The herald., 1895-01-04
ORGANIZING FOR PROTECTION.
Committee of Safety Formed al
Sacramento.
The Criminal Element and the
Tramps Must Go.
Dive Licenses Ordered Revoked and Sa-
looms to BE Regulated by tho
Authorities.

themselves of the horde OF criminals
and trsmps who have bsen holding high
| carnival in the city for weeks past
Three brutal murders, the object o.
which was robbery, murderous assaults
to rob. and innumerable burglaries have
served to arouse the people to theil
| danger. The citizens are terribly in
earnest and will rid themselves of the
undesirable characters with which the
city is swarming.
At q meeting of the city board OF
trustees today it was ordered that all
saloons be closed at midnight and not
allowed to open until o'clock in the
morning; that the licenses Of the num-
erous dives be revoked, and that all
known criminals and tramps be driven
from the city by the police authoritiss.
The arrest of every man who has no
visible meanI of support was ordered.
The police force has been increased by
over 90 citizens who volunteered to
serve as special officers. and still
further increase will be made. Tonight
a patrolman 10 in reach OF nearly every
block in the thiokly settled part OF the
city. The police have orders to arrest
every man found on the streets after
midnight who cannot give satisfactory
account of himself. In fact, SEM
blance OF martial law has been in
augurated.
A SAFETY COMMITTEE.
The excited citizens, however, are not
relying entirely on the authorities OF The
law. citizens COMMITTEES OF safety
has been formed. The organization 10
in a measure secret, and it is intimated
that a repetition OF the reign OF early
California vi9ilantes may follow ii the
outlawry OF the past few weeks does not
cease. No threats are made but there
is general belief that the next man
who is caught in the commission of any
serious crime will play the most inter-
esting part in a lynching affair.
About 1000 citizens assembled this aft
ernoon in the old Agricultural building,
at Sixth and 81 streets, in responee to q
call signed by Charles A. Beesley. The
object stated was to ''see if something
cannot be done to prevent recurrence
of such desperate crimes as those re-
Gently committed. Mr.. Beeseley called
the meeting to order at 2 80 O'Clock,
and Lincoln White was elected chair
man by reclamation.
Mr.. White mounted the platform an d
said that while ne understood generally
what the object of the meeting was, yet
he did not understand the details. He
was ready TO do his duty as citizen.
Capt. William Bradley called upon
Charles Bsesley to explain the object OF
the meeting. Mr.. Beesley said the
city YVES now under q reign of terror.
Women and children were in fear OF
their livee because of the barbarous muir
ders that had been committed. 1t was
time to put stop to such condition of
affairs. He did not propose to act in
spirit OF revenge. but the lawless ele.
ment must be put down and driven out
OF the city. Sacramento muet be olesnsed
from the ecourge. He suggested the
organization OF permanent club, TO be
known az the Civic guard. or by some
such other title, to patrol the city and
see that the criminal element was elm.
mated. Frank Duden, Frank Woodson
and W. B. Maynewell were elected Sec
retaries. W. III. Bradley, G. A. Beesley,
W. Il. Hamilton, Philip Driver and
Daniel Flint were appointed commit
tee on permanent organization and Or
der OF business.
PUBLIC SENTIMENT.
Spirited speeches upon the subject OF
the state Of affairs now existing were
made by @. M. Harrison, Charles Baker,
Rev. A. B. Banks OF the First Baptias
church. Rev. M. d. Buck OF the Sixth
street Methodist church, P. S. Lawson,
Captain Bradley and others. Charlea
Baker seid the times demand action not
words. 1t is not enough to fora civic
guard snd patrol the city it ia not
enough to drive out the bobos end the
industrial army element. (Criea OF No
NoD The high PLACES should DO at
tended to ga we'll as the low places.
Public officers should be taught that
bribery and neglect of duty will not he
tolerated. He bad heard-and he could
not vouch for the truth Of it-that po-
lice officers in this city have been seen
gam bling in saloons during the hours OF
duty. II that were true their superior
officers should be made to put stop
TO 10.
Rev. M. D. Buck said that the time
bad come when the sight Of q man at
the door or in the yards asking for
something to eat frightened the women
~ mucA tuat lAoJ run iutO tu6 uUubbb
and bolt the doors, because they fear
that behind the appeal for bread may
hide the dagger and the bullet. There
ore two classes Of men that probably
the police may be able to distinguish
from each other, and they are the hon
est, industrious man who wants work,
and the other class ia the sort that com
NIT murder. He believed that honest
men should be provided with work. and
that the city should be beautifed and
the streets cleaned, so az to afford en-
ployment to poor and honest men. The
root and the source of thres-fourths of
all the crime is the saloons, those piaces
that are closed on election day and that
the may or has ordered to be closed hero
after at midnight. His hearers knew
why the saloons should be closed, and
that was because they were the breed
ing places OF vice and crime-plsces
where men we're infamed and inspired
to do horrible crimes.
THE HOBO MUST GO.
Chairman White remarked that he
would like to see everything that was
done, done within the law as nearly as
it could be done. But sometimes, in
order to reach an evil such as exists in
this city, things may be done that in
times Of no disorder might be construed
as being rather severe. Every member
| of the organization should be willing to