New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-11-14
THE KU-KLUX.
oUTRAGEs IN YORK COUNTY, s. C.

NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. OF THE VICTIMS.
IRON THE SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT OF TIE TRIBUNEI
YORKvILLE, 5. c., Nov. 9.-There is nothing
in the appearance OF this village OF York TO indicate that
It the center OF what probably the most power
full organization for the preparation arocous crimes
that existed in any civilized country It is pretty
village, as Southern villages and several hand
some houses standing In the midst Of shrubbery clipped
in stiff geOmetrca FORMS such as one secs In the gar
dens OF old French chaeaux-!lalf q dozen churches
girls seminary military school for boys and large
and exceptionally VOL printed and edited weekly news
paper. This sembance OF refinement of manners edu-
cation ana Christianity appears 10 be thin veneerng,
however, on the surface covering depth Of barbarism
scarcely conceivable by persons whose lives have been
spent In civilized communities Society hero seems
be diseased TO the core There is healthy public
ment no proper sense Of right aud wrong no appreca-
ton OF the Nervousness Of crimes committed upon help
less and unohendng people that these will
appear TO be statements but the facts Justify
them. have sat for two days in tho office OF the Dis
rict-AtOney and heard the voluntary confessions OF
forty or fifty men from oil parts Of this county, who
came In OF their accord to tell OF their connection
with the Ku Klux and the share they the crimes
OF the Order and am sick Of the horrible details Of
torture, manning and murder and at the cold-booded
system with which these vilainies were planned and
perpetratcd And yet with a knowledge OF all theso
developments there are not ten In YOrkville who
BE induced to give unqualified condemnation Of
Ku-Kluxng." The citizens disapprove Of IT, but in
mild way with paliations, excuses and provarication
TO the that led tO the formation OF the nfa
nous Order and the objects It sought to effect.
think 1t Wendell Phillips who said :" Scratch a
| Southern gentleman and you'll find Ku Kux." III this
up-country OF South Carolina Scratch white and
| youll find KuKuX" would DO better ptraphrase. /
doubt there are 100 ablc-bodied white men In this
county who have not been initiated into tho order 1t
embraces boys Of 1G and boards OF co. have
grandfather, father, and son come together to avow
themselves members. All classes included Tho
land proprietor and the poor Crackers" his estate
rode together in the midnight raids Doctors. lawyers,
merchants teachers, and preachers put tho white
shroudlike gowns, and tho oTrd redorncd hoods and
masks OF the Khan and went out by ngtto take negroes
from their cabins and beat them with clubs and cow
hes until tho aceracd flesh cut to the tcndous and
bones for oGcnse than daring to vote tho
| Radical ticket, keeping shotgun, or not taking
! off the hat TO white men, These chivalrOus gentle
I men pulled negro women from their bed
| and made them dance paled for the amuse-
mrnt OF TIE spectators, bca,Ing the victims with
lnrOds to quicken their steps and forcing them to Sub
NIT to other outrages revolving for description These
brave and Lnncre,l" s2th Car,m thought II daring
and manly to go fifty strong to attack one negro in his
lonely cabin the woods. and to hang him To tree in
sight OF his wife and chd AZ they returned
from this knghtly exploit in the fact that tue damned
scOundrel would never make any moro radical speeches
These outIages for months aud not sigle per
tempt made bring the criminals - justice. or course,
no sIpp, sson Of crdo was possible when public scnti
mont apI auded tho criminals and everybody but the
victims belonged secret league organized, armed,
and d. guiscd, 'Or the express purpose Of committing
crime A few sensible kept out Of the Order, and
at heart condemned It's Opcrltons but they did not dar0
TO speak openly against it, fear OF personal violence.
The entire community errorizcd by the Klan and
large numbers OF Joined It because they believed
their lives were in danger If they did not.
The information obtained from the 900 confessions OF
members Of the Ku-Klux Khan thus FAR made in this
place TO the United States authorities shows that the
order existed here since Reconstruction went into
| operation In South Carolina The Kan became most
powerful last Winter and III the early Spring. and ts
raids were frequent IN the months Of January Feb
ruary and March The presence of troops in Norkvc,
in March, the passage Of the Kuklux bill IN April and
the requirements the crop lGbOrs combined 10 cause
falling the active operations Of the kl'n after tho
month OF April but considerable number of ouagrS
! were committed during the sumner; ana az late ~
! Scpcrbrf a large party Of The ku-klux, thoroughly
| disguised tried to waylay and murder tie County
Treasurer few miles from the Village, the road be
usually Travelled from l house to his Office. He escaped
them hy UNEXPECTEDLY being detained at home I'LL next
day The systematic whipping Of negroes who had voted
tie II, publican ticket began Immediately after the state
election in October Tie Democrats had nominated
n Republican for Governor and adopted substantially
the Republican platform and their failure 10 break the
sodity Of the negro hy this device greatly exas-
| peratcd them. The whippngs went on steadily aud
systematically from the night OF the election until after
the first Of January without retaliation, by which time
the colorcd men had become terrified that hundreds
did not dare sleep nt home and laid out III the woods
| frequently changing their hiding places Then the
negroes after ncarl three months Of this persecution
began to retalae In the only way they dared ana the
burning OF barns, cornCrihs, cotton pesScs ana GU
houses began. But even then the Blacks showed That
they had more humanity than the Whites, for they did
| b,l,I, houg
vas injured The Whites always try 10 make 1t appear
that thesc fires preceded and used the whppingF hut
| surh WAS not the case The t"cs the mcaus the
baras,cd and tortured Blacks took 10 revenge theIr
wrongs Probably about % buildings were burned Ill tie
county; several were fired in single night ms II by pre-
concerted arrar cement This inc"ndiar'sm naturally III
creased the fcrocity Of the KukluA There had been
hut one DR. two murders Pre- NOuSIy bul III inc S zen
| days in March there were nine
SIN no white man was killed hurt, although the
Whites pretended they we're suppresSinG rising "i ue
| Blacks. This specter OF negro lhsuTecuoh WMen
hauntt the South in the days oil slavery mas hot yt
vanished In almost every care OF murder the VICTIM
was black man or mulatto OF more than ordinary intel
upcuce who had been leader among his people, and had
heen active IA n Republican politician. In nearly all
the cases Of whining the victims we're made TO swear
never 10 vote a Radical ticket again In some cases
other causes such old quarres lack Oh respect .o"aru
the Whites, living with white women &C. were ui'E'"'
The murders chiefly occurred after the company ol negro
| militia orpanzcd the Summer before had been dis
armed y the State authorities and there was about the
same time gene search Of negro houses all over the
Comfy for shot guna pistols, and other arms, ny
order ma now appears, Of the Grand Chet OF
| the Khan II IL very common 10 near the clt2ehs
refer TO the existence Of this negro m'a company a.
the provocation which led TO the violence Vi TIE Winter
and Spring and they charge the milltianen with all
sorts Of ofunses such firing into houses oDS'ucuhS
uoInAn