Nebraska advertiser., 1862-01-23


When we consider the faes lhat those
who engage in rObbing and stealing can
have no other object than that Of person
al gain, that the properly which they
plumber is not surrendered 10 the Fede-
raj governments. but is converted to their
own use for their own personal benefit,
we must certainly be convinced that they
are actOated by no patriotic motives.
The Constitution provides against the
unauthorized deprivation Of life, liberty
and property, and it declares that the
right of the people to be secure in their
persons, houses, papers and effects against
unreasonable searches and seizure shall
not be violated" Then is not Jayhawk-
ing as practiced in this part of the coun-
try, in direct violation Of the COnstitu-
tion7 appeal to the candOr of all law
abiding and loyal citizens, to those who
revere the Constitution and acknowledge
its supremacy, for a decision upon this
point. The citizens of a republican gov
eminent should be controlled either by
the civil laws of the land or by local mil
litary law, and when these are disregarded
they become outlaws and criminals. 1t
is a fact greatly to be ~lamented, and much
to be ordered at, that some of our citi-
zens, whose positions and opinions upon
public matters are generally correct,
should sanction this system of Jayhawk-
ing. A system, which has never been
recognized by the customs of any civil
lized country in times Of peace or war, as
being either morally or legally right
When the people of this country set the
civil law al defiance and admit the right
of each citizen, under any pretext what.
ever, to plumber and rob bis neighbor, or
still worse TO allow parties who are iden-
tilted with US in no particular whatever,
to sit in judgement over our lives and
property. we are recognizing a most dan
gerous precedent which must inevitably
result in the complete devastation of the
country.
To avert the calamity that would result
from a continuance of these depredatIons,
and to provide for the better security of
lives and property, an organization vas
entered into by about $50 of the citizens
of Nemaha county, who respectively took
the oath to support the laws and Consti-
tuition of the United States, and to pro-
tect the lives and property of all loyal
citizens. This organization was resolved
into a military company, which having
entire confidence in the prudence, sagaci-
ty and ~intrepidity of Capt. R. F. Barrett,
elected him as their leader. Under his
supervision this company has made seVe-
raj turns through the county, which have
resulted in restoring a feeling of security
to our citizens, and a temporary, and,
pethaps, permanent suspension of Jay
hawking,
When we take into consideration the
fact that many of the members of this
military company own no kind of pro-
perty that could possibly be interferred
with by J~ayhawkers that the cold and
inclement weather has in no instance de-
TERED them from a performance of their
arduous duties either by night or day ;
and that they neither receive nor expect
any compensation for their services, it
would certainly be unjust to charge them
with any selisho or sinister motives. Some
of our citizens have been apprehensive
that the active measures which we have
adopted to stop this Jayhawking would
call forth their vengeance upon our town.
But as a nightly guard is being kept up
which will instantly apprise US of their
arrival, they will find US fully prepared
to receive them, with a force acting under
civil and military authority sufficiently
formidable to resist any band of Jay
hawkers in whatever shape they may
present themselves.
PUBLIUS.