The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1872-01-27
4 TMILc tn Prisoners

Out of forty-eight ku-Klux prisoners who
pleaded guilty at the Bar OF the United States
Circuit Court at Columbia, South Carolina, there
acere forty:fve who could neither read nor writc-
These forty-eight were sentenced to confinement
in the penetentiary for terms varying from
eighteen months to two years each When call
ed upon by the court to say their say before SEN
tence was passed upon tbem a number of them
spoke. Melvin G. Blackwood stated that he could
not read or write, that be was told he must join
the Khan, that he did not know any better and
that be did not divulge their doings because he
knew it would not be safe. Mark Hammett said
he had been three raids, that he had to join or
take whipping, that be could not read or WRITE
that he was unable to get out OF their reach
Alexander Bridges said he was on three raids,
but did not take any part in the whppngs, that
he was afraid TO inform the authorities because
he was afraid lie would be killed if he divulged
anything, and that he could not get away be-
cause he could not take his family with him.
After the Court had listened for considerable
time to these statements Judge Bond addressed
the prisoners as iolloWS
You have pleaded guilty to indictments which
charge you with conspiring with other through
out this State to intimidate certain class voters by
means ofthreats, beating and even killing, because
that class of citizens were opposed to the consprators
in political opinion.
We acknowledge great perplexity in determining
what punishment shall be melted out to you. We have
no words strong enough to signify our horror at the
means employed to carry out the purpose of the Kans,
cur difficulty is personally to you.
You have as it appears from your statements to the
Court, been brought up in the most deporable ignO-
rance. At the age OF manhood but one two of you
either read write, and you have lived in
munty where the evidence to establish the fact
that the men ofprominence and education-those who
by their superiority in these respects establish and
control public opononwere for the most part partic
pants in the conspiracy, or so much in terror OF 1t
that you could obtain from them neither protection
advice had you sought it. III !
There is abundant proof of the nature and character
of the conspiracy Evidence of nightly raids by ban DIS
of disguised men, who broke into the houses
and dragged them from their beds-parents and chill
dren-and tieing them to trees, numerically beat
them, is exhibited in every Murder and rape
not unfrequent accompaniment, the story of which
is too indecent for public mention The persons upon
whom these atrocities committed are almost always
colored people Whatever excuse is given for raid
its conclusion always accompanied by rebuke for
the former exercise of the suffrage and warning to
the future exercise of the right to vote.
But what is quite appalling to the Court as the
horrible nature of these offences is the utter absence on
your part and the part of others who have made
here of any sense or feeling that you have done
in outrages which unexamped outside of the Indian
territory.
Some of your comrades recite the of
brutal, unprovoked murder, done by themselves with
as little apparent adherence they would relate the
incidents of picnic and yourselves speak of the
number of blows with hickory which You lnflcted al
midnight upon the lacerated bleeding back of defence
| less woman without so much blush sigh of re
greet None of you to have the slightest idea OF oil
respect for the sacredness of the human person. Some
of you have yourselves been beaten by the Kans with
out feeling smart but the physical pain There ap
pears to be wOunding of the spiri no such sense
injury yourself a would be felt by the hum
best of your felowctzens in any other part OF the
United States with which am acquainted
And then you tell that you differ from many othe
portions of the country in this, that has always beer
obligatory upon you and the class to which you belong
to look persons of wealth and education for command
and that you in your ignorance had to follow such per
| sons implicitly.
You say some of you "laid out" in the woods nigh
after night and have hidden yourselves in hckets t.
| escape these marauders None of you however, have
had the manlness to defend your resides from the as
saults of these lawess men. There has not been OF
your part SO far as the evidence shows assault
battery committed in defence of family and home ant
all that freemen hold dear.
It does not excuse you for participating in this
spracy and radng upon cO1oeG n
ing Others that you had notice if you did not join thu
| Klans would visit you.
You are bound to run the risk or seek of pro
lection, rather than do violence to your neighbor Tn
law and your fellow citizens look to you 10 make thi
threat of violence difficult of execution, by manly re
| sistance or an enforcement of the law You had m
right when you could escape to make the price of you
security the violation of your neighbours.
You and your conederates must make up your mind
either to resist the KuKluX conspiracy the laws
the United States. They cannot both exist together
and it only needs little manness and courage on tn
part of you ignorant dupes of designing men to Civ
supremacy the law. Be assured it will not be take
as in your case, or in any other, 10 near
said 81 slew this because the chief ordered it, an
was afraid and brushed and raped these others be
cause dreaded to be whipped i'll did not"
These are the words Of the United States Cour
to the ignorant tools Of the chivary OF the Sout
who are couiessing their infamous crineg in ope
court. These people are entitled to the sympa
thy of all fair minded citizens, not because of tn
punishment they are compelled to suffer- but be
cause they>were the silly dupes Of those TO whom
they looked for advice and projections. We op
regret that more of those who have dragged thes
fellows into difficulty by their threats aud persuO
sion could not be made 10 feel the hand of tn
law heavily upon them. Thesc are Me gaiH
ones Upon their shoulders the entire response
bility centres. Half the Zeal they have mani
tested in the cause of Ku-Kluxism exerled in tn
support of law and order would have blesse
the South with reign of peace and material pros
perity in all departments Of business.