Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1868-09-24
Established December 18th, 1850
The Law to Suppress the
Ku-Klux.

The Law to Suppress the
Ku-Klux.
The following is the full text
of the Senate bill to suppress the
Kuklux .Klan, as it passed the
House, and whichsis now a law:
A bill to be entitled ..An act to preserve the
+, =. public peace" v'5 la9.
SECTION l. Be 1t enacted 5y Me
General Assembly of the State of
Tennessee, That if any person or
persons shall unite with, associate
with, promote or encourage any
secret organization of persons that
shall prowl through the country
or tons of this State, by day or
by night, disguised or otherwise,
for the purpose of disturbing the
peace, or alarming the peaceable
citizens of any portion of this
State, on conviction by any tribu.
nal of the State, shall be fined
not less than five hundred dollars,
imprisoned in the penitentiary
not less than five years, and shall
be rendered Infamous 4'q
! Sec. 2. Be. at further enacted,
That it shall be the duty of all
the courts in this State, before
! the empannelling of any Grand
Jury or petit jury in any cause
whatever, to inquire of the juror,
on oath, whether he shall be asso-
ciated in any way obnoxious to
the first section of this act; and
if such juror shall decline to give
a voluntary answer, or shall an
swer affrmatively, such person
shall be disqualified as a juror in
any court in this State.
SEC. 3. Be 1t further enacted,
That, for the purpose of tacilita,
ting the execution of this act, it
shall be the duty of the prosecut-
ing Attorneys of this State, or
Grand Jurors, or either of them,
to summons or cause to be sum-
moned, any person he, shall have
we'll grounded belief has any
knowledge of such organization as
described in the first section of
this act, and if any person shall
fail or refuse to obey. such sum-
mons, or shall appear, and refuse
to testify, such persons SO sum-
moned shall suffer the penaltpip.
posed by the first section of this
act; and if such witness shall a.
void the service of said subpoena
or summons, the Sheriff, or other
officer, shall return such facts, on
said process, when the court shall
order copy Of said process to
be left at the last Fplace Of resi-
dence of such person sought to be
summoned; and. if such person
shall faif to appear according to
the command of said process, said
court shall enter a judgment nis'
against such person, for the sum
| OF five hundred dollars, upon which
sea. ta. shall issue as in other cases
of forfeiture of subpoena.
/ SEos A Be 1t farther enacted,
That no prosecutors sLall be re-
quired on any indictment under
the provisions of this act; and all
the courts of this State shall give
a remedial construction to the samei
and. that no presentment or indict
ment shall be quashed, or declared
insufficient for want of form.
SEC. 5. Be 1t further enacted
! That it shall be the duty of al
the courts of this State, at every
term, for two years from and at
ter the passage of this act, to cal
before it all the officers thereof
who shall be sworn, and have
this act read or unexplained to them
and the court shall ask said offi
GERS if they shall have any knowl
I edged of any person of the State
or out Of it, that shall be guilty
of any of the offenses containet
in this act, and that, if at an,
time they shall come to sncl
knowledge, or shall have a well
grounded belief that any persol
or persons shall be guilty of VI
lolation of this act or any of 1T
provisions, that they will imrne
diately inform the Prosecutlnl
Attorney for the State thereof
and if such prosecuting Attorney
upon being so informed, shall fail
refuse or neglect to prosecute sncl
person or persons SO informed on
he shall be subject to the sam
penalty imposedby the first sec
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