The Portland daily press., 1868-04-23
The KuLklux Khan Exposed.

The following is the card published in the
Memphis Avalanche by Jack Campbell, ex-
editor of that paper, arrested as the Cyclops of
the Kuklux Khan:
Lying in my sick bed on Sunday mornino
last was not little astonished to see i'm the
columns OF the Avalanche an article entitled
An Explanatory, signed by number of
you'g men VINO had been arrested on the pre-
YIons ho3day as members of the Kuklux
leadership Of Colonel Beaumont. In self de-
lenee, AieSsrs. Editors, / have to ay before Inc
puplc the facts of my connection with ms or
ganlza ion, and shall do so as briefly as posi-
Die. The charges made against me personally
the article, are al, slngly ann collectively,
LIES and now propose through the medium
OF your columns, 10 give 10 the public the
whole history of my injection with the af-
rair Some three weeks ago l. along with a
party or fiends h opened into saloon, and
whlie waiti1g for Refreshments" one of our
number observed placarded in The bar-ronm
the word Ttix." Some one said that was
k. X. x Sign. | remarked L wished L knew
it 10 be so, as 1 wanted some of it. A few
nlnu es after we went out of the saloon MT.
A. q. Ferguson stepped up to me ana sad:
Jack 90 you want to find the KukiuxT l
Immediately answered, Yes" He then said
- Meet me at s O'Clock. on Thursday night, and
will put you through" L think the CONVEX
satjon occurred on Tuesday night 1 met him
l.
and he escorted me to the corner of fernando
and Beal streets when and where Mr.. L. L.
Risk swore me into what l then believed, and
what its members gave out to be, Kuklux
D II. A fact l do know, the oath administered
by aIr. Risk although not as much of an iron
clad oath as the last one adopte I, was to all
lntents and purposes, as bl5olthirsty and as
binding When these gentlemen say that l
made any effort to turn their Gee Club" into
political society, they lie tor from my first in
reduction into 1t, it was one.
At the meeting at which I was sworn in, a
committee of two was appointed to draft a
constitution, oath, manner of initiation, etc.
Lhat committee consisted OF A. q. Fe guson
md myself; and the document seized by Col.
Beaumont, although entirely in my hand
writing was our joint production, was adopted
without disseu ting voice, and each and every
member swore to 1T, except, PEI haps one or
wo who were absent from the city. After the
adoption OF this document, was nominated
or "Cycops," and twice declined; alleging as
reason that | was not the man tur the place
that was too impulsive and rash-and recon-
nendiEg that the old organization should be
continued until We could get into our ranks
some cool, clear-headel man whom we all
could trust. ! told them they might feel salts
ned in trusting me, but L could not trust my
Jwn discretion. They elected me and was
81 orn in. The next move made was motion
chat o committee of five on assassination"
should be appointed.
l opposed this at the time, as did all the old
er mbers OF the association, considering it
ljudicious. 1t was carried over our heads,
aud the committee actually appointed, reduc-
ed, however, to three, of which was the chair
nan. placed myself ON the COMMITTEE as
old them, for the purpose of controlling and
directing them, as l finally succeeded in do
me, and to my presence on that committee
may be ascribed the fact that a somewhat no.
torious county official is not now sleeping with
his fathers. Do the members of this .'assassi-
nation" committee with their names publish
ed? Do they wish the number and names of
the candidates voted Tor to be assas Sinated
published? If they do, all they have to do is
70 say so. In fact, as they have violated their
oaths and undertook to brand me as traitor,
L am prepared, il necessary in selt-deferce, to
lav bare 10 the pub ic gaze facts and Fl sures,
names and dates which would send a thrill
through the length and breadth of this land
/ have the records in full of the transactions of
the concern since l became identified with it.
Fiat this was a Kuklux Den do not know
1t damned to be one. 1t was, at all events, an
ASSOCIATION OF men banded together for the
purpose of carrying out the obligations of the
ath, which has already been published, and
that was, If necessary, assassination, before l
Joined. One circumstance l had almost for
gotten to mel-tion, and that was, that just be-
lore the last meeting about eight or ten of US
had agreed to withdraw IRON the concern, not
ceiling safe in trusting the material which
composed 1t. When these men charge me
With acting as the "stool-pigeon" of Colonel
Beaumont, or any other man in Christendom,
hsy He-individually and collectively. Had
hey been as true to themselves as 1
vas to them, they would not now stand
before the community as peijurers.--
use this language understanding its full
meaning, aud l tell them here, asSdsSindte me
hey may, but intlmidate me they cannot.
Fhei cannot make me the scapegoat to bear
their sins into the desert. stood up for them
Iefore Beaumont and Denounced TO his lace
ais act as that Of tyrant, unwarranted by
.aw OF right. and protested ainst them civ
ing their addresses, when not one of them
1ad the manhood to call their souls their own;
tnd he threatened to send me to cell for it,
have done with them. This explanation is
made more III sorrow Than in anger; for the
ceal, genuine Kuk ux KAN, as [ Understand
Is OBJ ectS, his NJ better friend in che country
han Jack Campbell.