Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1871-11-21

up the long street from the depot TO the
hotel, the place had the look of town in
war time recently captured by an invad'
Ing army. There were soldiers every
where An infantry camp of clean white
tents. arranged in regular rows, with
the alleys between. prettily shaded with
arbors of green boughs, stood in an oak
grove near the station. A squad OF
calvary rode by; blue coats strolled up
and down the street and lounged about
the doors Of the stores. in which there
seemed TO be much talk and little traffic.
Groups of countrymen in gray homespun
stood upon the street corners and in the
Court House yard, engaged in low and
excited talk Other men who appeared
by their dress, villagers, could be seen
through the open doors of lawyers or doc
tors offices. or standing in knots OF three
or four upon the sidewalks absorbed in
conversation on the topic Of the arrests.
Every body but the negroes and soldiers
had the look of excitement and despond-
ency always observable in the habitants
OF conquered town. and the people
met eyed me suspiciously, as if they
feared | might have come TO empty some
new vial Of Government wrath upon
their devoted heads. 4 tall, thin man,
in long. rusty-black oycrcoat and shah
by silk hat, who walked few yards
ahead OF me, was Kissed by a group OF
men gathered upon the steps OF little
dirty store, He stopped, turned. and
walked in, the throng falling back before
him, heard an angry alteration OF a
few seconds, saw the CLEAN of a pistol
barrel and expected to hear shot, but
there was none, and the tall man came
out presently with an angry cOuntenance,
saying. "l'll fix you, you internal Sound
rel" and stalked up the street ! recog
nized him to be the Republican member
of Congress from this district, and learned
a0erward that he is much hated by the
ku.KluX and their sympathizers, who
believe that he has had much To do with
bringing the heavy hand of the Govern
ment down upon them.
went at once 10 the house of Major
Merrill. who commands the post q
large white house, with the customary
two-storied piazza in front. standing at
some distance from the street in u fine
grove of oaks and pines. a crowd of
Unlocking fellows, of all ages, dressed
in slouched hats and suits OF coarse
homespun of various colors and degrees
of filthiness and raggedness, occupied
the lower piazza, and lounged about I'm.
der the trees. Whoever saw party of
captured bushwhackerS 1t the Office Of q
Provost Marshal during the war. will
know exactly how these men looked.
They had low foreheads, long straight
hair. loose jointed. Informed bodies,
and look half cunning and half stupid,
that one could easily imagine would
change on occasion into an expression of
british ferocity. Passing through this
in-iavored group in the broad. central
hall OF the house, / was shown by an or
derly into large. well.turnished parlor,
where found District Attorney Corbin
and Major Merrill hearing the confessions
oil member of the Ku.Klux, whose
words were taken down by a stenograph.
er Major. the military autocrat of York
county, is u man with the head, face and
SpecIacleS of German professor, frame
of an athlete. He it is who has planned
and executed the crusade against the
Ku.Klux. He came here in the spring
and went quietly at work studying the
county and the people, and lamiliariz'
ing himself with all the details obtainab'e
of the murders and other outrages that
had been committed. He heard the StOS-
les OF negroes who sneaked into his quar-.
tiers at nigh TO tell him of the atrocities
practiced upon them; he induced two or
three of the Khan TO confess secretly; ne
learned the names of great number OF
members. found out who the leaders were
and after months of this work. when the
Presidents proclamation was issued he
held the whole infamous order in York
county rs il in the hollow of his hand.
and he crushed it rs easily rs man
would an egg-shelI.
As soon as the operation of the writ of
hd6eaS corpus was suspended, he sent his
cavalry in small attachments over the
county and gathered up the Ku-Klux by
the dozen. The people were panic-s trick-
en- The garrison Of United States
troops had been eight months in York
vile, aud the Ku-KluX had come to
look upon them rs the frogs did upon
King Log in the fable. This sudden
activity Of the soldiers, guided by an in.
telligence that seemed to know every
crime committed by the midnight raider,
and TO nave penetrated the horned masks
and DISCUSSES of the chief criminals,
u