The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1855-06-25

The Clay County Outrages--The ssEv-
of tn cir Operations with the Black
Boys and their Advisors.
Again at our desk, after military sojourn
of ten days among the "Black Boys" of Clay
county, and their black-hearted advisers and
abettors, during which time we endeavored
to give faithful report of all matters con-
nected with the object of our mission
we now propose to avail ourself of better
facilities than pencil and hat crown, to lay
the subject more fully before the readers of
the Journal. We believe it is the first in
stance in the history of our State, where
military force has been called into reuuisition
to suppress instruction, protect public and
private property and to sustain the majesty
of civil government. The causes which
called the Evansville Guards" from their
homes and their business, to remote part of
the State, to contend with a force of at least
ten times their number, whose passions and
prejudices were goaded to desperation by
imaginary grievances and infamed by design
ing and unprincipled leaders, may be found
in the deep interest which every citizen of
Old Vanderburgh feels in sustaining her
great channel of trade, the Wabash and Ere
Canal, and her devotion to law and good
government. 1t is greatly to be deplored
that such feeling of hostility as seems TO
pervade the entire sentiment of Clay county
should exist and be fostered against this great
public improvement, and the TRUST which
has it in charge; and more especially when
the civil authorities of the State are to be
outlawed and the interest and credit of the
entire State to be sacrificed for the gratifca-
ton of petty personal differences between
the canal trust and few men who assume
TO rule the aforesaid county. The outrages
which have been committed upon the public
works in Clay county, the burning of private
property and the driving from their homes at
midnight defenceless women and children,
challenge the attention OF every well dis
posed citizen in the State.
In addition to the crimes of murder, arson
and trespasses of every grade, comes the
interruption and destruction of the commerce
of the canal, which had just began to pour
into the lap of Evansville, an immense anC
profitable trade; our commerce is rapidly
being extended through the medium of this
great work, to every locality through which
it passes, from the Ohio river to Lake Erie
Our citizens have invested largely in the con
struction of boats and warehouses; our city
has built commodious and expensive wharf
all of which are to be comparatively worth
less if these indispensable appendages of tn
canal are not sustained. 1t is not wortl
while to talk and bubble about the griev
ances which the citizens of Clay county com
plain of, since the people of that county, as
community, have long since ceased to recog
nize the law of the land or it's ministers, a
the proper authority to avenge their wrong
or redress their grievances. They have es
tablished a "higher laws unto themselves
and in their late attempt to enforce it b
their organized mob called REGULATORS,
while they have gained nothing but imam
to themselves, they have inflicted seriou
outrages upon the persons and property
sufferer. The civil authorities of Clay coul
ty, are in all things subordinate and subse
Went to this lawless band, and from IL
general sympathy expressed in favor of
conduct, we are to infer that the great ma
of the people prefer to have their laws a
ministered in that way. They have repea
eddy resorted to mob violence and lynch la
in carrying out their nefarious designs, al
good citizens have been driven from Il
county, their property sacrificed, and upr
their return to obtain their property by leg
means shot dead in the presence of tht
families.
These high-handed outrages occurred lo
before Birch Creek Reservoir had an ex
tence even in the Imagination of Its proje
tors. We have already shown in form
articles, that the Reservoir which is CO.
planned of as q nuisance, has legal ex
tence; that it was built as a necessity
great public utility; that it was construct
in accordance with the law which authori;
the taking of private property for public p
poses, providing that a just equivalent
rendered therefor. The Reservoir or ot
APPENDICES of the canal, have never BIZ
declared a nuisance by any legal author
and scientific investigation by commit
of the most learned ply sicians of our count
of which the late Prof Demming was CHI
man, resulted in the conclusion that the s