The Abbeville banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1847-1869, 1851-08-29
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--.s OF the alder6e 10 and

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of the w-defying rowdies, who dis
grace and disturb our city. Where is
the use good friends :? We have
shouted in the adder ears of these Of
ficers until we would have been hoarse
had we not used the steam lungs and
the iron tongue of the press, but they
heard not; we have called attention,
time and again, to specific acts Of out
rage but no one needed them !; we
have begged some little action for the
credit Of the city, but that credit has
fallen into hands that know not the
value of good name.
If the evidence four eyes be worth
anything, we must con. lde that many
of our policemen are deaf or that they
are pusillauimous towards for we have
seen them deliberately walking along
one side Of the street, while on the
other side the grossest outrages were
being perpetrated by organised bands
Of ruflians. 1t is notorious that GER
tain gangs of boys or half-grown men
not only do all the mischief that their
diabolical brains can conceive, sbut,
openly boast the police dare not inter
fere with them, and that if one Of the
gang should be caught by mistake,
the Alderman" will discharge him
from custody. The rapid and unpa-
ralleled increase of crime in our city
is attracting attention all over the
I country exaggerated stories of mur-
ders, which in simple fact were bad
enough, are circulated far and wide,
until country people begin to hesitate
in their journey hitherward, doubling
if their lives would be safe in the
commercial metropolis Of the country.
Peaceable citizens are knocked down
in open day, women are dragged into
blind alleys and abused, street fights
and bacchinal orgies, make night a
time of trembling instead 81 of ofnEre Ee't other
izcps 7Rfobliged to defend themselves
with firearms policemen themselves
are murdered by drunken desperadoes
and after all this we see we'll Informed
papers boast of the perfection of our
police government, and how safe life
and property are in New York.
Under such circumstances what is
the fse of our endeavoring to rouse
the authorities to action? They know
all these things; they have konwn
them for years they know the names
and residences Of many Of the persons
composing the rowdy associations :;
they have been asked, time and again
to break up, to prevent the nightly
disturbances which they create, to
make an example of them, 80 that
human lifesmay at least be ordinarily
secure, but not move have they
made, not step has been taken and
not promise is given that anything
will be done.
The services of those gangs ARE
wanted at the next election it may be
desirable to keep certain votes out of
the box OF to break up poll and car
ry off the ballot box, as has been done
and so it won't do to meddle with the
b'hoys." So far from breaking up
those gangs, the men who should put
them down, raise money and liquor
annually for their outrages upon the
people; nothing is more common than
this service and reward, and nothing
else could be expected from men in
authority who levy per capita tax
upon prostitutes, as q condition of
blindness to the carousals and robbie
ries, illicit rum selling and all manner
of villianies practiced in such temples
Of Venus as come down handsomely
with the money.