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Newspaper The People's Vindicator (Natchitoches, La.) 1874-1883

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About The People's Vindicator (Natchitoches, La.) 1874-1883

The People’s Vindicator was one of the most incendiary newspapers of Reconstruction-era Louisiana. It was founded in 1874 in Natchitoches, a major cotton shipping center near the Louisiana-Texas border, by James H. Cosgrove (1842-1914). A veteran of the Confederate army, Cosgrove used verbal and physical violence in his mission to reestablish white supremacy in Louisiana and drive out northern carpetbaggers.

Shortly after the first issue of the People’s Vindicator was issued in June 1874, six white Radical Republican officeholders and as many as twenty of their black supporters were assassinated in Red River Parish in the so-called Coushatta Massacre. Cosgrove, who had encouraged such acts, was arrested by Federal troops and briefly imprisoned. The following year, Cosgrove engaged in a war of words with the scalawag Republican state legislator Edward L. Pierson, accusing him of embezzlement and forgery, and having his own character attacked in return. In December, Cosgrove shot and killed Pierson. Although the murderer was apparently never prosecuted, publication of the People’s Vindicator was suspended for three months. When it resumed, the paper had a new editor, George E. Gillespie. Cosgrove, however, returned as editor in June 1876.

During Reconstruction, reporting focused almost solely on politics, specifically the promotion of the Democratic party and white supremacy. Published under the motto “The Welfare of the People is the Supreme Law,” by 1879 the People’s Vindicator had declared itself the “Official Organ of the White Citizens of Red River, Sabine, Winn and Natchitoches Parishes.” The White League, a paramilitary organization formed to intimidate both black and white Republican voters, was a frequent topic of reporting. The activities of Colonel William Levy, a prominent local Democratic leader, and his Republican counterpart, the Vermont carpetbagger Marshall Harvey Twitchell, received much attention, as did the campaign to expose two allegedly corrupt officeholders, David H. Boullt, the parish tax collector, and Henry C. Myers, a district judge. Cosgrove initially opposed the Louisiana Lottery, which he regarded as a corrupting influence on state politics and a tool of the Republican political machine. By 1879, however, he had changed his opinion and supported the lottery.

In the 1880s, political tensions died down and the People’s Vindicator reported more frequently on topics such as schools, railroads, and agriculture. Fiction and domestic advice sections were also added. The weekly paper expanded from four to eight pages at this time and claimed to have the largest circulation of any country paper in the state.

On April 19, 1881, a large portion of Natchitoches’ business district, including the offices of the People’s Vindicator, was destroyed by fire. Publication of the paper resumed on June 4, 1881. Phanor Breazeale (1858-1934), a future U.S. Representative for Louisiana, succeeded Cosgrove as editor in 1882. The paper went out of business a year later when Breazeale sold the press and type to Charles Vernon Porter, publisher of the new Natchitoches Democratic Review .

Provided By: Louisiana State University; Baton Rouge, LA

About this Newspaper

Title

  • The People's Vindicator (Natchitoches, La.) 1874-1883

Dates of Publication

  • 1874-1883

Created / Published

  • Natchitoches, La. : A.A. Pelli, and Wm. H. Areaux

Headings

  • -  Natchitoches (La.)--Newspapers
  • -  Natchitoches Parish (La.)--Newspapers
  • -  Louisiana--Natchitoches
  • -  Louisiana--Natchitoches Parish
  • -  United States--Louisiana--Natchitoches--Natchitoches

Genre

  • Newspapers

Notes

  • -  Weekly
  • -  Vol. 1, no. 1 (June 20, 1874)-
  • -  Ceased in 1883. Cf. NIM.
  • -  Suspended with Jan. 1, 1876 issue; resumed with Mar. 25, 1876 issue. Suspended with Apr. 23, 1881 issue; resumed with June 4, 1881 issue.
  • -  Archived issues are available in digital format as part of the Library of Congress Chronicling America online collection.

Medium

  • volumes ; 58 cm

Call Number/Physical Location

  • Newspaper

Library of Congress Control Number

  • sn85038558

OCLC Number

  • 12737613

ISSN Number

  • 2163-4599

Additional Metadata Formats

Availability

Rights & Access

The Library of Congress believes that the newspapers in Chronicling America are in the public domain or have no known copyright restrictions. Newspapers published in the United States more than 95 years ago are in the public domain in their entirety. Any newspapers in Chronicling America that were published less than 95 years ago are also believed to be in the public domain, but may contain some copyrighted third party materials. Researchers using newspapers published less than 95 years ago should be alert for modern content (for example, registered and renewed for copyright and published with notice) that may be copyrighted. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item and securing any necessary permissions ultimately rests with persons desiring to use the item.

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Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

The People's Vindicator Natchitoches, La. -1883. (Natchitoches, LA), Jan. 1 1874. https://aj.sunback.homes/item/sn85038558/.

APA citation style:

(1874, January 1) The People's Vindicator Natchitoches, La. -1883. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://aj.sunback.homes/item/sn85038558/.

MLA citation style:

The People's Vindicator Natchitoches, La. -1883. (Natchitoches, LA) 1 Jan. 1874. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, aj.sunback.homes/item/sn85038558/.