The Yazoo Whig and political register. (Yazoo City, Miss.) 1840-1842, 1841-06-04


ing a general meeting was adopted
sshes0teed. That we whose names ate /
hereto affixed do hereby pledge ourselves 70
sustain said committee against all personal
and pecuniary liability which may result
from the discharge oI the duties hereby as
signed them. And further that we will in
like manner sustain all persons IN the dis
charge of lhe duties which may be from
time.to time assigned them BY said commits
tee; and that zoe are not responsible for
aag acts done BIZ persons citing lDitbOut The
order of said committee
To.these proceedingsweF appended some
three hun6red names. The committees
thus constituted, were the only public au.
thority. acknowledged, and although they
proceeded in their examinations Of accused
persons with some show of circumspeciion
and regularity, yet it must be owned that
their acts in maRy instances bore the appear.
ance Of haste, as if the sooner the prisoners
were put out Of the way the better
Moreover, it frequently happened that the
crowd would become impatient Of the delib-
eratiols of the committees, and the suspect
ed individuals would be forcibly taken and
hung on the nearest tree that stood by. It
/ is difficult for the witnesses Of these scenes,
even at this short distance of time, to mag
inc the sober citizen, who few days before
was quietly following his plough, now con-
verted into one of laWless and irregularly
constituted tribunal, invested with the high
prerogatives conferred by an alarmed and en-
ragged community, say il is difficult for US
now here, in these law abiding times, TO. ac-
count 70 our own satisfaction for the eventsof
those DAYS: but they are now matter of his
tory. My purpose is to tellmy story, and
not TO call up recollections which every one
would wish to let sleep; like the ;:Ancient
Mariner" my tale must be told. and in do
ling so, must take hasty review of the
times in order to illustrate it.
The body polite was PROSTATE, bleeding
at every pore; order had fed; and anarchy
and confusion reigned in its stead Besides
! the organized committees just noticed, there
were many smaller combinations that served
Judge Lynch con their own. hook whose
acts the other committees repudiated; yet
the potent name of Lyncb gave the STAMP
of Justice to all their acts. Ii was the strong
est party which ruled; and it not nufre-
quen1y happened that private pique, or ma
=
ais before the committees, who theTeupon
} forthwith issued an order for the apprehen
sion of the persons denounced. To threat
en- man with lynching was nothing more
. than TO say in orderly times, you shall b.
posecuted;' yet the result was much more
speedy and certain. Such was the state o
society in Mississippi at the date of this his
Etory.-
= Mr. Jones accompanied me to his neigh
boris, to whom returned the gun had Dor
. rowed the day previous. From the latter
Z gained much information concerning the dc
: tual condition of the country, He lived OF
the main road leading from B.. to Vieks
: burg, and was as he informed me membe
: of the Committee of Safety He was /
! full believer in the worst that was told, anC
4 preached death and determination to all Dht
! could not proUe themselves innocent. of tt,
. charge alleged.
/ soon discovered that he regarded M
with evident suspicion, but was checked b
Mr.. Jones, who was greatly his superior il
every particularly from insulting me by in
= pertinent questions.
:, Inow babe adieu to Mr.. Jones, true
. hearted Mississippi planter, and received
= from him assurances Of friendly aid if ever
y should require it,
: Taking upa pair of saddlebags, which con
! tanned my all Of worldly goods, slung ther
: over my shoulder, grasped my walking cane
e and was now
. ."Alone, alone, all, all alone,
Alone in thesWide, wide world;'
y yet was voUNG-and youth lends elastic
e. ty to the nerves, and hope and Joy to ID
J, ILL felt as confident Of suTmountin
rs the difficulties thrown in the way Of n
u journey through life, as did Of accomplish
We ing the journey which. lay along the drear.
ID lonely road which | now travelled.
BY Chapter ".
o. 81 Thou knowest what thing IS poverty
Among the fallen on evil days.;
If IT'S CRfAE, and Fear. and IEFA1d1,
And honseless want il frozen ways