The Fairfield herald. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1849-1876, 1872-08-21

CIR L haTo the honor to acknowl.
edge the receipt Of a communication
from your Department, under date of
second instant, enclosing q copy of q
letter from Gcrritt Smith, Esq, ad-
dressed to the President in relation to
those convicts in the Albany Pcniten.
tiary, who wcre convicted of viola-
tions of the enforcement acts, and
requesting me to 60 to Albany, and
make thorough investigation into
the condition of these prisoners, and
report 10 the department my views Us
to the expedicncy of exercising cx-
ecutivc elem ,ncy in regard to any of
them.
In accordance with your request
proceeded to Albany on the 7th inst,
for the purpose of fulfilling the duty
assigned me. as a means of conduct
ing my inquiries in q manner best
adapted to arrive at all the facts in
the case, and also to lead the prison
ers to express themselves as frcelcy as
| possible, [ deemed it best to sec each
of the parties separated y without any
knowledge upon their part as to my
official character or the object of my
visit.
In this received the fullest aid of
Mr.. Louis d. Pillsbury, head keeper
of the peniteutiary, who brought each
prisoner in separately, with the SIM
pic remark to each, that this gentle
man desires to talk with you. The
prisoners were mainly frank and COM
municative. Some of them are very
poor, and uncarncd, and have left
large families behind them, and while
acknowledging that they were mem
bers of the various orders of the or
gan!zation known under tho general
head of Ku Klux Klan, aud that they
had been justly sentenced as such,
plead on oxtcnuation that they had
joined the order without full know
ledge of its aims and objects, and
had been melted to deeds Of violence
| by their leaders. who had managed to
escape from the country, leaving them
to bear the responsibility aud the
punishment of their misdeeds. A
humber Of them stated that they had
been compelled to join the order to
save themselves and families from
visitatious of the Klan; others had
entered its ranks under the supposi
tiou that it was a society organized
for mutual protection, but leaned
subsequently that it's real designs were
the eXtcrmination Of the negro race
and the driving ont of such of the
whites as we're in favor OF tho political
equality and social elevation Of the
blacks. These scvcrally expressed
the Ecartirst contrtion of their mis-.
deeds, and stated that the organiza.
tion was one inimical to the best in
tercsts of society, aud that the gov.
ernmcut was fully justified in break
ing it up. In further cxtenuution of
having been members of the order,
they stated that the operations of the
Ku Klux Klan were wide spread, EN-.
braciDg within it's folds NEIL Of supe-
rior intelligence whom they had been
accus. omed to look to for advice and
counsel, and whom they did not sup.
pose would lead them into any oombi.
n atoms that contemplated personal
violence and even murder, if these
were necessary for the accomplish
ment of its ends. They were told
that it was a good institution to put
down mcanneSs in the country, and
they accepted tho statement implicit-
ly. Upwards Of forty examinations
were made in the manner above
indicated, neither prisoner knowing
that any one but himself had been
called out, and none Of them being
aware as before observed of my off.
cial position or the object of my visit.
There was a singular unanimity in
their statements and general express
sion of regret that they should have
been drawn into any organization diff.
fcriug so entirely in the object which
they supposed it had in view when
they joined it. In reply to the gen.
eral question, What were the objects
Of the organization tho answer was
almost invariably, When we joined
the order, We supposed it to be q
society established for mutual protec-
ton, but after having been fully mi.
tiatcd discovered it to be for a politi-
cal purpose, which purpose was Elm,
braccd in an oath, in which we swore
to oppose tho Radical party in all its
forms and prevent negroes from vot.
ing. 1t was this great diSccption that
mislcd us and ~hich has brought us
into our present condition. The con.
triton manifested by many of these
persons, tho hearty abhorance ex.
, pressed by them for tho acts into the
commission Of which they claim they
were betrayed by unscrupulous and
designing men of moro enlightened
minds, their general want of intelli
. gence and their extreme poverty al
appeal strongly for mercy. My views
as to the cxpediency of restoring any
) of them to society through the cxer
else Of Executive clemonoy are clear,
ly in favor of such course with some
| portiop nf than oo1 I bnl;oya Il mo