The Norfolk post. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1865-1866, 1866-01-25
LOCAL INTELLIGENCE.

PUBLIC SAFETY MEETING. Last nv,
ening there was a very large and resnec.
table meeting of the citizens of Norfolk
convened at the City Hall i'm resnonsn
to the call of the Mayor, for the purnosa
of adopting .some measure for the bette
security OF the life and property IN the
city, in view of the many lawless acts
lately perpetrated by unknown rufians,
The meeting vas organized by caIlino
His Honor, Mayor Tabb, to the chaiI
and appointing Thos. f. Owens. ESQ.
Secretary. Mayor Tabb i'm a few elo.
quent remarks, adverted to the present
extraordinary state of affairs,--t the
perils to which the lives of our citizens
were subjected. and the dangers to pron.
erty, from the hOrdes oflawless charac-
tors now infesting the city, and stated
that he had called the peopletogether ai
the instance of prominent and i%nfiuen.
tial citizens, for the purpose of devisinp
some prompt and efficient remedy for
these evils. The present police force
was composed Of very worthy and com
petent men, but was in%sufficientin num-
bers, toprotect the interests ofthe city i'm
this emergency. He therefore desired
the authority of the people to increase
the fOrce,-in order to secure public
butCtys ~ hoIJCu SOiuc ReIlLlemGn
would suggest some action for the adon-
ton of the meeting. There vas a lone
pause, when Mr.. Belote offered a resolno.
sion authorizing the Mayor to appoint
six detectives who should be known
only to him, and unknown to one an.
other to ferret out and detect the marau-
ders and bring them to justice. This
proposition met with a good deal.of on.
position,--and during the discussion
which ensued, Mr.. Saunders said he
thought the meeting unnecessary, and
all action by it superiuous, as His Hon
OF, the Mayor of theeity, had full power
under the ordinances to do alt thai
was necessary, and to increase his
police force al Witum if in his
opinion the emergency would lust.
fy such a course. 1t was not aquestion
OF money, nor should we pause to count
the cost when the lives and property of
our citizens were in danger. The Mayor
however, thought the question of incur
ring the additional expense without the
authority of the council, a very serious
matter; and he was unwilling to take
the responsibility. The result was that
the proposition TO appoint the six detec-
tiyes was adopted.
There was another pause--when his
Honor suggested that some further ac-
ton was necessary, when Mr.. Ellis made
a few pertinent remarks, which had the
effect to enliven the meeting and thaw
a little of the ice into which it had con
gealed. He finally proposed that the
chair appoint u committee of five.
whose duty it shall be to proceed to en-
roll a volunteer police force of one hun |
dred citizens, to serve during one week.
until the city shall have been purged
of the outlaws who have sought a refuge
here to pursue their nefariOus calling.
This proposition was carried unani-
morsly. The Mayor appointed Messrs.
Thos. Owens, j. X. Ludlow, james A.
Saunders, Samuel Moore and Walter H. |
said committee. Mr.. Owens
accepted the appointment, and said he
would call a meeting of the committee
at 10 o'clock this morning, in the CITY
Hall, for the purpose of organizing the
proposed force as speedily as possible.
The meeting then adjourned.