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TRANSCRIPT OF MIRIAM REAL (FEINGOLD) LETTER, DETAILING PLAQUEMINE, LOUISIANA DEMONSTRATION
Click here to hear this letter read by WPR's Heather Stur.
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Port Allen Jail
Sept. 5, 1963
Dear Danny,
This is the finest of prison stationery, nothing but the best for you –
I trust my mother phoned you, as I told her to, and informed you that there had been a change in my plans; I am being temporarily detained in the finest of Port Allen hotels, which boasts free room and board and pink cells with bathtubs. What more could one ask for?
Seriously, though, I have never seen such hell and such terror as we witnessed in Plaquemine Sunday evening. By the end of it, everyone was involved – it was impossible to escape. I’m sure you’ve heard the story by now, as I’ll just describe it briefly. There had been a march on the sheriff’s home Sat. evening, protesting arrests made in sit-ins earlier in the day. The marchers were deliberately detained several blocks from the sheriff’s home until horses could be brought to the scene, then horses and tear gas bombs simultaneously attacked the crowds. State troopers on the horses carried electric cattle prod [sic] which they used with great abandon. In the massive attack on the fleeing marchers, one girl, about 12 years old, was trampled by a horse. I was just informed by a note from Spiver, who is at the other end of my cell block, that the girl died last night in Charity Hospital. My God, Danny, dues are high. I had spoken with the girl’s parents Sunday morning when they came to the office to complain that she wasn’t being treated at the Plaquemine Sanitarium – the hospital demanded a deposit of $75.00 before they’d touch her. HOW CAN PEOPLE BE SO CRUEL?? HOW LONG MUST THIS GO ON???
Sunday night another march was organized and this time we had the reluctant ministers with us. As the march began, the federal marshal arrived with one more of E. Gordon West’s creations (by the way, E. Gordon created a new one for East Felicia Parish to replace Judge Rerrick’s). We marched anyhow. The line was stopped on Railroad Ave by horses, tear gas, and electric prodders, and again the marchers fled. The horses followed the demonstrators back to the church as did the white mobs. They tear gassed all around the church, rode the horses into the churchyard, and when the marchers packed into the church, they broke down the doors and windows and threw tear gas inside. There were many seriously injured but by this time it was impossible to get anyone to the waiting ambulance. The injured were carried inside Rev. Davis’ house but by this time the crowd from the church, jumping through windows and doors had packed Rev. Davis’ house with a mass more solid than the N.Y. City subway at rush hour (I was inside the house, attempting to nurse the injured). The crowd was hysterical -- injured women screaming and kicking on the beds, everyone crying and screaming. Eventually the police and the mobs broke into the front of the house and tear gassed it. When the crowd scattered across the row of backyards, the police tear gassed them, then turned high pressure hoses on the demonstrators in front of the church.
What followed was mob rule, bands of vigilantes roamed through the neighborhood breaking into homes overturning furniture and dragging out everyone with a black face. If they had a prodder they used them to hurry the process. They pulled down one girl’s pants and prodded her between her legs! They prodded an 8 month pregnant lady until she dropped from pain. They found me, with a 15-year old panic-stricken girl clinging to me, in a shed behind the church where we had listened for over an hour to the mobs. For a while we heard gunfire. The girl was released as a juvenile and I was arrested and carried to the stockade (the fair grounds) where ironically I integrated the women’s section. Practically all the task force is now in jail including Vic who came back from Clinton to see what was going on. Monday a bunch of us were moved to Port Allen, where I was promptly segregated from everyone else. For awhile I was next door to Spiver, but they didn’t like us talking so I was moved to the other end of the cell block.
Beverly is coming back to help out, and Gordon Carey returns tomorrow, too.
As for the Felicianas, I have bid them farewell.
Ronnie pulled a mean trick and put me in charge of the Plaquemine office since I was so “efficient”. I was really ready to cry, but I’m pretty reconciled now. After all, no sacrifice is too great….Besides, I’ll be in Plaquemine to see, if not to join what’s going on. If all goes well, and Beverly is willing, she may take over the office and I’ll get sent to the field, but I don’t know if that’ll happen. Anyhow, I hope.
Vic and bill are to cover E and W Feliciana and St. Helena. Mike and Brendan are doing St. Bernard Avoyelles, St. Landry, and (dum-da-dum) Plaquemine Parishes! Docs and Alice are in Tangepakoa, and Ruthie and Shirley in Pointe Couple. Can’t remember where everyone else is…
When we all left Clinton, Rev. Carter had set up a meeting for Tues nite (Sept. 3) for people’s planning to go to the registrar on Thurs. Vic is in jail and Bill is in Plaquemine, so I doubt anyone went along with them to the registrar’s – which is really too bad I don’t think Vic should have come down here from Clinton, but why cry over spilt milk, as it were.
Demonstrations will resume as soon as the injunction is overturned. Something has to be done to get the people over their fear, so they don’t panic so much when they see horses, but how can you tell someone not to run and have their kids trampled to death.
I miss you, even though you said I shouldn’t. I guess I’m not going to be able to get to N.Y.C before you leave. I hope your experiment in studying works out – I know exactly how it is to drag oneself back to the books. Will you be down here at all during the year? I’ll try to get to N.Y. with Mike, and if he goes to Syracuse in his car, I’ll go too. I’ll write later when that is all more definite.
Please write. c/o CORE 306 Ivey St. for now.
Peace. Take care.
Love,
Mimi
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