s soon asserted and
maintained. Whenever this came to be so, the regulators, of course,
ceased to be types of the state of society, and were succeeded by other
characters and institutions.

To these we must now proceed.

[NOTE.--The following is a copy of a compact, such as is spoken of
in the story of the "The First Grave," entered into by a company of
regulators in somewhat similar circumstances. I am not sure that I
can vouch for its authenticity, but all who are familiar with the
history of those times, will recognise, in its peculiarities, the
characteristics of the people who then inhabited this country. The
affectation of legal form in such a document as this, would be
rather amusing, were it not quite too significant; at all events,
it is entirely "in keeping" with the constitution of a race who had
some regard for law and its vindication, even in their most
high-handed acts. The technical phraseology, used so strangely, is
easily traceable to the little "Justice's Form Book," which was
then almost the only law document in the country; and though the
words are rather awkwardly combined, they no doubt gave solemnity
to the act in the eyes of its sturdy signers:--

"_Know all men by these presents:_

"That we [_here follow twelve names_], citizens of ---- settlement,
in the state of Illinois, have this day, _jointly and severally_,
bound ourselves together as a company of Rangers and Regulators, to
protect this settlement against the crimes and misdemeanors of, all
and singular, every person or persons whomsoever, and especially
against _all horse-thieves, renegades, and robbers_. And we do by
these presents, hereby bind ourselves, jointly and severally as
aforesaid, unto each other, and to the fellow-citizens of this
settlement, to punish, according to the code of his honor, Judge
Lynch, all violations of the law, _against the peace and dignity of
the said people of_ ---- settlement; and to discover and bring to
speedy punishment, _all illegal combinations_--to rid the country
of such as are dangerous to the welfare of this settlement--to
preserve the peace, and _generally to vindicate the law_, within
the settlement aforesaid. All of which purposes we are to
accomplish as peaceably as possible: _but we are to accomplish
them one way or another_