Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1872-09-13
NORTH CAROLINA.
A SEARCH FOR 'KU-KLUX.

CLINTON, Sampson Co., n. c., Aug: "a.
.ssGoing to Sampson county? Wen,
.ood-by, old fellow, if l don't see you
again. There's heap O rough fellows
Town there-regular Ku-Klux, you know
ust as soon shoot a Niger as eat their dim
ner. Soldiers have to be sent there every |
month or two to keep 'em straight, or to |
help the United States Marshals make |
arrests. Reckon there's none down there |
now, but a right smart O. fellows have |
been caught and put under bond" This
from Nepo-Republican friend as l stood
on the hotel stoop at Raleigh two days ago,
waiting for the railroad stage. "4 Oh
won't see any children about,,' he shouted,
as the stage drove away "tiS MT time to
look 'em up for the winter yet. GU
know the people put bells to their young
uns' necks in the Spring, down there, and
turn 'em in the huckleberry swamps, where
they browse about till frost comes"
THE UNEMPLOYED REGIONS OF THE STATE.
It is a fact that the people Of the sur
rounding counties know less o. what is 60
ing on i'll Sampson than in a most any
other county in the State. 1t has but one
town (Clinton), a collection OF frame stores
grouped about the Courthouse square,
and surrounded by the dwellings of be-
tween 600 and 700 people, white and black,
no newspaper, no public means of convey
ance to connect it with the rest Of the
world, and but semi-weekly mail. The
soil of the county is light and sandy, like
that of the entire eastern portion OF this
State, and, where it has not been worn out,
or where abundant fertilizers are used, pro-
duces good crops of cotton, corn, sweet pOta-
toes, &c. Turpentine, once prOducedin con-
siderable quantities in Sampson, is now
crop of comparatively little Importance,
most of the trees having either been cut
down or worked out. The county is pretty
thickly and evenly settled, and farm-houses
are found at regular intervals along the
creeks and public roads, with small tracts
of timber land generally separating the
plantations. There are two ways OF reach
ing Clinton-by private conveyance from
Warsaw, small station Oh the Whining
ton and Weldon Railroad, IL miles, or,
from Fayetteville, SO miles distant. L
chose the former and landed at Warsaw at
o'clock i'll the afternoon. On inquiring
at the pCs~9fiice for a conveyance, l was
informed that the g mail hack " stood al
the door, and that perhaps | could go in
that. On approaching the driver lie looked
curiously at his team which cons listed OF a
very diminutive horse, still further dwarfed
by ill feeding or 10 feeding at all, and re-
piled that he could laying great stress on
the word, as he seemed to notice the i'll
credulous expression OF my face but that
he didn't like to- it was aGin the rules
he reckoncd. After giving the matter fur
ther and apparently very earnest consider
alton, he told me to take the back scat Of
the g hack" which "aS an ordinary OPEN
rOad-wag0n, and after great eNcrtlous
walked up his team, and we were Oh the
road.
I he four hours journey was almost de
void of interest, and l should not have
mentioned it at all did not the difficulty Of
reaching Sampson County, OF Of getting
news from here, explain some of the alb
surd reports about the state of society,
which have gained currency in this State
even within a hundred miles of Clinton.
My companion was a man whom you
would much more expect to find in one of
the backWOOdS counties Of Maine than in
North Carolina. He was ABOUT 30 Years
of age, clad i'll coarse, WeathGr-beaten
garG-an ignorant man, with few ideas,
except determination to make money and
become rich. lie is thrifty farmer, goes
into his cotton field himself ut the head of
his gang Of negroes, ant makes it a con
ditiOn of their remaining with him that
they keep their rows up with his. If this
was the prevalent fashion among Southern
planters, there would be less complaint
about ''lazy niggers," and crops at least 30
per cent. better than under the present
system management. lie knew nothing
and seemed to care very little about the
ku-kluX in the county. He had heard
that ''right smart of men had been taken
to Raleigh, but "reckoned' they were all
back. He had seen some soldiers
! down here a week ago, but didn't know
what they We're here for. In my journeys
through some Of the counties adjoining
Sampson, l; heard some very strange stO-
ries from persons of both political parties.
| The Nepo-Republicans-t call them
Radicals in this State and they don't apply
| that name to men who have been Repub-
licans from principle, but only the carpet
baggers and scalaWags who have Joined
the party for its loaves and fshes-the
| Radicals told me terrible tales about the
! Ku-klux and the murders and whippings
| it had been guilty of, and the COnserva-
| tiveS assured me that the Administration
| had Systematically inundated hundreds OF
| men by threatening prosecution under the
Ku-KluX act. The object Of my visit was
| to ascertain the exact truth in regard tC
! both of these matters.
FRIGHTENING LIBERAL VOTERS FROM
| THE POLLS.
l have been successful in obtaining the
most positive proof that the Administration
! attempted to brighten men away from the
| polls in this county at the the last election.
| Previous to July about 100 citizens OF
Sampson had been arrested for g conSpira-
cy," taken to Raleigh, and placed under
bonds to appear for trial. In no case had
an arrest been resisted. About ten days
before the late election, Henry NJ. Miller, a
Deputy United States Marshal from
| Po1oioh I'M he I, IL,
| United States soldiers under command of
a sergeant. The soldiers were stationed at
| Clinton, but Miller went into the upper
part Of the county where the Conservative
candidates were cauvassing, and attended
! their meetings. lie had with him paper
containing the names Of about 40 citizens
of Sampson county, for the arrest Of whom
he said, he had warrants. These names
he caused to be read at the several pre-
cincts, and requested the persons named
to come and give bonds. He did not at
tempt, so far as l can learn, 10 make a
single arrest, but disappeared with his SOL
diers about three days before the election.
OF course he said nothing to anybody
about voting, but the logic Of his action
was perfectly plain. He published the fact
that he had warrants for certain persons,
and nobody knew how many more he re-
tanned. The news Of his departure, he
was we'll aware, could reach but very few
persons before election day, and nobody
felt sure but that, if he went to the polls,
Miller or one of his agents would be there
to seize him and take him off to Raleigh.
don't think many voters were kept from
the polls, but this was Miller's evident in
tention. TO show how he came by these
warrants some explanation is necessa ry.
Clinton is about II miles from the eastern
boundary of the county and about 25 miles
from South River, small creek which
separates it from Cumberland county on