed Chief of Police, pro trni., by 

 the Board of Police Commissioners. General Steed- 

 man and his police force will be supported by the 

 military, and assurance is given, alike to the peaceful 

 and the lawless, that every thing at my command, 

 and to the utmost of my ability, will be used in the 

 endeavor to obey these instructions. For the present, 

 political processions and patrolling the streets by 

 armed men are prohibited. 



LOVELL H. KOUSSEATJ 

 Brevet Major-Gen. U. S. A., commanding. 



On the same day on which General Steed- 

 man was placed at the head of the police of 

 New Orleans by the State commissioners, the 

 city council met and unanimously passed reso- 

 lutions authorizing the mayor, " in view of the 

 illegality of the metropolitan police bill, and 

 the utter incapacity of the police under it to 



NA, | 

 Ith.) 



