September 16, 1893: Valsin, Bazile and Paul

Today we learn about a Louisiana lynching through the pages of The Inter Ocean (Chicago, Illinois) dated September 18, 1893:

LYNCHED ON SUSPICION.

Brutal Murder of Inoffensive Negroes in Louisiana.

NEW ORLEANS, La., Sept. 17.—Special Telegram.—Three negroes were lynched in the neighboring parish of Jefferson at midnight last night. Ever since the murder of Judge Victor Estopinal and the fatal wounding of his son Friday by the negro Julian, excitement has been at the highest pitch in that parish, and parties of white men on foot and on horse have been scouring the country looking for the murderer. They were unable to find him, however, and  the supposition is that he has taken refuge in the swamp, which he thoroughly knows and where, armed with a Winchester and plenty of ammunition, he can make a strong defense. The searching parties became very much aroused when the murderer could not be found. The claim was made that a conspiracy existed among the negroes, and that there was to be an uprising when Julian gave the signal, but that the other negroes were frightened and did not turn out when Julian killed Judge Estopinal. In this suspicion of conspiracy Julian's three brothers, Valsin, Bazile, and Paul, and two cousins, together with the murderer's mother and the wives and sisters of the other men, were arrested and locked up in the jail in Southport, half a mile from New Orleans. At midnight last night a posse, disappointed at failing  to find the murderer Julian, broke into the jail. There was a proposition to lynch all five of the male prisoners, but this was overruled and only the brothers were lynched. The cousins were severely whipped and ordered out of the parish. The posse took the remaining brother, Paul, to Camp Parapet, a settlement consisting almost entirely of negroes, a few miles away, where he was promptly lynched to overawe the negroes. All of the three men hung were strangled to death. There was much opposition to the lynching among the better classes in the parish, but the popular demand was for lynch law. Considerable feeling has existed between the whites and negroes in Jefferson parish for some time. Judge Long, Judge Estopinal's predecessor, was waylaid by a negro assassin and wounded mortally, it was believed at the time. For this two negroes were lynched and a large number whipped and ordered out of the parish. The murder of Judge Estopinal has already caused the lynching of three more negroes, and is likely to produce more bloodshed.

Thank you for joining me and as always, I hope I leave you with something to ponder.