Early County GaArchives News.....Citizens Meeting August 19 1846 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/gafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Lindy Hard ssautyvalleyfarm@worldnet.att.net December 14, 2003, 12:01 am Albany Patriot [newspaper] microfilm Apr 16 1845-Nov 1847 MEETING OF THE CITIZENS IN EARLY COUNTY. July 25th, 1846. Agreeable to previous notice, a portion of the citizens of Early county assembled at the Court House in Blakely, for the purpose of taking measures to suppress and prevent the frequent and wanton acts of theft and robbery, committed in this and other sections of the country—and to devise means by which the perpetrators of crime may be brought to justice; and those who harbor, feed and conceal persons guilty of such heinous offences, exposed and discountenanced. The meeting was organized by calling to the chair JAMES BUSH, Esq., and Jas. G. Collier to act as Secretary. The object of the meeting was explained by the chairman. On motion of Jas. Hays, Esq., the chairman was requested to appoint a committee of seven to draft resolutions: whereupon, Dr. Jesse Williams, Wm. H. Wade, B. H. Robinson, Asa. C. S. Alexander, Joel W. Perry, Noah Phillips and James Buchannon, Esqrs., were appointed that committee. The committee retired for a few minutes and then reported that the nature of the case required some time for deliberation, and requested that the meeting be adjourned till Friday next—whereupon the meeting was adjourned till Friday next, and the citizens generally requested to be present. JAMES BUSH, Chairman. JAMES G. COLLIER, Secretary. __ Friday, July 31st, 1846. Agreeable to adjournment, a large and respectable portion of the citizens met in the Court House in Blakely. The committee appointed to draft resolutions offered the following, which were unanimously adopted: Whereas, The citizens of Early county have been greatly annoyed recently by men of bad character—those who have committed crimes elsewhere are in our very midst, and are harbored and supported by citizens of our county—and whereas, the present state of affairs having become insufferable, there being no security for life or property unless some steps are taken to prevent the perpetration of crime. Be it therefore resolved, That we form ourselves into a society to be styled the “Citizens’ Vigilant Association of Early County.” 2d. Resolved, That the officers of this association shall consist of a President and Vice President in the Blakely district, and three Vice Presidents in each of the other districts in this county—a Secretary and Treasurer. 3d. Resolved, That whenever a suspicious individual shall be amongst us, it shall be the duty of the members of this association, having cognizance of the fact, to lay the whole matter before the President or one of the Vice Presidents, who must decide whether or not the grounds are sufficient to commence a prosecution, and it shall be his duty to have the laws rigidly enforced against all such persons, as well as those who aid and support them. 4th. Resolved, That the members of this association having full confidence in the sound judgement and discretion of its officers, bind themselves to support any such officer in the discharge of his duties; provided that no steps be taken which are not sanctioned by the laws of the country. 5th. Resolved, That this association will raise by voluntary contributions such sums of money as may be necessary to carry out the objects for which it was formed. It shall be the duty of the Secretary to collect such funds as may be raised—pay them over to the Treasurer and take his receipt therefor. The President may draw his order on the Treasurer whenever exigences may require it, for such sum of money as may be necessary to defray expences of bringing to justice such violators of the law—or where the crimes with which they stand charged were committed out of the county the expenses of a guard will be paid out of the funds thus raised, in returning them to the place where such offence was committed. 6th. Resolved, That each member of this association pay over to the Secretary one dollar or any sum not less than 25 cents whenever called for, which sum of money will be refunded unless it should be used as contemplated by the foregoing resolutions. 7th. Resolved, That the members of this association will hold themselves in readiness to go in pursuit of any fugitive from justice, whenever the President or either of the Vice Presidents may require their services. 8th. Resolved, That we consider all idle vagrant persons, whose business is not known, as highly suspicious characters, and that persons who feed, protect, harbor or conceal such person or persons, unworthy the confidence or esteem of our good citizens, and greatly to be feared and appreciated as those with whom they associate. And as we do not wish to embarrass, meddle with or confuse any innocent idividual, or to become unnecessarily officious, we deem it advisable to publish this our determinations to the world in some convenient newspaper at least three times. The association then went into the choice of officers, when JAMES BUSH, Esq. was chosen as President, and Wm. H. Wade, Vice President for the Blakely district,--Vice Presidents for the Fort Gaines district, Anthony Hutchins, Abner W Jones and George B Wardlaw,--for the 4th district, Elijah Padgett, William Hanell and A. S. Tennille,--for William McElvey’s district, Wm. McElvy, Wm. McElroy and John Davis,sr.—for the 6th district, Duncan J. Davis, M. J. Lewis and Zachariah Cowart,--for the 13th district, Burwell Roberts, Henry J. Roberts and Wm. Grimes,--for the 26th district, Thomas Speight, William W. Hare and Robert W Sheffield,--for the 510th district, G. M., Noah Phillips, Abner A. Williams and George Howard. Col. B. H. Robinson was chosen as Treasurer and Jas. G. Collier as Secretary. On motion of Thomas Speight, Esq., the confessions of Robert Cummins, (who was recently taken in this county and sent to Quincy Jail, disclosing much interesting information) were publicly read. On motion of Col. B. H. Robinson, Resolved, That the proceedings of this association be published in all the newspapers in South-western Georgia, and that we adjourn to meet on the fourth Saturday in August next. JAMES BUSH, President. James G. Collier, Secretary. Jos. W. Speight, James Phillips, Etheldred Hays, Peter Howard, Thos. Williams, James W. Eaton, Joseph D. Howell, Elam Lee, Asa Odom, Thomas Speight, Green Kirkland, Joshua Harris, Richard McGriff, O. W. Shackelford, George Cross, Jos. A. Johnson, Elijah Spurlin, Philip Jones, David Howard, William W. Hare, B. P. King, William J. Bush, Benj. L. Wolf, Willis Williams, Warren Sutton, Zadoc Lee, Lewis Gay, D. J. Davis, James Brown, Josiah G. Jones, Thos. B. Andrews, B. D. Jones, R. A. Persons, Francis A. Fuller, M. W. Anthony, B. H. Robinson, John Davis, sr., James Buchannon, Joseph Lee, Allen Gay, E. K. Spence, Jeremiah Fowler, James McRae, A. A. Williams, David Lee., Henry Robinson, Dildatha Odom, John Bailey, William Dixon, F. B. Haynes, Noah Phililps, M. L. Alexander, James H. Wade, Anthony Hutchins, Richmond Harris, William Windsor, Benjamin Hodges, Joab Willis, John H. Whitaker, James Sirmons, Wililam C. Leath, Asa C. S. Alexander, James B. Brown, Edmund Cody, George L. Rice, Moses Weaver, Benjamin Wilcox, Joseph Collier, Amos Hays, Green Odom, William G. Wood, Amos Emanuel, N. McBryde, N. B. McBryde, Lazanes Goolsbie, A. M. Elliott, Wm. H. Goocher, Stephen Blocker, Jacob Hyres, William Howell, Luther S. Waller, Charles W. Bush, George Wiley, James G. Powers, James Hays, W. Frank, Benjamin S. Lee, Zachariah Cowart, C. E. Jenkins, Stark Adams, George W. Mercier, John Hare, William Sasser, John C. Chambers, N. W. Liverman, Jesse N. Bethea, Wm. D. Collier, Jacob Wiley, jr. Bajamin Collier, James J. Robinson, William Weaver, Joseph P. Hardee, Geen Wiley, James J. Lewis, William McElroy, Thomas S. Floyd, William Boothe, James G. Wann, Barnett Cody, William Hanell, E. B. Lightfoot, ______ Additional Comments: I'm thinking that "Lazanes" Goolsbie = "Lazarus" [?] Goolsbie [Goolsby] This file has been created by a form at http://www.poppet.org/gafiles/ File size: 8.8 Kb