The New York herald., 1869-08-28
LOUISIANA.

'resufrected" 1t. At any rate copy OF the alarm
ingly lengthy testimony taken in New Orleans last
May and June has got into circulation and some Of
the cream of the evidence Is now laid before the
readers Of the HERALD, thereby attaining degree
Of publicity and attention which 1t well deserves,
but which 1t might Otherwise never have reached.
THE MYSTIC "K. W. c."
rhe piece de resistance OF the committee is evi-
dently the mysterious organization known as the
*. W. Co." or Knights Of the White Camelia. An
imperfect copy OF the ritual Of the ORDER which
dscontented brother, who believed that the s'K. W.
c." II not exposed and broken up, would end in the
establishment OF an empire placed at the service Of
the committee forms part Of the record, and gives
some clue to the objects OF the organization, which
was constructed after the most approved plan Of
secret conspiraces, circle within circle, link within
link
outset to declare:-
violate this oath become
an object OF scorn to all men, and to have de-
association.
BY the way "obiects Of scorn and hatred" must be
some nifty members Of the organization appear to
have told the committee all they knew ab0ut 1t,
which n no case was very much Having taken
through the following refreshing eXercse:-
Do you belong to the white or Caucasian race
dead, did she belong the white Caucasian racs
to the white or csncasisn race '''-S'
VI sssus ss M c.
10 Se
in this country in whole part into the hands of
s anu WI"
| II the candidate passed successfully through this
ordeal the oath was then adminlsed to him. with all
| Que fOrmallty:-
IL do solemnly swear in the Of Almighty God,
never reveal without authority the existence Of this
reveal or publish IL any M what shall
Se Of this order or their acts done in CONNECTION
swear to maintain the social and political superiority Of
serve ~srksd distinction between ths WHINE and African
profit devote ali my intelligence energy and influence
ns % % ssd ws G.
IN their lives and against the sncroachments
moreover to unite myse in heart soul and body
wS ss this 10 sa
statutes will have the right to give those orders to re-
from any member and 70 do everything n my power S
assist him through life. So help me God.
the committee elected with infinite difficulty from
| one witness that the founder OF this organization
was Mr.. AciDiades Leblanc. OF Louisiana, but who
| the chief commanders were no one could or would
| tell "That was one OF my chief oDecti0ns" (sad
the witness who furnished the ritual to the commit
| teel. "we were sworn to obey orders without
! knowing what those orders would be or who would
give them. II the organization was half 80 strong
In other states rs 1t was represented to be
thing to prevent the at the head Of it colsntut
| Ing himself dictator OF the United States"
Rather visionary anticipation, but still the evi.
dence shows that in Louisiana the order, numbering
| males among its MEMBERS exercised most
| powerful influence, though its semimiitary or
RaniZatiOn does not seem to have been taken
advantage Of except in the massacre which
followed the Opelousas riot and once or twice
| on small scale during the troubles IN New
Committee Will probably contend that the X. w. C.'5
took charge of most OF the polls the day OF elec
| ton and planned and carried out the system OF
| terror and intimidation which prevented at least
$4,000 negroes from voting. On the other hand the
minority report will probably hold, with General
| Steeuman, that the organization was absurd, i'm
Ey ;5usa t ii ::..a9; IT Il dissds:.
| way the members had Of recognizing each other,
| which consisted Of walking straight up TO
man and putting the nrst preliminary question OF
addressed to a n0n-member, was exceedingly well
adapted to bring about kuockdown difficulty. In
truth, the whole Of the preliminary catechism care
you ireei'' "was your wife free ~ and so on, is
suggestive OF the celebrated conversation:-po you
like cheesey" "ll you had had brother do you
think he would have liked cheese ~ &C., and Is
equally absurd.
ELEcTIoSEERINo IN LOUISIANA.
No one OF the three hundred and odd witnesses
examined by the committee charges the OrganIza-
ton collectively with any overt crimes but there
strong hints that the outra0es in the upper part Of
the state, popuarly ascrbed TO the Ku Klux, were
committed by lawless members OF the X. w. O.
Very horrible some OF these outrages were. Here
are one or two, told to the committee by dispas
slonate eye witnesses, or by the actual sufferers
themselves
Richard Z. Faulkner an old negro OF NachItoches
parish stated that he the president OF colored
clnb and had undertaken to distribute the repub-
llcan tickets I'm his and the neghboring parish
OF De Soto. On the Monday night before the election
he was reused out OF bed by hearing the tramp OF
horsemen. He sent his little son out 10 inquire what
they wanted and was told they were hunting mules.
strong suspicion that Atty armed men were q very
unlikely party TO be searching for stray mules at
once crossed his mind, and without moro ado he
lifted up q loose board and Ind himself under the
floor or his room. He had scarcely erected that
concealment before the house was surrounded, and
q thorough search was Instituted, which finally re-
suited in his being dragged ont from under tho
boards and bndfolded. "Where are the tickets ~
was one OF the frat demands They were rendered
up and his p0cketbook was also taken from HIM.
That pocketbo0k contained his whole wealth, some
sixty dollars in parish money, specie and green
at least be left the worth Of that pocketbook. The
prayer was dsreRarded and the money was divided
by mis- captors. "Where are the De Soto tickets2n
was the next inquiry He told them he han aent
them on by a man named Anderson. "Yes, BY
G-dn replied The leader, 1--WE have captured
your courier" They then led him out into
the woods, put guard around his house
to prevent an alarm, gave him I've min
utes to say his prayers, and drew up file to
his life, which was reluctantly granted. They gave
him n whipping and extorted from him the names
OF the officers OF his club and where Alfred IIasson,
the first vice president lived. They then rode OF I'M
the direction OF Alfred Hasson's house. Ten or ff-
teen minutes afterwards the terrified negro, from
his hiding place IN the woods, heard voley and a
scream, and next morning Alfred Hasson's dead
body was found In tho swamp. There were no re-
publican votes cast In Nachitoches and Do soto
parishes.
William H. Honneus. a white republican, living
lp marie tald fhac m GA hoV