The War in the Northwest 271 



that their records would, to their grandchildren, 

 have a distinctly humorous side. To tories, and 

 evil-doers generally, the humor was doubtless very 

 grim ; but, as a matter of fact, the decisions, though 

 certainly of unusual character, were needful and 

 just. The friends of order had to do their work 

 with rough weapons, and they used them most effi- 

 ciently. Under the stress of so dire an emergency 

 as that they confronted they were quite right in at- 

 tending only to the spirit of law and justice, 

 and refusing to be hampered by the letter. They 

 would have discredited their own energy and hard 

 common-sense had they acted otherwise, and, more- 

 over, would have inevitably failed to accomplish 

 their purpose. 



In the summer of '78, when Indian hostilities 

 almost entirely ceased, most of the militia were dis- 

 banded, and, in consequence, the parties of tories 

 and horse-thieves sprang into renewed strength, and 

 threatened to overawe the courts and government 

 officers. Immediately the leaders among the whigs, 

 the friends of order and liberty, gathered together 

 and organized a vigilance committee. The com- 

 mittee raised two companies of mounted riflemen, 

 who were to patrol the country and put to death all 

 suspicious characters who resisted them or who re- 

 fused to give security to appear before the com- 

 mittee in December. The proceedings of the com- 

 mittee were thus perfectly open; the members had 

 no idea of acting secretly or against order. It was 

 merely that in a time of general confusion they con- 



