Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1870-06-03
The KM.KIuY.

! The x u-klux-
The Raleigh Standard, of a recent date,
to keep up the excitement over ex-senator
| Stephens, and to leave the impression that
it was the work of political fees publishes
several columns purporting to be the
| sworn testimony of one Daniel 4. Graham,
of Moore county, which it says has been
/ on file for several weeks in the Executive
| Office. di0ulging the names OF several gen
tlemen living in that county, who are mem
bers of ono or the other Of nine Councils
of Ku-Klux in existence in Moore. We
regret to see that several Conservative
papers have published extracts from this
testimony before inquiring into the char
acter of the witness. If his statement is
true every man concerned III the crimes of
which he gives an account should be ar
rested and severely punished. And if
Governor Holden had any reason to be-
lieve the evidence he should be impeached
for not acting upon it instead of keeping
it for weeks and then publishing it to the
world for political purposes, thus giving
the suspected or guilty parties the oppor-
we presume, knew very we'll that the whole
statement was false, and the character of
his witness was very bad, SO he used it for
political capital, thus endorsing the false
hood.
We are reliably Informed that this man,
Daniel A Graham, is All outlaw, being a
fugitive from justice, and under indiot-
possession from leading citizen Of Fay
etteville, detailing the particulars of the
Mcleod murder, its pabica- ion in full
being unnecessary, as the facts had already
been anticipated by an other correspondent
from that place, says: eve think we
know the leading spirit in the transac-
" ton, but for prudential reasons will not
"give the name just now. [ will, how
"ever, say that he is, in crime an accom-
"plice of Graham, who furnished the Ku-
" Klux information to Holden"
When we saw the acknowledgement that
testimony, which implicated SO many we'll
know citizens in the worst of crimes, had
been in the possession of the Governor for
weeks, and no effort had been made to ar
rest the parties, that it was unworthy of
belief, and the political nses to which it
had been put We know was characteristic
of our Governor. The haste with which he
had Senator Nye to have read the eensa-
tional Geographic report of the murder of
Stephens in the Senate, and when " Mr..
" Nye also read telegram from Governor
" Holden, of North Carolina. setting forth
sc that n colored Representative had been
" driven from the county," which was
false, and which the Governor has not to-
ken the trouble to correct, convinced IFS that
Governor Holden intended to use the
whole affair for party purposes. Alas we
fear that our Governor will sacrifice the
people Of North Carolina-yea, he seems to
take pleasure III the atonement--to pro
mote the interests of party, to lead which
aud to secure its support, he has sacrificed
SO much III self respect and personal
honor.
We call upon the Governor to prosecute
the men whom Graham duplicates in
crime. The murder of the McLeods in
that very section of the State should be an
4O1 LIS pun pt <tOIiCu' = AC uuSC
and Solicitor of that judicial district are
his party and personal friends. He has no
excuse for delay, but many urgent reasons
for vigorous action. An example should
be indebtedness must be punished. The
condition of the public peace demands &C
ton. Let the Governor act upon the tes
timony he has in his possession, which he
has published as worthy of belief. In the
name Of the people of North Carolina, we
call upon him to do something in the in
terest of peace and law. In this important
crisis in our State we beseech him to for
get his secret obligations to the Loyal
League, and remember his duty to the
people and his sacred oaths of Office.