INDIANA. 



441 



result of this trial was a verdict of guilty, ren- 

 dered on January 28, against Simeon Coy and 

 William F. A. Bernharner, while Stephen J. 

 .Mattler, the third defendant, was acquitted. 

 A motion for a new trial was denied, and the 

 defendants were sentenced to the State Prison 

 for eighteen months and one year respectively, 

 with a slight fine in each case. Coy and Bern- 

 hamer then applied to Justice Harlan, of the 

 United States Supreme Court, for a writ of 

 error, which the latter refused hy a decision 

 rendered early in March. This decision was 

 affirmed by the full bench of the court at 

 Washington in May. 



The White Caps. A secret organization of 

 vigilantes by this name has existed for several 

 years in the southern part of the State. One 

 of its first principles is said to be that no 

 negro shall live in the region dominated by it; 

 but it also undertakes to drive away all per- 

 s.-'ii> who incur its displeasure. It proceeds 

 by first giving a warning to leave the State, 

 which, if disregarded, is followed by a midnight 

 visitation from members of the order. The 

 victim is taken from his house and severely 

 whipped or otherwise abused ; his life is in 

 danger if he chooses to remain after this treat- 

 ment. The counties of Crawford, Orange, 

 Perry, Harrison, Spencer, and Dubois have 

 especially suffered from these outrages by the 

 White Caps. In the early part of the year the 

 organization was unusually active, and the 

 local authorities seemed powerless to bring the 

 offenders to justice. In August. Attorney- 

 General Michener, at the request of the Gov- 

 ernor, made a tour of several oT the southern 

 counties for the purpose of investigating the 

 condition of affairs. His report, especially 

 relating to Crawford County, the center of the 

 difficulty, was made in September, and con- 

 tains the following: 



The condition of affairs is not only deplorable but 

 alarming. For at least two years past the most out- 

 9 offenses have been committed with impunity 

 by the " White Caps"; thev have in many ways 

 shown their entire disregard for the law and its 

 officers ; they have driven citizens out of the county 

 and out of tb'e State ; they have cruelly whipped their 

 victims in the villages of the county without molesta- 

 tion ; they have dragged lartre numbers of persons 

 from their beds and whipped them until the blood 

 flowed to the ground ; they have repeatedly flogged 

 helpless women until life was nearly extinct, and they 

 have procured the publication of "their law-defying 

 notices in the newspapers of the county. I have" not 

 given a detailed statement of these outrages, for they 

 have long been so notorious that vou are, doubtless, 

 well informed concerning them. From the organiza- 

 tion of one band of " White Caps" others sprung 

 into existence, and now it is generally believed that 

 all these bands are confederated together in one 

 grand organization, covering portions of three or four 

 counties. The number and the character of the viola- 

 tions of law to which I have briefly alluded, and the 

 general belief that all these bands are combined in an 

 organization of offense and defense, have brought 

 about a reign of terror in the localities infested by the 

 " White Caps." which can only be fully understood 

 by those who have conversed with the people there. 

 Property has been so depreciated that it can not be 

 sola at half of its value. No one has that confidence 



in his neighbor which is so essential to a good state 

 of society. All is doubt, distrust, and confusion. 

 The result is, that some who are cot "d citi- 



zens openly applaud the doings of the v> White Caps," 

 and others are silent who should be loud in con- 

 demnation. The newspapers have said but little in 

 disapproval, and of those who have openly stood for 

 the enforcement of law, a number have been threat- 

 ened with violence. As one result of such a .- 

 affairs, there has been recently organized there, as I 

 am informed, a body known as u Black Caps" ; and 

 it 13 said that they place armed men each night on 

 the roads in the region most infested by the ''"White 

 Caps,'' with instructions to fire upon any band of the 

 latter which they may find. This is the inevitable re- 

 sult of a long and widely spread defiance and viola- 

 tion of the law without p'umshment. 



The State authorities at once took active 

 measures to destroy the organization, if possi- 

 ble, and to bring the members to justice. At 

 the end of the year the Governor says, in bis 

 message: 



Evidence was finally procured against the principal 

 participants, who we're indicted and their tr 

 for Dec. 24, 1888. The defendants have taken a 

 change of venue, and the time of trial is now fixed 

 for March 26. Additional evidence has been obtained, 

 which will lead to the indictment of several others, 

 and some who would have been arrested have flea 

 from the State. The lawlessness lias been completely 

 suppressed. 



Political. The State campaign was opened 

 on March 15. when the Prohibitionists met in 

 convention at Indianapolis and nominated the 

 following ticket : For Governor, J. S. Hughes ; 

 Lieutenant-Governor, John W. Baxter: Secre- 

 tary of State. Dr. W. A. Spurgeon; Auditor, 

 Thomas Marvel; Treasurer. Allen Furnas; 

 Superintendent of Public Instruction, C. H. 

 Kiracofe ; Reporter of the Supreme Court, 

 T. C. Barnes ; Attorney-General, Elwood 

 Hunt; Judges of the Supreme Court, First 

 District, W. X. Land; Second, W. R. Coffey: 

 Third, Newton Burrell. The resolutions 

 adopted include the following : 



We present to our fellow-citizens the one over- 

 shadowing crime the liquor traffic. We are unal- 

 terably opposed to the enactment of laws that propose 

 to license, tax, or otherwise to regulate the drink 

 traffic, because they provide for its continuance. 



We believe in a "free and carefully-protected ballot, 

 unrestricted by sex. 



We favor applying the goklen rule to the relations 

 of capital and labor, and arbitration in cases of con- 

 flict, but the best interests of both capital and labor 

 demand the prohibition of the liquor traffic. 



We view with alarm the growing desecration of the 

 Lord's day and the efforts making by the liquor power 

 to repeal the laws protecting it. and we call upon all 

 good citizens to join us in maintaining these laws. 



The Democratic State Convention met at 

 Indianapolis on April 26, and made the follow- 

 ing nominations : For Governor, Courtland C. 

 Matson; Lieutenant Governor, William R. 

 Myers; Secretary of State, R. W. Miers; Au- 

 ditor, Charles A. Munson; Treasurer, Thomas 

 Byrnes; Reporter of Supreme Court. John 

 W. Kern : Attorney-General. John R. Wilson ; 

 Superintendent of Public Instruction, E. E. 

 Griffith; Supreme Judges, First District, Will- 

 iam E. Xiblack; Second District, George V. 



