NationStates Jolt Archive

James Erwell Brown Stuart stared at the four other men around the table. Their faces were grim under the flickering light of the kerosene lamp. He was a former member of the police force of a government that had fallen from power in more ways than one. The socialist system that the government had instituted had eventually even failed to provide simple things such as electricity and shoes. For several months, he and his cohorts had worked to acquire the weapons that were stored in crates in their warehouse.. He looked around the table at the four men that were with him. Together, they had elected to call themselves the Citizens’ Committee.

There was Henry Plummer. Henry seemed to be a reliable enough fellow, and like Stuart had a fondness for older style firearms. At Stuart’s glance, Henry gave a pained smile and nodded. “James, I’ll ride with you whenever you are ready.”

Stuart’s glance next focused on Lee Callaway. Stuart knew that Lee was an absolutely reliable man and could be counted on even under tremendous stress, and occasionally under heavy gunfire that the group had encountered while smuggling their various weapons into the country. Lee nodded. “Boss, we can go whenever you’re ready.”

After Lee, Stuart took a look at Wilbur F. Sanders. Sanders was a crack shot with the preferred .45-70 rifle that the five men had chosen to equip themselves with. Sanders slid another cartridge into the magazine of his Marlin 1895 rifle and smiled. “I’m ready boss.”

Nathaniel Langford was polishing one of the Schofield revolvers that the group had elected to used. He looked Stuart in the eye and nodded. “Let’s ride.”

Stuart blew out the lamp and the five men filed out of the building to where they had tethered their horses, safely out of sight behind the old warehouse. After the shadows inside the warehouse, the afternoon sun seemed to be bright as the men walked toward their horses, their leather boots raising small clouds of dust, that rays of the sun shone through.

Several minutes later

The men of the Committee noticed a store with a broken window and a man knocked in the street, as looters rushed in and out, carrying whatever they could find.

Stuart raised the rifle that he held in his hand and the other four riders charged toward the store, raising a fair sized cloud of dust from the hooves of their horses.

They reigned their horses to a stop amidst the looters and took aim with their rifles. Almost as one, four .45 slugs thudded into four looters, dropping them in their tracks. The rest of them dropped what they had been looting previously, and tried to run away. The four members of the Committee fired again, dropping four more as Stuart came trotting up with a pack horse in tow.

Stuart dismounted and helped the man that had been knocked to the street to his feet.
The man stared at the members Committee in amazement as Stuart helped him up.

Stuart smiled gently at the man. “Your store?”

The man nodded. Stuart reached into a bundle on the back of the packhorse and withdrew a double barreled coach gun and two boxes of shells. He quickly showed the man how to operate the shotgun, then watched as the man did it himself. He handed the man a box of shell and patted him on the shoulder. “Use that if they come back.”

The man was still staring at Stuart as a woman rushed over, looking at the shotgun. Stuart touched the brim of his hat and mounted his horse.

Several Days Later

Stuart and his four men had succeeded in gathering nearly forty new recruits to their cause in the few days that they had been active in addition to the merchants that had decided to pay them for their protection. Already, there were the beginnings of a type of government forming.

Merchants that were under the protection of Stuart’s group typically would pay Stuart a set fee, preferably in either goods or valuables. Stuart had high hopes that he would be able to restore the faith of the people in their leaders, preferably with some action.

A crackle of rifle fire cam from outside. Stuart stood up, scooped his rifle and strode toward the door of the city hall that he had appropriated for the headquarters of his new organization which had taken to calling itself the 3-7-77 Boys.

Stuart ducked as a bullet came through one of the windows of the stone building. He recognized the sound of the rifles now, not as the shotguns or rifles that the 3-7-77 Boys or his Citizens’ Committee, but the sound of one of a different type of cartridge.

One of the guards that the members of the Committee had insisted be assigned to Stuart came running up, and skidded to a halt as he saw the mob outside. Stuart motioned for him to duck and worked the lever on his rifle, loading a cartridge into the chamber. He drew a hasty bead on a man, with what a recognized now as a Mosin-Nagant bolt action rifle.

His big Marlin boomed and the man sprawled backward at the impact or the big .45 caliber bullet. Stuart ducked away from the window as another rifleman from the crowd fired a bullet into the window.

The bodyguard crawled over to a different window and cut loose with one of the few precious Thompson submachine guns that the Committee had managed to hoard as another of the three bodyguards came running up, this one with a Browning Automatic rifle.

Stuart ducked as another rifle bullet smacked into the building sending rock chips scattering across the porch. Over the sound of the rifle fire, he heard hoof beats and the heavier booms of the big rifles and shotguns that the Citizens’ Committee preferred. Stuart stood up and fired several more shots from his rifle into the crowd as the began to retreat at the arrival of the 3-7-77 Boys.

As the crowd began to retreat, Stuart opened up the door of the building and motioned several of the 3-7-77 Boys. Four of them approached Stuart and listened as he ordered them to track down the four other members of the Citizens’ Committee.

Several Hours Later

The members of the Citizens’ Committee were engaged in a heated argument about whether or not to rename their committee.

Stuart had finally had enough. He slammed his fist down on the table. “If we can’t agree on that, let’s agree on something else. Since we are the major power in this city, with the backing of the 3-7-77 Boys, why don’t we say so! Instead of calling ourselves the just the Citizens’ Committee, let’s call ourselves the Citizens’ Committee of Vigilance.”

The first to agree was Henry Plummer. “James, I agree with that idea.”

Next was Lee Callaway. He nodded. “Let’s do it then.”

Nathaniel Langford and Wilbur Sanders nodded at the same time.

Stuart smiled at the four of them. “Our first order of business is to draft a proclamation.”

Wilbur Sanders began to type on an old laptop as Langford was reading over his shoulder. “Great public emergencies demand prompt and vigorous remedies. Our people, suffering long under an organized despotism which under the guise of equality for all has squandered their wealth, invaded their liberties and usurped their public offices, and corrupted the channels of justice, have now arisen and recognize the paramount necessity of a thorough reform.

For years or people have patiently waited and striven under the abuses of the despots while the despots used the laws to which the people looked for protection as a powerful engine to fasten tyranny and misrule upon our backs. We looked to the ballot box as a remedy, but to safeguard their hold on our highest offices, the despots resorted to fraud and the false counts of judges. The despots organized gangs of bad men to destroy the tally lists of the votes. The despots have provided themselves with judges and clerks that prevented the people from ascertaining the true number of votes in an election.

Our juries and courtrooms have been tampered with. The despots have been made to shield the murders that have killed any that would oppose the despots. The bloodied hands of those that silenced the voice of the people with the bayonet and the rifle have been allowed to roam the streets.

The Citizens’ Committee of Vigilance recognizes the solemn sense of responsibility rested on them and has decreed the death of some and the banishment of others who with their crimes and villainies stain our land. We have no friends to reward, no enemies to punish, and no private ends to accomplish. Our single aim is to purge from out community those characters whose actions have been evil continually. We will show no favoritism toward any race creed or party. When we have insured to our citizens an honest and vigorous protection of their rights we shall find great pleasure in resigning power into the hands of the people.”

By the time that Wilbur had finished typing the declaration, all of the men gathered around the table were nodding.

One by one, they voiced their approval.

“Very well. Find a printer and lets publish it,” Stuart ordered.


Proclamation of the Citizens’ Committee of Vigilance

Great public emergencies demand prompt and vigorous remedies. Our people, suffering long under an organized despotism which under the guise of equality for all has squandered their wealth, invaded their liberties and usurped their public offices, and corrupted the channels of justice, have now arisen and recognize the paramount necessity of a thorough reform.

For years or people have patiently waited and striven under the abuses of the despots while the despots used the laws to which the people looked for protection as a powerful engine to fasten tyranny and misrule upon our backs. We looked to the ballot box as a remedy, but to safeguard their hold on our highest offices, the despots resorted to fraud and the false counts of judges. The despots organized gangs of bad men to destroy the tally lists of the votes. The despots have provided themselves with judges and clerks that prevented the people from ascertaining the true number of votes in an election.

Our juries and courtrooms have been tampered with. The juries and courtrooms have been made to shield the murderers that have killed any that would oppose the despots. The bloodied hands of those that silenced the voice of the people with the bayonet and the rifle have been allowed to roam the streets.

The Citizens’ Committee of Vigilance recognizes the solemn sense of responsibility rested on them and has decreed the death of some and the banishment of others who with their crimes and villainies stain our land. We have no friends to reward, no enemies to punish, and no private ends to accomplish. Our single aim is to purge from out community those characters whose actions have been evil continually. We will show no favoritism toward any race creed or party. When we have insured to our citizens an honest and vigorous protection of their rights we shall find great pleasure in resigning power into the hands of the people.

Several Hours After the Proclamation was published

Crowds around the capital city, which people had begun to call Committee headquarters, had heard mounted representatives of the 3-7-77 Boys reading copies of the proclamation issued by the Citizens’ Committee of Vigilance. In the vast majority of places they had been greeted by crowds that had cheered them though in a few others they had been greeted with hostility and in a few cases even with gunshots.

City Hall Building

James Stuart decided that it was time to bring a few of the members of the government to justice, Committee style. He knew that his movement after the collapse of the old socialist order was gaining fury and he needed to bring the mob over to his side.

He grabbed his Marlin rifle and headed outside to mount his horse, grabbing another bandoleer of .45-70 cartridges as he strode out the door.

Stuart slid his rifle into the scabbard on his saddle and then mounted his horse.

Several of the 3-7-77 Boys followed Stuart as he rode off to arrest several former members of the secret police of the fallen socialist government. Such a move would truly show the masses that the old order was completely and helplessly dead.

Within an hour, the 3-7-77 Boys and found several of the members of the secret police. Stuart looked around at the men on horseback, surrounding the group of scared looking officials of the former government. He counted the men on horseback and nodded as he began to recite the charges.

“Criminals of the fallen despots, you are charged with the following crimes against the people of our nation. You are charged with murder, kidnapping, rape, theft, corruption, and robbery.” Stuart’s voice had begun to grow louder and he shouted the final words. “To the people you shall answer for your crimes!”

Stuart nodded to the leader of the group of 3-7-77 boys. “String them up boys.”

The group of 3-7-77 Boys grabbed lariats from around their saddle horns and fastened nooses around the necks of the group of officials. Horsemen dragged struggling men over to the most convenient object to throw a rope over, which in this case happened to be a sign in the front of city hall.

Years of injustice were about to end...

Several Days Later

James Stewart was still reeling at the massacre that had taken place. Hundreds of people had been hung from lampposts in the capital city alone and bodies still swung in the languid afternoon breeze as tumbleweed rolled down the middle of the dusty main street. The fury of the 3-7-77 Boys had been largely abated, however, before their fury had been spent; hundreds of members of the fallen old government had been hanged though they had been remarkably disciplined about looting, probably because the men of the 3-7-77 Boys owned most of the stores.

By this time, news of the massacres in the capital city had spread to the rest of the Dominion and cities had begun to vent their anger on the government officials and their informants and collaborators that had been working in those cities, scouring the countryside of its wealth.

In the intervening several days, the Citizens’ Committee had met and decided to rename the country, from simply the Dominion into the Dominion of Vigilance Committee and decided to draft a Constitution.