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 Atchinson County
Protective Association (1880's) - Operating in
Atchinson,
Kansas,
the group was originally formed in 1883 and called Good Intent. Acting
much like other vigilante committees,
they quickly took the law into their own hands. Three years later, in
1886, the group was reorganized with another existing group called the
Central Protective Association, who was considered much more legitimate. One of their first acts was tracking down a thief who had stolen a team of
horses and was finally captured in
Nebraska.
Three years later, the group, unable to continue to bear the expense of
tracking down
outlaws,
reorganized again, becoming the Atchinson County Protective Association in
the spring of 1889. With a number of influential members including bankers
and county officials, the group grew to some 1,500 members.
Anti Horse Thief
Association (1854-Present) -
Unlike many
vigilante
committees, the Anti Horse Thief
Association (AHTA,) sometimes referred to as the "Dark
Lantern Association,” was well-recognized and much respected
throughout the
American
West.
More ...
 The
Bald Knobbers (1883-1889) -
Originating in Taney County,
Missouri, a
group of thirteen men formed under the leadership of Nat Kinney in 1883 in
an attempt to stop the flood of invading
outlaws
that plagued the area since the start of the Reconstruction Period. For the seven years following the close of the
Civil War, from 1865-1882,
over thirty murders had occurred, none of which had led to a conviction.
Before long,
the
Bald
Knobbers
themselves began to be arrested and on August 20, 1888, Nat Kinney was
shot and killed. Though the violence continued for a short time, by
1899, the era of the
Bald
Knobbers
had run its course.
More ...
Committee of 101 (1898) – In 1897,
Jefferson "Soapy” Smith arrived in Skagway, Alaska. Known in former mining
camps throughout the
American
West as the "King of the Frontier Con Men," Soapy’s
reputation for running his illegal rackets and taking over a town were
well known.
Having been run out of Denver,
Colorado,
Soapy saw opportunity in the Klondyke Gold Rush and, bringing in his gang
of rogues and thieves, set about to repeat the process in
Skagway.
Setting up "shop” in his new
saloon named Jeff Smith’s Parlor,
Soapy's cons began once again in earnest. His
saloon soon became known as the "real city hall,” even though Skagway
already had an official one. But some of the
Skagway
citizens were not so impressed with
Soapy who’s heavy drinking and black temper had begun to get
completely out of hand.
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 After about nine
months of the domination and fleecing of the town, a number of Skagway
citizens had had enough of the man and a
vigilante group, who called themselves the "Committee of 101,”
threatened to drive
Smith and his gang out of town.
However,
Soapy retaliated by forming his own group, that he called the
"Committee of 303” to intimidate the first group.
Soapy alleged that his
group had more than 300 members, hoping to force the
vigilantes into submission. It worked.
However, when
Soapy's gang took some $2,600 in gold from a
Klondike miner in an illegal Three-card Monte game, the
vigilantes re-emerged and demanded that
Soapy give him back his gold.
Soapy, of course, refused, claiming that the miner had lost the gold
"fairly” in a sporting game. The next night, on
July 8, 1898, the
vigilantes organized a meeting in
Juneau,
Alaska.
Hearing of the meeting,
Soapy decided to attend himself, arriving with a Winchester rifle
draped over his shoulder. When he was barred from entering the meeting, he
argued with one of four guards, a man named Frank Reid, who was blocking
his way. Before long a gunfight erupted and when the smoke cleared both
men lay dead.
Continued Next Page
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