The Texas Republican. [volume] (Marshall, Tex.) 1849-1869, 1869-01-08

The following is the repor, of By,
Maj. Gen. Reynolds, commanding
the Fifth Military District, which
embraces the State of Texas.
IIDos. Mil. DIST. STATE OF TEN, I
Austin, Nov 4, 1865,
To the Adj, Gen. of the United
States, Washington, d. 9,
GENERAL have the honor to
forward herewith the annus. tabular
statement of expeditions and scouts,
and a report Of the movements Of the
various regiments serving in this
District for the year ending Sept. 80,
1868. Armed organizations, gener-
ally known as ku-klux Khan, exist
independently or in concert with
armed bands IN many parts Of Tex.
MS, but arc most numerous, bold, snd
aggressive East Of the Trinity River,
The precise objects Of the orgsnixa
tons cannot DO readily explained ;
but il seems in this State to be to
disarm, rob, and in many cases mur.
der Union men and negroes, and, as
occasion may offer, murder United
States officers and soldiers also to
in,imidatc every one who knows any
thing about the organization, but
who will not join it. The civil law
East of the Trinity river is almost
dead letter. In some counties the
civil officers are all or portion OF
them, meraber- OF the Khan. In
other counties where the civil officers
will not join the Khan, or some other
armed band, they have been com
PEELED to leave their counties The
examples arc Van Zandt, Smith and
Marion eoautios. The county seat
of the latter is Jefferson. In many
counties where the county officers
have been driven of, their influence
is scarcely felt, Whs. political end,
if any, is aimed mt BY these bands, l
cannot positively say b.. they at.
tend in large bodies thu political
meetings and barbecues which have
been and are being held in various
parts of the state under the auspices
Of the Democratic clubs OF the differ
cnt counties. The speakers encoar-
age their attendance, and in several
counties men have been indicated by
| name from the speakers stand AZ
those X ec,ed for murder. The men
thus pc ted out have no course left
them at to leave their homes or be
murdered on the first convenient OPP
portunity. Tho murder of negroes
IL so com mon as to render it impos>
sible TO keep an account OF them.
Many of the members Of these bands
Of outlaws are transient persons IN
the State, the absence Of railroads
an telegraphs aud the great length
o. time required to communicate be
tween remote points, facilitating
their deyilish purposes. These ar
carnations are evidently eounten-
anced, or at least not discouraged, by
majority Of white people in the
counties where the bands are most
numerous. They could not otherwise
exist have given this matter close
attention, and nm satisfied that q
remedy, to be effective. must be grad
ually applied, and combined with tn.
firm supper. Of tho army, until
these outlaws arc punished or dis.
persed. They connot be punished
by the civil courts until some exam
| Zen Of military commissions show
tina. men can be punished in Texas
for murder and kindred crimes
Perpetrators Of such crimes have not
heretofore. except IN very rare III
stances, been punished ia the State
at all. Free spseck and FREQ press,
~ the ,erms srs generally understood
in other States, have never existed
in Texas. In fact, the citizens Of
other States cannot appreciate ths
state Of .G.irsin Texas without SEXUAL
Inv experie acing II. The oacisl re-
por,s Of lawlcssness and crime, 70 FL
} IRON being exaggerated, do not tel
the truth. Jefferson il tho cenfe'
. from which most Of the trade, trsvc
and la~les.ness Of Eastern Texa
rndi.,e. and 1t ,his poin. or its vicin
Nv there should be stationed about
} regiment Of troop.
The recent murder At Jefferson o
tho Hon. G. ". Smith, delegate t.
rho CONGREGATIONAL Convestioa he
81 made il necessary to Ordsr troops
y ,ha, point. This movement weaken .
/ the frontier post V sssA ~ sst'as =