Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1871-05-03
THE RALsToN OUTRAGE.

In another column we publish dispatch
which we find in our Nashville exchanges,
relating how two colorcd men were taken
out, one Of them from the train at Ralston,
a station on the Nashville and Northwest
ern Railroad, and the other from the Dres-
dren Jail, by forty men with masks, and
hung in the woods near by. The excuse
for this dastardly act is, that the Office of
the ex-sheriff of Weakley county had been
broken into and valuable papers in his
desk distracted, and that suspicion attach
cd to these two unfortunate colored men.
One of them, it will be seen, was arrested
and confined in Jail at Dresden, while the
other made his escape, and went to Padu-
cab, KY, when he wrote back that he had
n list of kuklux in the county which he
had found in the desk, and that measures
would be taken to squelch them. The
Sheriff proceeded to Paducah, and with n
reuuisition arrested him, and on his return
he met with the tragic fate at the hands of
the masked marauders, which is related in
the dispatch. We have no. doubt but the
Democratic press of that locality will hatch
up some excuse for this act, which, to n
certain extent, is a disgrace upon our whole
State. We have no idea that any decent
man will undertake defense of the muir
dcrers who have taken the law into their
own hands, but we expect them to present
everything which can, by any possibility
be taken rs a panIation. We are glad to
see the Nashville Union ana american
denouncing the act in strong terms, and
trust that the foul deed may be met by our
State authorities and dealt with as it de-
serves to be. Here is what that paper
says:
At this peculiar juncture, such summary ven
gcancc even il il were meritcd Is an outrage on
our whole people, and words cannot be found
too strong to condemn the reckless perpCtra-
tors, be they white or black, Democrat or
Radical. The law against maskcrs passed by
our recent Legislature is very stringent but We
hope it will be enforced to the letter, and must
call on Governor Sentcr to see that the law is
promptly executed
There is no use in Offering any excuse for
such an act. No matter what the offense
of these men may have been, and no mat
ter how positive the proof, it is no excuse
for such summary proceedings but ac-
cording to the account before us, they
were executed on the bare suspicion that
they were guilty of a crime, the punishment
of which, under the law, would only have
been imprisonment. We have no doubt
but their color was the main instigation
to this high-handed outrage. Coupled
with their color, it will be seen that one
of them had a list of kuklux in that county,
and as dead men tell no tales, these gentry
no doubt, supposed this the most effectual
way ofgetting rid Of what he might tes-
tify. The appearance of these masked
men and the unmitigated outrage they
have committed furnishes fresh proof of
the existence of kuklux klans in our
State. which will prove an incalcuIable
damage to our interests. 1t is foul blot in
our history and calls loudly upon order
loving, law-binding men of all parties, to
join in the condemnation ola policy which
would foster or permit such organiZa-
tons.