The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1872-01-25
THE End Of the Ku K1ax Trials.

been stopped. Instituted for political purposes,
thew have aroused q languid disgust for their
aa,ther rather than that venomous hate for the
South. which was desired, and, as having thus
failed of their purpose, have been discontinued.
In the next Presidential canvass the Ku Klux
trials will be hardly an issue, save in so far as
administration speakers msy be forced to palli-
aSs Snd apologize for the gross outrages upon
lay, Justice and decency which have marked
their course. Failing thus in their intended
objects of making party capital for the Repub-
for the Presidency, these trials have yet their
uses. It is impossible to review them without
exciting awholesome horror of one of the worst
forms of despotism-that which cloaks, itself
under the forms of law. To all opsward ap-
pearanee everything was regular-the law was
passed by Congress; the indictments were found
By Federal grand jury the accused ,re al
lowed counsel there were witnesses and Judg,
ess and pleas and verdicts, and all the usual
paraphernalia and incidents of a due admins
tration; of Justice and to supplement alfthis
eircamstantiality there were divers confessions
of guilt in open Court, as If even out OF the
mouth of the prisoner at the bar proceededa q
testimony to the propriety of his trial and exis-
tence of his crime. Looking beneath the surface,
horrible travesty of justice appears In the
HISG pldC6, III buC eye VI SOAShSoo AeoSIHt 1890
appeared no original necessity for this Ku Klux
act. The Forty first Congress came to an end
ON the 4th of March, 1871, and was succeeded
by the Forty second, which speedily effected an
erganization and stood ready by the 9TH to ad-
iu1rn. Word to this effect was sent MIR. Grant,
wher forthwith urged the two houses not to ad-
iourn until he could call their attention to some
legislation they had omitted but he desired:
Towards the close Of the month the nature OF
this legislation was indicated. 1t was the Ku
Klux bill. At first the House was strongly op-
posed to its passage, and even in the Senate
signs of insubordination appeared; but IN the
end party discipline and the power of the pub
lie patronage prevailed, and the bill was passed
This was in April, 1871; but as if to vindicate
those members who had objected that no such
legislation was necessary, nothing was done IN
the premises until after the October elections
Pennsylvania and Ohio went Republican, and,
as if taking this for an assurance that he might
safely proceed in any violence, Mr. Grant forth
with. began to operate his pet law. The cleo
tions came off on the 10th of October, and on
the 18th the first South Carolina proclamation
under the Ku Klux act was issued. 1t was an
nounced that rebellion" existed, and all
therein concerned were warned to disrerse IN
fue days-too short time for the alleged in
surgents to receive notice; but as it was never
intended that an opportunity should be given
the menaced districts to exonerate themselves,
perhaps the time made no difference. At the
end of FIVE days it was announced that the In
surgents would not disperse-though the same
shortness of time which prevented them from
learning the warning, also forbade Mr. Grant
who was then off on a pleasure trip in Maine,
from knowing that they had defed his notice
and the arrests began. AS the privilege OF the
writ of habeas corpus was suspended, no man
tro obntv fhoir oufhnrifv
for his arrest. The dragons simply collared
any one whom they were ordered, and flung him
in iail. When the jails were full to overflow;
ing the trials began. TIE grand juries finding
the indictments were negroes the witnesses on
whose testimony they relied were negroes or
debauched white fellows, hired for the purpose; (;
and the jurors trying the cases were negroes
again. The evidence taken was that of the
scum of the earth, as one story brought to light
in the course of the trials will show. A GER
tain planter was accused before the nearest mil
itary officer of whipping one of his hands
The negro swore point-blank that he had been
fogged, giving, at the demand OF his emPioyer,
the day and hour. The planter Immediately
put on the stand four of the injured darkey's
Fellow -laborers, who swore point blank that at
the time named, their employer was of with
them in distant field. As matter of course
the officer at once released the planter, who
then asked him if the case was over. Certain
.ly,he replied you cannot be troubled again.
To which the planter responded: l can
have You proven guilty Of murder for 50 !;
did whip that negro, and my other hands
swore me of, as they would for the same money
testify in the most circumstantial manner that
they had seen you cut mans throat It is on
record that the officer thenceforth placed no
special reliance on freedmen testimony, and yet
it is on this kind of evidence that these Ku
Klux trials have been conducted. Two dollars
per day and expenses was the payment made
out of the United States Treasury to the wit
Nesses in the Federal Courts at Columbia, and
su accounts concur that the town swarmed with
blacks, ready, of course, to testify to order.
Subsidiary to these main witnesses were scoun-
drel white men, the pariahs of their several
villages-creature who answered in the South
to the "bummers" of our large Northern cities
drunken, diseased, blear-eyed, filthy wrecks
OF humanity, only too happy to do or say or
swear anything in return for present pay. AS
required, these obscene fowls appeared before
the negro grand juries, or acted as swift witnes-
ses in Court, or came in and surrendered them
selves as the head of the Ku Klux Klans, or
suffered themselves to be arraigned at the bar
and there plead guilty and were heavily SEN
fenced to mock fine and Imprisonment. Idiots,
even, were not disdained by the administration
for this latter purpose, as we judge from the re-
port of one days proceedings that "William
Robbins was next called, and plead guilty. He
was poor, halfwitted fellow, and could not
articulate inteliigibly. His interpreter stated
for him." &c. AS for witnesses, one famous in
former, whose testimony was greatly relied on,
swore that he held much consultation with At
torney General Akerman, and was then paid
5000, money counted down. And by money
counted down these Ku Klux trials were work
ed. The expenditure account being "secret ser
vice." cannot be made public, but it is we'll
known that large sums have been spent, and
why or how spent if not for such purchases of
perjury as just related? Men surrender them
selves as Ku Klux because hired to do 80, plea
ded guilty because hired, and testified against
Lnon,,ro hirod ln.u tharo