The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1891-03-25
MOB LAW.
There IL Never Any Excuse for IL in a Set
tied Community.

tied Community.
To THE EDIToR-Sir: / am glad TO see
the manly stand THE SENTINEL has taken
in behalf of the cause of law and order
with reference TO the recent New Orleans
outrage. In new communities as in Cali
fornia and Montana in early days, where
society is in n nascent state and the ma
chinery OF the law is wanting, there may
be some excuse for citizens taking the po-
lice powers into their own hands. Not so
by any means in such an old established
community as New Orleans. Ii the courts
are insufficient or corrupt the people have
only themselves TO blame The people
interested in the security of property and
the maintenance OF public order are
doubtless largely in the majority in New
Orleans. as they are in every other long
organized community in this country.
The trouble is this element stands in the
background with its arms folded and let's
the bummers run the municipal machine
until their high-handed misrule culmi-
mates in something like the Hennessy
assassination or the Hsymarket tragedy.
Then these political sluggards come forth
and assume to be law unto themselves.
They will act as a mob or act not at all.
1t sounds very well to talk of the SOW
ereign majesty of the people, to moralize
on the theory that "when the courts,
their agents, fail to execute the law the
authority is relegated back 20 the people
who gave it." Such doctrines, as applied
to the present instance, mean simply
mob violence and anarchy. Ii the sover-
eighty of the people can be exercised only
in this way the sooner we acknowledge
republican government failure the bet
ter that we may 60 back to the ways of
autocratc rule.
The vigilantes of San Francisco and OF
Montana were by no means a mob like
that at New Orleans. They were a court
a sort of star chamber, it is true; but
| court, nevertheless. They did not har-
| angue their followers in the public thor
oughfares and work them up to a frenzy
before they undertook the execution OF
the task before them. The trials were
conducted, not by miscellaneous, ire
sponsible crowd, but by a select commit
tee and as nearly as possible according to
the forms OF regular judicial procedure.
This Is the sort OF organization to which
Col. Sanders (now L. ). senatOr) IS said to
have belonged and which hanged
Cummings, the chief of the Montana
''road agents" who was then high sheriff,
eventually clearing the territory of the
| murderous gang. But even this organi-
zation overstepped itself. At Helena sew
eral years later a man, one Daniels, was
| tried by the court for murder and arquit-
Al
governor OF Montana, was his counsel,
serving without pay. The vigilantes were
not satisfied with the judgment of the
jury, and hanged the man. An indigna-
| ton meeting of the citizens followed, and
so general and pronounced was the feel
| ing OF condemnation expressed, that no
more was seen or heard of the vigil
| lantes thereafter in Montana.
Let me cite another case OF which | was
| also personally cogDizant. A murder and
robbery were committed in Eureka, CAL,
| The perpeirator of the crime at once vol
unfairly confessed to the deed. Seemingly
as an afterthought he implicated another.
| The county seat was a hundred miles
| away and no jail even there. A citizens
court was organized as the only possible
method OF trial. The trial was put off
| eight days so as to give the blood OF the
| community time to cool. If ever a matter
was gone about deliberately, that was
| The day of trial came. The confessed
| culprit was adjudged guilty and hanged.
| The trial OF the other accused was at
| tempted, but by this time the crowd had
| degenerated into q frenZied mob. The
| frightened, trembling wretch, without the
shadow of a trial or a particle of
evidence against him except that
of the self-confessed murderer,
was hurried off to the nearest
limb and 'dangled at the ropes end.
was astonished TO see among that mob
men of the highest responsibility and
accounted among the most clrcumspect
and cool headed actually froth at the
mouth with excitement and thirst for
| blood. was thoroughly impressed then
and there with the utter incompetency of
| citizens court to pass upon tine life or
| death of a fellow man under any circum-
| stances. Subsequent observation, and
| have had no little of it, has served but to
confirm that impression.
The Cleveland Pldindedler is credited
with speaking thus of the New Orleans
| affair:
J 1t was not a mob Of rioters, but en- assemblage
of responsible people. called together by a
paper signed by long list of responsible citi-
zens, and led to the prison by men held in
| high regard as law abiding citizens who have
the welfare Of the city at heart. When the
execution was done the executioDers quietly
dispersed to their homes and places OF
| business.
Not a word here but applies with much
| greater force to the California
"assemblage." / repeat. if those 'respon-
sible people" had at the caucus and the
polls shown half as much zeal in support
ing the law as they now have in tramp
ing the law under foot there would most
probably have been no occasion for their
thus brewing their hands in human
blood. ! must say l am greatly surprised
that so large portion of the press of the
country should have endeavored to
excuse or condone such fragrant law
lessness. d. r. LEEPER.
South Bend. Ind, March 81.