Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-08-21
NORTH CAROLINA.
History of the Conspiracy
b. against the People of the
Old North State.
Kinks Lambs and HOlden's
-sr.a.l Wolves. ..-

The Late ElectiOn-Overawin,
VOters-Dastardly
Outrages T-
| Correspondence of the New York World.
! RALEIGH, Aug. 1O.-No State of tn
Union has passed through such an ordea
as that through which North Carolina i
now passing. There has not been da,
within the last two weeks that the least
imprudence or hasty action on the part o.
the people, or the least resistance to th,
most cruel expressions, outrages and in
suits would not have precipitated mos
| bloody and disastrous collision, involving
the lives of thousands of our citizens.
The more thoughtful and influential OF
them have been fully alive to the critfca
condition of affairs, and have by theil
cOunsels and examples thus far warded of
the threatened calamity.
.-....f q A CONSPIRACY.
This state of things has been the result
of a conspiracy. weigh well the
words | use, of conspiracy between q
few men who have accidentally attained
to high position in the State, for the
purpose of oyerawing and intimidatipg g
| the people in the election that has Just
passed, in order to keep themselves in
power another term. The evidence of
the conspiracy is so full and forcibIe that
it would convict the parties to it before
any intelligent jury in the land. But
these things have been so often alluded to
in the journals in this State and out of it
that shall not go into particular xpla-
nation of them now, but speak of the re-
suits as they are now exhibiting them
selves. l ..---1aL psi. Taa -. ..-
PROVOKING A REVOLT.
The fact that Alamsnce and Caswell
counties were some three weeks ago de-
clared, contrary TO law and fact, to be in
state of insuTection, and picked COM
panies of mercenary troops, mostly from
other States, under the command of the
blood-thirsty desperate, Kirk, sent into
these counties is, thanks to the telegraph
wires and an Independent press, fully
known throughout the country. The OBJ
ject of this movement was two-fold;
first, to create general panic through
out the State, intimidate the more ner-
Vous, and thus weaken the opposition to
the Radical candidates and to Holden's
administration; and, secondly, to provoke
a collision between these troops and what
were known to be the high-spirited and
liberty loving people of the part of the
State into which they were sent and thus
afford an excuse for setting aside the
election altogether, in case the first part
of the plan failed and the election should
so against them. Happily the game was
understood, and as before limited. and, by
the wise and prudent counsels of influen-
tial men, was blocked most signany, as
the result abundantly shows. But the
sufferings, expressions and insults that
have been borne by the people in the
of the troops will never be
depicted nor understood out
side of the immediate vicinity of their
occurrence To enable the readers of the
World to form some idea of them, l will
give
A FEW INSTANCES.
William Patton, whose name has al
ready figured in telegraphic dispatches, is
a young man, plain cOuntryman, timid
of disposition, and easily imposed upon.
He was arrested and taken to the camp,
where fellow named Bergin, acting as
told him he must con-
fess all he knew about the Ku-Klux. He
replied that he knew nothing of them.
A rope was then put round his neck and
the end thrown over the limb of a tree,
and he was told that he had but three
minutes to live unless he disclosed all
about the Ku-Klux. Under the threat
and immediate prospect of death, he
tainted. On being recovered, the rope
was again drawn up, and he again faint
ed On being recovered the second time,
a pistol was placed against his head and
he was asked if he did not belong to the
Ku-Klux; at the same time being assur-
ed that if he denied it he was to die. Un-
der these threats he acknowledged he be-
lOnged to the organization. Then under
the same threats ne was ordered to give
the names of all he knew to be members
of it, and he prOmiscuously mentioned a
number of names of gentlemen of the
Col. VIM. Bingham of Orange, a
county not declared in insurrectiOn, the |
principal of one of the best high schools
for boys in the State, had his house enter
ed by squad of Kinks men about day.
break, and he was arrested and dragged !
from his family to the camp at Company
Shops, but for some reason was paroled,
and allowed to return to his home the
same day. 'll .. .......l.s
The editor of the Daily Sentinel was
arrested as he was passing from his house
to the railroad station at HillsbOrougb,
and taken to the camp of Kirk at Yancey-
vile, where ne is still kept in close con-
fnement.
Numbers of the best citizens in Ala
nance and Caswell have been arrested
without warrant or civil process of any
kind, and without knowing the charges !
against them; some of whom have been
released unconditionally without examin-
alton of any kind, some paroled, and |
others sent to the camp prison at Yancey- |
vile. Several have been brought to |
Raleigh and examined by the Governor |
privately, under threats and promises; |
some of whom have been released, and |
others told not to leave the city, and are !
yet here. .. -
Divers persons have had ropes put |
around their neeks or pistols presented |
to their heads and ordered to confess"
On pain of instant death, and, of course,
many have made confession of some sort |
Or other. Al these things can be fully |
proved.
OYRRAWING VOTERS.
The night before the election, squads |
Of these soldiers spread through the
county, making many arrests, and threat
ening others who should dare vote the
Democratic ticket the next day. l have |
this to-day from gentleman of undoubt-
ed veracity, who saw and heard them.
KlRK's ARRESTS.
The fate of the writs of habeas corpus
issued by Judge Pearson to have the pris-
oners arrested by Kirk brought before
kim, is well known. The resistance of |
the Governor and the failure of the Judge