The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1871-04-01
A Free Country!

Free country
Allen p. IIuwgins is an assistant assessor
of the United States in the Sd District of
Mississippi. He served four years i'll the
Union army. and at the close of the war
held the rank of colonel. In 1860 he went
to Mississippi as planter, was subsequently
in the Fleedmen's Bureau, and is now in
the civil service of the United States.
On the 9th of March he was attending to
his official duties, ten miles from Aberdeen.
That night, about 10 clock, after he had
retired to rest, Il party of disguised men,
numbering, he thinks, at least one hundred
and twenty-five, took him out of bed and
carried him to the woods. Here he was
stripped of coat and vest, and asked to
promise that he would leave the country
within ten days and never return. This
he refused to do. They then took off Il
stirrup-strap, and one man gave him ten
lashes with it on the back, and at every
five OF ten blows a fresh hand took the
strap, and each time he was asked to prom
Use to leave the country. After about sew
enty strokes, he was told that if he did not
leave within ten days they would take his
life, if they had to do it in his Office at
Jackson. Knowing from what had trans
pred IN that locality before that they would
put their threat into execution, he obeyed
the order as soon as he was able to move.
The only offence they charged upon Col
higgins was that he was collecting money
to support Il id Radical Government, and
they would submit to no laws except OF
their own making"
The attacking party was not made up OF
drunken loafers, but undoubtedly of the
so-callcd most respectable citizens.
They were all mounted and uniformed i'll
dress and masks one of the party, when
he refused to promise to leave, applied to
him some harsh epithet, when the captain
of the band ordered him to desist; that
Colonel higgins was gentleman, and
they only wanted him to leave
Colonel Higgins is endorsed as man of
respectable standing by large number Of
the State officers, the Mississippi delega-
ton in Congress, and is in good standing
at the Treasury Department. His connec-
ton with the negroes has been the same as
that of every Republican in Washington
AMI elsewhere.
John F. Lacy, Mayor of Aberdeen, was
indicted by kuklux grand jury for taking
the oath Of Office before giving bond, as
required. Colonel Higgins says of his
own knowledge Mr.. Lacy did give the
required bond.
Another indictment was for not obeying
a law requiring him to turn over all money
received to the treasurer. The animus in
this case appears when it is known that the
Office of treasurer is vacant.
Washington Chronicle.
This region of our country is evidently
charming place to live in for man who
values independence and his ife,-so invit-
ing, indeed, that immigration is said to
have stopped and message to Congress
by the President, declares many parts of
the Southern States in incipient insurrec-
ton. Protection from the Federal power
is invoked by the people who are being
murdered and driyen from their homes by
bands of masked midnight assassins, and
the military power of the nation is again
swinging its mailed hand over region so
darkened and barbarized by former slave
regime, that nothing but the strong arm of
military power will suffice to restrain its
cowardly, lurking assassination men who
murder under cover of the darkness of
midnight and hidden behind masks, are
cowards--while forcibe education cleanses
the rising generation from the moral lep-
rosy bred in the land of slavery.
We can better comprehend this state of
affairs by shifting the scene from the
bayous and swamps of Mississippi or the
Carolinas, to our own county. We will
suppose that in place of Col. Higgins, we
substitute some one of the United States
officers transacting the same business that
in II
please, teaching school of colored chill
dren; or giving his opinions of political
measures and men in office, as we Cecil
countians are in the habit of doing, with
out fear, favor, or Affection" on either
the Republcae or Democrat side-it doesn't
matter, man has right to speak his sen-
timents of public men and measures, when
and where he pleases, without molestaton
or intimidation. But for any of these
otenses, which numbers of us commit daily,
suppose we were startled by the news, some
morning, that Mr.. -, had been taken
from his bed, the night before, by party
of armed men in masks, taken to the
woods, and there hung to a limb, or shot,
or perhaps given 20 lashes, and tire ltened
with death if he did not leave the State by
a given time. BY shifting the scenes that
are being enacted in those States, and
imagining them perpetrated in our midst,
we may in some measure comprehend the
semi barbarous condition of the ignorant
brutality which darkens the land and checks
progress and immigration. One such out
rage, as detailed at the head of this article,
would throw this whole community into
state of the most intense excitement, and
the perpetrators would be hunted down
and brought to justice with one unanimous
approval But such moral obliquity dark
ems the civilization of many parts of the
late slave States that those outrages when
committed in the interest of political
party, as they invariably are by the Kuklux
klans that public sentiment winks at
them, and the civil power is regarded with
contempt by those secret assassins. Moth
ing but the strong arm of Federal power
seems competent to restrain outrages in
that region, till education has raised public
self-government.
OUR FIRST PAGE.-The very interesting
story "Saras Sweetheart ~ is concluded in
the Present number. "Sient Love-"
lyric, written for The Wig, by musical
friend, will be found above mediocrity.
"The North East Rum Question " was
unavoidably crowded out last week.
The Letter from Georgia possesses
more than usual interest at this time, when
Southern outragess have assumed the pro-
portions of Instruction in many parts of
the Southern States. The writer's opinion
that no organized bands of Kuklux exists,
is unfortunately set aside by too strong and
overwhelming evidence to the contrary to
be regarded as problematical any longer.
At the head of the Agricultural column,
the article on cooperation among farmers
and stock raisers will attract the attention
of every thinking farmer. 1t details the
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