The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-01-05

the rule of the court, anu JONI Watles III
favor of the respondents. A decision IS ex-
pected tomorrow.
NOTES AND DETAILS By MAIL.
The Confessiny Ku-Kiux-What they
had TO say about the Klan-Fatlure
to Connect Respectable Men with the
Oreanization-The Case OF Colonel
nlcMaster-A Manly Reply to the
Court-CorbinT Takes Time to Consider
TFRoM OUR SPECIAL REPORTER
COLUMBIA, s. c., January 3.
Asmge batch Of prisoners from Spartan
burg County were brought up to-day IN the
Ku.K!ux Court to plead guilty. There were
ten of them in all, mostly, from their appear
ance, belonging to the lowest classes Of socle-
ty, and all of them, by their own confessions,
unable 10 read and write. They were oil
questioned at considerable length by the
presiding Justice as to their reasons
for ioInire the Ku-Klux. their completely IN
fhe deeds of the Klan aud their knowledge as
TO whether or not their more Respectable
neirhbOrs knew, or were members. OF Gle OF
eanization. One poor old man, VINO sslo ne
had been frightened Into the order, nao never
-.
home diving of consumption, was merclfu!ly
allowed to 90 on his own recognizance ioG
five hundred dollars. The rest were re!t anoea
for sentence at some future day. Thelr stories
were all nearly alike. They all clalmea TO
have gone Into the klan tor tnelr own saie.y,
and Testified to several raids on which various
people. white and black, had been either
warned or whipped. In some OF the. cases,
the Judge inquired why these people had been
punished, and various offences aud acts OF
fawlessness were given as the reason.
One Of the persons had made trouoie
between man and wife," another had oeatea
another mans steer to death and thrown Il
into ditch, and others were accused OF steal
ing, disobeying their parents, whipping white
boys. &c, The prisoners were all asked
whether they had questioned their victims as 70
their politics, and warned them against Young
the Radical ticket, but none OF them remem-
bered any such conversations. One man testls
f1ed that he was, or had been, member OF
the Union League, and had learned more
about the Ku-Klux since he had been down
here In prison than he ever neatd before.
Most of them knew very little ABOUT tne
respectable people OF the county. One s
Young boy was asked to name over some or
the bast men In his neighborhood, and ne
gave the names of all the men OF any wealth
Or position that he could apparently remem.
ber. He was then asked II they were not the
.Ku-Klux, and replied that they were NOT, go
far as he knew or believed. One gentleman,
farmer named William McKen1a, the prls-
.oner said, had been visited by the Ku-Klux,
and might probably have been forced Into the
order If it had not been broken up at just
about that time. The court then recalled MI.
T. Phillips, one of the Spartanburg prisoners,
who pleaded guilty yesterday, ana eilolte9
from him the statement that he had heard
three men in Spartanburg Gounty-Gilbert
Surratt, Preston Goforth and Ross Ray-utter
some vague threats against witnesses for tue
government. They had said that their turns
(the witnesses) would come next. This was
last summer, while the Ku.Klux trials we're
going on at Raleigh, and referred to the Wit
nesses who had gone over to North Carohna
to testify. IU,was said at q public meeting at
Grassy Pond, where William Foster was
+makiEg a speech against the K1-Klux.
The case of Colonel McMaster. counsel for
DR.. Avery, was then taken up. 1t will be re-
membered that an order was Issued l. s,L, on
cause to-day why he should not be thrown
over the bar for contempt In refusing to give
certain Information regarding his client.
Colonel McMaster's answer was read by BIT.
Ficklin. The answer. after reciting the order
served on Colonel McMaster, declared taat
asked him was, s'Where is your cuent!" to
which he answered, II hope the court will e1-
cuse me from answering that question" The
question was repeated and the same reply
again given. he was not aware that he was
asked whether he had had any communication
with htsclIent previous TO his departure. Ell ne
the court, and declared that as an attorney In
the &scharge of his duty he had never for
gotten the respect due to the court. he
claimed, however, that there were also some
rights that belonged to the bar, and that there
was no requirement. on his part to answer the
question propounded. : If he had known any
thing az to the whereabouts of his client 1t
could only have been from his clients own
statement, and If he had received such COM
munication from bis client 1t would be breach
of professional confidence for him to have dis.
closed it. he was in no sense the custodian OF
his client, who had not been admitted to ball
at his request, or as q favor to him, but as an
act of justice to the prisoner himself, and after
an examination by the court OF the recogni-
Zances.
MI. Fickia, in submitting this answer.
eulogize6 Colonel McMaster as gentleman OF
honor, integrity and virtue; one who had the
confidence, esteem, respect, and. he might
Say, love Of all who knew him. He was In
capable OF knowingly committing any act that
would be improper for gentleman OF honor
and member of the bar Of South Carolina.
ColoRel McMaster had been startled at the
magnitude of the charge and of the proposed
cause why he should not be degraded, dis
graced and rendered Infamous for all time, as
Tar as the Judgment Of that court could do ir.
Mr.. Ficklip continued with carefully con-
sidered argument Of come length, In support
of his clients answer, and cited large mum.
ber of authorities to sustain his position.
At the co lclusion of Mr.. Flcklin's argument
the district-attorney stated that, owing to the
pressure of his other duties, he had not been
able to give his attention to the rule against
Colonel McMaster, and, therefore, desired to
be allowed until tomorrow morning to pre-
III, uh N,,rphf
that She refusal OF Colonel McMaster to an
swer was q proof of his completely in the
flight of DR.. Avery, and that he had made
himself amenable, by thus assisting to ebstruct
the administration of justice, to the fullest
penalty that the court could inhlct.
The request Of the dlstrict-attorney was
granted, and the court adjourned until to-
morrow. PICKET.
AN0THER SHOCKING OUTRAGE.
RICHMOND, January 4.
nepro in Prince Edwards County took by