Southern sentinel. [volume] (Plaquemine, Parish of Iberville [La.]) 1848-1858, 1856-12-27
Sailing Liquor to STRENGTHENING OF
Citizens.

Selling Liquor to Slaves"-@Weetfng Of
Citizens.
If there Is one crime more than another
which deserves the united action and vigilance
of a whole community te Suppress, it is that
of selling liquor to slaves. 1t is a crime which
endangers the peace, happiness and lives of
Southern people everywhere, while it makes
| the slave of but little value to his owner
thereby being destructive of property also
Unfortunately, however, although the law is
strict and positive on the subject, it seems TO
be a very difficult matter to convict a man of
this crime, although the public is fully satisfied
Of his guilt.
The people of this town have long known,
from various facts, that selling liquor TO slaves
has been carried on here to a fearful extent,
yet court after court passed off without any
one being brought 10 the bar of justice.
The evil at last becoming so notorious, 4
few of our ~citizeus determined on a~rresting it
at all hazards. They therefore went to work,
and using a negro as decoy-sending them into
a house with a marked bottle and awaiting the
result, concealed-they succeeded in discover
ing several who were guilty of this crime.
Considerable excitement Immediately occur
red among our citizens upon the knowledge of
the above fact, and at night they assembled toa
gether in public meeting, and went to work
in that capacity. The result was, that after
hearing the evidence, the meeting resolved it.
self into a Vigilance Committee. Resolutions
detected in selling liquor 10 slaves TO leave
town in forty eight hours, and appointed n
committee of three to inform them of these
resolutions and 10 see that they were complied
with. The committee performed their duty in
apprising the detected Of the resolutions pass
ed respecting them. The meeting adjourned,
after appointing a committee to draft resoIu-
tons to meet the exigences of the case, to be
presented at an adjourned meeting for the fol-
night.
At the same place and at the appointed time
a much larger meeting than the one previous
had assembled, consisting Of the most respec-
table citizens Of our town. The committee
previously appointed then presented their res
olutions, which were unanimously adopted and
signed by all present. They were in substance
that the citizens resolve themselves into a Vi
GLANCE Committee for the purpose of expeIl-
ing from town all persons then detected or who
ruay hereafter be detected in selling liquor to
electing permanent officers and a com
nittee of three, to be also styled a Vigilance
Committee, who were expected TO be active in
out the guilty.
Before the time expired for those to leave
who had received a warning TO that effect, two,
understand, had taken advantage of the in
)itation. Thu house which one of them occu-
Cat the corner Of Merriam street and the
.evee and at the Southern entrance TO our
own) was RACED TO the ground on Wednesday
not for the reason that liquor was
there 10 slaves, or that il was a good den
or that purpose, but because, we imagine, the
Iouse stood nearer the Levee than the law au.
no rized, and was consequently ordered to be
'ulIed down by the town authorities.
Up to the present writing Friday forenoon
We have not learned hat any of the others or.
cred of have yet left. One thing we feel as
ured of, however, and that is, that those who
ave been ordered by the committee to leave,
'm hare to trauel. The citizens, in their capa-
ity as a yigilant Committee, have taken a po-
ition they cannot now retrace withou. danger.
o say nothing of its disgrace.