Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-08-23

Adjutant-General Orion sent the follow.
ing letter 10 Col. Eugene Lehe, of the Sixth
Infantry, in relation to the late scare in
Fresno:
| SACRAMENTO, August 20. 1885
| CooHet Eugene Lehe, Commanding Sixth I,tantrg
| " G. C-SIR: Your telegram from Nisalia
| reached me on Saturday night, Just before mid
night. In il you informed me that the arms of
| the two Fresno companies had been seized by
| vigilantes, and that there was danger that they
/ might be taken again that night, and you recon-
mended that guards be ordered on the armory
| from this office 1 Immediately telegraphed to
| Captain Muller to see that the property was
properly protected. Yesterday Captain Muller
| ieleeraphed for , 600 rounds of bail cartridges
l Immediately notified him that the brigade
| commander was supplied for an emergency of
| that kind, and also notified General Budd to
\ same effect 1t was not necessary for you to ask
| this office 10 order guards on the armory. Every
officer who mas in his charge public property is
! responsible for the safety of it, and If he has
any reason to suspect there is danger of it being
taken or destroyed or damaged, he should at
once see thst II is properly protected. (See SEGA
| ton 1877 Political Code.) Colonel Boruck was
| informed nearly week before your telegram
was sent by letter, that the arms had been taken
| from the a-mory. l was absent from my Office,
and Colonel kewen sent kilograms to Captains
Muller and Selleck, asking them about the mat
ter and both replied by wire that the arms were
safe in the armory. To-day received letter
| from Captain Muller explaining the matter.
| He says the armory is a public hall; that
the companies occupy it TWO nights in each
week. and it is rented to other parties at
any or all other times that the committee
made II their meeting place, and that he
believes the arms were taken from the armory
on Sunday Dight and returned early Mon
day morning He also recommended that the
| arms be placed in the jail for safety tempo
rarily. Ldirefted him to report to me direct to
save time. To-day | wired him to use his
Judgment about the matter. | intended to
order You to investigate the whole transaction
and cause the arrest of the parties who seized
the arms, if it could be learned who they were
but find the law Is so defective in regard TO
that matter that 1t would be a waste of time to
attempt to bring any one to trial under it. Gen
eTal Budd has 5000 rounds OF bail cartridges to
ne used in case of any emergency. You should
let your companies know where to apply should
any be needed. While it was not necessary for
you TO apply to this office for authority to pro
tect the property, 1t was the duty of the officer
or officers having knowledge of the seizure of
the arms TO report the matter at once by wire
ana not let the first information come by an
anonymous letter TO the civil branch of the
State Government 1t might be advisable to
ascertain II any members of the a. G. c. had
anything TO do with the seizure of the arms
and If so, give them a little taste of military
discipline, but ! will leave this matter to your
discretion We don't want the history of the
vigilante times of 1856 repeated in the National
Guard, when nearly the whole militia Joined the
committee. II anything of this kind happens
again III the limits of your command, see first
That measures are taken to secure the property
and the assembly of the men, then notify this
ONCE by wire in the fullest possible manner, re-
CARELESS of expense, then do nothing more
until you get Instructions from here The
troops are authorized to defend themselves or
the public property If attacked, and nothing
more. without the authority of the Commander
ln-Cnief Above all things don't lose your
head, especially week after the trouble is
over. Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
4. Fl. ORION, Adiutant General.