The Elbert County tribune., 1909-07-08

glarized a store, been arrested, and
escaped from jail His route was
learned, and there being regular y
train soon, a special was chartered, 4
and with bunch of Ants, as the =
members of the A. H T. A. are called.
aboard, started in pursuit. When it -.
returned a few hours later it had *
aboard the policeman-burglar.
The Anti-Horse Thief association is
rather a novel organization now flour
1shing in the middle west having III
members as far east Ohio, and as ~
tar west as New Mexico and total
membership of 10000. 1t is organized =
on the lodge system, and combines
both protection and detection in its
plan of neutrality-suspicious. in that
Its members unite in guarding the
person, home and property of each
member against unlawful interfer-.
ence by others; and detection in that II
the members will hunt and capture
any persons who transgress on the y
rights OF any member. and hunts for IN
and recovers stolen property The y
detective features are for the purpose #
OF making the protective features
more successful and effective The
order often spends ten times the n
value OF stolen article in recovering n
IL, but 1t teaches thieves what to ex-
pect II they molest the property of
any member. Hiring train to chase
thief is heavier expense than any
public officer will, or can, afford to
incur. but that expense was small
when divided among hundreds Of
members, and they consider it we'll
spent. big thief is in the peniten. r
hary. and an impressive lesson has 4
been taught to other thieves in that
locally
There is a marked difference he
tun fhn
cations of that nature. The vigilantes aho,
whom our fathers sometimes sneak oftar 90
themselves up as Judge jury and executioner
Ihey sometimes held ''necktie" parties in som
secluded spot in the woods on a dark nigh
and perhaps there would be ligbt.fnpere
gentleman missing from that community III
next morning. The regulators about which W
nahe read sometimes forced people to leay
the eighborhood or take the consequences
Their mo-ayes for such action were often que
tonable. Not SO with the A. H. T. A. 1t doc
not violate one law to uphold another 1t in
poses strict obligation upon its members
obey the law themselves. 1t then command
others to do likewise suffer the penalty tn
law provides. 1t catches criminals but turn
them at once over to the officers of the Law
Some have styled the A. H. T. A. an officer
aid society and in fact its record entities it
that appellation. 1t opposes mob violence wit
all of its influence, and has prevented MOI
than one lynching. 1t has recently been mai
ing its plans to prevent if possible the intr
duction of "night-riding" in Arkansas an
Oklahoma. Protect the Innocent bring tf
guilty to Justice" is its motto.
mistaken idea some people have of tt
A. H. T. A. is that it looks after horse thievt
only. Every kind Of stealing. as well as 9th,
violations Of the law comes within the scoI
Of its work Cases are on record where IL
A. H. T. A. spent ten dollars to recover dc
lar whip. One such case usually puts an er
to whipstealing in that community. Its obje
in doing SO is not the value of the whip b,
the lesson taught. 1t convinces thieves it
not profitable. and is extremely hazardous,