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In the city of New Orleans there has been a numerous amount of acts of violence.  A gang of men who were in masks not only brutally beat many African Americans, but they killed a man.  The African American man they killed was named Sampson Harris.  As if the killing of this man was not enough for the gang, to make matter worse, they did it in front of his family in his own home.  That is something so scarring that Harris’ family will never be able to unsee.  The emotional turmoil Harris’ family had to endure with the loss of him also makes them victims of the gangs attack.  Out of the four gang members that were present at this attack, one was discharged and the other three were able to leave with a five hundred dollar peace bond.  The criminals could not be convicted because no one wanted to testify against them.  It’s unjust that the gang members got away with murder.  However, the people who did not testify are not to blame.  They were probably very scared to say anything; essentially, it puts their own life at risk too.  If someone did speak up about the hostility and inhumane behavior taking place that person could become the culprits next target.

Outside sources say that there were ten gang members in total, but only four participated in the murder.  These gang members were looking for one African American man who threatened to expose certain people for other atrocities such as whipping that had been going on.  This offended the white people in the neighborhood.  If such acts of violence are occurring in an area, the people have the right to know what is going on.  The gang members walked into Harris’ house.  One of them seized Harris, he said, “You are the man we want” and shot him twice.  Harris was not the man they were looking for.  These gang members are killing, beating and whipping innocent people because of their skin color.  There is hatred inside them. The gang members act out on their hatred by doing horrible crimes, but do not even receive the punishment they deserve.

How is it justice if someone kills a man but gets charged with the crime of assault and battery?  How is it justice if someone kills a man, but gets discharged or is released with a peace bond.  The answer is simply it’s not justice.  The gang members lucked out and were able to get away with the atrocities of their actions.  Murder can be defined as the unlawful killing of one human being by another.  Whereas, assault and battery, is when someone is not only threatened, but also physically harmed.  Both acts are unjustifiable crimes.  The main difference between them is that with assault and battery the victim is still alive.  The actions of the gang members make the people live in fear.  The should be punished not only for the act of killing Harris, but also for all the other horrible things they done such as whipping.

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A lot has been said about white supremacists or Ku Klux Klan members in the post-civil war era.  The hardship that African-Americans suffered through from the time their elders were brought over on the terrible and notoriously gruesome slave ships to the end of the KKK incidents should not go unseen, but unfortunately, they do.  Although these brutalities obviously sound heinous and immoral to us today, they seemed correct to the terrible white men of the 19th century.  One of the worst parts of this particular incident, involving four white men and the victim, Sampson Harris, is that the victim was apparently not even the one the group really wanted to kill.  He was killed in front of his family for a reason that only a white supremacist could rationalize.  Harris was going to bring the repeated lynchings and beatings to the public eye, and four men would not have it.  They murdered him, and went to trial.  They were not convicted of murder and were soon released.  This goes to show a tragic reality: the Justice System was corrupt and unjust.  The men that infiltrated the home of Sampson Harris were so sure of their plans and their future actions, which was murder.  How could they do this without fear of being hung or jailed for life? Because they knew they had the law on their side.  The reason they got off scot-free is because they could not find someone to testify in court.  Nobody cared enough to step forward and testify. Through this, it is easy to sympathize with African-Americans in the 19th century because the justice system did very little to protect and serve them.

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Today we learn about a Louisiana lynching through the pages of the Reading Times (Reading, Pennsylvania) dated October 12, 1885:

Four of Them Taken Into Custody for the Murder of a Negro-They Will Be Tried at New Orleans.

NEW ORLEANS, Oct. 11.-A special from Arcadia, La., says: On the 30th of September, at a point 82 miles south of this place, near the line of Winn Parish, four masked and unknown men entered the house of Sampson Harris, colored, on the pretense of looking for another man, but it is reported on entering the house one of the four men seized Harris, saying, "You are the man we want," and shot him twice, inflicting wounds from which he died. It is reported that Harris was killed because he had threatened to expose certain persons for whipping some negroes in that neighborhood. This affair of whipping the negroes caused great indignation on the part of many white people in the neighborhood.

The whipping of the negroes and the murder were reported to the Governor, who instructed Judge Drew to cause the arrest of the persons under suspicion and the warrants were issued here last week. H. R. Ferguson, deputy sheriff, with 3 other men arrested the four men alleged to have been concerned in the murder of Harris and brought them here to-day. Their trial will take place here on Monday before Judge Drew. The prisoners were kept in lockup here until this evening when they were taken to Minden for safety. It appears from reports that about ten men in all were concerned in the affair of the whipping and murder of Harris.

The New York times (New York, N. Y.) dated October 15, 1885:

OUTRAGES COMMITTED BY MASKED MEN IN LOUISIANA.

NEW ORLEANS, Oct. 14.-Some weeks ago, as has already been reported, a series of outrages were perpetrated in the southern part of Bienville Parish and the northern part of Winn Parish, in this State, by a gang of masked men. Negroes were the victims, Sampson Harris having been killed by the gang and many others cruelly beaten. Harris was shot down in the presence of his family and at his own fireside. The Governor wrote to Judge Drew of that district to look into the matter, and as a result W. E. Pratt, B. F. Ratcliff, A Stringer, and J. W. Lucky were arrested. The accused had the most distinguished counsel in that section of the State, and to-day one was discharged and the three others released on a five-hundred-dollar peace bond to answer to charges of assault and battery. This was on account of inability on the part of the prosecution to find any one willing to testify against them.

Prominent citizens of that section deprecate these outrages, but they are afraid to take any active steps to prevent them and keep silent. No reason is assigned for this outbreak of bulldozing, as there is no political campaign now in progress, but it has been said that the negroes favored the prohibition movement, which is attracting attention in some parts of the State.

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

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Today we learn about a Louisiana lynching through the pages of the Reading Times (Reading, Pennsylvania) dated October 12, 1885: Four of Them Taken Into Custody for the Murder of a Negro-They Will Be Tried at New Orleans. NEW ORLEANS, Oct.

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The Klu Klux Klan, also known as the 'KKK' were a group of white supremacists who attacked and acted upon other groups of people whom they opposed (usually negroes). In this 1885 newspaper article, they "accidentally" killed the wrong man named Sampson Harris. The KKK literally got away with murder. They received no punishments. Lynching, whippings, beatings, and shootings were acted upon negroes from the KKK and are one hundred percent illegal.
Below I attached a clip of a Senate Session stating an illegal issue and concern about lynching in the United States, specifically the state of Louisiana. Senator Landrieu stated: "It is important that the people of our country understand the true nature of this unprecedented rampage of terror." Female Senator also expresses an formal apology to the families that were directly affected by the KKK personally. She also uses the popular book "To Kill a Mockingbird" as a reference to lynching which exemplifies a more clear understanding of the concerning situation. One of the main arguments of this  court case/session is that it was completely normal for Lynchings and (especially) hangings to be a public event for the local community to witness. Young children of all ages were witnessing the brutality right in front of their eyes which lead to schools closing so the young kids were able to witness it live. History also shows that businesses were shut down on Sundays to watch this phenomenon of human terror and hangings.
Due to colonial ties with France and Spain, Louisiana had a distinct history of lynchings. They had more freed African Americans than any other Southern state hence why Louisiana's prominent role in lynchings is so bitter. The Senator states: "It mars a long history of tolerance and integration that to this day distinguishes Louisiana from other places in the South."
This informative video clarifies and gives community members in the state of Louisiana an understanding as to why their state was specifically targeted by the KKK. Referring back to the newspaper article, Justice was not served in this situation and the KKK members should've not gotten away with murder literally and figuratively speaking. Justice was NOT served.