The tri-weekly news. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1865-1876, 1872-08-17
The Ku Klux Prisoners ut Albany.

The Ku KluY Prisoners at Albany.
Col. Whitley, chief of the detective
force, has addressed the following let.
ter to Attorney General Williams:
New York, August 8, 1872.
SIR I have the honor to acknowl.
edge the receipt of communication
from your Department, under date of
second instant, enclosing copy of q
letter from Gerritt Smith, Esq, ad-
dressed to the President in relation to
those convicts in the Albany Peniten.
tiary, who were convicted Of v;-'a-
tions of the enforcement ac
requesting me to 60 to Alban and
make thorough Investigate %
the condition of these prisono. ID
report to the department my Viz IS as
to the expediency of exercising OK
ecutive clemency in regard to any of
them.
In accordance with your request |
proceeded to Albany on the 7th inst. =,
for the purpose of fulfilling the duty
assigned me. AS means of condu uct-
ing my inquiries in manner best
adapted to arrive at all the facts in
the case, and also to lead the prison
ers to express themselves as freclcy as
possible, l deemed it best to sec each
of the parties separately without any
knowledge upon their part rs to my
official character or the object of my
visit.
In this I received the fullest aid of
Mr.. Louis d. Pillsbury, head keeper
of the peniteutiary, who brought each
prisoner in separately, with the sim :
pie remark to each, that this gentle
man desires to talk with you. The
prisoners we're mainly frank aud com
municative. Some of them are very
poor, and unlearned, and have left
large families behind them, and while
acknowledging that they were mem-
bers of the various orders of the or
ganization known under the general
head of Ku Klux Klap, and that they
bad been justly sentenced as such,
plead an extenuaLion that they had
joined the order without full know
ledge of it's aims and objects, and
had been melted to deeds of violence
by their leaders. who had managed to
escape from the country, leaving them
to bear the responsibility aud the
punishment of their misdceds. a
number of them stated that they had
been compelled to Join the order to
save themselves and families from
visitations of the Klan; others had
entered its ranks under the supposi
tion that it was society organized
for mutual protection, but leaned
subsequently that its real designs were
the determination Of the negro race
and the driving out of such of the
whites as were in favor OF the political
equality and social elevation of the
blacks. These severally expressed
the heartiest contrition of their mis-.
deeds, and stated that the organiza.
tion was one ininical to the best in
terests Of society, and that the gov.
eminent was fully justified in break
ing up. In further extenuation of
having been memb bers of the order,
they stated that the operations Of che
hu klux Klan were wide spread, en-
bracing within its folds men of sup G.
rior intelligence whom they had been
accustomed to look to for advice and
counsel, and whom they did not sup
pose would lead them into any combi-
nations that contemplated personal
violence and even murder, if these
were necessary for the accom- pllsh
ment of its ends. They were told
that it was a good institution to put
down meanness in the country, and
they accepted the statement implicit-
iy. Upwards of forty examinations
were made in the manner above
indicated, neither prisoner knowing
that any one but himself had been
called out, and none of them being
aware as before observed of my off.
clal position or the object of my visit.
There was singular unanimity in
their statements and general express
sion of regret that they should have
been drawn into any organization diff
fering so entirely in the object which
they supposed it had in view when
they ioined IT, Tn renlv to tho oan