The Portland daily press., 1871-09-21
THE NATURE OF THE ORGANIZATION.

and entitled 20 the fullest credence:
THE NATURE OF THE ORGANIZATION.
tits secret political order, thoroughly Or
ganized and well armed. The unit OF the Or
ganization is the ''kan," which is the name
given to what in military phrase would be call
ed the corporaPs or seTgeant'S squad. Each
"klan" has one chief and from ten to eighteen
members, the number depending on the me-
cessity for easy access to and communication
with each other and with the chief. To avoid
too extensive knowledge of the personnel of the
order the klans are not often permitted to ex-
coed eighteen members.
A convenient number of klafs, all belonging
in the same vicinity generally all that belong
to the same voting precinct), constitute dis
trict, which has one chief, who has one or two
assistants.
There is within the order military court for
the trial of offending members, constituted of
from three to five chiefs OF khan, and called a
council" before which an offender may plead
when charged with disobedience to his path of
membership. The decision of this court is
final, and if the members refuses to appear and
Plead the trial nevertheless goes on. The
council may even meet and determine his guilt
and atfix the penalty without notifying
nember that he is charged with an offence.
OF course in an order which has so long enjoy
ed the most perfect immunity from interior
ence the stringency OF the observance OF its
rules has been greatly relaxed. In many
places some of the higher grades of officials are
vision of the khan is absent, all the members of
such places constituting, when wanted, Ku-
X lux mob. The main features of the plan of
organization are closely followed, as a general
rule, however.
RULES OF THE oRDER-DIsGUIsEs-sE
OFFICERS.
The rules which are intended to prevent de-
lection are nearly perfect, and if rgdly adj
hered to would make detection exceedingly
diffioult SOma of these = follows.
No member of the order is allowed to ap-
pear for any Ku-Klux business except in dis
guise. His horse must be disguised also. The
disguise is commonly a long, loose gown fas
tened about the neck, hanging loosely nearly
to the feet, and covering the entire person be-
low the throat. Over the head is drawn a
kind of loose bag, or sack, having holes cut for
the eyes, and hole for the mouth. Any one
who has ever seen persons dressed for what is
called ''sheet masquerade" will readily APP
preciate the difficulty of distinguishing sill
gle characteristic of even well known friend
when so attired. Except the height and voice
nothing is left which cap be identified. The
voice is habitually disguised, and the language
is merely an imitation of Irish brogue All
members on active duty are forbidden to
speak at all except when it is absolutely neces-
sary. These DISCUSSES are usually made OF
some thin cotton cloth, black and red seeming
to be preferred. They are bedecked with stars,
crescents and like figures cut out of cloth of
different color and sewn on the gown. The
bead dress frequently has several horns made
81 cloth and stuffed. The horses are covered
head and TANKS with sheets of the same mate
rial as the disguise, and similarly ornamented.
Altogether, the costume of man and horse is
made to look as strange and uhearthly as pos
sible; and so great las been the success in this
that in ssme places for a long time many of the
more ignorant negroes really believed that
they were what they announced themselves
the "dead of rebel battle fields" come back
from the grave to punish them for their mis-
deeds.
To make the use of names unnecessary, each
member of the order, as soon as he is assigned
to clan, is designated by number. While
on expeditions, or even at other times IN con-
versation among themselves about Ku-Klux
matters, members of a khan are forbidden to
speak of "a member by his name, but must al
ways designate him by his number, SO that any
accidental listener could not identify the per-
so spoken Of While the passwords, grips,
hailing signs, signals, &C., are general and
known to all members, they are forbidden to
use them except when absolutely necessary
and are forbidden to attempt to discover by
these whether another person is a-member of
the order, unless some substantial reason ex-
lists for knowing it. They must under no cir
cumstances talk to any one who is not a mem.
Der of the same khan about any matter with
which the order is connected, or about the Or
der itself; and alter any act is done by the |
klan, no one must speak of anything connect |
ed with that act, even to another member of
when 1t IS important to do SO. In each khan
the members know each other and their own |
chlef but, except through necessity or acct |
dent, have no knowledge of VIII at other persons
belong to the order. When individual mem
bers or the whole of different clans meet for
work, each member is required to avoid if pos
sible knowing who any other individual is.
Each chief of khan knows and receives orders |
from his district chief and his assistants, but |
does not except by accident, know who the /
higher officers are. So district chiefs know |
the officers next above them in rank but not |
necessarily those of higher grade. Special
grips, passwords and signs, known only tOithe |
district and division chiefs and to those of
higher grade make it possible for them, when
necessary, to make themselves known officially
to their subordiDates. 1t is thus possible that
two men, living in the same house, may be
morally certain each that the other is a mem
Der of the order; but, if put under oath, cannot
swear from any positive knowledge that such
is the fact. 1t is only the more important acts
OF riot or Outrage that are in person directed |
or ordered by the higher grade of officers. In
regard to other acts only general directions are
given, and the details are left to the minor off
GERS and befs.
AS might be inferred an order organized for
and executing such lawess violence is not liz
5he best of discipline, or under the complete
control of its officers and leading men; hence
many of the whippngs and beatings are those
Executed by the chiefs of khan, or even few |
members, on their own reSpOnS bill |
ty. In one case in this State two white men,
.nown to be Democrats, and suspected to be
Au Klux as well, were visited and severely
' hpped by band of Ku Klux. The explana-
ION gwen was that they had disobeyed orders,
'n i done some whipping on their own respon-
.pIillIy and Tor motives OF personal spite. The |
, uies are not rigidly observed, and frequently
III ulees are Imperfect or carelessly put on |
~ nneiiioers 90 too much talking. Persons
n aolhet,ihes Initiated who are not entirely
80, oot WI tuy as members, and there have teen |
discoveries and betrayaIs II also | :
i,spPeus, sometimes, as recently in North Car1 |
una, IhaI, among sc many members Some 90 |
flihhg 10 nae from coming storm hv -
ng states evidence. ''n ny torn-
REPUTABLE MEMBERS" -DEsPERAnops
Each khan has usually one or two memhors
more, who willingly engage nerson'
lly in the more barbarous acts of violence
lurders and the like, nn.ess they can be oive,,
he appearance of Lynch-law, are execntoJ
My by picked men, selected desperadoes VIII
ill do the work without any qualms of con-
,ience, and do it skilfuly MANY members {
md, indeed, whole klans are sometimes com
osed of such men)swould not, on account of ]
,cial position and lingering feeling of right he
llled upon for any active work of the order I
uch men are useful only to control nuhIic / S
,ntment, to furnish bail-bonds for those who ]
re arrested, and to influence iures or furnish U
'eputapie evidence for the defence OF sncb |
so, are large number of the very Respectable
,ntlemen VINO are constantly assuring tbe e
,untry that the Ku Klux is a mvtb ,hag, t .he n
cries of what 1t does are lies told for partisan