New-York tribune., 1868-09-07
THE KU-KLUX KHAN.
OFFICIAL REPORT TO THE LEGISLATURE Oh
TENNESSEE-A HIDEoUs PICTURE.

which full Of horrors TO make blood run
cold The summing up of the report is as follows:
The Which have have Peen
tc have been SO numerous Of such an agsra
, counties reign of terror exists which Is SO sbso-
@ tat @ te best OF citizens are unable or unwilling 10
gye nee expression TO their opinions The terror In
spred by the organization known the KuKluN
r. n 80 great that the officers OF the law are poweress
punishment they Tbc 1l sesv
generally made under cover c Of the night and nnder
%ssSs sGsSn or ges SSes which render their denti.
the Which SS enveapP Ss dSelsous AsGef 10
is the fact that no Information Of their
cuy aud danger in the localities where they are com.
mitted. No one dares infors upon them or take any
measures to bring them TO punishment, because no ono
tell but he may be the next victim OF their anmosty
The members OF this organization. with their friends aid
and abeOr take especial pains TO conceal their ope-
GaS 1s he Hos Ss P % @ o Sy na I Nagg g are GsSs o
ies and IN The DlladS Of these men, 10 hare roed for
BrOwnl0w" or the" Republican ticket" or 10 be a Rad
Your coflmittee believe that during the past six
months tie murders in Tennessee say nothing OF other
wentyOQr hours; that in the great majority OF cases
they have been pcrperaed by the Kan referred to. and
few, II any, have been brought TO punishment number
Of counties in the State entirely at the mercy Of this
organizaOn and rowing bands OF maraudeTs nightly
bid defiance to the civil authorities and threaten to
drive out every man. white or black who does not sub
init to their arbitrary dctaton To add to the general
lawlessness OF these communities bad men Of every
description take advantage of the circumstances sur
rounding te ana perpetrate acts OF violence IRON per-
sonal pecuniary motives under the plea Of political
necessity. COiOird bOrrs hare teen drtren from Uer
homes by dishonest land ocne's, az order TO deytre them
Of her share Of ne crops mey clIttraed and nc oages
sia character daily committed and the officers Of
the law are unable or unwilling to prevent or redress
them Your committee convinced from the evidence
before them. that resort To measures that will
correct evils Of such enormity is an imperative necessity.
The testimony they have taken a
evidence which might be laid before your honorable body.
showing the absolute necessity which exists for legis
tive action for the prevention and punishment OF acts OF
violence for the protection Of life and property and for
the due execution of the laws large number OF
brought TO the attention your committee nave Deeu
passed over unnoced. because time and space would
not permit their investigation. But the committee are
satisfied that further evidence necessary to convince
every thoughtful mind that than ordinary means
requisite, under existing circumstances, TO secure
| peace and protection 10 persons and property.
Your Committee believes that the Governor should be
invested with full power to call out such military force
may be required to secure obedience to the laws ana
II the calling out Of such force shall be necessary the
responsibility will rest upon those who violate the laws
and refuse obedience To the constituted authorities OF the
the laws are faithfully executed and for that purpose
ample should be placed at his disposal Much a. We
the aid Of military force yet when all other means fail
the end am and objecto all good government.
we have choice left in the matter We, there
FORE recommend the passage OF tile Dill whlch mas aready
been reported by your Committee
NUMBER OF CASES IN POINT.
In Lincoln County the KuKux Klan took Senator WIN.
Wyatt from his house in the night and inflicted all sorts
ofmdignities upon him They beat him over the head
his shirt WsS Blood ieavins him asensbe senator
Wyatt Christian gentlenan and 60 years oI age ms
only ohen:e being that he Is Union man and emoer
In FayeLte County the only teacher OF colored children
Spencer Griffin OF Sumter County, respectable aged
citizen whipped 100 lashes was told that the mig
they would have to do what they told this was the
way they served them the first time; the second time
| Steven Meddow OF Marshall County; 62 years old /;
S 'f SEax % at his ho"se and (
he would tell the truth and said If he and MS son voted
voted the Radical ticket before aud now must vote the
pistol pointed az Mr. Meddow all the time on the fol-
lowing Saturday night man and his wife were inhu-
manly whipped another man aud his son were choked
until nearly dead; all this was IN Marshall County, In
The Rev. ~ O. Hoffman, of shelbyvie, Tenn, says:
Have any Of the Ka but that exists in our
county doubts Several have been hanged by ths
organization. Mr. Dunlap and another colored
man. who was badly whipped the night OF the 4th of
Gd & ms n se to S' his 6 iS. i M Dunp onse was
teaching colOed school have been repeatedly threat
the they intended driving from the country; found
the following note in my yard: corvo,, .o,,o.
Rev Mr. Holman your name before re, the Council & Beware We
VIII ''''D' I" ''"' 'O' ''-D NV '' Ku.KLuI
believe the object of the Klan is to whip unarmed
negroes tmld white men, and break up elections
and interfere with the state Government and steal aud
plumber the goods OF the people.
Couu,y; myself aud other coored met plrtv
KuKlux, and they drew their pistols on US; swor eS
we meet M IN future to take OF our hats aGt q. xSe
9aa& ny %5i d5Ss0 6C0 lS aa @ NIf @ them
Lewis stigall' and hred upop - IN whipping Mr..
nan COP. murdered OH the 18th inst, by six
a. Tom Kscy SSiOTsdD, Maury County, was .nr,o,.,
- tAIg4 RSsSy (sOqrsdl, Maury coanty, was hanged
= Tom Jordan colored) was taken from the iil o .h
night Of me i gst and murdered He w was li CIT c1ea 1ea
5. Several murders were committed near Johusonvilo
the first OF the month"; names Of che persons murdered
8. Tom Kelly taken from his house. in Maury County.
on the night OF the 18TH IL Is believed he nurderei
as he has not been seen
Nm Wyatt, 90 years OF age school teacher Have lived
IN Lincoln County nearly co years about came to
my house some time IN April all in disguise; 10 dis
mounted and came into the yard; boys who work
for were Just returning from fishing pariy they ho
NJ akiuH hItd on the boys, Who ran away: they then
LETT, ana heard OF several negroes being abused nv
them also heard OF two being hung by them; the she
ITS house was visited, ana the door knocked down and
MS house searched Dut ne was not az hOne he since
resgned on the first Monday In March, a man by the
name Ot Dauphln was shot aud killed by theln negro
vecy for Voting Union ticket but recovered:
ie cyl officers are AFRAID TO make arrests saturday,
tLe lsth company OF ku-hluX Khan came 10 house;
abOHt midnight eight In, and after alarming
2 The ladies IA the house, told them they were looking
to come ouI told them was IN bed they then told mo
to come Out or they would bFg out; they then cano
TO my bed, aud despite The screams OF wife and
i, was dragged from my bed to the front OF the house,
While yet in my house struck the head with
down. of them said Negro equality" replied,
" Negro equality" Is just what you have made IT, and
Just Wat You nave lett win your hans lited up 10 tho
most high God, swearing nat yOu would obey all the pro-
CARNATIONS ana laws Oh thlS thnet took mold ofa
pan 10 get some water 10 wash OH the blood when they
bid me LOudly; several cuzgHs have left the town Ot
FIyctteyilc ON account Of their Union pr0clNitics
Mr. W \. Kelley OF Maury County testlheS that he re-
sides about live miles of Mount Pleasant that he
aimcr and about 2S years old ne was Union soldier
during tlc war; and Was hohotdbl discharged at tho
close; hc lived about two where he does Is
voted at the Spring election; at thar election
threats were freely mace asalnAt those voting the Union
ticket aud one mau pulling out pistol, presented at
the head Of colOred man, and swOre that il the latter
did not vote the other wished he should ALI
ON Tuesday night last lie Was aSSaed IN ais house by