The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1874-09-11
Indignation Meeting.

last Monday large meeting was held
in the court house, to express the indig
nation, of the people of this county, al
the recent outrages committed in Gibson
county, by masked murderers. Judge
Nicholson said that for four years he had
been honored in holding the highest
judicial Office in the State, and hence
during that time had held himself aloot
from all political meetings. He felt that
he was approaching the edge of propriety
in being even in this sort of a meeting,
and would not be but for the fact that the
office he held made him conservator of
the peace. He said that there was no
excuse for the crime committed in Gibson
That the courts were open all over the
county, and the court was then in session
in that county, and the criminals would
have been punished if found guilty. He
deprecated all mob-law and violence, and
| appealed to the people to aid civil officers
in carrying out the law. He was pleased
at the.aetive steps taken by Gov. Brown,
to bring the offenders to justice, and
hoped he would be sustained by all lovers
of good order and peace. Col. Cunning
ton, Judge Wright aud Capt. Hickey
made similar speeches. Judge Martin
presided over the meeting and made
speech in the same spirit
We, portion of the citizens of Maury
county, in convention assembled, hasten
to give expression to the very earnest
indignation which we feel at the frequent
recurrence of mob violence in different
portions of our State, especially the re-
cent outrage in the county of Gibson;
that in our judgement the machinery Of
local selfgovernment as wisely provided
in the constitution and laws of the State,
are amply sufficient for the protection of
life, liberty and property; and that their
disregard by any number of citizens who
seek to take the law in their own hands,
is an inexcusable outrage against every
principle sacred TO constitutional liberty,
the peace of society and the security of
the citizen; that the evils resulting from |
such infractions of the law, if tolerated
by the legal authorities, would be meal |
culable, and the thought cannot be for a
moment entertained; that, in our judg- |
ment, the people of Tennessee as a polit- |
ical community, are as much welded to |
the principles of law and order, as the |
people of any State of the Union, and |
that the natural inference to which these |
violations of the law necessarily lead US
is false to the true sentiment and man.
hood of our people, and call for the
most prompt and decisive action on the |
part OF our State officials, both Executive
and Judicial; that the circumstances of |
the times loudly demand such general |
uprising of the citizens In the support |
of their civil officers as will secure the
arrest of criminals and the stern admin
istration ofjustice; that to this end We
give our most cordial approval to the
energetic policy inauguFated by the Chief
Executive of the State and appeal to our
fellow-citizens throughout the counties IN
which these disturbances have taken
place to come earnestly and energetically
to his support, and that we urge our peo-
pie everywhere to resolve upon such
timely action as may be necessary to cor
rect the miseoncep6on that has gone
abroad that ours is state in which the
law is not supreme and the citizen not
secure; and that we will show to the world
that we are capable of selfgovernment,
and need not the aid of Federal bayonet
or other Federal Intervention to secure
that end therefore,
Resotred, That we pledge the present