The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1871-06-29
Radical Legislation Illustrated
state Authority Sef Aside
by Armed Federal
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Intervention.
The country is brought to witness IN
eur own State additional proof of the
meaning and intent of the Ku Klux leg
islation of Congress. 1t has been seen
that State authority was trampled under
foot in the case of citizens of Oktibbeha
county who we're forced by Federal mill
tary power from their homes and carried
to Holly Springs, distant part of the
State, to be tried before a federal court,
on charges originating in the malice OF
their accusers, but which, if true, they
had right to be tried upon by jury of
the vicinage before a State tribunal
This arbitrary proceeding has been fol-
lowed up by another act similar in kind,
but attended by circumstances of greater
injustice and atrocity. The Aberdeen
Examiner of the 18th says:
On the strength of capias from the I.
S. Marshal, placed in the hands OF A. L.
/ Higgins. special deputy, and volunteer for
all dirty work, number of our most quiet
| and inOffengiVe citizens from the east side OF
the river. were arrested on Friday night
and carried I'm Sunday morning to Oxford
| for 2 hearing before L. ). Commissioner ID
/ C. Blackman, for the violation of the5th and
| 9th sections of the Ku Klux bill. The fol-
I lowing is the list of those arrested:
VIM. Sanders, John Porter,
| Thos. Crosby, Thomas Ford,
| Henry McNees. Jasper Webb,
| VIM. McNees, w. ID. w alton.
Thorper Turner, Barbour Quarles,
| VIM. Butler Jacob Loughridge,
| Mike Forshee. Joseph Davis,
/ j. Z. Willis. u. HuOcninsOn,
| las Nb-laud John Roberts,
Thos. Malone, David Stoddard,
| John Sroddara. Robert Mays,
| and the following freedmen
Benz. Lumpkin, Henry Hatch,
| Jeff Willis. Burreh Willis,
These farmers, who have been needlessly
torn from their families, and taken from
/ their fields at time when of all others they
were needed at home, came forward man
/ fully when notified that they were wanted,
| voluntarily surrendering themselves to Ma
! jor Mccoy of the garrison
The Examiner of the 23d publishes
some additional details showing the cru
city and and I'M justice of this proceeding.
1t says:
| Among chose Kidnapped IN defiance OF
| law. from their homes ca the east side OF
the river last Saturday, was poor and IN
offensive cripple, by the name of McNees.
| who was forced to leave house full of lit
| tie HELPLESS and defenceless children.
/ Another, Judge Ford, an old man of sixty
| or seventy. was carried off TO Oxford on ac-
count of his havinga wound in the palm OF
/ his hand-the result of an accident that oc-
| CURED in the presence of several persons
! which is alleged was received while he was
| raiding as ''ku kluX." Another OF these
/ gentlemen, MIR. Plummer Willis, having
| been seen to walk a little lame few days
ago owing to his boot fitting too tightly.
was arrested on the presumption that he
| had-been shot through the foot while on a
/ ku kluX expedition
| There is not a man among those arrested.
4 white or black. whose innocence could not
| be clearly established on trial. If trial
| could be procured.
| Most OF those carried to Oxford. were
| poor men. dependent upon their own physi-
| eel efforts for livelihood, and their little
| CROPS are perishing for want of attention,
while they are forced actors in miserable
| farce where perjury and other rascality are
| the weapons called into requisitiOn to manu-
| facture capital for the use of the 'ku klux
| Commission.
Thus are these citizens, on the false in
formation of hired spies the victims OF
the most outrageous persecution-arrest-
ed without warrant-and tried without
indictment, not before jury of their
county, but a distant tribunal which, un.
der the Constitution has no concern with
the internal affairs of the State. This
high-handed proceeding is in virtue of an
arbitrary law passed by the Radical ma
jority in Congress at the dictation OF
Grant 1t was opposed by the entire
Democratic representation, who!were in
effectually aided by Senators Schurz and
Trumbull, and few Republicans in the
House. 1t illustrates the usurpatiOns of
the Radical authorities contempt
of the State government, though born
of their own corruption and violence
and it appeals powerfully to all the
friends of constitutional liberty to unite
against them.