The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1871-06-06
AMONG THE EU KLUX.
->>S--S>.--~><~>---~~-
Premature Close of the Ruther-
ford County Crusade.
.-~~~~~~~~~s~-~~~~~>-~>~~~~~
The Story of an Authentic
Outrage.
The Disguises, Brutality and Desperate Row.
dyism Of Its Perpetrators.
Five More Men Held Over for Tria!-Ihe
True Cause of the Attack Non-PO-
liticag-LOcal Sentiment About
the Ku Klux,
RuruEnroRDroN. y. G., May 81, 1871.


tried and the result OF second case that closed on
the oath inst together with the promised arrival OF
company OF United states troops at Shelby which Is
only about twenty five miles from here and is almost
in heart of the disturbed district, have induced
the authorities to desist from the crusade they
threatened against the White Brotherhood, or Ku
Klux whatever they are now called. They say
thar they nd impossible get justice for the out
RACES done In the past and now content themselves
with the consciousness that the presence OF
THE BOYS IN BLUE
will prevent such wicked lawlessness occurring In
the future The democrats of the county seem quite
pleased TO have the troops up here. The command
ing ofcer OF the who were In the district for
year so directly after the war was extremely
popular and there Is 'rebel'' IN the neighbor
hood who would not be only too glad to exchange
the miserable nfamies done in the name of justice
IN the local courts for the evenhanded seventies OF
The court martial. The mere presence OF dozen
Northern officers, WILL they say further, operate as
saurary check upon the imaginations OF the Ruther
ford Star editor and OF the other OF that Tx.
who by systematic exaggeration, have given the
county notoriety all the Union for anarchy and
crime; for the simple word OF single United
States army officer would outweigh the sworn state.
ments OF dozen radical southern judges, though
packed up with the aaldayits of a few hundred OF
their clerks and marshas and doorkeepers And
the simple truth is that the county Is quite up TO the
Southern average of peace and order.
The tried was far more serious AFFAIR than
any we have yet heard about Local repub leans
such
HOPELESS LIARS
that an impartial Judge discredits them even
those ew rare occasions when they speak the truth.
They have cried "Wolf wolf Y 50 often when no
thing has been the that they very apt call
for sympathy and aid in vain when they indeed
badly hurt. In thts last Bggerstaf case the report
first given was so evidently tricEed out with fan
tasuc ialsehoods, FOR political effect. that great
MANY people honestly doubted whether the poor old
man had ever been attacked at all on this second
occasion He said his arm had been broken, aud
some OF his friends said he had been whipped; and
his son-in-aw reported to have been nearly
killed aud to have had lis jaw broken-al OF which
was proven false Was it unnatural, therefore, TO
suppose that he had not been hurt in any way, and
that, even If he had been molested the guilty par
ties were probably hts own political friends,
dressed in the errors OF Ku Klux cos
tuner Nothing, al the first blush, would seem
30 likely to establish the desperate reality OF Ku
Klux political society rs this second assault, and
the radicals had a clear motive, therefore, for
ting up the outrage. And experience has shown
that they DO not SUCK Ion. at the means when they
have an END III lair view.
Alter hearing the evidence for the prosecution at
this second outrage was
AS SADLY REAL
as the first whipping, Ii would be tedious to give
the testimony IN fun, and unfair Well, the de-
fence waived their right TO put any counter wit |
nesses tile stand and consented 10 be bound over
for trial. Five men were arragned--James Hunt, |
Thomas Thoms. Jason witherow, John Witherow |
and Duck Bedford. They are all iarmers-men OF |
good reputation, pretty wei educated and. with one
niddo-a-ed exception. between twenty and thirty |
jears old. la appearance they are very respectable
citizens; there IL nothing IN the least repulsive or
dangerous about them; there not one whom you |
would be afraid 10 meet alone midnight in the
most solitary road IN the country.
There were four witnesses Tor the prosecution
old Aaron Bi9gersta, his vile, his son-lnaw, Will
liam Holland. and ms nephew, Goyan Blggerslan.
GRIZZLY HAIRED OLD RUSTIC,
with decided features, and with one OF that square,
sharp sort oi heads mat are popularity de.
scribed ''bumptious, and which proclaim un-
mistakaby that their owners were born TO fight and
grave. lie has always paid his debts. and no one
says anything against him except that he Is ugly
tempered and that lie has cheated the government
by Illicit distilng-an offence too common In these
parts 10 be Gisgraceful Ills wife IS quiet, kindly
o,a acy IA very religious very nervous very inonen
deal bullied by her husband. Holland Is
a backwooas farmer. resembling very s,riK-
ingly the handsome pioneer, with enormous
beard aud long Bar OF fiery red whose figure stands
out so prominently in the wall painting In the Capt.
tol, naf way up The Senate steps, representing the
American march westward. Govan Blggerstar
lives with his uncle aaron, IS not very unlike him.
and lost an arm while in The rebel army.
These witnesses were examined during nearly
four hours, ana were
1EOsS-QUESrIoNED
with minuteness and rgor aud skill that would
most certainly nave convicted them oi perjury If
they had not been telling the simple. unadorned
truth Every possible detail connected with the
outrage was gone into. aud yet all the testimony
was perfectly harmonious. AS to the story they
agreed exactly bnt they dlnered little as TO the
ideniincatlon u the men. Ihoms was only recog-
nized rs Of them, John Witherow and Duck
Bedford 10y all four ana me other two men by three.
HISTORY OF THE OUTRAGE
rs u was tnus urought out Aaron, MS VIE, ooVan
bggersLai ana holland were on tneT way 10 Cher
fyvllle, the mead OF The railroad, whence they ex
pected TO have TO leave for Raleigh 10 give evidence
sts 10 the FIRST whipping. They canped for the night
at a pace on the road where there was a little
empty cabin. old Aaron slept in the wagon, aud
the other three went into the mouse. Far on In the
night-an hour or after midnignt-they were
aroused by the shouts OF a dozen or more men,
Including among the rest tue defendants. only two
VI the band were tricked out ia the
TERRIBLE ATTIRE or THE KU kLuX;
but two seemed 10 direct the operations OF the
gang one OF inem-tbe head centre OF ALL a. ~ APP
Dearcd-was clad from mead 10 foot In "a dark blue
skin.tight robe, with complete mask Tor tue face
ana head. tle eyeboes edged with colored RIBBON
and huge norm standing oUt from each side OF the
forehead, thus leaving IL IN doubt whether Hene,
ordinary cuckold was the special character assumed
The second leader was Clothed ia pretty much the
same way; but bis dress was yellow and his horns,
instead OF standing up erect NODDED TO and FRO as
he walked. The rest OF this lawless company OF
runians were not much disguised. Most OF them
wore the nomespun or the country. SO that their
dress gave clue 10 their identify, but only one
or two bad handkerchiefs over then faces.
They MADE short work with poor old Aaron Big
gerstan. Two or three dragged MIN oui oil tue
wagon-so roughly that he badly hurt hs wrist
and having put rope round his neck, they marched
min away q little distance, telling him chat they
would 'pat him through" thai they had Sworn To
HANG HIM
aud would do IT, gun was fired about this time,
but probably merely Tor run. Tne remainder Of the
gang surrounded the house where Holland, Mrs.
Hggerslar and her nephew had retired 10 rest. The
ola lady neara them rrst, and reused her TWO com.
IaniOns. The three then rat up Oh TIE moor. ana
waited silently through few terrible minutes, their
alarm growing greater and greater as they heard
the cries OF their kinSman begging 70 see his wife
once more before they Killed him, hail drowned by
the ycis and oaths OF his esptors They were soon,
however, themselves attacked The assaiIaDts were
evidenuy at hTst afrnJd-as guch co~ardiy wretches
mixnl well be-to enter the house, and kept moving
round about IL crying out 5hoot. shoot; you are so
ready 20 shsot you teller do II now; shoot shoot"
Holland attempted 70 parley.
WHAT DO Toe WANT, GESTLgnEs2r