The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1872-02-01
The Ku. Klux Trials.

| The Ku Klux trials are still in
progress before the u. s. Court Vi
| Columbia. From REGARD Of the pro-
ceedings on the Sth of January we
quote
The Ku Kiux from Spartsnburg
County continue to come into court
and plead guilty, but none of them
have ~ yet been sentenced. Their
cases present such pecuiisr aspect as
to cause the court to hold them under
Amusement. Indeed. 1t would be =
hard hearted man who could listen
unmoved to the stories of the pris
oners Many Of them are similar, yet
each has some distinguishing episode
marking it from the other.
| With few exceptions, this class Of
Ku.K are those who, as quick AZ
the United States forces reached
| Spartanhurg, came in aud surr endered
| themselves. They are u class known
here az 'sand hillers;.' few of them
are able to read aud write; oil have
that lean, slab-siied, clayey appear
ance and look, SO familiar to those old
soldiers who were wheer good haul OF
"Johnnies" was made during the war,
and the most Of them own no land
but manage to exc out m existence by
farming small patches rented from
weather. and more influential persons
in their various neig Even
this opportunity OF getting a living will
be abridged il the power Of the govern
ment does not interfere, for during
these examinations il has frequently
been ascertained that those Of the
weather. class, who have not I'D To
save themselves from arrest, have
threatene l to drive from their lands
and vicinity these poor dupes Of their
making, who have surrendered TO the
authorities and exposed the doings OF
the khan. An illustration OF cases Of
this kind is that OF Jesse Ta;,e, an
elderly man who pleaded guilty, aud
The following is AN extract:
| joined the Horse Creek Khan in
January, last year, but never made
any raid on any one; Joined the ku
klux because | thought it would not
be safe for me mol to; never thought
about its being violation of law am
an unlearned man, the principal men
Of my neighborhoot belonged 10 the
order; they ali said they would 20 into
for self defence. for they got up n
report that the majority in the United
States belonged 10 IL. and they said
That every man that did not 60 into II
would be forced into IL; / can't read or
write to make much Of it; can just
manage to write my name; we have
lawyers and preac ,ers up there hut !
don't know that they've talked about
this thing; people generally. go to
church up there there Wasn't much
whipping in our neighLorhood, for
there are very few negroes there:
heard of raid once III Rutherford
where they took the editor out; !
heard that Mr.. Scruggs was in tha,
the order came from the Chief"
Here was an old man, unet.ucated
and easily led by ais superiors. A. the
white masses Of the South have always
been he either obeyed the influence
NJ vsh In al Iii,
guides In all worldly matters. or else
he succumbed tn the furious force of
tina. reign of terror which had un
limited away in the upper counties and
made its mighty power felt no l.ss in
the breast Of the poor white man than
in the negro, both victims Of it's
crimes the one by seeking safety |
within the organization that gave il
birth, the other by bearing the infiict
tons Of the terrorizing bands. Here |
stood Jesse Tate, one of these poor |
dupes and around him sat lawyers Of
high standing at the bar Of South I
who were more guilty than
he. and but for whom he would never
have bowed his head IN shame before
that court, q confessed criminal; not
pnly this, but men Of most respectable
characters who headed the organiza.
ion IN its crimes, and gave 1t activity
md power, were at the very moment
his victim was awaiting his punish
nent, scattered over the country,
1sgatonds and outlaws evading the
wrath Of deeply outraged and Justly
indignant government, who vengeance
hey had eluded, and allowed il To fall
IN the head Of this their unfortunate
md deluded dupe. The hoasted "chi
,alry" of Carolina proves but "A thin
,ilt. which, scrached away, discovers
IN object of mems contempt
brave sons" prove themselves mean
owards. The sympathy Of all thos,
whose hearts go out with pity 10 the
Unfortunate rather than t. the erin
nal, was evidently with Tate; aud
lie was released on his own recosniz-
nee for $500 to appear at the next
erm of court.
Frederick H,rris. Spartanburg was
mother Of these victims, and, though .
more deeply engaged in crime, perhaps
ot more guilty than Tate. This
nan, in common with nearly all the
est, aud with the mass Of the people
h that section, could neither read nor
,rite, n rather severe commentary on :
he Democratic cry here against the
rec school system But A. knowledge
nd power so together so do ignorance
II! Democracy; effective power de-
ends upon knowledge for its strength,
nd spurious Democra y looks for is :.
trength to ignorance. Here Il part ~
ne con fes.ion If this man:
"The Kn Klux were whipping all I
round ard II was graat del '.iku4 7
bout among the people, am! the nH5
,ason ! had for joining them va {,
trough fear have been ia tao raids,
nd Ave were whipped IN ~; eap't ],
y but that helped whip five people {
keep myself from being whipped; I
now 7 war ordered to do 1t: we whip. !.
ID a coIosei man II med Humphreys; !,
e pulled him uat Ut 5ed AMI talked tc