The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1881-08-11
LET JUSTICE he DONE.

Under the instruction Of Commission
er Raum, Collector +. VI Brayton has
put OH u special force Of eight men to
police the upper Counties Of this State
in the interest Of the Internal Revenue
Service. The killing al Deputy Collcc-
tor Brayton by Mellow is the occasion
for the creation of this force, and with
the usual pervcrsity which characterizcs
the action Of the Revenue Department
in this State, they have, with one or two
exceptions, appointed men Of bad char
acter, who arc exceedingly obnoxious
10 the people they nrc placed over.
Three of the men appointed were impli-
Gated in the murder Of Amos .add, and
are now under indictment in the United
States Court awaiting trial Tor this crime.
They are in the meantime put in office
by tho government, thus sanctioning the
murder they have committed, and Civ
ing them the opportunity to commit an
other, without danger Of punishment for
the crime, on the plea that they we're in
the discharge Of their duty. and there
fore entitled to removal TO the United
States Court for the trial of the case.
While such course Is pursued by the
government, it is not to be wondered
that revenue officers arc occasionally
killed. 1t is remarkable that more Of
them have not fallen before the moon
sinners rifle, for when men feel that
every instinct ofjustice, and every prin.
ciple Of law, is being violated in he de-
termination Of venal partisans to hunt
them down, and that reckless admins
tration o, the laws continually puts the
life Of the citizen nt the mercy of MUIR
derers, who are protected by IL mockery
Of law from responsibility for their
crimes, it is not strange that bold and
de,perstc moonshiners should OCCASION
ally be found who will kill their pursu-
ers, rather than submit to their insults
and wrongs. with no possible redress.
We do not sustain tho moonshiners.
The whole illicit whiskey business is
wrong, and should be discontinued. The
crime which Mellow committed was
murder, and nothing but the most palpa-
BILE murder. 1t was, however, not so
unprovoked and uDjustifable as the
killing OF poor Davis by Mattison in this
County, or the killing of the inofensive
mountain boy, Amos Ladd, in Pickens
county, by Cane and others. Yet Matti.
son, FOR his Infamous murder, was promo
ted without even trial, and in defiance of
the 'u,hority OF the State Courts, to a
mail route agency by the government,
while Cane and two of his fellow-mur-
deres are continued as revenue officers
without trial, and likewise in defiance
of the State Courts. Mellow deserves
punishment for his line, but no more
30 than Mattison, Cane and others of the
revenue officers do for theirs, end wh:!s
the government shields its criminals from
the law, it cannot be expected that there
will be much commotion if single in.
dividual shields himself by flight.
If the government wants the hearty
concurrence of the community in the
execution Of lis laws, it must deal fairly
by the community, and then it would &c.
cure the hearty cooperation OF all good
citizens in the endorsements of these
lava, AS long, however, US the infamous
wrongs, perpetrated under the cloak of
official position, are permitted and
sustained by the government against
private and unoffending citizens, so
long will it be found that there
is little sympathy for the officers
engaged in the service which is so gross
ly abused. If revenue officers can kill
citizens with impunity, and be rewarded
with Office for their murders, we, for one,
cannot wonder that occasionally mis-
led citizen kills revenue officer and
runs away. When one side of this ques
ton is presented The other should be also,
and the action of the Revenue Depart
ment will he sure 10 be equally as villa