For many years the population of the Mississippi Valley had been increasing rapidly. The courts of law were so few, weak, or dilatory, that the better citizens sometimes found it necessary to take the law into their own hands in order to insure for themselves protection. Such was the case at Vicksburg. Some gamblers had lately made this town their home and had established themselves at the low taverns to which they decoyed the young men of the vicinity. These, after being plundered and debauched, often cast their lot with the gamblers and became almost as desperate as their corrupters. After a while all restraint was thrown off, and the gamblers went about the streets even in the daytime armed with deadly weapons, and by their insults, drunkenness, and crimes, made themselves a terror to the inhabitants. At length the people, having decided to put an end to such conditions, held a meeting and passed resolutions, giving the gamblers notice to leave within twenty-four hours. But, instead of doing so, they garrisoned themselves in a house. This the men of the town surrounded, and breaking open a door, they were fired upon from within, one of the most prominent men of the town being killed. This so enraged the people that they took the house by storm. Five of the gamblers were made prisoners. Then a procession, headed by the leading men of the town, led the gamblers to execution, hung them, and buried them together in a ditch. Featherstonhaugh, an English traveler, in writing of the Mississippi gamblers, says: “In various travels in almost every part of the world, I never saw such a collection of unblushing, low, degraded scoundrels.”[20:6] He also quotes a passage from a justification of the above lynching, which was drawn up by the people of Vicksburg, and is as follows: “Society may be compared to the elements, which, although, ‘order is their first law,’ can sometimes be _justified only by a storm_. Whatever, therefore, _sickly sensibility or mawkish philanthropy_ may say against the course pursued by us, we hope that our citizens _will not relax the code of punishment_ which they have enacted against this infamous, unprincipled, and baleful class of society; and we invite Natchez, Jackson, Columbus, Warrenton, and all our sister towns throughout the State, in the name of our insulted laws, of offended virtue, and of slaughtered innocence, to aid us in exterminating this deep-rooted vice from our land. The _revolution_ has been conducted here _by the most respectable_ citizens, heads of families, _members_ of _all classes and professions_ and pursuits. None have been heard to utter a syllable of censure against either the act _or the manner in which it was performed_; and so far as we know, public opinion, both in town and country, is decidedly in favor of the course pursued. We have never known the public so unanimous on any subject.”