Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1881-08-06

with the governor. with Wnat aOll-
ty the pursuit was conducted is not
for me to say, but several times dur
my my hunt for them the train rob-
Ders were as. near their doom as men
ever ere who escape, and had not my
means been entirely exhausted l am
confident they would all have been
captured or killed before my term of
office expired. l am still more cou-
tident that if at first the law had been
such as to give me legal assurance that
my expenses would have been paid
would have ended the career OF the |
robbers before my interview with the |
governor. The delay and local no.
toriety OF foreign help put them more |
OIL their guard. As it was they were |
pushed so hard that the state enj Dyed |
a longer interim of peace from such
outrages Immediately following my
efforts than ut any time since the
war.
But what became of my $7l5 L
presented an itemized account for my
money to the house committee OIL
claims of the next legislature. The
governor made his statement to the
proved up my account
to the satisfaction of the members
aud it was unanimously recommen-
ded to be paid by the committee, with
the exception of Cahlll, of St. Clair,
who was not present while l was
at Jefferson City. | am no lobbyist.
and knowing the justic- of my claim,
l came home confident l would ge.
my money. Imagine my surprise
when l heard the house had refused
to allow it, my claim being violently
attacked by said CAhill, whose chief
argument was that had only pur-
sued the men for some fabulous re-
ward aud was hunting the criminals
of the state OH speculation.
The state still owes me that money.
Let the press cease to condemn the
officers OF these counties. and lay the
blame where II belongs. How can
you expect all officer to risk the
chances of death by the bullets Of
robbers and spend the money of his
boudsmen, and hope for remuneration
by the state, when there is u refused
claim III the archives OF that state for
such service performed at the request
Of her governor, who promised, so
far as he could promise, that they
should be paid, and found to be cor
rect aud recommended to be paid by
the only persons who ever looked
into the rightfulness of the claim,
they being committee of the
states own choosing out of her
sworn public servants?
Permit me, while on this subject,
to make another suggestion. 1t is
recommended by some that the law
should authorize the governor to
offer rye rewards for the arrest or
the taking OF the bodies Of this class
Of criminals into custody. 1 doubt
the wisdom Of such course. The
majesty of the law should be vindica-
led. Ii is generally understood that
the IN II who perpetrate these crimes
will be more apt to be killed, ten to
one, than be captured. My expert.
ence with the class Of ineu who hunt
others for money, is that they are as
bad as the men they hunt; that they
are altogether unreliable. II $40, ZOO
reward was offered for the body OF
Jesse James to-day, iucontestible
evidence will be brought to. prove
fhis death by half u dozen Of these
blood. hunters before the year is out,
and half a dozen bodies, each one
more completely proven to be his,
will be produced Que after another.
| The spectacle of a great state &C.
knowleding her inability to punish,
by her own officers, all who violate
her laws, and seeking to get rid ol
her criminals by hiring their assassi.
nation, is not a very refining one, mol
one TO which civilization can point
| with pride. This using the base greed
of gold in one set OF men to extermi.
nate another class who but glut the
same passion in a bOlder way, cannot
be very cOnsoling to the conscieuces
Of Christian people. When your elm.
ploynent for your hired assassin runs
out, you will find that you will have
to hire another TO kill him. The ex.
igenCies which call for such a bar.
barous. method of enforcing the law
are occasioned by the parsimonious
spirit which controls legislation in
our state that refuses to recognizes
that which is of necessity and seeks
to make a profit out of crime.
No, the only true way is for the
tate to catch or exteruiinate these
public enemies by her own officers.
No other method deserves success OF
Is entitled to the respect or consider.
,ation of any man who cares anything
for public morals, or who has the
least state pride. Give your own
officers the power aud pecuuisry sup
port. a good manly man will do for
duty's sake what 10 amount of money
could induce him 20 do.
1t has been reported in the papers
at Kansas City, and perhaps St.Louis
that since the last robbery the 70 b.
bers have been seen near this place. |
have taken the pains to. investigate
the matter and find the whole story d
baseiess fabrication. Tue four armed
men on horseback seen across the
river from this city, turn out to be
three unirmed movers on foot going
south with their families in wagons,
and who afterward crossed on the
ferry-beat and came through town
unnoticed. L suppose every town in
the country Is cursed with q few gos-
sip.mongers, bat think that we have
two or three here that can beat the
world for pure superfiuous lying;
and with five fingers of whisky can
perform real marvels in that line.
Inese are OF the kind found iii every
| town who Invariably sympa-
thiZe with every notorious criminal
They have even reported that the
people of our community were i'll
sympathy with the train robbers, and
that these criminals had their head
quarters in our county and could be
captured here on account of their
friends. All such tales are simply
lies, and their only effect is to injure
our reputation abroad. OF course the
robbers have friends in every section
OF the country where they travel-of
necessity must have-in Kansas. In
Iowa, III the Indian nation and Mis-
souri,. But whatever is done for
them here, if anything, is done Sc
cretly, as is done by the friends of
thieves aud robbers everywhere.
There is no community III any coun-
try more unanimously opposed to
these men and their practices than
the citizens of Lafayette county.
When | was sheriff the difficulty was
which to choose, so many more of.
fering than could possibly use, and
or these were grim veterans who had
served through the war in either
army, very great majority being
ex-confederates. These men served
for days and nights for no other re-
ward or purpose than the enforce
ment and vludication of The laws,an
IT need be lafayette county has more
than five hundred OF these same men
ready Tor the same service. You will
please regard the utlerauces of these