Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1867-03-12
A GLANCE AT THE s.HIGHER CHILL
ZATION', OFTHE NORTH


each other a hollow truce, would we write
a word, or cite fact making odious and
disparaging comparisons or tending to
thwart the Conservative effort to re-estab-
fish unity and fraternity among this PEG
pie as a nation; or restoring liberty regu-a
lated by law, which is the perfection of
human government, and the fountain Of
individual and general prosperity. The
following quotation froia the twenty
first annual report Of the Prison Associa-
ton Of New York (lSG6) is given under
a sense of duty; and Cor the purpose of
showing that portion Of the people Of
the Northern States whose press aud
public men are engaged in depicting a
horrible condition Of Southern society,
in which "no legal governments exist"
and where crime Of every sort is rife and
Aourishing under influential social pro-
lection, are actually in state Of lawless-
/ ness which would be incredible, it it
were hbJ NoucHCu tot ~ pihSl1i s'hbii"t -
ty-an organized lawlessness which per
vades almost every grade of society, and
permeates every ramifcation Of business
Let it be borne in mind, too, that this
sample Of the "higher civilization is
from the Metropolitan State in the
Union, New York, which, by the re-
port Of the Superintendent of Public
instruction for 1866, spent So, G32, 1876 "a
for common schools region ON which
is concentrated the efulgence of North
ern intelligence, cultivation, and christi
anity, and which has basked in the sun
shine of peace also. When candid men
have scanned this startling exhibit of
social depravity in rural New York, let
them estimate the measure Of justice
there is, in the people Of that section Of
the country pointing to the evidences Of
decentralization existing in another sec
ton, that for four years was the theatre
| Of civil war whose churches and school
houses were closed or converted into hos
| pitfalls and barracks; and whose youth
were made familiar with brigandage and
ruthless plumber, and every depraving
concomitant Of military rule let just
men say whether it BELTS people whose
moral vision is INSTRUCTED with so huge q
| beam, 10 express so much solicitude for
the mote in the Southern eye: let them
in sincerity pronounce whether recon
struction for the security Of life, liberty
and property be not as much needed in
New York as in Texas.
F" A survey ofthe State this yearshows that
| there is a strong and increasing tendency
| Of crime 10 crystalline, if we may SO say,
into aggregates and masses. Men more
/ rarely now than formerly commit rObberies
and burglaries alone. They operate ex-
tensiveiy in groups. Some gangs are con-
| fined to single towns; others extend their
| operations over a whole county others,
| still, embrace several counties; while the
| tendency is for Individual gangs to affiliate
with and reeiprocally assist and receive
assistance from all the others in the State.
| This tendency 20 aggregation is apparent
in our larger cities, az well as in the rural
| districts. Through the agency of these
| affiliated societies of thieves property once
stolen IS passed rapidly from hand to hand,
until it becomes almost impossible to trace
| it /; or, if il is discovered, the original
| depredators cannot be ascertained, and
therefore 60 unwhipped of justice Ii this
| tendency to aggregation and organization
continues TO increase for the future as it has
done for the few years past, we shall have
organized bands of associated depredators
in all the counties of the State, whose mem
bers will be known to each other by secret
grips, passWord9 and other signs, who will
| mutually assist each other in disposing of
| their plumber, in battling arrest, in escaping
from jail or in procuring bail, which will
effect their release from custody.
We had, from more than one quarter,
proof offered to us which, though il might
not perhaps be deemed sufficient in a court
OF Justice, was quite enough to convince our
minds Of the entire truth of this statement
The great importance of this subject makes
il proper that we should illustrate it some
what more in detail T. % ~.
There is a family residing in Oneida
county, who, according to common fame
have followed the profession of thieving for
nearly twenty years. They have grown
rich by their unlawful practices. Their
children are educated In the best and moss
expensive seminaries. They dress gen
teelly, their manners are somewhat pol
ished, and they appear tolerably well in
society. Their operations are carried on
throughout the counties Of Oneida, OsWego,
Otsego, Madison, Chenango, SchOharie,
Ii L. 4 GIL
erous well-trained coniederates in all those
counties, who are ready, by day or by
night, at a moments warning, TO ride off
in any direction for the sake of plumber or
for the concealment or protection Of asso-
ciates who are in danger of falling into the
meshes Of the law. These men have been
indicted times without number in the above
mentioned counties, but none Of them have
ever been convicted, nor have any of them
ever been in Jail for a longer time than was
sufficient fer a bondsman to arrive at the
prison. 1t il generally believed that there
are farmers, apparently respectable, who
belong to the gang, and share in the profits.
Whether this be 50 or not, It's certain that
whenever bail is needed, any required
number Of substantial farmers will come
forward and sign their bonds, without re-
gard to the amount of the penalty. These
men, az might be supposed, exert a great
political influence; and il is wei! under
stood that they are always ready TO reward
their friends and punish their enemies,
both in primary conventions and at the
polls Although, as we have said, they
have been repeatedly indicted, yet the num-
Der Of their indictments bears but a small
ratio 10 the number Of their depredations.
IL usually happens thai any one who Is
particularly active in bringing any Of the
gang TO justice has hisbarn or dwelling soon
after burned, on his horses are missing
from the stable, or his sheep or cattle
from the pasture. These things have
happened 50 often that people are careful
how they intermeddle in the matter Of
seeking TO bring them to justice. Ii per
son 80 intermeddling happens 70 have a
mortgage on his property, il is apt to be |
very soon foreclosed. # he has political !
aspirations, thousands Of unseen obstacles |
mterpose te prevent the fulfllment Of his |
hopes II he is = trader, his custom falls |
Of. II he is a physician, malpractice is
imputed to him, OF other malicious stories |
are circulated 20 his discredit; aud at
length matters come 10 such pass that his |
only resource is 10 leave the county. All |
" 10 make Themselves conspiciIous As their |