Vicksburg weekly herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1868-1883, 1870-05-21
The Government In the ROle Of
Kidnapper.

Va AAANAy hlBh1 "hAAN yOuA
gentleman, whose name We sup.
press at the request Of his friends,
was at the supper table Of Mrs.
Watts boarding house, three men
came into the room, one Of whom
went up TO him and told him he
wished to speak to him. Mr. -,
supposing that some one wished
to see him on business,
replied that he would speak
to him in a moment. The mys-
terious gentleman, however, could
brook no delay, and the
other two coming forward the
trio told him he was their
prisoner, and so escorted him
from the room with their pis-
tolls held behind them. The thing
was done so quietly and so sud.
denly that the young msn's
friends seem to have made no
movement. Shortly afterwards
they went in search Of him, sup.
posing that the csptors we're p0-
licemen. Nothing could be seen
or heard Of him, and they were
left in anxious doubt until Satur-
day morning, when the mystery
was explained, II it could be called
an explanation.
George W. Smith, tax collector
Of this parish, sent for a friend Of
the captive, and gave him a letter
to read, purpOrting to be from
him, though Smith would only
give him a copy. The letter sta
ted that the writer was on board
the La Belle; hal he was under
arrest, but did not know upon
what charge; that he would be
taken to New Orleans, where he
requested that his trunk might be
sent.
It appears that after the arrest
which was made By parties claim.
ing to be United States detectives,
the prisoner was taken to the mil.
itary camp and there kept until q
late hour Of tue night, when he
was struggled on board the steam.
er La Belle, lying at the wharf,
which boat left after midnight.
Those here in sympathy with the
powers that be, and who seem to
chuckle greatly over this brilliant
performance of the Best Gov
ernment,' say that he was arrest.
ed on a charge Of completely with
whisky frauds in North Carolina.
The night Of his arrest, his friends
went to see the woman Of q fellow
Of the name Of Harkins, a detec.
tive, and who was seen sneaking
around the boarding house just at
but she knew nothing def.
mite of the whereabouts Of her
liege lord. Parties here have tele.
graphed to the Sheriff at Baton
Rouge to endeavor to get the pris.
oner released, ifillegally detained,
and If not, To require his captors
to show their authority for the ar.
rest. We learn that he was put in
irons when taken on board the
To this complexion, then. have
we come at last. Officials Of the
Government, or men claiming to
be SO, come Ike q thief in the
and arrest a citizen show
no authority for the act not only
DO not permit any appeal to the
Of the land, but refuse him
he poor privilege Of taking a
,hange Of linen, and all this with.
out the shadow of an excuse for
10 pitiable a proceeding. If they
lad legal authority for the arrest.
10 impeachment would have been
brown in their way, and this, if
he detectives themselves did not
inow, their brother sneaks here
,ould have told them.
Such acts carry the mind back
o the dark ages, when the min.
ons Of a despotic government
unsuspecting citizens
lnder cover Of the night, and hur.
ned them to some political bastile
to the rack. II is worse than an
'utfege-it Is pitable, pitiable, and
in perfect keeping with the
Of the ~Goyernment-'
Shreveport Southwestern. l.
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Gwas Cas- n. .AAa..AnS Al