Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1868-12-09

Fifth Military District, just made public
at Washington:
HEADQ'Rs FiTrH MILITARY Drsr.
AUSTIN, TExAs, Nov. 4, 1865.
AdjutdHt General of the United States
.3rmy, Washing ton, ID. c.:
GENERAL-I have the honor to forward
herewith tabular statement of the expe-
dltions, scouts, and movements Of the va
rIous regiments serving in this District,
ter the year ending September Both, 1868
Armed organizations generally known
as " ku klux X ians exist. independently
or In concert with other armed ba nds in
many parts of Texas, bot are most nu-
merous, bold and aggressive east of the
Trinity river The precise objects of these
organizations cannot be readily explained
but seem, in this state, TO be to disdrn.
rob, and an many cases murder Union
men and negroes, and as occasion nlay
offer, to murder United States officers ard
soldiers, also to intimiddte Everybody " ho
knows anything of the organization but
who will not join it
The civil law east Of the Trinity river
Is almost a dead letter. In some counties
the civil officers are all, or portion of
them, members of the Khan In other
counties, when the civil officers will not
join the Khan, or same other armed band,
they have been compelled to leave their
counties; examples are Van Zandt, Smith
and Marion counties-the county seat of
the latter IL Jefferson. In many counties
where the officers have not been driven off.
their influence is scarcely felt What po-
litical end, if any, is aimed at by these
bands | cannot positively say, but they
attend in large numbers the polite al
meetings (barbecues) which have been
and are being held in parts of the state
Of the different counties. The speakers
encourage the attendance, and in several
counties men have been indicated by name
| from the spca ker's stand as those selected
| for murder The men thus pointed out
| have no course left them but TO leave their
| homes, or be murdered en- the first con-
| venient opportunity. The murder of ne
| gr0eS as so common as 10 render ii imD0SSi-
| 6{e TO Keep q correct account of them
! Many of those murdered by these bands
OF outlaws are transient persons in the
state. The absence Of railroads and tie le-
| graphs, and the great length of time re-
| quired to communicate between remote
| points, facilitate their deviIish purposes
| These organizations are evidently counte-
nanced, or at least not discountenanced
| by a majority of the white people of the
| counties where the bands are most numer-
Gus. They could not otherwise exist
| have given this matter close attention,
| and am satisfied that a remedy, to be eff
fective, must be applied gradually, and
! combined with the firm support of the ar
my, until the outlaws are punished or dis
| persed. Theyscannot be punished by the
civil courts until some examples of miii~
| tarv commissions show them that men
can be punished in Texas for murder and
| kindred crimes. Preparations of such
| crimes have not heretofore, except in very
rare instances, been punished in the state
at all
Free speech and free press as the terms
are generally understood in other states,
| have nerer existed in Texas
Jefferson is the centre from which most
| of the trade, travel and lawlessness of
Eastern Texas radiates, and at this point,
or IN It's vicinity, there should be stations
| ed regiment of troops. The recent
murder at jefferson, of Hon. G. W. Smith.
a delegate to the Constitutional Conveu-
| ton, has made it necessary TO order more
troops to that point Tits movement
weakens the frontier posts to such an ex-
tent as TO Impair their efficiency for pro-
lection against the Indians, but the bold
wholesale numbering in the interior of the
state seems at present to present a more
urgent demand for troops than Indian
depredations. The frontier posts should.
| however, be reinforced If possible, as it
is not improbable that the Indians from
| the Northwest, after having suffered de-
feat there, will make heavy incursions in
| Texas.
TO restore measurable peace and quiet
in Texas will require. for long time that
| troops be stationed at many county seats
until, by their presence, ard aid if neces
sary, ,he civil law can be placed in the
hands of reliable officers, and erecutcd-
This will be the work OF years, and will
be accomplished only by an increase of
population. | am, General, very respect>
fully your obedient servant,
J. j. REYNOLDS,
Brey. Maj Gen. is a. Commanding.
| To ba c.