Tag Archives: Abraham Lincon

Who was Richard Pryor in Catahoula Parish Feud?

diggingforroots


Nothing about the Liddell-Jones feud ended well (see post). After Charles Jones killed St. John R Liddell on the river boat Welcome, mob justice was unleashed on Jones– the mob killed Charles Jones, his son William Jones, and possibly his son Cuthbert Jones. The Ouachita Telegraph describes this a “tragedy”, however I suspect in our time we’d call this a lynching.

Who was the Richard Pryor involved in the feud? What was his fate? I think the Richard who became involved in the Catahoula Parish feud was the son of William Bland Pryor (born 1793 in VA). This is the Richard Pryor who brashly demanded the head of Abraham Lincoln at the start of the Civil War (see post). The feud was fought near Trinity, LA (#1 on the map below). In 1850 Richard was living with his parents in Madison Parish, LA (#2) and was counted in 1860 in nearby Vicksburg, MS (#3).

A Pryor Who Put A Hit Out On The President

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lincon-wikipediaSometimes I cringe at the antics of our Pryor ancestors. Impassioned by the start of the Civil War in April 1861, Richard Pryor in Mississippi put  a price on Lincoln’s head (see ad). I’d like to know if that was $10,000 US cash or Confederate funny-money. If that was in US dollars that was quite a sum 150 years ago!

Vicksburg, April 20th, 1861.
100,000 REWARD!
I WILL give the above reward for the head of ABRAHAM LINCOLN. If taken a live, or 50,000 if taken dead and delivered to me at Vicksburg , in time for me to hand it over to President Davis, by the 4th of July, next. All the papers please copy.
RICHARD PRYOR
(Vicksburg Evening Citizen)

Who was this Richard Pryor? Probably this was the Richard S. Pryor, son of William B Pryor, who lived in Madison County. LA (1850) and in Warren County, MS (1860). Vicksburg is in Warren County.

Enjoy your 4th of July!

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