Nebraska advertiser., 1862-01-23
A BILL


WHEREAS, In certain places of the
Territory, organized bands of armed men,
and robbers, and thieves under the ap-
pelation of "Jayhawkers," have been and
are now engaged in plunde ring, and
robbing good and peaceable citizens of this
Territory, and committing outrages upon
persons without p~rovocation, by using
threats Of violence, and in some instances
by attempting to take life and inficting
frightful wounds upon persons-now for
the purpose Of suppressing such armed
bodies of men, and preventing such out
RACES in the future: Be it enacted by the
Council and House of Representatives of
the Territory of Nebraska.
SECTION /. That all armed bodies of
men, consisting of two or more, who shall
hereafter commit any robbery, theft, or
forcibly and against the will Of the owner
or owners. take any goods, chattles, stock,
or property of any value whatever, be-
longing to another, shall be deemed
guilty of Land Piracy, and upon convic-
ton thereof be punished by death.
SEC. 2. That if any person shall har-
Dor, feed, aid or abet any person or per-
sons engaged in ~plundering, rObbing,
thievlng or depriving persons Of their
properly, knowing such persons to be so
engaged shall be deemed accessory be-
fore the fact, to Land Piracy, and shall
upon conviction thereof be punished by
death.
SEC. 8. That it shall be lawful for any
person or persons to kill, slay, and des-
troy by all and every means known for
taking of life, any armed persons who
shall at the time of such killing be en-
gagged in plundering, or stealing, or rob-
bing, or attempting to forcibly take and
carry away any property belonging to
another, or while secreting, removing, or
driving away, or attempting to place any
property or stock beyond the reach of the
owner.
SEC. 4. Be it further enacted that
hereafter, when any unknown person,
having no legitimate business shall come
into any county of this Territory, or any
place therein, who shall excite the suspl-
cion of any resident citizen, It shall be
lawful for any such citizen to go before
any Justice of the Peace and make oath
that he has reason to believe and does
believe that such unknown, or suspicious
persons is a suspicious character, and in
said county or place for no lawful purpose.
Such Justice shall thereupon issue a war
rant for the immediate arrest of such
suspected persons, and if such persons
shall fail to give a satisfactory account of
him or herself, such Justice of the Peace
shall Immediately require suc~h-suspected
person to enter into good and sufficient
%surities with two resident free holders for
his future conduct, and on failure to give
such security, such Justice shall forthwith
order such person to leave the Territory.
In all caudor we ask, was ever before
a civilized Legislature asked to vote for
such a barbarous act 4? Such an act would
supercede the criminal code, and make ev-
cry man judge, jury and executer!It would
be worse than the Spanish Inquisltion -
1t would LgaLiSs Jayhawking, and that,
too. Of a character ~demoniacal without
precedent. Under it all the old feuds
and quarrels, common to this as all other
new countries, would be settled with
powder and ball, poisoning, burning at the
stake in the language of the act itself,
'by all and every means known for taking
life !" We venture to say that in less
than a twelve-month it would have de-
populated Southern Nebraska so far as
good citizens are concerned, leaving it
in the hands of Jayhawkers of the deep
est dye. As an humble citizen of Ne
maha county and Of the Territory of Ne
braska, we endorse the "Nemaha Dele
CATION for their action on this bill, and
believe that IN cooler moments all good
citizens will do the same.
The "Nemaha Delegation" we further
say, as an eyewitness Of all their Legis-
lative scts, are deserving of the pIaudit,
"well done thou good and faithful ser
wants" They battled manfully for the
in every instance. They had a
watchful eye, both to their constituency
immediate and at large, and have resided
in this county full as long, and understand
full as well its wants and the wishes of
its inhabitants, as some who have scarce
become acclimated, and have so much
fault to find.
DrsTRIcT CoURr. for Otoe u is