The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1870-03-08
REBELLION IN KANAWHA
..,.,, COUNTY. ..n.....
The Capital in the Hands Of the Ku-
hlu1' .ua l..
An Armed Mob Breaks Open the
Charleston Jail and Rescues Two
Prisoners in Broad Daylight. =

A Widespread Secret Organization
Standardization, aud Alarm.o-
The Civil Authorities Power.
FfN 81 less. .ss- ~ .r'''.'
An Appeal to Gov. Stevenson for Aid
CHARLESTON, W. Va. March ., 10
Hon. ", =. .Steoe@sOH, Goger'or q YES
Vrginid!
DEAR srn: Gz. s.}E. GG.ug
Iwritc TO inform you Of the existing
circumstances in our county at this time
not for the purpose Of creating a sensation
or callSingldy undue alarm, but for I'D
vice and i aispecdy remedy, which ] think
the case requires. You, doubtless, have
ere this heard of the Maiden l}iOt, which
occurred in this county, in December Inst,
in which IN organization Ofwhites, known
rs the "Ku-Klux,". OF "GidCon's Band"
on the one side, Qnd. the negroes on tho
other, participated, resulting in lcwOund-
ing ofseyer0l on both sides, and open de-
fiancc Of the enforcement Of the civil law
ut the time.
His Honor, Judge j. H. Ferguson, was
at the time holding Il special or adjourned
term of Court al this place. He' very
promptly directed ii special grand jury
summoned, who found bills Of indictment
against most Of the parties engaged In said
riot; and writs Of eapttS were issued and
made returnable to tho March term OF our
Court 1870; and upon motion Of the At
,turncy for the Statc an order was made
uroyiding that If in the opinion Of the
Sheriff II should become necessary In the
execution Of the process, that no should
summon the body Of the county 10 his as
sistance, AZ = -
1t is particularly to this point that | |
wish to call your attention. The "toresaid
secret organization, term It what you may,
has 80 far affected and demorali2ed the
masses offhc people oftl6 county that the
civil law cannot be enforced or
respected Whenever its execution in
wolves. ANY member Of said organi:
zalion. Nine-tentlls Of those whom
the Sheriff might call on for help,
arc 50 disatfGcted that he cannotTcly on
them. They arc Indifferent to the man
dates OF the courtAnd Of the officer whose
duly It is to execute them. The Sheriff
cannot rely upon this class for help, as
exOcricncc lias shown. They divert anl
prevent him from executing the process OF
court, in some manner directly or indirect.
ly, either by sccreting tho parties charged
with offence or by communicating 10 them
such intelligence as will enable them to
cs9atc! 4 BOn.the other Hand, out Of the
few on whom hc couldsafGlyrcly for help,
llc finds but little assistance, for tho reason
that they arc aware of the strength and
extent OF this secret clan, and arc afraid 10
act for fear Of consequences, well knowing
the sworn Vengeance upon oil, who either
by word or decd arc favorable to what
they choose TO term Radical Rule" fully
iusiiGying themselves, that they arc now
under new dispensAtlon, and oil TINT
ever was enacted by Radical legislature
ahould be put down. = J. ~
They have become SO worked up on this
question Of negro suffrage that It Is really
dangerous to attempt to make an arrest,
unless it is done very secretly, and 1t can
only be done then through some sort Of
str,Itcgy; and even Hflcr tits doneand the
offenders safely lodged in jail, with what
degree of certainty or safety they can be
kent Is shown by the enclosed hand6ill,
offering reward. Tho circumstances
upons 5whiEh the offer oflthiS reward ,is
based are literal facts, without enlarge.
ment or oXaggcration: That on tho I'd
day Of March, 1870, about 8 o'clock 7. NJ,
in open daylight, mn armed torco Of men
made their appearance Mt the front door
of our Jail and with keys and other fixtures
deliberately unlocked tho outer doors and
thence on through the hall to the cells
containing the prisoners, and with equal
dcllberatiOn unlocked them and released
tho prisoners, even taking time 70 relock
some Of tho cell doors and plug up the
kcy.hoIcs in the locks with wooden plugs,
To those who happened to be present,
cooked rGyOlVers were. presented with
sworn threats that Il an alarm were given
death would be LheirpOrtion. ,
All this was done in the city Of Charles.
ton, West Va, in broad daylight, with
the tailor in the Court House, not moro
Ht Tint momcnt attending TO the wants q
tho Supervisors who were In session at
tho time .Jlst about the time tho delivery
,yNs Y,afe the Sheriff was upon the wharf
mI,s,crinT ms n sufficient force of hclp TO nc.
comNany him 10 a point up tho river
where he expected that night to make Gu
arrest Of some Of the aforesaid rioters. Sc
succesSTully' MRS the delivery made thai
rg5rn @S Sr,SGS.' thc news news, S became extensively
CnnmTh known 10 rally a force, IL one
conII bayc been rallied, to rccaptlre
Them M ono seemed TO realize the tact
thHt 90 ilnrinr nm outrage had been com
m;iIoI. % in ,IsvIiTht S,vn,- ,..-.
TISSor S,,4T CirMtmsianSeI anl IN the