Civilian who undertakes law enforcement without legal authority

Boston, Massachusetts: John Malcolm, a customs official, is lowered by ropes from his house on to a cart and tarred and feathered by a crowd protesting against taxation. Engraving by F. Godefroy, 1784.

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Vigilantes

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Boston, Massachusetts: John Malcolm, a customs official, is lowered by ropes from his house on to a cart and tarred and feathered by a crowd protesting against taxation. Engraving by F. Godefroy, 1784.