Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1871-03-24
rnn Ku-KLUx oUTRAehs.


Organized assassination. murder and
outrage have again become prevalent
in several Of the Southern States, and
in some sections have attained a degree
Of violence bordering on civil war. A
recent report from an investigating COM
mittee of the Senate, in reference to
these outrages, reveals condition of
things calculated to awaken not only
Indignation but alarm. Loyalists are
butchered, beaten and driven from their
homes much the same as when the re-
bellion held armed and defiant sway
under.the leadership Of Lee and Davis.
Governor Scott, of South Carolina. has
found it necessary to call upon the Ma
tional Executive for troops to suppress
the disorders in that State. while in
North Carolina, Georgia and Mississippi
the elements of disorder have grown
formidable and rampant.
Under resolution Of the House of
Representatives a committee has been
appointed to investigate these disturb
ances and report at the next session
of Congress in December. It seems
necessary, however. that some imme-
diate legislative action shall be taken
which shall bring the Ku-Klux despera-
does. now rough-riding the South. to
severe and summary justice. Bills hav-
ing this object in view have been intro
duced in the House by Messrs. Shella-
barger and Butler, and resolution of
like character has been presented by
Mr.. Sherman in the Senate. Pending
the consideration of this resolution, on
the 18th inst, Mr.. Sherman, having
read the Ku-Klux oath, said
He did not know Of any organization
in history which for atrocity could COM
pare with this. These men committed
their crimes at night and carried terror
wherever they went. Every member of
the Senate would admit that an organi- |
zation SO revolving to humanity should /
be put down. Their number in North |
Carolina had been stated at 10000, but
was certainly 10000, though any reader |
of the testimony would suppose it much |
larger. In Rockingham County, in |
that State, 6z of these outrages had |
been committed. In one case a magis- /
tTate of town in that County had testi- |
fed to the hanging of a colored preach !
er at a late hour of the night by IS armed |
men on horseback. The dang
ling body of the victim was found sus- |
pended to a tree in front of the Court |
House, with a paper pinned on it, on
which were the words: Beware ye |
guilty both black and White!-K. K. K.''
A poor half-idiot negro, who had seen |
some of these men, was drowned several |
days afterward to prevent their detection |
by him. Thirty-eight similar cases had /
been shown to, have occurred in the
same vicinity. In other instances, as
shown by the testimony, a band of dis
guised men in Alamance County had
taken colored man from his house
whipped and shot him, al. / then com
PEELED all the negroes in tie neiehbor-
hood to swear they would ever vote the
Radical ticket. The killing of a sheriff
had been shown to have bcsn previously
agreed upon IN secret. He desired his
Democratic friends to be converted to
he belief entertained upon the RepubIi-
ean side, that these outragcs should be
stopped, and with that view he submitted
md had read various extracts from
Democratic newspapers in the South
the outrages as impolitic
and heinous, and calling for severe
measures for their repression. As show
,ng the morals prevailing among the
Au-klux themselves, he read a letter
rom member Of the Ku-s,.! lux in reply
10 newspaper article in n Alabama f
paper, the point of which !, IS that the /,
writer did not think it an tense to Kill