The Warner sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1885-1???, 1885-10-23
Fcuds and Lynch-Law in the
Southwest.

ten lately ABOUT letluS anu iyhSli-l""
in the districts around the lower Mis-
sisSippi. The reports OF recent lynch
ing there have probably been very
much exaggerated, andit wouldcertain-
" be unfair to form a positive opinion
about the matter without a thorough
knowledge of all the circumstances.
No one who visited that "art OF the
country before the wal C-uld returnto
it row without noticing the higher de
gree of order and the numerous evlden-
ces of progress. But lynchlng law
breakers and resOrting to the knife or
pistol to settle private disputes were
once ordinary occurrences there, and
they were usually marked by q bust
nesS-like GOODNESS which gave them a
distinctive character.
In the winter of 1854 | was clerk
of a steamer owned in Wheeling. The
teamer was obliged to wait sometim
at Napoleon for Il rise in the Arkansas
river tn enable it to pass over the bar
at the confluence of hat V erwitht the
Mississippi. Napoleon then had be
tween three and four hundred inhabl-
tants. and was considered the worst
place on the Mississippi except Nat
Chez-under-the-Hill. Some OF the
dwellings were OF Considerable size, and,
Judging from their exterior, were kept
in good order. They were the resi-
dcnces OF the few who belonged to the
better class, and who, to u certain eX-
tent, exercised control V their less
reputable tOwnsmen.
We were treated very kindly by the
citizens. and they declined any return
for their hospitality. We soon no
ticed that We were never invited to
visit any OF them at their dwellings.
At their places of business we were
cordially welcomed, and they seemed
to take a great deal OF pleasure in Civ
ing us information and %atfOrding Us
any amusement in their power.
Having some canned oysters among
our stores, We twice invited a number
of our friends to an oyster supper. Al
though our invitations included their
families, none but male guests attend
ed. This together with the fact that
we rarely saw any ladies on the street,
seemed very strange to us; but we
made no comments, for we discovered
very soon after our arrival that it
would not be prudent to ask questions
about matters that did not concern
us. At church one Sunday night We
noticed that all the ladies present
composing nearly the whole of the
congregation-were dressed in black,
and many of them werei in deep mourn
ing. This gave us some idea as to the
reason for their exclusiveness. Soon
afterward q murder occurred almost
within my own sight. Two friends
| were standing on the street and talk
ing pleasantly to each other, when
they were approached by aman whom
they did not know. Suddenly asecond
man came close to the stranger, and,
without saying q word, drew a pistol
and shot him dead. The murderer
was instantly seized, bound, and placed
in the Jail.
thirty feet high, built of hewn logs,
without any opening except in the
roof. This opening was only large
enough to admit one person at q time,
and was protected by o heavy door.
The prisoner was forced by his cap
tors to mount the roof by means Of o
ladder, and then was lowered by a
rope to the ground inside. The rope
was withdrawn, the door securely fas-
tened, and he was Gagged, without any
possible means of escape, to await the
verdict and sentence of the jury sum-
moned by Judge Lynch" The trial
was very short. The facts were prov
en-, and the verdict was that the muir
dersr should be severely whipped and
made to leave the town forthwith.
The whipping was administered, and
he left Immediately afterward.
OF course there was a good deal OF
excitement over this matter, and all
the male inhabitants collected to talk
about it. The discussion extended to
some familiar cases ofrecent occurrence
and oon gave rise to angry disputes.
In a very short time pistols and
knives were produced, invitations to
fight were gwen, and it seemed that
blood would soon be shed. BY the In.
reference, however, of some of the
older and more influential citizens,
quiet vas restored, and no one wasin
jured. We were afterward told that
there was hardly a man in the crowd
who had not lost a father, brother, OF
near male relative by knife or pistol,
either in q supposed fair fight or by
foul means.
At that time the hatred of negroes
from free States" was intense, while
those from slave States were treat
ed kindly and regarded merely as per
sons of an inferior race.
Sometime before our arrival, q steam
er belonging to Pittsburg had stopped
at Napoleon, and the colored stewart
went on shore to buy provisions
While bargaining for them he becam,
involved IN aquarrei with white mar
and struck him. He was instantly
seized, and would no doubt have pais
for his temerity with his life ii SONS