Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1868-09-24
A Malicious Document!
Falsehoods by Wholesale!
Bidding for the Militial
Report Of the Legislative
Military Committee!
fhG Negro Richard Moore and Senator
Wyatt Oh the People Of Lincoln County!

-
We have just examined the Re-
port of the Joint Military Com
mittee Of the two Houses, and
never,we verify believe, has it fall
en- to our lot to see SO many mis-
statements crowded into the same
compass. The 4S pages are reek-
ing with malicious peryersions of
the truth, or downright falsehoods.
On page 9, we find the following j:
Richard Moore, % years of age,
Lincoln County, Tenn, says =
There is party of men known
as the Ku Klux Khan, going All
over the country, whipping, shoot
ing and driving from their homes,
all the colored and Union men.
This is the case in other counties.
Two weeks ago, they came to my
house, beat and knocked me down
with their pistols, and afterwards
they took me out and whipped
me one hundred and seventy-five
stripes; then asked me if / was a
Radical, and demanded my regis
tration papers. They then wan
ted my pistol. ! mad been in, and
with, the army of the Union
that was my offense. They said
that, neither | nor any other col
ored man should vote in the Pres
Iidential election. The party that
whipped me-. told me after they
got through, if / would join the
Conservative party, that | might
do as | pleased; but if | would
not, | might do as old Bill Wyatt
had done-take my shirt and show
it to old Brownlow's Legislature.
Mr.. Wyatt is our State Senator
who has been so badly abused by
this same Khan j they swear that
if ever he comes back, they will
kill him. / know a number of
the Khan Capt. Tucker, James
Bennett, John Clark, S. Anderson
and son, Richard Anderson, An
drew TAFT, John Stevenson and
Mr.. HILL"
We have already given an ac-
count through the OBSERVER of
the chastisement. The negro was
whipped, we were credibly in
formed, not for being a Union man,
but solely because he had wanton-
ly and maliciously traduced the
character of as respectable a white
woman as there is in Tennessee.
The punishment was light, when
we consider the offence. We
feel safe in saying, too, that the
men mentioned as belonging to
the Khan, knew no more about
the whipping than Brownlow.-
They are quiet men, who are not
afraid of any responsibility that
may follow their acts; and if they
had any business with any man,
white or black, it would be attend
ed to in open day without any dis
guise. So much for the negro
On pages IA and l5 is the follow
ing
7 VIM. Wyatt, 60 years of age,
farmer and school teacher =
"Haye lived in Lincoln county
nearly sixty years. About forty
or fifty persons came to my house
some time in April, all in disguise
eight or ten dismounted and came
in the yard; four boys who work
for me were just returning from a
fishing party they 1.-THE Ku Klux)
fired on the boys, who ran away.
They then left, and l heard Of sew
erai negroes being abused by them;
also. heard of two being hung by
them. The Sheriff s house was Wis
tied, and the doors Knocked down;
and his house searched, but he
was not at home. He has since
resigned his office.
son the FIRST Monday in March.
a man by the name of Dauphlin,
was shot and killed by them. a.
negro man was also killed-all in
Fayetteville. A citizen was shot
severely, (but afterwards recov-
ered,) for voting a Union ticket.
The civil officers are afraid to
make arrests. On Saturday, the I
18th, company of the Ku Klux
Khan came to my house about
eight or ten came in,