New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-05-08
LYNCH LAW AT LAST.

L
The people Of VIM parish have beel
annoyed, terrified and scourged by prowl
ing bands of desperadoes until thei
patience. is quite exhausted, and tn
papers are called upon to record chapte
Of summary Vengeance. Sagacious mel
have long foreseen and predicted that i
must come to this complexion at last
Outrages, murders and robberies have
been perpetrated from time TO time ii
many Of the upper parishes, especially il
VIM, Union, Ouachita, Caldwell, st
Landry, Rapides and Franklin, and the
perpetrators permitted to 60 unwhipt Of
justice. Few parishes in fact have escaped
the infiction. In most instances the out.
laws have succeeded in screening
themselves behind very thin pre-
tence of political zeal. They have
usually been able to have their outrages
charged up to the account Of the Demo-
| cratic party, the ''white mans party" or
any OTHER political denomination that was
popularity supposed to be jealous oppo-
nents of Radical rule and negro equality.
Anything done to sustain the supremacy
of certain class, or to annoy and put
down another, was deemed legitimate, and
the ruftians who were guilty of wrong
doing in nearly every case were screened
by what was thought to be public opinion,
and hence not brought to account.
But the public interests demand law
and justice, ,and these can not be denied.
Men who as jurors on public trial would
bring in averdict Of not guilty, act very diff
ferently when serving in the court of Judge
LYNCH Thus We find that in VIM
parish, where the laws could not be en-
forced through the usual courts, the peo-
pie have turned out in we'll organized
bands, overtaken the outlaws who have
long had things pretty much their own
way, and wreaked upon their guilty
beads a terrible, but well deserved ven
geance. While this is the logical result of
unenforced laws and interrupted justice, it
is wrong, but as it is probably the
best thing the citizens could do
under the circumstances, they will
very likely be held excusable in |
The eyes of the world, at least in such por-
lions as have been similarly afflicted, as
Ouachita, Caldwell, and some of the other
parishes. The executioners of o..
JOHNS, John R. West, A. j. Ingraham.
David Frame, Grow Thompson and George
frame should reflect that timely display
# vigor and frmness would have pre-
'ented the necessity for such wholesale
laughter of desperadoes. No sympathy
) due the latter. They had doubtless for
fled their lives numberless times, and
honld have been taken care Of long ago.
! judicious conviction in legal manner,
nd prompt execution, would have
erved as hint that the laws of the land
ere made for all, without regard to color
+ previous condition. And besides, when
len begin to take the law. into their own
ands, even though it be on the right side,
ley are in danger of running into 9
Ztremes. For these reasons, we c
'rDestly hope the people of every
irish and township in Louisiana will !
Ike care that the off GERS of the law
'all pursue the criminals, and afford
1ery assistance, moral and physical, in q
10 discharge of their duty. By such a
urse, aud in no other way, can scenes T
milar to that which recently occurred in s
inn be prevented. If the spirit of i,
ynch law once breaks ont in the State, it d
III probably extend to an extent now b
rdly ANTICIPATED, and enlist as followers s.
any Of the class heretofore orderly and T
aceable, even while suffering under c,
eat wrongs. a.
1t will be seen from an extract which we m
blish from the Crockett (Texas) Journal, y,
Vt the people of Houston county are also
termined to rid themselves of obnoxious 8,
aracters. The good people of the South ri
nerally are beginning to grow tired of Sc
'se semi-political guerrillas, and will at il,
distant day be forced to wage war of Of
ermination against them, either by .,
al means or by violence. al