The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1870-04-11
GheGatelIigeneer.
THE KANAwIA xU-KLUx.,aI
sone7 ash 81 a. oalsiaI char 4

seems proper to lay these documents be
lore our readers to complete the history,
so far as yet known, Of tho Maiden Riot,
and Of the Secret Order which the two
Democratic members Of the Legislature
have undertGkcn To- defcnd as lawful and
cohmcnd4be in n 0bjegt3 yohr read
f1ers will bc able to understand what Col.
Ben. Smith considers lawful and mcritO-
rious AFTER reading the following:
FINN he ChGriGtOn Journal Of Gs9Oth mH.
The Grand Jury Report.
GRAND JURY Rooms,
KANAwuA, G. H., W. Va,
March "a, 1870.
To lilo Honorable Judge CfNe Circuit Court
,or RunglptG CpNNty:l
We the Grand Jury cmpannclcd and
sworn at tho March Term, 1870, Of the
Circuit Court of KRnNwliN county, West
Virginia, respectfully report to the Court,
that among the various violations Of the
law committed within our county, and
which have formed the subject Of our In
vestigatiOn as Grand Jury, was the late
formidable riot TINT occurred in Maiden,
lp,this county, on saturdaEsthc titllday
81 December, list From vidCnce before
1sWe found thBt this riotWas an openand
prcconCGrtel effort on tho part Of NIL.
InerOus body of individuals In Onr county
u set ut defiance, md prevent, by
armed violence, the execution Of the
laws of the State. In our efforts
to ascertain tho OriginAtora Of this effort
u prevent the execution Of the laws Of
the State, within our county, VIC found
that all the evidence before us tended di-
rcctly to connect this outrage with Ger
tain secret political organization, now in
existence in Our county, as tho moving
cause and instigatOr OF the riot. We
therefore felt 1t our duty TO pursue the In.
vestigation with all tho vigOr and power
given to our body by the Inv, and 10 as
certain II possible what part this organ
ization had in originating the riots, and II
my part, who Of the organization were
Implicated in thG same, OprilFestig a::
honEO hlthis subject disclosed 1ll6 nd lint
there Is now In existence In our county, q
secret order, the name Of which We were
not able To ascertain, the members Of
which are bound together by the most
solemn oGths, and SevcreSt penalties, and
the objects Of which order, so far rs We
could ascertain, arc to control all elections
in the county, and especially to deprive
tho black race in our midst Of the rights
now guaranteed them by tho law, and by
discrimination against them, in point Of Ia
Dor, and by depriving them Of tho pro.
lection Of the lAws md other acts Of
oppression, Tn render it impossible for
this class Of citizens To longer live
among lis IN peace and satcty. These
are found 10 be the main Qhje:is OF
this Organization. s5Weialsq FUND that
on tho Friday night preceding tho riot
at Maiden. u secret meeting Of this or.
der was held on Georges creek, In this
county, near Maiden, which meeting de-
liberated upon the question whether thy
should or should not prevent the justice
in Maiden Township from trying OH the
following day one John Fowell, q white
man, who had been arrested upon charge
Of an assault upon Il black man. We
have been unable 10 ascertain for reasons
hereinafter stated! what was the result Of
this Orders deliberations on that Friday
night, hut We do find that on the following
Saturday morning the riot occurred, and
the Justice and Ills officers were by force
ind violence prevented from executing
tho laws; we also find that on the night
of this Saturday, u second meeting Of this
secret organization was held, to which
many Of the mCmbers-twO or three
dozen or more, came armed with guns and
pistolst, thai, this meeting didpQG organize
i'll 10 If4Gl0Sk ID aies nigh Vona thAt the
S0Ie t0p Ia 6f discussion b6IOFe itVwas, TO
Use the language OF one Of the witnesses,
We clean ont dAd tbtiat IN tbs HtggeIs at
7TnkerYrille," u little settlement Of blacks
near Maiden. These facts, with others in
proor before us, tended so directly to con.
meet this order and It's meeting on Friday
night with the open and lIiglI.handed viO-
lutions Of the laws which occurred on Sat-
urday, and that we felt L our duty under
our oath, TO ascertain II possible who were
present aud participated in this meeting
Of Friday night, and what course Of NC.
ton that meeting decided on in regard
TO the trial on Saturday. We called be-
fore us and put under examination on
oath one James F. DOnnaly, who stated
that no WIS n member Of this secret Or;
der, was present At the meeting on Friday
night, and that meeting debated the queS.
ton Of preventing the trial At Maiden on
Saturday. The witness was then asked
who were present nj this meeting, and
what tho meeting decided 10 do about
preventing the trial, but no refused 10 an
swcr either Of these questions, stating rs
the reason, that his oath 10 the Order pre-
venting him from so doing. Both ~ the
case Of this witness and other members Of
this Order who were examined before us,
we found that they all regarded their oath
to the Order rs higher and above the oath
administered to them In your Hmors
Court, and it was therefore impossible for
us to ascertain who participated In these
meetings, AMI what their action was, al
though we arc satisfied that If the qucs'
tons had been answered, and answered.
truthTully, we should have been able To
reach and bring to Justice tho real instiga'
tors Of tho disturbance at Maiden on SNtur-
day. Although your jury have been un'
able for these reasons to elicit sufficient
facts upon which to foluid indictments
vet VIC feel satisfied that dangerous or.
Canization exists in Our midst, and that
violations Of law have taken place which
ought to be reached and punished, that
We therefore feel Il our duty under our
oath to report these facts TO your Honor,
and in Justice to tho community at large
and to ourselves, ask that tho same Lc
spread upon tho records Of your Court.
J. 4. CQPiNHAyE1s, | 7
Foreman.
EXAMINATION or JGMES =. DoSALIH.
Q. Did you attend the meeting up
Georges creek, on the night .befirC the
riot!