Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1858-07-01
THE VIGILANCE COMMITTEE,

IN this, they nad the goou VIII vi e'e'!
body. But they marched int" corner,
penned themselves up there, and threatened
to shoot anybody who came to disturb
them. They interrupted the quiet of the
city, took possession of the Court rooms
and stopped the Courts, and did not ar
rest anybody after all. The consequence
was, that public opinion frowned them out
of existence. They ruined the election of
their own candidate; for moderate men,
who were willing to see them arrest cut
throats, turned against them, when they
saw them turn the city into a camp, and
advance not step towards their under
odobject.
+ A word as to the position of things
When l landed, the Vigilants had just
commenced operations. Rumors OF war
were flying thickly about, and everybody
thought Tremendous fighting would ensue.
The barricades were either loose wall OF
the broad, thick paving stone ofthe streets,
or a simple row Of cotton bales, stood on
end. Anybody could have jumped them
easily, and cannon ball would have made
the stones fly, for they were piled only one
or two deep. In Lafayette square, the
head quarters of the Know Nothings, and
about eight squares from the other camp.
there were no barricades, only cannons
pointing down the avenues leading TO the
square; with sentinel or two at each gun,
and occasionally from fifteen to forty rough
looking fellows mastering about. On the
two or three streets leading from the one
to the other of these camps, men and wo-
men were passing along in almost one con-
tinuous throng, but the stores were closed,
and everybody was ready TO get out of the
way, in case shower of grape shot should
be coming along. The preparations did
not make much show. There was no
music, no uniforms; only from fifty to a
hundred bayonets were visible about each
camp; little low wall of stones, with n
plank or two on top; eight or Ten hard
looking cases with muskets, were standing
about behind, and hole in the wall, with
a brass cannon sticking through is fair
statement of the show Mt n barricade of the
Vigianis. The other camp was much less
formidable-looking.
They are said never to have had aquiet-
er election in New Orleans. But saw n
sight deplorable, if it is TO be the rule, in
republican elections five TO a hun
dred men ranged in battle array, with arms
| ready for action and their officers at their
respective posts, standing on the opposite
side of the street, at one of the Seventh
Ward polls. The Vigilants had sent a
force from their camp 10 see to the election.
At the polls next 10 these, 10 muskets, and
few people, were about; and voting was
done quietly.
The morning after the election, the Com
mittee abandoned their military organiza-
ton, and scattered about the country, for
fear of assassination. Everybody seemed
glad to drop the matter; people breathed
freer, and talked louder. And must say,
that, fire eating as the country is, it SEEM
ed Just as hard for them to come up to
good hard knocks, as it would be in any
e-livered. &C., northern country.
THE FLOOD.
Now rs 10 the tremendous flood on the
Lower Mississippi. For hundreds Of miles
below Cairo, the river is not levied at all,
the system of leyying does not prevail con-
tinuously until you reach the last three or
four hundred miles of river above New Or
leans. In the region of no levecs, dense,
swampy forests, matted with underground
and moss and vines, stretch monotonously
along both shores and back into the coun-,
try from fifteen to fifty miles, before they
reach ground not subject to overflow. Set
tiers arc scattered through these low, woody
grounds, who sell wood to steamboats,, and
farm in a rough way. A very high over
flow like the present brings the water from
one to seven feet on these flats, so that
sometimes the river may be a hundred miles
wide, its, width, however, always being
concealed by woods. When such flood
comes, then, the settlers are in trap. The
water and undergrowth and trees behind
them are really impenetrable; and before
them Is the enormous river, with its oppo-
site shore in similar condition, and they
might go hundreds of miles down stream
and find no better chance The human
beings Of the place, in This state of things,
either get out of the way entirely, or make
n covered fiat-boat, tied to the tree, their
house. But the cattle fair worse. The
more fortunate or indutrious settler finds a
platform or flat boat for them to stand on.
while perhaps his house is set up or blocks
so rs to be still inhabitable. But in most
cases the miserable cattle, seeming not to
think of escape, stand in one or two feet
water, citing what leaves of trees they can
find or have brought to them in skiifs.-
This has been the condition of these river
shores for two months, and will be forwecks
longer. Ofcourse the drowned and starved
cattle are numerous. Sometimes houses
are ailoat or upset, and the whole picture
Of desolation, laughable as it is in some of
its aspects, is beyond what any one, who
has not seen it, can draw for himself.
In the lower country the danger from
the river comes in a different shape. The
river breaks in through levee from two
TO eight feet high, on the inside, and
sweeps back into some bayou or swamp in
the rear of the plantations, carrying with |
it all chance of n crop for the next two
years. The damage TO human and animal
life is not so frequent or great though it |
some times exists; and whole parishes may |
be laid under water, rs throughy as their |
neghbors are higher up the river. NO.
itself may be regarded as secure from this
flood. Tho hvee in front of the city is firm,
and no npprehensions are generally express
Cd of lanfrar from tLu la.s.-. IL. -. -.