The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1872-01-10
COLUMBIA. s. G.
"Wednesday Morning JanuarylOs 1879.

"Wednesday Morning. January lOs 1879.
a Review OF tho Recon. L. Kla. trial.
Judge Bonds Chaxgs.|
Before Judge Bond came here, or
when he first came. we sock the ground
that it was nos proper to PREJUDICE him.
Although his North Carolina career had
placed him in very unenYiable light
before many. of our people,, yetiit was,
nevertheless. proper to observe first his
conduct here before coming TO conolq-
sions adverse TO him in his high offloe as
Judge. Col. McMaster took the ground
that the juries we're packed sjuriss. All
the indications point to this usapositive
fact. Z. sssHs 70 Us that. e-sn, higher
ground may be taken. When we come
to Judge Bonds bias, as exhibited dur
ing the late trials, and to his antnus, as
exhibited in his pumping Of the wit
nesses and his reflections upon South
Carolina. we may say, further, that
Judge Bond himself vas substantially
packed. .As for Messrs. Corbin and
chamberlain and their co o-counoel. Major
Merrill, they were ALSO substantially
packed. And when we come, lastly, to
the witnesses from York. upon whose
testimony the Government rested, that
they were trained and packed, is also
evident to any observer who may have
watched the progress Of The trials. Thus
we hold that the whole affair was one.
sided, partial. packed concern, including
even one Of the Judges on the sbenoh.
The purpose was to make political mat
ter, ut all hazards. out of Ku Kluxism.
For this purpose, Judge Bond was sent
hither; for this purpose were Messrs.
Corbin and Chamberlain and Major Mer-
rill active and sympathetic. If the pro-
secution had legal rufiian, so had the
benoh ruffian Judge. F77-ss-
If this be treason. make the most of
it; but if it he reason, make the most of
it also. And to think OF. the Attorney
General pursuing York Ku Klux. when
he is himself worse than York Ku
Klux-a monetary Ku Klux--an official
Kluxing the finances and credit of the
State!
But let us now briefly review the Ku
Klux trinls and the charge OF Judge
Bond. What does the evidence show
when fairly construed? That there was
local organization is evident-that it
was for self-protection is evident
it resulted from Soott's arming of the
negro militia. and the general lawlessness
OF the Counties involved, is evident
that Lynch law was executed in some
cases, and that unjustifiable outrages
were also committed, is true. That all
thia wss wrong. however great the provo
cation, we have ever held. But admit
ting this, and regretting that any portion
of our people should ever have resorted
to secret societies as mode of redress
for their grievous wrongs, we yet fail to
discover any good reason for Judge
Bonds pumping OF the prisoners, and
for his Infamous, unfair charge with
which he wound up his career on the
Dencn In the recent trials.
We are told that Judge Bond was O
leading member of the Know Nothing
organization Of Baltimore. Did he
acquire his tiger-like thirst for Ku Klux
blood in that school when, in the Monu-
mental City, the foreigner had to under
go 80 severe trial? We are told that he
rose from the position of Police Ju dge
to the high Federal Judgeship he now
holds. Did he acquire in the police
court room the habit of wringing from
frightened prisoners the evidence upon
which to fasten charges, we'll or ILL.,
founded, upon absent persons? What
right, we ask, has Judge Bond to ques.
ton prisoners not under oath, and make
them submit to q sharp cross-examina-
ton from the bench with the view of
getting them to implicate "prominent
men" and ministers of the Gospel in the
up-country. It was noticeable that
"prominent men" and ministers of the
Gospel were the two classes that Messrs.
Bond and Corbin-twin ruffians-were
especially keen to get involved in the
meshes OF their Ku Klux net.
And here we pause moment to in
quire Of Messrs. Corbin and Merrill as
to the result OF their efforts to implicate
certain prominent Carolinians in the Ku
Klax matter. It will be remembered
that the Columbia Union was all the
time last summer just on the point Of
spripging a grand mine that was to blow
up certain eminent persons. Was it be-
cause it was thought that such men as
Hampton, or Kershaw, or Butler were
to be found at tho head of the Ku Klux