Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-08-11
A DiaaRreeIlleu1,

The Washington correspondent of the Cincn-
natl Gazette writes of two witnesses before the
kuklux committee:
"An excellent illustration of the difficulties
| the committee sitting here have had to contend
with in obtaining truthful evidence, as well as
valuable information in regard to the subject
matter of the investigation, will be found in
the following account of conversation between
two prominent witnesses. II occurred in the
room of one of them, and the windows being wide
open, gentlemen sitting near them in their own
apartments were made unseen auditors of all
that passed. 1t is hardly fair to name these wit
| nesSes or to indicate the state they were from,
but the version of the conversation can be relied
upon; and the standing of both parties is such
| as to give much significance to what was said.
One was general, an eX-confederate, and
| now prominent politician at home. The other
| was also an eX-confederate, a colonel, and is
| well known as a leading man in his section. The
| general had called upon the colonel. After pass
| ing friendly compliments, the conversation ran
| on, in substance as follows:
General-Well, colonel, | was examined by
| the committee to-day, and | hear they are TO
call you tomorrow. As we are from the
same section, thought would call around so
that we could compare notes, and agree, you
know.
Colonel-Well, general, have concluded to
answer all questions am asked, to the best of
my knowledge OF course, l don't intend to
volunteer any testimony; but, so far as | am
asked shall tell all know.
General-But you must see, colonel, that it
is very important, very important indeed con-
sidering our positions at home, and our
political relations, that our testimony should
| agree.
| Colonel-Yes, the testimony certainly ought
| to agree, since we are both tolerably posted
about affairs at home. Perhaps we shall agree.
What did you testify TOT
Generator course swore that there was no
kuklux organization in our section or anything
of the kind, so far as | know. l swore the whole
thing down.
Colonel-Well, then, our testimony won't
agree, for l know that the khan does exist there
and that it is active, too. And you must know
| it, general.
General-Well, you do talk strangely; do you
| k1lOl1 any kuklux?
Colonel-Yes, | know, as you must, that near
| ly everybody OF our way of thinking is in
| it, in our neighbOrhood. / have a list of
sixty can swear to. Here the colonel read his
| list.
General-You are not going to inform on all
| those fellows, are your
COlonel-Yes, if | am asked. That set killed
A, and intend to pursue them for it, and
have some of them hung, too. These outrages
are destroying our country, and it's time all de-
cent men united to put them down.
General-But, colonel, | don't k1,oW that these
neighbors of ours are kuklux don't knoag
| that they killed poor A.
Colonel-Well, sir, they met on your planta-
| ton the night they rode, and killed him.
General-That might be, and yet l not knOoo
| it. You see | can only swear to what knOlC
Now, was not there, and can't kn0U it, OF
course, between you and me, have my suspi-
cions about all these things, but then can't tell
| them and live at home. And, colonel, your own
| prospects would be irst-rate politically if YOU
would go in with us and work along smoothly
| against the radicals.
Mingled with the above there was considera-
BILE excited talk on both sides, but the substance
so far as it was material is preserved.
From the point indicated the conversation ran
on good naturedly, and covered the whole
| ground of the kukluX organization, taking for
| granted throughout the very state of facts
claimed to exist by the most RADICAL The khan
| existed; it was composed of the majority of
whites among their neighbors; its purposes were
political, and involved the overthrow of the rad
icals, and eventually of all state laws passed to
enforce the reconstruction amendments; it was
now organized more actively than ever, in view
of the presidential race. The general urged the
necessity to the democratic party of successfully
denying the main facts of the kuklux organi-
cation, and especially of concealing its real pur.
| poses.
But the colonel was unmoved. He adhered
to the last to his purpose to give truthful an
| swers, and from him the committee received
such valuable information as the above indi-
cates."