Catahoula News Booster July 14, 2021, Page 7A The St. Mary steams into a feud Stanley Nelson

(41st in a Series) uel Glenn and Moses In early 1870, what Wiggins. A little cash General St. native, Mary had previ- John Richardson Liddell ously been married to had left to his name ap- John Bray, who died a peared to be slipping year before the killing out of his hands. of Glenn and Wiggins. Liddell had filed for Both men had been bankruptcy months riding in a buggy when earlier and was losing shot by Liddell. Wig- his Llanada Plantation gins fell out a few yards at Jonesville. By the down the road, while time he had returned the horse pulling the home in 1865 after four buggy with the dead years of fighting in the Glenn inside raced a Civil War, the physical mile or so down the and financial toll had road before stopping left him depressed and at Mary Bray’s home weary. ELMLY PLANTATION, built by 19th century Catahoula Parish planter Charles Jones, is pic- along Little River. He was still mourn- tured during the 1912 flood. In the front of this house along Black River in 1848, Jones was shot in Wiggins’ body was ing the death of his son the face and back by Eliza Nichols, sparking a two-decade feud with neighboring planter St. John brought up to the Bray Willie, a casualty of the home, too, where doc- Richardson Liddell. (Photo Credit: The of Catahoula by William Davis and Carole war. And months later tors examined the bod- his wife, Mary, his long- he had paid for his cru- graph’s editor and pub- strong language the tahoula parish. He is a ies. time companion and el accusation that Eliza lisher, George William evils of street fights man above the age of According to the emotional rock, had was an adulteress and a McCranie, wrote in the and sudden personal fifty, of active mind and book on the Cotton died. harlot. newspaper on Feb. 19, collisions, and particu- habits, and has accu- family, when Lige Cot- Although Liddell Although the two 1870, that “Col. Jones larly sanctioned duel- mulated a handsome ton “came to the Par- was losing Llanada, men had agreed in the became part purchas- ing as the best means property. ish in 1842, there was land he had acquired late 1850s to keep their er of some real es- of avoiding them, and “In the early part comparatively little in Richland Parish be- distance from one an- tate from the Citizen's illustrated his view of of the late war, he was open land, not one- tween Gerard and Alto other and stay out of Bank, which had been the custom by the cir- second in command in tenth of what is now along the Boeuf River each other’s business, surrendered in bank- cumstances noticed a regiment, cleared and for some remained in the family the feud was renewed ruptcy by Gen. Liddell by us editorially two the 17th, and was sub- time thereafter the name, but at this point with fury when Liddell and was bought by the weeks ago under the sequently on the staff country was very un- in time it remained to learned that Jones and Bank from the General heading ‘The Code of of Gen. Ruggles. Since healthy, there being be seen whether he a partner, Catahoula Assignee in bankruptcy. Honor.’” the war he has been more than one or more would be able to retain Parish planter Elijah Col. Jones, it is proper LIDDELL & planting, and a part of sick persons in every it. B. Cotton, planned to to state, says that the JONES the time one of the les- cabin.” Ultimately, it wasn’t buy Liddell’s plantation purchase was made by Of Liddell, the news- sees of the Penitentia- The book notes that money or land or the where Liddell’s family him and partners sub- paper publisher wrote ry.” Cotton was “the larg- bankruptcy of Llanada was buried, including sequent to a refusal that he “was about fifty JONES’ est landholder in Ca- that worried him the the fresh grave of Mary. by Gen. Liddell to pur- years of age. He was of PARTNER - LIGE tahoula Parish in 1865 most – it was a feud When the land deal chase the property at fine personal appear- COTTON and paid the highest with another Black went sour, Jones and the bank's price, and ance and highly pol- Jones’ friend and U.S. tax in the parish, River planter, Lt. Col. Cotton’s cotton factor after hearing that Gen. ished in his manners.” farming partner in $72.83.” Charles Jones. This had and agent, John Nixon, Liddell had determined He had attended West 1870, Elijah B. Cot- THE STEAMER been a long nightmare was killed by a banker to quit the country.” Point “in the same class ton, commonly called ST. MARY that Liddell was deter- at a men’s social club in Jones was right with Gen. {P.G.T.} Be- “Lige,” was a well-re- There is no record mined to end. For more . The bank- that Liddell had talked auregard, and the class spected parish planter that Liddell had ever than 20 years, Jones had er, Charles Cammack, about leaving the par- above Gen. {Braxton} who had been born in said a disparaging hassled and harassed had purchased Llana- ish and moving with Bragg, and was pos- 1813 in North Caroli- word about Cotton. Liddell, threatened to da out of bankruptcy other ex-Confederates sessed of unusually fine na. According to the How Jones and Cotton kill him and recruited with an agreement to to Brazil. But he never scholarly attainments. book – “The Cottons of became associated in assassins to achieve sell two-thirds to Jones convinced himself to He for some time be- Catahoula,” by William farming isn’t clear, but that end. In 1852, two and Cotton. But when leave home. longed to the old army, Davis Cotton and Car- they had known each of those would-be as- Liddell informed Cam- “Nevertheless,” and served in the Army ole Cotton-Winn – Cot- other for a long time. sassins – Samuel Glenn mack of the bad blood wrote the newspa- of , as a Con- ton educated himself at With news that and Moses Wiggins -- between he and Jones, per, “the transaction federate Brigadier Gen- home at night by read- Cammack was dead were killed by Liddell at and when Cammack aroused the slumber- eral, in the late war, ing and studying what- and that the money the back of his cotton faced other legal issues ing animosity in Gen. achieving high repute ever material he could from Liddell’s last crop field on the road along involving the property, Liddell's breast, it be- for vim, dash and per- find. might be in jeopar- Little River. the deal was temporar- ing, as we have heard, sistency. Richard the When he was 23, his dy with the failure of Both had been ily in limbo. a part of the agreement Lion-Hearted did not father died. Soon af- his cotton factors, he threatening Liddell’s When Cammack re- entered into by him surpass him in bravery terward, his widowed packed his bags for a life for weeks. neged on the deal, he and Col. Jones, when nor in fixedness of pur- mother and her chil- trip on the steamer St. Jones blamed Lid- and Nixon had words, settling their feud, that pose.” dren moved along Red Mary to Baton Rouge dell and vowed revenge leading to the shooting neither was to have McCranie wrote that River in Louisiana. Cot- and New Orleans. following an incident in on Jan. 6, 1870. ever after anything to Liddell’s main problem ton soon found employ- The vessel on its re- 1848 when Eliza Nich- In the meantime, do with the business af- with other men might ment as an overseer turn down the Ouachi- ols, a woman slandered Liddell was blind with fairs of the other.” have been this: “Per- for Judah P. Benjamin, ta from Camden, Ark., by Jones, shot him the rage over Jones’ at- During Liddell’s visit haps he was somewhat a wealthy plantation soon reached the riv- face and back. Liddell tempt to buy Llanada. with publisher McCra- too fiery in his nature owner who would be er’s mouth at Trinity was there at the re- Before Cammack shot nie, Liddell was consid- and too sensitive for elected to the U.S. Sen- before steaming into quest of Eliza, but he Nixon to death at The ering challenging Jones the age in which he ate from Louisiana and the Black. Two miles did not fire a weapon Boston Club in New to a duel. lived; but certainly his later serve in the Con- downriver was Llanada although Jones for the Orleans, Liddell had McCranie wrote that sense of honor never federate Cabinet. Planation. rest of his life insisted visited with the edi- during a long interview went beyond his sense In 1842, Cotton As Liddell prepared he did. Eliza stated af- tor of The Ouachita Liddell “unfolded to us of right. A man of re- bought property along to board, unbeknownst terward she alone fired Telegraph newspaper his purpose of sending tired nature, he re- Little River in Cata- to him, Jones was wait- shots that day. in Monroe. After that Col. Jones a challenge mained at home, never houla Parish while in ing for the steamer, Maybe Jones turned shooting, Liddell began to meet him on the making a show of his 1858, he purchased too. He was on the all of his ire toward Lid- making plans to go to field — in fact, he read accomplishments or Duran Plantation, lo- landing at Elmly, his dell because he feared Baton Rouge to visit us the note he designed seeking any public sta- cated seven miles west trunk packed and 20 ridicule for being shot his daughter and then sending, remarking tion. He belonged to of Jonesville. The plan- bales of his cotton by a woman during a on to New Orleans to that for certain reasons the old school of gen- tation included 1,200 stacked for shipment period when women check on the failure of … he would delay the tlemen … who in adver- acres “fronting north” to New Orleans. were expected to be his own cotton factors sending until he could sity, as well as prosper- on Little River . The day was Mon- submissive to men. Ul- – Scott and Cage – who meet Col. Jones in New ity, maintain the dignity He cultivated 800 day and the date Feb. timately, Eliza alone went out of business Orleans. He added that of manhood …” acres, including cot- 14, 1870. had stood up for herself while holding Liddell’s this, referring to the And the publisher ton, corn, oats, pota- For the next 13 days and had enacted her cotton crop, the only note, would end the wrote of Liddell’s ad- toes and peas. Catahoula Parish res- own justice upon Jones. thing resembling cash suspense he was in, ei- versary: “Col. Jones is Cotton had married idents braced them- For the rest of his life left to his name. ther by an honorable a well-known citizen a widow in 1854 – Mary selves as this old feud the scar on his once ‘SLUMBERING fight or a peaceable ad- of the State, and lives Gibson Bray -- who had exploded into all-out handsome face was a ANIMOSITY’ justment. near the late residence a close connection to war. reminder of the price The Ouachita Tele- “He denounced in of Gen. Liddell in Ca- the 1852 killing of Sam- (To Be Continued)