New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-06-04
THE NOBLE POSSE.

their train.
THE NOBLE POSSE.
The negro killing sheriff's posse of Will
kinson county, Mississippi. has been &C.
cused of horse stealing. It appears the
posse regiments were mounted in hot
haste, and the horses and mules of pri-
vate citizens were taken and pressed into
the murderous service without consulting
the wishes of owners. After the victory,
after the glory of killing twenty-nine COL
ored men had subsidized, the despoiled
farmers naturally looked for the return OF
their property. A few members of the
killing posse conceded the justice of the
demand, and passed q series Of resolutions
requesting the captains of posse compa-
MES to use their best efforts to make the
privates of their squadrons dismount and
return their borrowed horses. One of the
resolutions in the '.honor among thieves
platform reads
Resolred, That we hereby express our
earnest disspprobation of any spirit or acts
of lawleesness that may have been exhibit.
cd by any one of our men during their pro-
tracted service as posse rendering assist
ance to the sheriff of Wilkinson county, and
that We hereby request the captains Of the
different squads composing our command
10 see that all horses pressed into temporary
use to supply the place of broken down
animals be at once returned to the sheriff
Of wilkinson county for restoration to their
proper owners, and that upon any failure
to 90 80 at once, immediate legal process
shall be instituted to bring to civil trial and
punishment such offender.
The Woodville paper, in which the
above is published, also conta ms the fol-
lowing:
Quite q number of horses and mules
are reported - stolen by struggling
parties of thieves. Will not the officers
commanding clubs, make an effort to have
these horses and mules returned. The
honor of the gentlemen engaged demands
that their character shall not be aspersed
by isyhawkers and thieves.
This notice appeals directly to the
honor of the posse soldiers. The better
class OF Democrats in Mississippi, those
who hold the Offices the rabble fight for,
can not understand how a gentleman be-
longing to the first families, and having
sufficient nobility of soul to join per-
manent posse for the purpose of killing
negroes, can so degrade himself as to steal
a mule.
As the sheriff called out the posse by
official proclamation, the county will
eventually be obliged to pay for the
horses and mules taken to mount the
p osse regiments. 1t may be urged, how
ever, that as the command moved against
negroes in the posse campaign,
and that as the Democrats Of Feliciana,
in this State, reaped the sole benefit de-
rived from the negro killing, therefore,
the State of Louisiana should bear the
extraordinary expenses of the field move
ments Of the posse. When the demand Of
farmers for reimbursement of
money to the value of hundred or more
horses is formally made to the Louisiana
our Democratic statesmen
admitting the reduced Republican major
ty in Feliciara, and recognizing the
valuable posse campaign services rem
lered-can scarcely ignore the justice of |
he claim. If tie negroes were killed for |
he benefit of the Democratic party, the |
members of that party can not object to
making the STATE pay the expenses, so far
IS the horses stolen to mou Mt the COM
nand are concerned, with the strict un-
Outstanding that The Mississippi murderers
ave their persons al services and time free.
To prevent all future chances of confusion
nd disputed expense accounts, it should
'e distinctly understood that hereafter
'nly such gentlemen as own horses shall
'e allowed to ride with the posse. The
ootpads who steal horses and pass them
elves off for posse gentlemen, no matter
low expert they may be in killing negroes,
vill not be tolerated in we'll organized
'osse commands, or among posse gentle
aen.