New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1871-11-23
Penitents by Hundreds-The Jail Over
Howing-Genersl Panic.

Penitents by Hundreds-The Jail over
/ fiowing-General Panic.
! Correspondence Of the New York Evening POST
| YoRKvILLE, S. c., November Ga month
ago the post commandant at Yorkville Colonel
Merrill, of the Seventh cavalry, met the Attor-
ney General at Columbia, and this meeting re-
suited in conference with the Governor OF
South Carolina. The facts reported by Col.
Merrill confirmed what was known at Wash
ington through his and other official reports.
| The Attorney General, in view of the repeated
| denial OF the truth OF these reports had been
sent by the President to investigate matters on
the spot, and recommend such action as was
necessary. The Attorney General had in his
possession certain evidence from sources far
removed from the disturbed section, which bore
on facts In that section, and his intention was
10 compare the lnferences drawn from his evil
dence with such evidence as he might find in
Colonel Merrills possession. The cores
pondence or conflict of this external evidence
with that 10 Colonel Merrills possession would
determine what parts of each could be depend.
ed upon. The Attorney General, with the
District Attorney of South Carolina and Col
Merrill, accordingly went to Yorkville and
began the comparison. An almost exact cor
respondence was found, with only one differ
ense, the evidence collected at Yorkyille was
much more complete, and went into details
which had not been known fully at Washing
ton. Upon this the report of the Attorney
General was made to the President, and the
known facts demanded the action which at
once followed
Nothing was known of the purpose of this
conference of these gentlemen at Yorkville
except by those interested. Yet on the day
following their arrival the exodus of the Ku-
klux began and before finger was lifted or
"A EOluler Or1 of ino o,iv
before even it was determined what action
should be recommended to the President, the
leaders and many OF the chief criminals in the
order He'd. Reports of the apprehensons of
Innocent people as to what might follow the
visit OF the Attorney General have been com.
mon, but more have He'd who are not we'll known
to be guilty.
The proclamationS followed. During the
first two days the members of the Ku-Klux
seemed bewildered, looking about for their
leaders and for orders. Finding that TO get
orders from their chiefs they must either follow
them IN their flight or seek them in the jail,
they ut once recognized the fact that the
game was up" AS one member after another
went into the jail and found there only such as
he knew ought to be there, the decentralization
became complete; all disguise was thrown of,
and hundreds began to confess vOlunta Ia
many cases their conduct, serious as the occa
seized with the idea that those who first. con
tessed would have the best chance for clemency.
and 1t was not an uncommon spectacle at
| Colonel Merrllts headquarters TO see men
struggling for precedence to get in and to be
heard.
The rush of penitents was so unexpected
that means OF meeting it were not at hand 1t
was like the sudden breaking of flood Day
after day the Jail was filled up with the worst
nF fiaA ~tyrN1v. l.. - e
confess and surrender. Frequently the number
waiting to be heard was as high as fifty or
sixty. To day in one case a grandfather, aged
sixty-hve, his son, aged forty. and his grand
son, aged fourteen, all came in together. In
some parts OF the county hardly a white man
can be named who has not been identified as q
ku klux, either by his own confession or those
of his fellow-members.
At this time the policy of the military au-
| thorities Is to send TO jail those known to be
most criminal, and, as that is full, each time
that an aggravated case of criminaity appears
some less guilty man is released on his parole
and the new one is put in his place. There is
no time for words, no time for preliminary ex-
animation, no time to do anything except
| classify criminals and parole the least guilty
NO man, accordingly, Is now In confinement
against whom the very strongest prSDla facle
evidence does not exist; and hundreds who. by
their own confession, have been engaged in
most brutal whippings, are at large on their
personal parole to a military officer simply be-
cause there is neither place nor physical force
to keep any except its chief men and the MUIR
derers.
| OF course, where hundreds of arrests have
been made, few cases have occurred In which
the wrong men have been seized. But no case
! has yet appeared where the man did not have
wholly or IN part the right NAME In one case
a man who knew that he was not the one who
ought to be arrested, said TO the officer who
who arrested him " See here, they might
hang me by mistake if you did not get the
other - -. Now 20 along with me and
will show you where to find him. He's the
man you want. He's the man that helped
Kill - ----. have done nothing except
little whipping" The facts justified what
he said, and the right John Smith was
caught.
| 80 far as can be learned, not a single instance
/ has occurred of officers or men under Colonel
/ MerrilPs command treating their prisoners
otherwise than with the utmost respect and
courtesy; and in no case has any complaint
been made as to the manner of the arrest The
jail is crowded, but in excellent sanitary con-
dtlon, and the prisoners are humanely treated
more humanely fur than were ordinary Grim
lnais when the military took prisoners to the
Jail. Much has been written in the newspa.
pers about the harshness of the treatment and
the cruel and inconsiderate conduct of officers
and men when making arrests but careful
inquiry among those who have been arrested
shows that without exception they deny the
truth of such charges against their captors
Colonel Merrill informs us that, bad as he
believed the facts, the present developments
show that but small part of the villaipies of
the ku klux had ever come to his knowled re,
though his Investigations have been exception
ally full and minute. Five murders, hereto
fore unsupported, have been brought to light
| fully by confessions Of the men who were en-
gagged in them. The most that was known of
them before was that certain negroes were miss.
ing and were supposed to have fled the country ;
now it is shown by the men who committed the
crimes that they were murdered. After hear
ing many OF the confessions it must be said that
it is simply impossible to exaggerate the con-
dition of things which has prevailed in this
section for year past
The copy of the Ku-Klux constitution which
| enclosed is q complete Iefutation of the state
ment OF Democratic papers that this Order had
not political relations. 1 obtained the copy
from Colonel Merrill, by whom the original
was secured after having been traced through
the hands of kians directly to the Grand Chief
of the county. The handwriting of the orig
inal proves his completely with it. The au-
thentic character of the original is beyond
question, though it appears to have lost one or
two pages. A careful reading Of il will show,