Three-month-old sibling terrier mix puppies Star and Denver were amongst a group of 39 dogs on the first transport the Heart of Louisiana Human Society (HLHS) in Winnfield, LA sent to San Diego, CA earlier this month. 

The transport went to the Helen Woodward Animal Center. Upon arrival, the team at the center soon realized that Star had special needs. Deaf and almost completely blind, Star was learning to use her other senses to navigate the world. While the rest of Star’s litter-mates frolicked without her, her brother Denver kept a protective eye. Choosing Star as his main playmate, the two were rarely apart and when separated, Denver would come running back to love on Star and let her know he was there. 

HLHS shared a video of the puppies on their Facebook page yesterday and posted, We are so happy they will find a wonderful home together. This sibling pair is a very heartwarming story. FB Video of Star and Denver

Founded in 2008, HLHS is a small group of volunteers located in Winnfield, LA. who’s mission is to shelter and find quality permanent homes for unwanted and stray animals, provide low-cost spay/neuter, educate people on the importance of spaying/neutering and care for companion animals.

According to Caitlin Hemphill, President of HLHS as the organization looked at their accomplishments in 2019 they were excited to realize that they:

• Transported 1164 dogs and 17 cats out of state to Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Georgia.
• Adopted 1334 dogs across the USA & even Canada 
• Adopted 420 cats 
• Helped 801 personally owned dogs/cats with their Spay/Neuter assistance program.
• Their very small group of volunteers made a huge difference in the lives of animals in our community and surrounding communities.
• We touched 3736 lives last year. 

HLHS has many volunteer opportunities, including but not limited to fostering animals in your home. If you would like to volunteer in other ways besides fostering, they welcome you as well. There are many ways to help HLHS, and they will make good use of your time, skills and talents.

For more information and to see all of the animals HLHS currently has available for adoption visit www.petfinder.com or www.hlhumane.org.

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Trista LeAnne Tyler who passed away on June 20, 2003, at the age of 17 in an automobile accident was the 3 pt. shooter for the Atlanta High School’s girls’ basketball team. Her shots were known for never using the backboard – hitting “nothing but net.”  Trista also loved The Wizard of Oz, so this year’s Trista Tyler Memorial Scholarship T-shirt is incorporating both. The shirt will feature a yellow brick road circle on a light blue shirt. Inside the circle will be a silhouette of a girl taking a basketball shot wearing red sneakers and a red glittery #14.

All proceeds from sponsors and shirt sales will go to the Trista Tyler Scholarship fund that awards a $500 scholarship to deserving graduates at each of the four Winn Parish Schools. To date the Trista Tyler Memorial Scholarship Fund has awarded $101,500 to 203 high school seniors.

To make a contribution and be recognized as a sponsor on this year’s t-shirt you can make checks payable to the Trista Tyler Memorial Scholarship Fund, (Federal Tax ID #72-0124970) c/o Karen Tyler, 264 Mars Hill Church Rd, Atlanta, La. 71404. For more information, call Karen at (318) 715-1442 or 628-9739.  Deadline to be recognized on the shirt is March 15, 2020. All sponsors receive a complimentary shirt.

Your participation is greatly appreciated not only in honoring Trista’s memory but also in helping students pursue their academic dreams.

I write this on Ash Wednesday. It is a beautiful day. The sun is shining brightly. The temperature is coolish. The wind is howling.

On Ash Wednesday, many churches impose ashes on the foreheads of members. There are two phrases we use while imposing the ashes. “Remember you are dust and to dust you shall return.” The other one is “Repent and believe in the gospel.” You should take both phrases seriously, ashes or not!

Ash Wednesday reminds us that we are mortal. It is a call to observe a Holy Lent as we prepare to celebrate Easter. That explains the people you saw on Wednesday who had crosses on their foreheads. Some people had smudges. We are reminding ourselves that we will all end up as dust. That is why the resurrection of Jesus brings such hope. Dust will rise again!

I don’t “doctor” my ashes. There is a recipe for ashes that involves making them darker and more prominent on the forehead. It creates an “ash paste.” I take the ashes from the place where the palm fronds were burned and apply those to the foreheads. In most cases, my cross looks like a smudge.

We did “drive by” ashes this morning from seven until eight. I made a discovery this morning.

One couple from the church stopped by to have ashes imposed. I placed the ashes on their foreheads, speaking the proper words. I, of course, noticed their dog in their back seat. I walked out of the church to go pet the dog. I petted her on the head, and we had a moment.

I thanked the couple for coming and then walked back into the church.

I had carried the ashes to the car with me. I had them on a very flat plate.

Shall we review. Ashes on a flat plate in howling wind. When I got back in the church I looked down at my empty plate. The weather has never been an Ash Wednesday problem. It was a glorious day to impose ashes today. However, Lake Advisory wind and ashes don’t mix. My first load of Ash Wednesday ashes are blowing in the wind.

Luckily, I am so antsy about ashes, I have enough to impose ashes on the entire population of the parish. I reloaded my plate and continued with the Imposition of Ashes. I was circumspect with the ashes and avoided getting too close to the opened doors.

We are disciples of Jesus Christ. As a disciple we are always learning, always growing in our faith as we follow Him.

If you are not growing into and learning of Christ, you are like those ashes, blowing in the wind.

The Dugdemona Soil & Water Conservation District’s (DSWCD) Annual Conservation Tree & Shrub Sale will be held March 5th & 6th, 2020, from 9 AM – 5 PM on Hwy 167 South next to the old Sonic location in Winnfield, LA.

The District Tree and Shrub Sale is DSWCD’s largest fund-raising event of the year. All donations and proceeds from this event directly benefit our community by helping sponsor area projects such as Feral Hog Control Program, Forestry Awareness, and Restoration of Wildlife Habitats.

This year’s sale will include many different types of trees and shrubs including: fruit trees (apple, peach, pear, plum, blackberry, avocado and more), satsuma trees, lemon trees, Kimberly queen fern, dogwoods, sweet olives, native azaleas, Jane magnolia, mayhaw and many more. If you are looking for something specific not listed here you can call (318) 628-4438 or email dugdswcd@bellsouth.net. Forestry students from CLTCC will be on hand to help at this year’s sale.

Without sponsors who recognize the importance of investing in conservation, education of our students and improving our communities, this event would not be possible. If you are interested in becoming a sponsor contact DSWCD at (318)628-4438 or dugdswcd@bellsouth.net. All sponsors will be listed on the District Facebook Page: Dugdemona SWCD, flyers, newspaper releases, and brochures. Levels of sponsorship are Platinum Sponsor $350, Gold Sponsor $250, Silver Sponsor $150, and Bronze Sponsor $100.

A special thanks to current sponsors:

Gold Sponsors: Bank of Winnfield
                            Hunt Forest Products

Silver Sponsors: PK Smith Motors, Inc.
                              Pharmacy Services
                              State Farm – Laurinda Crenshaw

Bronze Sponsor: Sabine State Bank

Established in the 1930’s the DSWCD is an organization with a mission to help promote conservation of natural resources through stewardship and education. The District hosts different projects each year to help people of Winn, Jackson and Caldwell Parishes understand how to put conservation on the ground and to better educate students about conservation.  

Winn Parish students received Terrific Kid certificates from the Winnfield Kiwanis Club for the month of January recognizing them for their character development, self-esteem and perseverance.

By Reba Phelps

Twice a year, whether I want to not, I get the distinct pleasure of visiting with my family physician.

As luck would have it, I do adore her as a person and enjoy seeing her. The downside is that I find myself getting significantly anxious a few days ahead of our designated meeting time. I have even been known to reschedule our visit multiple times.

It starts with me stressing over what I weighed on our previous visit. I never can remember the exact number. Or, maybe I just block it out after I hear it. I weigh every day on my bathroom scales but somehow her scales hate me and add weight that I did not bring with me.

One would think that after so many visits, and no surprises, that I would be cool as a cucumber because the routine never varies.

I sign in. Dread the scales. Visit with friendly staff. Dread the scales. Pay co-pay. Dread the scales. Wait in the lobby with a magazine and…..dread the scales. When they finally call my government name I immediately begin to sweat profusely. Like a lamb being led to the slaughter, my heart races and all of my unhealthy eating habits suddenly flash before my eyes.

Why did I eat that second cupcake? I know better.

When the nurse asks me to step on the scales I immediately remove every item of clothing and jewelry that may weigh more than an ounce. I can shuck shoes, practically undress and drop a purse before the nurse even comes around to start sliding the balance beam scale.

On this particular visit the scale was teetering between a five and six, within a particular number group. (The third digit, not the first digit) Trying to help the nurse out with her vision, I quickly solved the problem for her. It was a five. That one pound held every bit of my self confidence for the day. I am not sure if she could feel me internally begging and pleading for it to be a five, but she agreed.

She is my soul sister. She knows what’s up.

After we made our way to the exam room and she asked her myriad of questions I asked her to tell me what I weighed on my last visit. She told me I weighed the exact same today as I did last time. When she said those words, it was as if the room lit up brightly and I could hear heavenly angels singing. Heaven was rejoicing for me that I did not gain a pound.

Pure joy overtook my heart as I waited on the doctor to enter the room. I was celebrating myself for holding it steady and I could not wait to see the look on the good doctor’s face when she found out my good news. She has never judged me or made me feel bad for being overweight but I know she has a job to do. She has to share with me all of the risks and potential things that can wrong while being thick.

I have always looked at her more as a partner than anything else. She shares healthy tips with me, she roots for me and encourages me. She offers workable solutions. On the occasions where the scales have actually went up, I have truly felt like a child who brought home a failing grade. She was disappointed but yet still hopeful. She doesn’t give up on me.

When I heard her tap on the door announcing her entrance, I sat up straight… people who maintain their weight always have wonderful posture. I was literally about to burst, I needed her to acknowledge the non-movement of the scales.

I am fairly certain she could tell that I was looking extra slim and I was winning the battle with my weight. As soon as she asked all of her pertinent questions she did the weight comparison and a sudden look of delight came over her face.

She asked what changes have occurred in my routine because whatever I was doing was working. I didn’t have the heart to tell her that I probably lost the same five pounds three different times in the last six months. But, nonetheless, she was happy and I was happy. As we were wrapping up our visit she looked me with the most sincere look and said, “Keep fighting the good fight and look for the little wins.”

It tickled me. It truly made me smile. But, my inner Negative Nancy voice thought that she had possibly given up on me. The more I overthought it, my Positive Polly came away with the conclusion. She was happy for me!

The thing I don’t understand is why my self confidence was so tied to the number on the scale. Is there not more to our lives that what we weigh? This may be not a Biblical fact but I am quite sure we can add this to the list of things that went wrong when Eve ate the forbidden fruit.

The more we focus on our imperfections it takes valuable time and precious energy away from our true intended purpose in our lives. I know that we are loved immeasurably by a father who is accepting of us at any size.

“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”
Psalm 139:14

The Pilot Club of Winnfield is hosting a Mother & Son Dance tonight February 28, 2020, from 6 PM – 8 PM at the Winnfield Recreation Center located at 800 N. Grove Street, Winnfield, LA 71483. 

Tickets purchased prior to the dance are $10 available at Envy Salon and $15 at the door. For any additional sons in the family who wish to attend the cost is $2. 

Fun music and delicious treats will make the evening a night to remember!

Contact Kim Bruce at 318-628-0675 for more information.

Funds raised from the dance will help the Pilot Club of Winnfield to educate our children about how to “Play Safe and Play Smart” by wearing a helmet when operating any type of vehicle or playing sports.

WINN PARISH:
Robert Glen Taylor
June 28, 1964 – February 23, 2020
Arrangements TBA

Dr. William “Bill” Robertson
November 13, 1952 – February 24, 2020
Visitation: Thursday, February 27 beginning at 5 pm at Fellowship Baptist Church in Jena
Service: Friday, February 28, 2020 at 10:00AM at the church under direction of Kinner & Stevens Funeral Home

James Cecil “Gabby” Freeman Sr.
August 13, 1930 – February 24, 2020
Visitation: Thursday, February 27 from 5-9 pm and Friday, February 28 from 10-11 am at Northside Baptist Church in Montgomery
Service: Friday, February 28 at 11 am at Northside Baptist Church

NATCHITOCHES:
Lorraine Martin Dorris
December 28, 1948 – February 24, 2020
Visitation: Saturday, February 29 from 10-11 am at Summerfield Baptist Church located at 171 Summerfield Road, Summerfield Community
Service: Saturday, February 29 at 2 pm at Summerfield Baptist Church near Colfax

Jerry Larpenter
August 13, 1930 – February 21, 2020
Service: Tuesday, March 3 at 2 pm at Friendship Church of the Nazarene in Robeline

Will Smith
March 26, 1951 – February 21, 2020
Arrangements TBA

Crawford Ficklin, Jr.
February 23, 2020
Service: Saturday, February 29 at 11 am at the First United Methodist Church, located at 411 Second Street in Natchitoches

Mary Jane Jackson Parker
February 22, 2020
Service: Saturday, February 29 at 9 am at Winnfield Memorial Funeral Home Chapel, located at 318 North Street in Natchitoches

Anna Lou Evans Beasley
February 7, 1918 – February 18, 2020
Service: Saturday, February 29 at 2 pm at Blanchard-St. Denis Funeral Home in Natchitoches
Interment: Weaver Cemetery in Flora

Cleveland Lewis
February 15, 2020
Arrangements TBA

 

Winn Parish Sheriff’s Office
Name: Kenneth R. Martin III
Date: 2-19-20
Time: 8:55 AM
Address: Jonesboro, LA
Race: W
Sex: M
Age: 22
Charge:No Drivers License, Resisting, Possession of CDS Sch II (Meth)
Bond: $20,000

Name: Lathan Cole Wise
Date: 2-20-20
Time: 1:43 AM
Address: Sikes, LA
Race: W
Sex: M
Age: 18
Charge: Careless Operation W/Accident, DWI, Expired Motor Vehicle Inspection
Bond: None Listed

Name: Jennifer Dawn Tucker
Date: 2-20-20
Time: 2:55 PM
Address: Columbia, LA
Race: W
Sex: F
Age: 39
Charge:  Obtaining Legend Drug By Fraud, Possession of Schedule IV CDS
Bond: 

Name: Wilbur Beard, Jr.
Date: 2-20-20
Time: 
Address: Winnfield, LA
Race: B
Sex: M
Age: 21
Charge:  Aggravated Flight From an Officer, Speeding, Failure to Stop at Stop Sign, Possession of Sch II , Resisting Officer, Battery of an Officer
Bond: None Listed

Name: Donnal Whittley
Date: 2-20-20
Time: 5:45 PM
Address: Wisner, LA
Race: B
Sex: M
Age: 59
Charge:  D.U.S., Speeding 72/55
Bond: None Listed

Name: Donnal R. Whittley
Date: 2-21-20
Time: 9:31 AM
Address: Wisner, LA
Race: B
Sex: M
Age: 59
Charge:  Failure to Appear Arraignment
Bond: $5,000

Name: Christopher Hicks
Date: 2-23-20
Time: 4:06 AM
Address: Dodson, LA
Race: B
Sex: M
Age: 37
Charge:  Aggravated Assault with a Firearm, Resisting an Officer by Fighting
Bond: $20,000

Name: Gary Steven Long
Date: 2-23-20
Time: 7:45 PM
Address: Atlanta, LA
Race: W
Sex: M
Age: 44
Charge:  Failure to Appear – Bench Warrant
Bond: $5,000 – Hold for WPD

Name: Michael Dewayne Walker
Date: 2-24-20
Time: 12:05 PM
Address: Winnfield, LA
Race: B
Sex: M
Age: 39
Charge:  Failure to Appear GPSO & WPSO
Bond: Hold for Grant

Name: Christopher Cornell Chislom Hicks
Date: 2-24-20
Time: 4:45 PM
Address: Dodson, LA
Race: B
Sex: M
Age: 37
Charge:  Battery of a Police Officer
Bond: $15,000

Name: Kelly Nicole Hoffpouir
Date: 2-25-20
Time: 4:44 AM
Address: Saline, LA
Race: W
Sex: F
Age: 42
Charge:  Prohibited Acts, Paraphernalia, Possession of Sch II – Cocaine
Bond: $20,000

Name: Adam Lance Shirley
Date: 2-25-20
Time: 4:44 AM
Address: Winnfield, LA
Race: W
Sex: M
Age: 31
Charge:  Prohibited Acts, Paraphernalia, Possession of Firearm w/Obliterated Marks, Possession of Sch II Cocaine, Felon in Possession of a Firearm
Bond: $75,000 

Name: Donnie Wayne Folden
Date: 2-25-20
Time: 10:00 AM
Address: Baton Rouge, LA
Race: W
Sex: M
Age: 42
Charge:  Failure to Appear
Bond: None Listed – Hold for Rapides Parish SO

City of Winnfield
Name: Andrew Smith
Date: 2-19-20
Time: 4:00 PM
Address: Winnfield, LA
Race: B
Sex: M
Age: 36
Charge:  Criminal Trespass, Illegal Carrying of Weapons (Brass Knuckles), Aggravated Assault with a Firearm
Bond: None Listed

Name: Timothy S. Honeycutt
Date: 2-20-20
Time: 1:20 PM
Address: Winnfield, LA
Race: W
Sex: M
Age: 36
Charge:  Theft < $1,000
Bond: None Listed

Name: Kristin Howell
Date: 2-21-20
Time: 4:16 PM
Address: Calvin, LA
Race: W
Sex: F
Age: 32
Charge:  Failure to Appear Bench Warrant
Bond: None Listed

Name: Desiree S. James
Date: 2-21-20
Time: 5:01 PM
Address: Dodson, LA
Race: W
Sex: F
Age: 25
Charge:  Failure to Appear Bench Warrant
Bond: $422.50

Name: Troy L. Jones
Date: 2-23-20
Time: 7:09 PM
Address: Winnfield, LA
Race: W
Sex: M
Age: 39
Charge:  Failure to Appear Bench Warrant 
Bond: Turned over to WPSO

Name: Steven S. Long
Date: 2-23-20
Time: None Listed
Address: Winnfield, LA
Race: W
Sex: M
Age: 44
Charge:  Warrant
Bond: None Listed

Name: Jacqualine K. McCardie
Date: 2-24-20
Time: 1:29 PM
Address: Winnfield, LA
Race: B
Sex: F
Age: 28
Charge:  Entry and/or Remaining in Places or Land after Being Forbidden, Possession of Sch II, Bench Warrant
Bond: Hold for WPSO

Name: Steven Land
Date: 2-24-20
Time: 2:01 PM
Address: Winnfield, LA
Race: W
Sex: M
Age: 44
Charge:  Warrants
Bond: None Listed

The Rotary Club of Winnfield is hosting a family-friendly 5K Run/Walk on Saturday, March 14, 2020, starting at the Winn Parish Court House. 

Registration is $25 per person if purchased before March 7, 2020, and $30 per person March 8, 2020 – March 14, 2020. Registration fee includes a t-shirt.

Please contact Rotary President, Samantha Kelly at (318)302-9390 or Rotary President-Elect, Jodi Taylor at (832)573-5085 for more information. 

Funds raised help the Rotary Club of Winnfield purchase dictionaries and school uniforms for Winn Parish children.

In the last edition of the Capitol Briefing I stated that the number one priority facing the state legislature this session is to pass common sense Tort Reform legislation designed to lower personal and commercial automobile insurance rates. “Tort” Reform simply refers to changes in the civil justice system that aim to reduce the ability of plaintiffs to bring frivolous lawsuits against defendants and to ensure that monetary awards are commensurate with the damages sustained. Our broken legal system has tilted the scales of justice in favor of billboard trial lawyers whose unethical advertising methods have convinced scores of Louisianians that an automobile accident is the equivalent of winning the lottery.

As a result of our toxic legal environment, Louisiana has been named a “Judicial Hellhole” for 7 straight years and we currently have the second highest auto insurance rates in the nation. Hard-working lower and middle class families across the state have been among the hardest hit by the insurance crisis, with many families simply unable to afford the exorbitant automobile insurance premiums. The situation is even more desperate for small business owners such as logging contractors, farmers, and truckers who have no choice but to purchase commercial auto policies in a marketplace where most insurance companies have left the state or been forced to raise their rates due to the trial lawyers zeal for suing anyone with higher policy limits and deeper pockets.

Comprehensive tort reform measures are required to stop the precipitous climb of auto insurance rates and put money back into the pockets of Louisiana families. I will be supporting legislation to decrease the civil jury trial threshold from $50,000.00 to $5,000.00, which will help prevent personal injury attorneys from shopping their cases for judges known to blatantly favor plaintiffs. Louisiana’s $50,000.00 jury trial threshold is clearly an outlier compared to the rest of the nation, with the next closest state having a $15,000.00 limit, and 36 states with a $0.00 threshold.

Another important piece of tort reform legislation will address the collateral source rule which essentially allows juries to see only the “sticker price” for medical costs instead of the actual cost incurred by the plaintiff. This typically results in a windfall for the trial lawyer and plaintiff, and is perhaps the biggest driver of our excessively high rates. Legal reform bills filed this session will also address “Direct Action”, or the trial lawyer’s ability to file a lawsuit against a defendant and their insurer, clearly resulting in higher damage awards.

I will also be supporting repeal of the preposterous “seatbelt gag rule” which prevents a jury from knowing if an injured plaintiff was wearing a seatbelt when the accident occurred. Believe it or not, each of the aforementioned measures were introduced last year and shot down by trial lawyers in the legislature and governor’s mansion. Although abuse of the legal system by trial lawyers is the leading cause of our high insurance rates, we must also hold insurance companies accountable and ensure that rates are based on verifiable actuarial data and not on arbitrarily determined standards.

I look forward to the spirited debates that will no doubt accompany our efforts to pass this common sense legislation our state urgently needs. Please know that my decisions as your state representative will always be made prayerfully with the best interests of the men and women of District 22 in mind.

Gabe Firment
District 22 State Representative

By Brad Dison

Patrick Morrissey was born in Ireland on Saint Patrick’s Day, March 17, 1844. In reverence of the patron saint of Ireland, and his being born on the traditional death date of Saint Patrick, his parents named him Patrick. The Morrissey family crossed the Pacific Ocean and settled in Buffalo, New York. His father died shortly after their arrival. To earn money, Patrick’s mother kept boarders in a poor area known as the “infected district.” Patrick had little education and “was a wild boy.” Patrick occasionally got into legal trouble. In November, 1865, police arrested him on a charge of larceny. A jury convicted him of the crime and sentenced him to three-and-a-half years in the Auburn prison. Patrick’s mother begged Governor Fenton to pardon Patrick. After only seven or eight months in prison, Governor Fenton conceded and pardoned Patrick.

Patrick’s mother was fifty-five-year-old Ann Morrissey. Newspapers describe Ann as being associated with low people, which matched her character. She was a hardworking woman and was able to save a small amount money. Ann had a terrible temper and newspapers reported that she “often abused her children,” Patrick and his three younger sisters.
Patrick worked as a sailor. When he was in between jobs, Patrick stayed with his mother. He spent the majority of his time in a drunken condition. During his binges, he often requested the little money his mother had saved and claimed that he had a right to it because he was the oldest child. On June 22, 1872, a Saturday night, Patrick returned to his mother’s house from a long night of drinking. About 10 a.m. the next morning, Patrick left the house and returned at about 2 p.m. in a drunken stupor. Several boarders at Ann’s boarding house saw Patrick return and said he had a “wild look about him.”

Shortly after Patrick’s return, the boarders heard Patrick arguing with a woman in an adjoining room. The woman yelled, “Go away, you ——-, or I’ll call the watch on you!” Patrick replied, “Do you call me that you d—-d old thing?” Patrick picked up a carving-knife with his right hand. He grabbed the woman’s right shoulder with his left hand, which spun her around, and he stabbed her in the chest. She ran into the next room and collapsed. Stunned boarders carried her to a bed where she died about ten minutes later.
Patrick made no attempt to escape. He sat on a bed in the kitchen and waited for the police to arrive. Policemen arrested Patrick and took him to the police station for questioning. Patrick, still drunk, continually contradicted his own statements. He denied that he had any part in the stabbing, then confessed to the crime, then denied it again.

At Patrick’s trial, his defense attorneys did not deny that Patrick had killed the woman, but claimed he was temporarily insane “caused by liquor and a disposition to light-headedness, resulting from a blow received on his head.” The jury retired after closing arguments and, after a brief absence, returned with a guilty verdict for first degree murder. Four days later, the judge sentenced Patrick to be “hanged by the neck until you are dead.”
Patrick’s attorneys pleaded with the governor for a reprieve, but he would not interfere with the jury’s verdict. Patrick’s attorneys argued that the trial had followed the murder too rapidly, the murder occurred on June 23 and the trial began two days later. They also argued that the trial was too short. It took only twenty-one days from the beginning of Patrick’s trial until the judge sentenced him to death. The attorneys filed a motion for a new trial before the Supreme Court but the motion was denied. The legal process in 1872 was swift.

On September 6, 1872, the sheriff of Erie County, New York, led the condemned man from his jail cell to a holding room. A crowd gathered in the yard of the courthouse in anticipation of a public hanging. Members of the crowd requested to be allowed to watch the hanging, but the sheriff refused. A hush fell over the crowd when the undertaker delivered a black-walnut casket to the courthouse. The sheriff and three of his deputies dressed Patrick in a black robe and placed the noose around his neck. The sheriff ordered twenty-five of his deputies to clear the courthouse yard of everyone except twelve witnesses who had passes to watch the hanging, the number required by law. The sheriff led Patrick into the yard of the courthouse and to the scaffolding, which was shielded from public view by temporary canvas walls. Two deputies led Patrick up the steps to the hanging platform. The sheriff positioned himself on the ground next to the handle which would release the trap door. One of the deputies read the death warrant aloud, attached the noose to the hook on the hanging platform, and pulled a black hood over Patrick’s face. The sheriff pulled the lever, and the condemned man fell to his death.

The woman Patrick murdered was Ann Morrissey, his own mother. The sheriff, who had the grim role as executioner, became the only person to serve two non-consecutive terms as president of the United States, Grover Cleveland.

Buffalo Morning Express and Illustrated Buffalo Express, September 4, 1872, p.1.
Buffalo Evening Post, September 7, 1872, p.3.
Buffalo Weekly Courier, September 11, 1872, p.4.

The Pilot Club of Winnfield is hosting a Mother & Son Dance on Friday, February 28, 2020, from 6 PM – 8 PM at the Winnfield Recreation Center located at 800 N. Grove Street, Winnfield, LA 71483. 

Tickets purchased prior to the dance are $10 available at Envy Salon and $15 at the door. For any additional sons in the family who wish to attend the cost is $2. 

Fun music and delicious treats will make the evening a night to remember!

Contact Kim Bruce at 318-628-0675 for more information.

Funds raised from the dance will help the Pilot Club of Winnfield to educate our children about how to “Play Safe and Play Smart” by wearing a helmet when operating any type of vehicle or playing sports.

Harriet Tubman’s life is an inspirational story of a woman with an indomitable spirit, deep and abiding religious faith and steadfast courage who overcame incredible hardships to achieve a life of dignity and freedom for herself, her family and dozens of slaves whom she led to freedom as perhaps the most well known conductor on the Underground Railroad.

She was born into slavery sometime in the early 1820’s. The exact date remains unknown. She was cruelly treated. Beaten and whipped throughout her childhood, she nearly died at age 12 from a head wound suffered when a slaveowner threw a metal weight at another slave that hit her instead. The wound left her with seizures and other problems that were to plague her for the remainder of her life.

In 1849, she discovered that her owner was planning to sell her, breaking up her family. She then fled north to freedom, eventually reaching Philadelphia. It was then that her life took a turn that was to largely define her life and lead to her fame. Not content in having won her own freedom while her family and others remained in slavery, she went back to rescue them. It was an incredibly courageous decision that was fraught with peril. Were she to be captured, she would be re-enslaved, if not killed outright. She was risking more than her life by going back. Between 1849 and 1860, she made over 13 trips to the South to lead members of her family and others to freedom. After the 1850 Fugitive Slave Act made it more dangerous for escaped slaves to live openly, even in states in which slavery was not legal, she took the men and women she was leading to freedom on the Underground Railroad to Ontario in Canada.

Harriet Tubman’s activities with the Underground Railroad led to a price being put upon her head by southern authorities. She was never captured, nor did she lose a single person in her charge to the slave-catchers and their dogs. She rescued her parents in 1857, and made her last trip as a conductor on the Underground Railroad in 1860, just before the outbreak of the Civil War. It was an incredible record of courage and honor that would be more than enough for a single lifetime. But Harriet Tubman’s struggle against the evils of slavery and oppression were far from over.

When the Civil War began in 1861, Tubman first served the Union forces as a cook and a nurse. After President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, she took a more direct role in the war. Tubman used the skills she had honed on her trips on the Underground Railroad to serve as a spy and scout for the Union Army.

In early June of 1863, Harriet Tubman accompanied units from the 2nd South Carolina Infantry under Col. James Montgomery on a raid of plantations along the Combahee River in South Carolina. The unit was comprised of Black soldiers who had at long last been allowed to join the Union Army and fight for their freedom. Tubman guided the three steamships carrying the soldiers past Confederate mines in the river. The troops landed and burned several plantations and captured supplies to deny them to the Confederacy. The slaves working in the fields saw the approaching soldiers and heard the whistles of the Union steamships. They raced to the river to the ships-and freedom. Over 750 slaves were rescued in the raid, with most of the men joining the Union Army. A month later, she witnessed the assault upon Fort Wagner by the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, the unit featured in the superb movie “Glory”. Harriet Tubman spent the remainder of the Civil War nursing and assisting soldiers and working in the camps of freed slaves.

After the war, she returned to her home in Auburn, New York to care for her parents whom she had brought back from Canada. She later became involved in the women’s suffrage movement, a cause that she supported until her death of pneumonia in 1913.

Harriet Tubman left a remarkable legacy. She won her freedom and then risked it repeatedly by returning to slave states to lead others to freedom. She served the cause of the Union in combat and as a spy and scout. She nursed the sick and the wounded. Her life is a record of incredible perseverance and courage. It is also a record of selfless service to others. Perhaps her greatest legacy will never be precisely known. There are any number of our fellow Americans who are descended from the men and women she led to freedom on those long night time treks through the swamps and woods with the north star as their only guide.