Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1870-03-04

ingtOn upon the subject, and that is
all, although they accuse me of being
engaged in a secret conspiracy. The
Legislature have sent four investi-
eating committees after me, and / ex-
pect two more betorehight. That will
make six. After awhile they may get
up a few more"
"D0 you think that a military Gov
eminent would effectually check the
operations of the outlaws that have
been so busy Of late ?'
Certainly / do. Put a military
governor here, with a military police
force in every county, and the scOun-
drels would soon be hunted down.
That is the only thing that will stop
it. You have, doubtless, heard a,goOd
deal about Southern ehivalry these
Ku Klux are the lowest type Of their
boosted chivalry. They mask their
faces and 90 around at midnight to
whip, hang and murder the poor ne
groes because they dare to live. Cd
d-n such chivalry."
"These evils may eventually cor
rect themselves without the interven-
ton of military force"
"No, sir, never. They are upheld
in their dirty work by a class of citi-
zens that ought to be ashamed OF
themselves. We have no Radical
daily press in the State to expose the
infamous work that is now going on,
and only one or two obscure weekly
sheets. Every night there is more or
less of this numbering going on, that
is never heard of in the world. The
rebel papers don't care to publish
many of the Outrages, and so they are
not heard Of.
Z" If i was taken out and hung in
the market-hOuse, tonight, by the
| Ku-Klux, the onion and american
would not say a word about it, and
if the Banner said anything at all 1t
would be that 1 had committed sui
| eide on account of remorse, OF some
thing Of the sort. The other night
the Ku-Klux boarded the train at
Stevenson, Ala, and searched every
car for me. They had understood
that l would be aboard, but fortu-
nately for me, l was not. Had / been
on board, they would have made way
with me, and the rebel papers would
have reported that l had stolen a
large amount of money and run away
to Texas, or somewhere else"
"DO you think the new COustitu-
ton viii be ~adOpted?"
"Of course it will. In many cOun-
ties in Middle and West Tennessee
the negroes will be kept from the
polls, or made to vote the way the
whites want them to. In that way
the thing will carry with a big rush."
Here two gentlemen of color came
in, whom | recognized as members OF
the late COlOred Convention, ano the
Secretary ushered them into a side
room, probably for the purpose OF hav-
ing a private confab about the situa-
ton.
This fellow Fletcher dies game.
When Investigations are going on OF
charges that he has been speculating
through others on the public funds,
and when really honorable men would
be carefully modest in such circum-
stances until the result of a fair inves-
tigation could be had, he, on the con
trary, sets himself up as the censor OF
an honest people and ISLANDERS them
basely. We regret that he cannot be
tried on this charge also, for with him
shame has no blush. The letters which
he admits having written to Washing
ton were full of falsehoods, designed
to influence Congress to place the
State under military rule, and yet he
virtually denies being connected with
the Stokes conspiracy" though he
does not deny that he fayOrs it. He
sneers at investigating committees
and expects more, probably because he
knows that there are yet abundant rea-
sons for more. He curses the ''chival-
ry" because they are not birds Of the
same feather, and are unlike him, free
from charges of misappropriating pub
lie moneys. He insists that evils in
the State will never correct themselves
without military aid and more militia,
because this would screen him from
justice. He regrets the absence OF
Radical papers from the State, be-
cause, fortunately for the State, rogues
are not numerous enough in it to sus-
tain them. The crimes perpetrated
here are committed by men of his own
stripe. But he puts a bold face on the
matter, and, the case far worse
than it is, charges every mischief on
citizens, who, at the worst, have acted
in selfdefense in almost every instance
Of irregularity. He trembles before
the impending investigation of the
legislature; but, knowing that with
honest men he has no hope of escape,
he puts on the air of the bully, and
braves the legislature. We shall be
Nglad when we get rid Of the disgrace
of owning that such a man holds the
second Office in the State of Tennessee
We take it for granted that no one
will believe his statement that a car
was searched for him at Stevenson,
Ala. He who cannot be believed in
any one thing should not be in others,