Obituary - Mr. Carter

The Ouachita Telegraph
December 5, 1867
Page 2, Column 4

FRANKLIN PARISH. The killing of Mr. Carter by some unknown person in Franklin parish, coupled with the fact that he was an assistant assessor of internal revenue, has given rise to grave charges against the general character of public morals and politics in that parish. Doubtless, Franklin has her share of irresponsible, desperate men the debris of a long and cruel war and possibly, from the location of the parish, more than her share; but we are unwilling to believe that there are not enough of good citizens there to maintain the supremacy of the government, and to enforce salutary legal discipline. Mr. Carter's being a federal official had not, we imagine, anything to do with his murder. It is much more reasonable to suppose that like other rash and high tempered men, as he is said to have been, he aroused the anger of his murderers who, to obtain revenge or to quiet their fears, assassinated Mr. Carter in cold blood rather than meet him openly in a fair encounter. For such characters we have not the least sympathy anything the military forces may do to them to end their career, not positively inhuman, we are at perfect liberty to sanction but to call down odium and grevious burdens upon an entire parish on their account is neither just nor generous. Let the guilty be punished, but do not spread a net which shall entangle the innocent and guilty alike.

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Contributed 2021 Sep 27 by Lora Peppers loradpeppers@hotmail.com

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