Buchanan County bulletin and guardian. (Independence, Iowa) 1866-1869, 1868-05-01
From the Chicago Republican.
THE KT.KLVx KHAN,
sketch 0t the OFfgin.-T he OFgnmSxa.
tiOmss W has IL has Done, 08a naOvw
kS Operates.

secret political society in Middle Tennessee ;
its remarkably rapid spread into every one
Of the on>recons,rHctcd States; its nuner-
Gus fnanifes.oes and warnings, weird, ghost,
ly, cabalisic and grotesqne, yet magistcrial
and denuDciatory, which have courted pub,
lie attention in newspaper or in placard i;s
oath-bound concealnent, midnight rides.
graveyard habiliments, and masked disgnis-
es and above all, its insolent bearing, dis
loyal sympathies, intolerant partisanshiI,,
incendiary yindictiveness, executed threats,
and demorali zing example, form congeries
Of startling phenomena, which excited, in
their primordial manifestations, curiosity |;
in their partial development, distrust; in
their recent iniquitous progression, appre>
hension and horror. This dangerous organ
ization Of the ex-rebels ramifes almost every
part Of, the eleven States that once constitu,
ted the Southern Confeder.cy, and has al
ready grown into political engine of op>
precision, vengeance, and retroaction, 80 pow.
erful and aggressive, as 10 call forth in op-
position two notabls military orders. These
facts have animated popular solicitude, and
make interesting brief history Of the rise,
progress, object, and doings Of the associa-
ton.
Accounts Of the origin Of the kuklux Klan
are conflicting. Some derive The name from
the Greek word kuklos, sisnifying circle,
and make Klan an ou,landish spelling Of
elan. Others insist that the designation is
an anoma-topeio, in imitation of the sue
cessive sounds made by clicking pistol to
full cock, and then dischargiug 1.-THE in-,
gsnious whim Of a Texan, who, many years
age, organized band Of regulators, with
grips, signs, and passwords, to catch and
punish horse>thievcs and other prowling dep
redators. According to still others, the as.
sociation is political white league, origina-
ted at Canton, China, among foreign mer>
chants engaged il smuggling opium into the
Empire. Agreeably to this, Ku is term
expressing nobility, and is attached to the
name Of each high functionary Of the Chi
nese Government, as exenplifed in the Of
6cial title of the ambassador, Tsun kia Ku,
appointed assistant to Mr.. Burlingane.
Klux is corruption Of Klung, the name
common to all the personal attendants Of
the Chinese Primo Minister. Klan is the
same word as the Persian Khan, the Dam
ish Kongc, the Anglo Saxon Cyng, and the
English King. The whole phrase may there
of the King" 1t is averred that the broth~
srhood was introduced into the United States
by Humphrey Marshall, on his return from
China, where be had been initiated, and the
formation of the frst Lang (beard, as our
Board Of Trade) took place, in very quiet
and unosteniatious way, in Washington, at
room "a of Browns Hotel.
We regard the above deriyations as mere.
lfaneiful.
The real origin il probably very different.
For some time professional detectives have
been at work, and they claim 10 be in pos
session of facts wLich trace, if they do not
develop, a widespread, secret, oaih>bound,
organization of unprineipled and disloyal
politicians, residing in the principal South>
ern cities, but having their headquarters and
source of supplies in Washington and New
York. 1t is well known that, during the oc>
cupation Of insurrect;onary towns by Union
troops. societies were formed among the reb-
el citizens, for the purpose Of co;nmunica>
ting with their friends in the rebel armies ;
for supplying the enemy with iliei: insorma>
ton Of military movements and to aid spies; I;
and for smuggling cotton, tobacco, and med>
ieines, either into or out Of the lines. SINH
lar associations existed, at the same time, in
various parts Of the uncsnquersd territory.
Thus, just after the capture OF GALVESTON,
Texas, by the rebels, in 1863, . secret or
ganiza,ion was instituted, known as the S.
o. L. S.. from the initials of their society
name, Sons Of the South" Subsequently
the Soss we're affiliated with the Thugs
title made up Of letters standing for " True
Hearts Under Grey Shirts" the motto adopts
cd BY company OF rebel volunteers from
The brazos and ANTONIO: Ano'ner secret
society, OF which Quantreii was An early in>
itiate, and which had its associations IN Mis-
souri, and Kansas, besides emissaries IN Al
ALBANIA, LOUISIANA, Missi.sippi hen'ueSy
ana lsnne 'see, was ORGANIZED 10 Afkansss'
IN 1867. 1t was named the Wigs, IRON the
Initials OF its four degrees. " ood, isony Gotd,
Silver. Il had spies IN New orissns, dur
ing Banks occupation OF the csty. Who we're
called Earwigs.' 1t y believed that the
kukiux hlan has been formed on remnant
bases OF these brotherhoods, including the
1ebris OF the knights OF the Golden Circle.
md OF other similar orders, its title being
made mp by speiling out the tlrst letters OF
. full name. kompanious unsubjugated
havaiiers League; Under A-honfscerate
leaders Army - Navy.
The kian hrst publicly manifested
presence at Pulaski, the shre>toxn OF Glle>
'ornsy, Tennessee, aud rapidly extended in |
o all parts OF the State, taking on q semi>
military organization. Forest, OF Fsrt PHI
ow memory, made a tonr about that time,
hrough upper Georgia and North Alabama,
,stenNbly on business, bri II is noteworthy |
hat branches OF the Order Immediately |
prang up In the localities he visited, 80 nat
us visit Is regarded as . mission IN beha'f
# the mystic brotherhood. Following Sher-
mans track, i swept down into Florida. and
hrougdthe Carolnas into N.rgIa'a and Ma.
yiand, in such short space OF time AS 10
demonstrate that the society was being or
'anized with systematic energy and wide
pread intent. simultaneously dens wers
IN Mississippi, Arkansas, Louis
ana, and Texas, while there Is excellent
eason to believe that ramifications have
.enn established IN Museum, Indiana, and
southern Illinois. secret political organ
zation,. covering such an extensive area,
embracing 50 large share OF the population
# the United States, aud restricted IN it,
to those Who proved their att
achment to the late Southern Confederacv,
becomes necessarily cause for deep solici>
ude and keen apprehension in the breast Of
very true lover Of the Union. That the
Alan is manipulated by leaders OF great ln>
ellcctual force and forecast, and that it
means mischief to our flee Institutions, do |