Lions Spend Thousands On
Hurricane Relief
BY SUSAN T. HERRING, Editor, The Guardian-Journal
Ann Sanders,
new Lions Governor in District 8-L, gave Homer Lions an update on what Lions in
Louisiana were doing to offer help to victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
Sanders she was glad to be able to help the evacuees, but said, "If I had
known there were going to be two devastating disasters in Louisiana this year,
I would have never taken the job."
Since August, she has been extremely busy. She has spoken
to 22 Lions Clubs in District 8-L. She
toured the damage to the Eye Foundation building in New Orleans which had about
15 feet of water. The ground floor will need repairs, but upper floors and
equipment were not damaged. She said, "If this club owes the Eye
Foundation any money, please send it in as soon as possible. They need it"
"It was a
privilege to be able to help these people in the name of Lions Clubs,"
said Sanders. She encouraged anyone looking to make a charitable donation to
send money to the Louisiana Lions Club. For more information on how to make a
contribution, call Sanders at 318-994-2542.
HOMER JUNIOR HIGH Art Teacher Rhonda Porter
and Principal Keith Beard display the new sign painted by Porter announcing the new
school building under construction on Bonner Street across from the Ronny G.
Beard Memorial Stadium. Beard said, if all goes well, students and faculty
could be moving to the new school building by the beginning of the 2006-2007
school year next August.
Flu Vaccine Not Here Yet, Expected By
Thanksgiving
BY SUSAN T. HERRING, Editor, The Guardian-Journal
Ruben Tapia,
the Immunization Program Director for OPH (Office of Public Health) under the
Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, said the influenza vaccine has
not arrived in the State and he does not know what is holding up the shipment.
The CDC (Centers for Disease Control) stated there would be sufficient vaccine
this year for all high risk groups and the supplier has assured him that
vaccines would be delivered no later than Thanksgiving. Tapia stated he did not believe the
delay had anything to do with concerns about that deadly avian flu that has
killed entire flocks of birds in Asia. Although about 120 people have been
infected and 60 have died, the virus does not easily spread to humans.
The OPH has identified people who will be classified as
priority groups for the flu vaccine this year. They are:·
∙ all children between 6
months and 23 months
∙ adults aged 65 years and
older
∙ people with long-term
illnesses such as heart disease, lung disease, asthma, anemia, diabetes, kidney
disease, metabolic disorder, or weakened immune system
∙ females who will be
pregnant during the flu season
Although not
considered high risk, OPH is also recommending flu shots be given to anyone who
could spread influenza to high risk individuals. This includes hospital
employees and caretakers at home. They also recommend flu shots for adults
50-64 years of age, people who provide essential community services, live in
dormitories, travel frequently, or who are basically in contact with other
people more than normal. None of these, however, are considered high risk.
Tapia said as
soon as the vaccine supply arrives, it will be shipped immediately to all
nursing homes and health units around the state
RON ANDERSON , NEW
DIRECTOR
of the Claiborne Boys & Girls Club recently spoke to eighth grade students
at Homer Junior High.
New Club Director Speaks To Junior High
Students
BY SUSAN T. HERRING, Editor, The Guardian-Journal
Ron Anderson,
new director of the Claiborne Boys & Girls Club, recently spoke to 8th
grade students at Homer Junior High about their perspective on life—the fact
they have this privilege of living in a nation, if they are willing to put
forth their best efforts, they can achieve whatever they aspire to in life. He
explained the power of choice—the importance of making good choices relative to
their education, to the selection of their peers, and to their commitment of
bettering themselves.
Anderson said
the main point is, so many youth and adults forget the benefit of living in
this country. He said, "People around the globe are envious of us. Many
forget that fact, while others may never have looked at it from that
perspective."
One of
Anderson's goals at the Club is to increase parental involvement. He is a
certified parenting instructor and wants to enroll not only students, but
families, by establishing a Boys & Girls Club Parent Association. This will
enable them to develop relationships with heads of households, where they will
feel confident to call on the Club. Anderson said, "That takes
relationship building." They will review student's report cards to show
parents they care, that they are interested in the success of the child.
DART To Hold
Radiothon
The Domestic Abuse
Resistance Team (DART) will hold its annual radiothon on November 6, 2005 in
Ruston. KPCH (97.7 FM) will broadcast the event from Super One Foods which will
air from 6 AM-6 PM. This year, Claiborne Parish Sheriff Ken Bailey and Barbara
Monzingo will be speaking on behalf of domestic violence survivors. Bailey and
Monzingo are supporters of DART and serve on Claiborne DART
's Coordinated Community Response Team, which meets monthly to discuss
domestic violence issues and to support the local DART office. All persons are
urged to listen to KPCH November 8 and to make a pledge or donation to DART.
All money collected in Claiborne Parish stays in Claiborne Parish. Anyone
interested in making a donation before Nov. 8 may mail their check to Claiborne
DART, 300 Murrell Street, Homer, LA 71040 or contact
Mary Ellen Gamble at 927-2818 for more information.
Holiday Open House Taste of Homer Set For Nov. 12
The Annual
Taste of Homer set for Saturday, November 12 from 11 AM - 1 PM at Homer City
Hall will feature over 150 homemade dishes. Tickets are $10. All proceeds go to
the Claiborne Christmas Festival. The Holiday Open House which will feature a
$250 shopping spree will be held from 10 AM - 4 PM at participating merchants
in Homer and Haynesville. In addition to the wonderful dining experience and
shopping experience, tours will be available in the historic Claiborne Parish
Courthouse and Herbert S. Ford Museum. For information, contact the Claiborne
Chamber of Commerce at 927-3271.
"White Lightning Feuds": John H. Ramsey Shooting
White Lightning Feud Series: Part 4
NOTE: This
series was originally scheduled to run for six weeks; however, continuing
research indicates that the series will run longer than originally planned.
This is another in a series of articles reprinting prior published information
on the White Lightning Feuds.
|
Historical Series Chronology
Resposes have been favorable to this
historical series. Additional material continues to come to light. This means
the series will be longer than originally expected; therefore, we are including
a brief chronology of past articles:
Part 1 (printed
10/13/05) - J. H. Tuggle's rabid dog bit several livestock and other animals;
W. W. Maddox assassinated by unknown person and rewards totalling $500 offered
for arrest and conviction of the killer; J. H. Ramsey wounds J. D. Tuggle near
Denman and Co. Hardware in Homer.
Part 2 (printed
10/20/05) - Near Denman and Co. Hardware in Homer, J. D. Tuggle shot at John H.
Ramsey, missed, and killed Professor J. H. Williams; W. W. Ramsey died and Hamp
and Henry Tuggle were wounded in a shootout between the jail and Knighten's
saloon in Homer.
Part 3 (printed 10/27/05) - J. D. Tuggle and
I. N. Glover died when ambushed by unknown assailant about three and a half
miles toward Summerfield.
|
* * * * *
continued from last week......
The sheriff's
posse traced this track for some miles across wood and field with the eye
[until] it was lost and could be tracked no further. A crowd of men worked all
day Sunday trying
to trace the track but failed except as above-stated. Whether there was more
than one man implicated in the shooting or not is a matter about which there
appears to be some difference of opinion among those who visited the scene of
the tragedy and attempted to follow the tracks. Mr. Sam Ramsey says that he saw
two men running off after the shooting. Some also think that the shooting of
the negro was not intentional, while others think it was intentional as he is
said to have been an important witness for Ramsey in the case pending against
him and which would have been tried at the approaching term of court had he not
been killed.
There has been
too much of this kind of work done in our parish of late, and the strong arm of
the law should be exerted to the utmost to punish the guilty, but before
anybody can be punished, some way must be discovered by which the guilty ones
can be found out. Nobody can be punished so long as the perpetrators of these
deeds remain unknown.
— Guardian-Journal, page 3
August 19, 1891
* * * * *
We found two other accounts of the J. H. Ramsey shooting, one
from an unidentified newspaper and the other from The New York Times. We do not
know in what newspaper the following account was originally printed; however, a
copy was provided us by Forest and Carolyn Allgood of Summerfield. The original
clipping is from a scrapbook in the old Allgood house at Summerfield. The
scrapbook was started and maintained by Forest Allgood's paternal grandmother,
Jessie Eloise Stana-land Allgood, apparently in the late 1800s. We thank the
Allgoods for making available the clipping to The Guardian-Journal for this series.
-----
Latest From Our Special
Correspondents
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LOUISIANA
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HOMER
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John Ramsey and
a Negro Assassinated—The Story of a Family Feud
Homer, La. Aug.
17_(Special)_John Ramsey and a negro were waylaid and
killed late yesterday evening about
three miles from [Homer] by unknown parties. Ramsey was in town nearly all day
yesterday, and late in the evening started for his home in a wagon accompanied
by his brother, Sam, and a negro man and woman, and when in about a half mile
from his home was fired upon with the above result, twenty buckshot taking
effect in his back, four in the back of the negro man's head and two passed
through the rim of Sam Ramsey's hat. The latter, however, together with the negro woman, escaped unhurt. Two shots are said to have been
fired.
The killing of
John Ramsey yesterday is undoubtedly the outgrowth of the Tuggle-Ramsey feud,
which is of long-standing and direct cause of several men losing their lives
and the cause of others leaving the parish and state.
It will be
remembered that in the summer of 1890 John Ramsey fired upon Joe Tuggle, on the
principal street of [Homer], three times with a double-barreled shotgun,
slightly wounding Tuggle. That day the trouble began to boil and both went
publicly armed. Some time afterward Tuggle retaliated and fired upon Ramsey, missing
his aim and killing Prof. J. H. Williams. In the early part of this year P.
[Hamp] Tuggle shot and killed Will Ramsey. In the melee Henry Tuggle received a
flesh wound in the arm.
At this
juncture it was currently reported that John Ramsey had left the parish. Joe
Tuggle, however, always went heavily armed, and in this position accompanied,
in a two-horse wagon by his friend Newt. [I. N.]
Glover, both were killed from ambush by unknown parties [March 25, 1891] at
night.
Shortly
afterwards John Ramsey appeared on the scene. During the meantime, however,
friends of Hamp Tuggle advised him to leave, which, it is thought, he did; also
Frank Gill, the barber, and Joe Clingman, friends of Tuggle. These proceeding
left John Ramsey in charge of the field, and the matter, so far as the public
was concerned, was about dead. Ramsey was, as usual, armed with a
double-barreled shotgun when killed.
The sheriff
with a posse of deputies is doing all he can to catch the murderers. The
bloodhounds of Mr. Aleck Harrell of Minden were secured, but, up to the close
of this report, they failed to follow any trail. John Ramsey was buried here
this evening at 6 o'clock.
— Unknown newspaper,
August 18 (?), 1891
* * * * *
Finally, the account as reported in The New York Times:
A FEUD ENDS IN MURDER
John Ramsey and a Negro Waylaid, Shot,
and Killed
Homer, La.,
August 18.— John Ramsey and a negro were waylaid and killed Sunday evening
about three miles from this place by unknown parties. Ramsey was in town nearly
all day, and late in the evening started for his home in a wagon, accompanied
by his brother Sam and a negro man and woman. About a
half-mile from his home he was fired upon. Twenty buckshot took effect in his
back, four in the back of the negro man's head, and
two passing through the brim of Sam Ramsey's hat. Sam Ramsey, however, together
with the negro woman, escaped unhurt. It is thought
that the negro was accidentally killed.
The killing of
Ramsey is the outgrowth of the Tuggle-Ramsey feud, which is of long-standing
and the direct cause of several men losing their lives and of others leaving
the parish and State. In the summer of 1890 John Ramsey fired upon Joe Tuggle
on the principal street of this place [Homer] three times with a
double-barreled shotgun, slightly wounding Tuggle. From that day the trouble
began to boil, and both went publicly armed. Some time afterward Tuggle
retaliated and fired upon Ramsey and missed his aim, killing Prof. J. H.
Williams of the town academy, who was passing at the time.
In the early
part of this year P. (Hamp) Tuggle shot and killed Will Ramsey. In the melee
Henry Tuggle received a flesh wound in the arm. At this juncture it was
currently reported that John Ramsey had left the parish, but Joe Tuggle always
went heavily armed and was accompanied by his friend Newt Glover. Both were
killed from ambush by unknown parties in March or April last year at night.
Shortly afterward John Ramsey appeared on the scene. In the meantime friends of
Hamp Tuggle advised him to leave, which is thought he did; also Frank Gill and
Joe Clingman, friends of the Tuggles. These proceedings left John Ramsey in
charge of the field, and the matter, so far as the public was concerned, was
about dead.
Ramsey was as usual armed with a double-barreled shotgun when
killed. The Sheriff with a posse of deputies is doing all he can to catch the
murderers. Bloodhounds were secured, but up to the close of this report they
failed to follow any trail. John Ramsey was buried here last evening.
— The New York Times,
August 19, 1891
* * * * *
The following
is from Chapter IX "A Feud and an Indian" of the book War,
Reconstruction, and Redemption on Red River, the Memoirs of Dosia Williams
Moore, printed in 1990 and edited by Carol Wells.
The book's
foreword explains that Dosia Williams Lewis Moore lived in Rapides and
Natchitoches Parishes during and after the Civil War. Born in South Carolina,
she came at three years of age with her parents to Louisiana. The book is based
on Dosia Moore's recollections, accounts stored in the Archives Division of the
Watson Library at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches.
* * * * *
One day in
early fall when we were living at Loyd Hall, a party of men rode up and said
they wanted to see my husband about picking cotton for him. The group consisted
of two men and two boys about fifteen and eighteen years of age. We had several
hundred acres in cotton, and it was rather difficult at times to find a
sufficient number of pickers, so my husband was glad to get reinforcements.
The father of
the boys, who gave his name as Hamilton, said they would take a cabin for the
season, keep house, and pick cotton to make expenses. They had a pair of fine
young mules and a new wagon in which they carried a camping outfit. They got
the house.
These men seemed to be gentlemen and talked entertainingly, so my
husband soon began dropping in and chatting with them at their camp almost
every evening. One evening Mr. Hamilton looked troubled. He said he
appreciated William's kindness to them. "I can no longer deceive
you," he said. "I will trust you with my sad story, and if, after
hearing it, you want us to leave, we will go."
This was his story:
There had been a deadly feud [in Claiborne Parish] between the
Ramsey's and the Tuggle's, who were related. Fourteen or more men had been
killed, and......to be continued.
............to
be continued
NOTE: Bill Hightower and Jimmy Dean researched this
article.
THE BACK OF THE OLD
ALLGOOD HOUSE in Summerfield. A scrapbook started in the 1800s by Mrs. Jessie Allgood was found inside
on a shelf in the pantry with canned goods.
Robert Allgood and wife, Eva, and Carolyn
Allgood brought the scrapbook by the Guardian-Journal.
Inside was found a newspaper clipping about the White Lightning Feud which is
included in this week's article. Robert is a grandson of Jessie Stanaland
Allgood. Carolyn's husband is Forest Allgood, also grandson of Jessie Allgood.
He currently resides at Claiborne Manor.
Treasure Found At Allgood Homeplace
BY JIMMY DEAN, Feature Writer, The Guardian-Journal
Out at
Summerfield Kenneth Kemp, a neighbor to Forest and Carolyn Allgood,
offered to clear out and tear down the old house on Panther Creek Road in
exchange for the wood. The Allgoods agreed.
Preparing to
tear down the old Robert Allgood homeplace first meant clearing out the stuff
left behind after Miss Hazel Allgood's death over 20 years ago. Hazel Allgood,
daughter of Robert Thurman Allgood II and Jessie Eloise Stanaland Allgood, was
born and raised in the old homeplace. Never married, no one in the Allgood
family recalls Aunt Hazel mentioning the treasure in the old house.
As Kenneth Kemp
was clearing things out, he found in a back room on a pantry shelf holding
canned goods the treasure_a scrapbook from the 1800s.
Newspaper
clippings, cartoons, poetry, obituaries, pictures from a hundred years ago_these
fill the scrapbook. According to Carolyn Allgood, granddaughter-in-law of Mrs.
Jessie Allgood, the scrapbook was started by Jessie back in the 1800s. Its
contents are in no particular order. For example, clippings from the 1800s are
pasted next to others from the early 1900s. Some clippings are from
Guardian-Journal issues of the 1800s and 1900s.
Carolyn Allgood
states that Jessie Stanaland was born June 16, 1862, in Homer and married
Robert T. Allgood II on October 19, 1890, in Homer. She says he was born May
24, 1858, in Tallapoosa County, Alabama, and died June 19, 1939, at
Summerfield.
Apparently,
Jessie Allgood main-tained the scrapbook forty years or so spanning the last
quarter of the 1800s into the first quarter of the 1900s.
Carolyn Allgood
says they will soon donate the scrapbook to the Ford Museum in Homer.
