Vigilance Association

The Farmers' Vigilance Assooiation of Superior, Arm Arbor, and Salem townships was organized May 27, 1884, and for nearly the same reason that led to the formation of the Wa9htenaw Mutual fire insurance company. Whenever a farmer lost a house by fire, or when his barn was raided by a horse-thief who covered his trail successfully, sympathy would lead to the circulation of a subscription paper to make good the loss as much as possible. The farmers began to think it was an pensive way of paying for such losse?. The mutual insurance companies are largely the result of thia faet; and certainly it lead to the organization of the vigilanoe association, which ia merely a society whose members pledge themselves to do all they can to protect the property of each other from thieves ; to basten to capture any thief that might prey upon them ; to return the stolen property ; and, when the property cannot be recaptured, to pay to the owner two-thirds of its value. It is a sort of mutual protection and insurance society of the sitnplest kind. As the society now numbers 40 farmers who are all well acquainted with each other's horses and other light property, t is a rather formidable obstacle to the horse-thief Since its organization, the members have not had a chance to test their powers in pursuing a horse-thief, for they have báen let alone by that night prowler. The history of the association has, therefore, been rather uneventful; but, undoubtedly, it has had a deterring influence upon norse thieves. The following gentlemen organized this vigilance associstioa : Ira Crippen, Wm. Geer, F. P. Galpin, John G. Rooke, O. Lathrop, and A. H. Collens, of Superior ; Fred. Braun and E. Popkins, of Ann Arbor township ; and T. Walker and H. Forshee, of Salem. The society will hold a meeting at Dixboro, April 6.