The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1891-03-26
Citizens OF New Orleans Take the
Law Into Their Own Hands.

CItlzenS OF NEW OEl6dnS AdhS tuo
Law Into Their own Hands.
Recent American history may be
searched in vain for parallel To the
scenes Witnessed in New Orleans Mon
day, says the New York Herald:
Eleven prisoners we're forcihlv taken |
from the custody OF the law and sum- |
marty put to death by the indignant
populace, 1t WAS ordinary enforce
ment OF lynch law by few men stealth
lily proceeding under cover oImasks
and darkness. 1t was not the violent
outbreak Of a reckless mob Of outlaws
or desperadoes.
1t was an uprising OF citizens, who
took the law into their own hands to
remedy what they believed to be an
lntolerable miscarriage of justice in
the administration of the criminal
law.
Indignant beyond bounds at the fail-
ure of the jury to convict the as
sassins Of Chief Hennessey, and be-
: lieving that this result was due 10 bril-
berry, they assembled N mass meeting
, not simply to protest against tho out
rage, but to avenge it. 1t was an open
meeting, publicly called, held outdoors
during the forenoon in one OF the
most conspicuous places in the city
y md attended by five thousand people
{ embracing prominent citizens, PROBES
, 1i0nal men, merchants and even pub
= &c officials.
: There was no attempt to conceal thu
purpose Of the gathering or the nature
Ji the extraordinary action t.
re taken. Both had been plainly ex
dressed in the public call, which in
- .ited the citizens TO "come prepared
Tor action" Both had been boldly PR,
claimed by the speakers at the meet
ing and applauded by the hearers
many OF whom had come "prepare'
Tor action"
Q The voice OF the assembly was tn
death warrant Of the Italians III tn
,arish Jail. To this place the body {
ltlzens moved in procession wit
military precision and undaunted d.
termination. Once there an entrdnc
vas fuced, the committee Of fit
made their way in and de
gated executi0ners deliberately 9,
. work to execute the death seI
ences that had been pronounced b
he populace in mass meeting assen
. lPd. -.
All this, from beginning to end, WI
lone without resistance except a ie
ole show at the jail, without any a
empt on the part OF the public a
r horities to prevent it, Indeed, Il
~ Doice would have been powerless hi
hey made such attempt. MOreovt
he movement seems to have met
responsive echo i'll popular sentimer
h nd was only approved by such re
sentative budies as the Stock al
jotton exchanges.
II was certainly an extraordina
occurrence. But exceptional as
VAS, though participated in by repl
tentative citizens, and cOur tenanc'
II not openly approved by public St
tlment, it was SIMPLY mob violence
large scale. For the pt pular ind
alton that prompted it there "
- abundant provocation. For the la
less acts committed there is and C
/ he no justification or excuse.
y No feeling can be too strong AGAR
the band Of secret assassins that mi
ICED life in New Orleans and br tia
n struck down its Chief of Police. Su
re IN organization as the Malta, su
vendettas as that OF the Provenzar
and Mantrangas, such diabolical C,
spiracies as these Italian desperate
were charged with, are dangerous
society, foes to law and order not
be tolerated in an American CONN
nifty. They cannot be to quickly
too thoroughly stamped out
But crime Of every species and cri
mails OF every nationality and dec
are to be dealt with by the
b Of the land, not the violence o
- mob. When citizens resort to 81
al violence they put themselves on
~ level with the criminals they ass
" The crime committed by the New
= leans mob was the same as that
"a which its Sicilian victims were trie
assassination.