The weekly North-Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 186?-1869, 1868-05-13

early copy of pamphlet just issued in this
city, exposing the secrets of the new politi
cal revolutionary organization in the South,
called the "Kuklux Khan" Believing the
account in the main true. and that the loyal
people of the country should know what
nest of vipcrs they have forgiven as "erring
brethren" is the motive for giving it wide
circulation:
PERSONAL.
1t does not matter who is the writer of the
following pages. If it did, no inducement
likely to be offered would tempt him to pub
lish his name He has no desire to be track
ed out by the Brothers of the Southern Cross,
and he knows too much of their deathess
hatred, and hound like pertinacity, their
numbers, and the ramifications of their or
ganization, already encroaching ON Southern
Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, to carelcssly take
the slightest risk of anything of the kind.
1t is due to the public, however, that one
who pretends to make an exposure like this,
in which the whole nation is interested,
should offer some plausible explanation of
the means by which he became possessed Of
the information. For this explanation the
reader is referred to the narrative following.
As to the truthfulness of the exposure, the
writer is content to leave its vindication to
the events of the future, confident that so far
as the workings of the K K K are ever dis
covered, they will confirm the main facts as
given here Of course there are many mi
nor points, on which it is not likely there
will ever be more positive testimony than
that here given. This must be so from the
nature of the case, as will plainly appear in
the following pages.
MY INITIATION.
After the war, which had not benefited
my purse eXtravagantly, wandered off into
the interior of Georgia, and finally engaged
in business in one of the interior counties.
/ knew the Southern people pretty well be-
fore the war, had been much among them,
and was familiar with their habits, prejudi
ccs, etc. For my own convenience and safe
ty, when went into business. passed as
Kentuckian, and thereby avoided many per-
sonal and business annoyances. At first this
was not particularly disagreeable, as no very
decided opinions were expected, while the
tional armies. Gradually, however, it be-
came worse and worse, until at length, to
keep up my pretensions, and save my bust
ness, l was compelled to profess the most
ultra Southern views and prejudices. 1
thought that there would never be further
active opposition to the national authority.
and so submitted to the situation, rather
than lose what little had by leaving it,
To sell it for anything worth taking, was
simply impossible, in the state of the coun-
try. So much for the way came to know
what is about to be told.
In the summer of 1867, one of my neigh
bors called one morning and said that an
important meeting was to come off that
night at a house about three miles from our
town. Every good Southerner he said was
interested, and he wanted me to go. Of
course, had heard of organizations through
out the South, and knew from the manner of
this mans talk that something of the kind
was in the wind now. 1 knew, too, that it
would not do to disregard the appeal to
"every good Southerner," and so l went
with him.
The meeting was not at any house, how
ever. Halt mile from the house he had
named my escort turned his horseinto a hr-
dle-path, leading up into wild, billy dis
trict, and followed, of course. A mile or
so on this path, away from any habitation,
my companion suddenly slackened his
horses pace, and proceeded very cautiously,
bidding me silent. In few minutes dis
tinctly heard the click of musket lock, as
the piece was brought to full cock. 1t was
too dark to see anything. My companion
carried an Enfield rifle, and instantly stop
ping his horse, cooked his piece and pulled
the trigger, almost without pause. OF
course was somewhat alarmed and aston.
ished; but before | could do more than stop
my horse, my escort dismounled. handed me
his reins, and whispering that was to re-
main there, walked slowly forward toward
the spot where had heard the first click of
the gunlock. In moment or so he returned
as quietly, and we proceeded as silently as
before. As we passed the spot where l sup.
posed sentinel to be standing, there was no
one there! Whatever had been there had
vanished, and as 1 turned to say something
about it to my escort, saw that he too had
gone 1t was another man riding by my
side, his face covered partly by II handker-
chief drawn tightly across the nose. 1t was
too dark in those woods to see much, but to
the best of my knowledge 1 had never seen
my new escort before. This operation was
repeated twice within three quarters of a
mile, and each time was silently turned
/ over to new guard, whose face was parti-
ally covered, like that of the first.
was thoroughly alarmed, and more than
half suspected that l had been tried and
condemned beforehand, and was now being
led away to be murdered. There was moth
: ing to he done but to 60 on, for was com
pletely lost in the woods, and knew nothing
of how soon might stumble on a dozen en-
emies, if l should attempt to escape.
Finally my guard halted in dense thick
-. ct, and told me in low tone to dismount
and hitch my horse, while he did the same.
Then he once more cooked his piece, and at
the sound, at least score of gun-locks in
the hands of men all round us, but concealed
in the darkness, were cooked and the trig-
! gers pulled, as have described in the case
j of meeting the first sentinel. 1t was still as
/ death when we halted, but l now heard
| horses which were hitched about us; so
that l knew the whole party came there
mounted. They began to come around lis
too, moving slowly, and as silently as posi-
BILE each man having his gun, and hand.
! kerchief or something of the kind over his
; face. The man who brought me there spoke
to seven of the dimly-seen figures, but SO
! low could not hear. Then one stepped to-
wards me, leaving the Others standing in q
; circle about us. This was the captain OF
j the band, and he at once proceeded to my
initiation, not word being spoken by any
one but him, and the whole formula being Of
course repeated from memory, for the place
! was dark as night could make it. The fol
!, lowing was the form, not half of which
could have remembered from hearing it al
=: that time, but which has since become famil
lar nv attendance al fha limitations of ofhar,
!, Captain: addressing me, the candidate