The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-09-25

,s,t,orIaI Opinions of the Leading Journals
Upon Cdrrent Topics Compiled Every
Day for the Evening telegraph.
IIEE IN NoRrH CAROLINA-


LIFE IN NORTH CAROLINA.
From The NJ Y. Tribune.
For several months past the mails have been
burdened with reports of outrages by organ
lied gangs of thieves and murderers in North
Carolina. Horses and mules have been run
off from the farms of the freedmen and white
Republicans, dwellings have been pilaged,
houses have been burned, and numbers of
men have been shot down by the roadside or
otherwise deliberately murdered The De-
mocratc papers at the North have affected to
disbelieve the stories, or at any rate to deny
that the crimes were committed by secret
organization So earnestly, however, have
the State authorities pursued the desperadoes,
that twenty have been captured, many more
have turned States evidence, and in a pre-
linlinary examination of the prisoners at New
berne the secrets of the league have been so
clearly exposed that no doubt of its character
and purposes can any longer be entertained.
1t seems that last January five colored men
and one white man, confined in the Lenoir
county Jail at Kingston on charge of desc
Grating graveyard, were taken out and shot
bv n company of regulators, and their bodies
thrown into the Neuse river A special officer
was appointed by Governor Holden to trace
out the perpetrators of these murders, and at
the same time to detect the band of outlaws
who had long infested Lenolr and the ada
were unavailing The citizens were terrified
into silence, and the local magistrates were
afraid to render any assistance. Sheriff Col
grove of Lenoir who had caused the arrest
of one Hines, member of the band, was
murdered. Several negroes were killed, and
MANY other persons were threatened. At last,
in August, sufficient testimony was obtained
to Justify the arrest of eighteen persons and
others were taken afterwards.
The preliminary examination began before
Judge Thomas, at Newbern, on the 31st of
August. Some of the prisoners were charged
with murder others with robbery, others with
arson; but it was proved that they all be-
longed to irregular secret band Three men,
bers of it-George w. Tillou, Joseph P. Par
rott, and Joseph Lassiter-turned States evil
dence. and testified that the name of the
organization was the Constitutional Union
Guards, though it was popularly called the
Ku-klux Klan. The first officer was styled
the South Commander; under him were
North, East, and West Commanders,
and various lower subordinates The
members at initiation were asked: you
believe in a white mans government Do
you promise to labor faithfully for the over
throw of the Republican party ?" They were
sworn to resist encroachments upon their
rights-if necessary by force of arms; to
obey implicitly the commands of their Off
GERS, even to the extent of murder; and never
to divulge what was said or done at their
meetings, or any other secret of the order.
They were bound to rescue any of their COM
rades who fell into the hands of the law,
either by bailing them out of Jail or breaking
them out, or swearing to an alibi, or by get
ting ON the jury and standing firm for acquit-
tai whatever the evidence. In their secret
meetings they sentenced Sheriff Colgrove
to DEATH and planned the manner OF
his assassination. They voted the death of q
detective named Wilkie, a magistrate named
Shepard, and Governor Holdens special Off
Ger, Captain Mowers though fortunately theil
bloody designs were not carried out in full.
negro named Grant, who was expected to tes
tify against some of them, was killed by order
of the South Commander. Two of the gang
who got into Jail at Kingston were forcibly
released by their companions. About forty
Union men are supposed to have been assasi
mated by them since the close of the war.
Whatever absurdity there may be in the
grips and passwords and secret ceremonies o.
these Ku-kluX gangs there is horrible
reality in their work, and we cannot afford tc
laugh at their grotesque antics. Most of thu
prisoners have been held for trial at the mex
term of the County Court, and one of tn
most conspicuous-a lawyer named Monro
is meanwhile committed without bail o.
charge of murder. The trial will very pro
badly result in further development of th
extent and political affiliations of the orgali
zation. At present we know that it CON
prises about 100 members in Lenoir, and
also spread over the adjoining countless thf
the chief objects of it's hate are freedmen an
prominent Republicans; and that its watcl
words are ''Death to the nigger!" and ''Dow
with the radical party"