Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1872-01-10
STARTLING DISCLOSURES.
who Compose the south Carolina Ku-
klNN.


kluN.
A correspondent of the Cincinnati COM
naercidl, whose signatures (B. P.) lead us
TO suppose him to be Ben Pitman, the fa-
nous stenographer, gives us a resume of
the evidence taken in the trials at Column
bia, which we give for the benefit of those
doubling souls who do not believe in such
an organization as the Kuklux. Mr.. Pit
mans position will give to his statements
the greatest weight. He says:
The trial Just concluded in the United
States Circuit Court before Hon. s. III.
Bond, presiding, and Hon. G. s. Bryan,
Associate Judge, has been, in many of its
aspects, very remarkable one.
The accused, DIR. Thomas Il. Whitesides
and Captain John w. Mitchell, are men of
education and good social standing. DIR.
Whitesides is respectable physician. Mr..
Mitchell, n Captain in the Confederate
service, is a man of good social position.
His counsel frankly admitted he was a
member of the Kuklux Khan. Many vi. .
nesses, themselves members of the order.
declared him to be the Chief of the Nit
chell Khan.
1t was not shown in the trial that eitherof
the accused participated in raids at which
the more shocking atrocities were COM
mitted, but that they reided to prevent
and"influencedo their victims, by severe
whippings, was .sworn to by members of
the Khan as well as by the victims them
selves
The written constitution and bylaws of
the kukluX khan, sometimes known as the
Invisible Empire of the South" avows
its purpose to be ITO oppose the principles
of the Radical party" 1t requires each of
its members to provide himself with "a
pistol, a kukluX gown and signal instru-
ment,n Ga whistle). 1t avows its purpose
to preserve the Constitution of our fore
fathers in its purity" that is ignoring the
Thirteenth, Fourteenth and Fifteenth
Amendments, and it further declares that
any member "divulging the secrets of the
organization shall suffer death.n
Many witnesses have declared they
were induced to join the order believing
its aim to be, simply, for mutual protec-
ton, but finding it to be political organ
ization, they abandoned it. Others Joined
it with the understanding that its object
was to put down Radicalism, which they
further understood was to be effected by
whipping negro Radicals and killiRg
white ones.
a marked feature of the trial was the
number and terribly convincing testimony
OF confessed members of the kukluX or
der. Many of the details of raids made by
the khan, with which the accused are
charged with being connected, are perhaps
more shocking and reUoHing than ever be-
fore s0ere given from the sOitneas stand. /
have hesitated whether the particulars
should be exposed to still greater publicity,
and i am, at the present writing, con-
WINGED that a knowledge of these facts
will aid in the formation of an intelligent
public opinion respecting this politico-
social sore that has afflicted the State.
A remarkable bit of testimony that first
came out on this trial, was that the females
of a certain household, married and sim
gle, assisted in making the horrible dis
guises in which these kuklux were clad
on their midnight raids. 1t was their GUS
tom to disguise their voices as well as to
conceal their persons, and a favorite trick
of these masked and long-honed Williams,
was to scare their too credulous victims
by declaring that they were Confederates
that were killed at Manassas. "Don't
kill me, gentlemen" said one beseeching
victim. Don't call us gentlemen ; we
are just from hell, and have to hurry back
to breakfas