Rensselaer Union, Volume 7, Number 33, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 May 1875 — BRIGANDAGE. [ARTICLE]

BRIGANDAGE.

According to the opinion of Attorney General Busk irk an act of the l&6t legislature requires the common councils of cities and boards of trustees of incorporated towns to elect a board of school trustees at their first regular meeting in June. Report says that track laying will be commencecfcotf the Chicago «fc South Atlantic railroad at Dalton, 111., next Mouday, and will he continued south as rapidly as possible. Elsewhere we publish several articles from our exchanges in regard to this enterprise, which will he of interest to people who read The Union. There is still other word of an encouraging nature from the officers of the road, which wc are not at liberty to make public for the present. Hon. D. D. Pratt, of Logansport, has accepted the appointment by President Grant of Commissioner of Internal Revenue. The people of Indiana last fall in a fair, square and direct issue, rejected his aspirations to re-election to tin United States Senate, and of course something hid to he done for him. For about a year now the President lias seemed to study out what the people do not want to have done, and then done it. After all, though, it is probable that Mr. Tratt is a capable man and the appointment a good one. The people of Logansport at their late municipal election did a good thing in defeating the Democratic caucus nominees for city officers. The entire Independent ticket except one councilman was elected by majorities ranging from 11 up to 810 in a vote of about 2,600. We remark that they did a good thing in defeating the regular nominees of* the Democracy, not that we have any knowledge of the personal fitness of the candidates on either side, hut because that city has k)«g been a strong hold of Democracy and they have ruled it as with a rod of iron, permitting no man to hold office efceept he had the sanction of ringmasters and was duly wrapped and labeled in caucus. King Caucus has ruled the Anieri-, can people as long as they ought to endure him, and it is now time he was deposed and a more liberal dispensation entered upon.

Reports from California portray a deplorable condition of lawlessness in some of the southern counties and mountain regions. The stories of banditti and high wavmen, of brigandage and robbery are more like the spirit of modern Greece, Italy and Spain than it is pleasant to acknowledge exists in our country where we boast a high state of civilization, an advanced and enlightened religion, universal education, and one of the best systems of government on 1 the globe. It has been only a few weeks since an outlaw called Vasqyes was hanged bv the authorities, lie was a bold, bad man, the’ leader of a gang of desperadoes which had long been the terror of Los Angeles and neighboring counties, and was quite bold in his operations as

any of the bandit chieftains whose | exploits nave been the theme of novels and the text of stage dramas. Instead of this prompt aud decisive action of the courts having as yeti produced terror in the breasts of his surviving comrades, they are! still engaged m their nefarious operations, having for their leader | one Chavez who was Vasques 1 lieutenant, and boldly rob at noonday. Nor are these depredations confined to a single band, or narrow limits ot territory. Within two miles of Colfax recently the Grass Valley stase was stopped by masked men i and its passengers were compelled i to “deliver up.” And not far from Marysville the Downieville stage was also halted by a single masked man and the driver compelled to surrender Wells, Fargo & Co.’s treasure box containing $5,500 in gold. There were ten passengers aboard, six of them men, but being unarmed offered no resistance. The ladies screamed with, affright ftben the gentlemanly freebooter

in a'voice modulated to drawingroom tones replied “Don’t fear, ladies; no harm will be done to you.”