New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-04-20

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THE VIGILANCE C0alalrEEEE q
II vERMlLION PARIsa.
A Respectable Cltizsa Deasunces tn
.5a Orgasization.
+. r. King, we'll known and substantial
citizen Of the town Of Abbeville, parish Q
vermilion, has issued the following circu
lar in relation to the lawless bonds of armed
men in that neighborhood. The REPuBLIcAl
has frequently recounted the outrages com
mitted, and been charged with sensational
ism in doing 20. No better proof of the
mischief done by these predatory bands
need be furnished than Mr.. Kings letter:
ABszvlIs. vs..ll!oH PAnsn. !
april IS, 1876.
The people of vermilion parish live scat
tered over such broad area of country,
that they seldom know what has been
transpiring throughout the community.
While some people make themselves busy
| in sounding the praises of the vigilance
committee, they seem to know nothing or
turn deaf ear to certain things connected
| of late with the secret history of that Or
ganizAti0n - now composed.
At the first inception of the vigilance
! committee, three years ago, was one of
| the first to issue public call to the people
| of the parish to organize to protect their
| propertv, and paid IS out of my own
pocket for circulars. The banded thieves
| were then 90 numer0us, bold and impudent
| that some of my friends expressed their
| establishment at my temerity, and were ap-
prehensive that might be assassinsted for
other hand, that have thought proper re-
Gently to exercise the same freedom in
criticising the acts of the vigilance COM
mittee, the vilest denuncistions are hurled
ut me by some persons, and apprehensions
Of my personal safety created among my
friends.
have contended that the time has come
when the vigilance committee should dis
band, and be heard OF NO more, and have
reasons for my opinion, which l publicly
express 90 that my motives may not be i'm
pugned and misrepresented. Ny reasons
are these:
/, The vigilance committee of to-day is
but ghost of its former self. The mod
crate aud intelligent people of the parish
have ceased to act with 1t, and it has de-
generated into Q lawless mob of ignorant
g Its continued organization keeps the
community in q state of feverish excite
ment and constant alarm.
g. 1t will be used in the next election to
intimidate voters, and to prevent the free
exercise of the elective franchise.
4. Our courts are open Tor the redress of
all grievances; there is no obstruction to
the free execution Of the laws; the COM
munity is - peaceable and law -abiding az
other communities generally are, and there
exists no necessity any longer for .
vigilance committee.
5. The present vigilance committee has
travelled entirely beyond the purposes, OBJ
jects and aims Of the original organization,
and individual members are making use of
it for the qualification of private and per-
sonal anim0sities.
Fur example, it il we'll known in Able
vile that Q colored man by the name of
Narcisse was driven away . few months
ago without any charges being made
against him, and because he had made
some remarks not agreeable to some men,
bers Of the COMMITTEE.
Only . tew days ago, . man by the name
of Aurelien Meaux, while hurriedly passing
through the parish, to meet his family in
Rapides parish, was taken in the dark and
hung, and then robbed of tho property
about his person. The property was not
found until three days after the occurrence,
and not until after Intellectual attempts to
discover the same by IN officer armed with
q number of search warrants. Notwith
standing heavy rains it was found in dry
condition, clearly showing that it had not
been exposed to the weather and had been
was found empty.
There is little circumstance about the
president Of the vigilants trying to collect
q debt from certain widow in Abbeville,
which l intended to expose, but as the lady
is 90 much afraid of exciting the malice of
the vigilants, am compelled to fOrbear.
The circumstance, however, is we'll known
no little comment.
Because 1 have had the independence to
denOunce such unmanly and outrageous con-
acter and used all their influence to injure
me professionally.
do not say that the above acts we're done
by tho vigilance committee, but they are the
legitimate fruit and natural OutgrOwth of
keeping up the organization after its mis-
sion has been accomplished. If these acts
are not done by tho vigilants they have not
repudiated them. The only plea l have
heard advanced for keeping up the vigilants
is . most ridiculous aud cowardly one.
Some allege that it 10 necessary for their |
selt-protection, in order to keep away those |
mon who have been driven off from the |
parish. There are now only four or five of |
those persons who have not returned, and I |
do not presume they are anxious to do SO. |
l ask if the whole community is to be |
constantly kept under arms and forever |
excited and alarmed on account OF such
cowardly apprehensionsi If those persons |
did return and attempt any harm the whole |
community would rise at once against |
them. The pretext il Q weak one, and is /
only used for the want Of . better one.
Better that those men should be permit
ted to return and remain as long as they |
themselves, than that the parish |
should be almost daily shocked by lawlees
acts committed in the name of the vigi-
common recently for few men to assemble
together and style themselves the vigilance
committee when they have any personal
resentment to crafty or felOniOus motives |
in view. As long as the vigilance commit
tee is kept up it affords these men an OPP
pertunity to screen themselves under that
shield.
require to be handled carefully and should
be under the guidance of men of tried ex-
perience, prudence and integrity. There is
no telling to what extremes ignorant men
may be led by ignorant and ill-advised
leaders. In the vigilance committee of to-
day there is not q single representative of
the intelligence of the parish.
As long as the vigilance committee acted
openly and in broad daylight, and with the
sanction of the community, they might
claim to be the protectors of society; but
the moment they shun the public view, and
perpetrate acts of violence under cover of
night, they become cowardly assassins aud
forfeit all respect. If midnight murders in
the name of the vigilance committee, are
TO be sanctioned and approved by the CON-
there will soon be no safety to any