Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-03-02
HOW KU-KLUx OUTRAGEs ARE
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HOW KU-KLUx OUTRAGEs ARE
MANUFACTURED.
The Tennessee Tribune, the Radical organ
in this city, publishes the following bit Of
romance:
'sMr. L. j. Collins, an old and well known
citizen of White county, arrived in this
city last week, having been driven from his
home by disguised men. Mr.. Collins Is q
fair type of the substantial, wellto-do farmer
of Tennessee, to the manor born; aged
sixty-fve years, with large family, owning
good property within two miles OF Sparta,
the county site, which property was made
the home of his old days by long life OF
honest toll. On the night of the 18th of last
month the door of his dwelling was broken
open, and ten disguised villains rushed
upon and dragged him from his bed into
the yard, beating him over the head with
their pistols and calling him id old
Radical. and ordering him to leave home
in ten DAYS or they would return and
kill him, thus driving him from his family
ami forcing him TO take refuge in another
locality. While in our Office telling this
heart-rending story, the manly form Of this
rugged old man quivered, while great tears
rolled down his cheeks, that would have
excited the sympathy of a stone. The
scars and cuts upon his head were painful
evidences Of the dastardly outrage. This
is not the only instance of the outrage Of
peaceable citizens by the disguised 'chiValry'
Of White county. We have the names Of
eleven white men, one white woman, and
Of seventeen colored men and one colored
woman, making in all thirty men and
women, who have been whipped and other
wise outraged in White county, and we
have no doubt the list will soon be increased
to one hundred"
There would be no objection to this style
of literature if it were not calculated to in
lure law-abiding citizens in communities
where they are not known, and where the
facts upon which such sensations are based
may never reach. The Sparta Tribune
states that Mr.. Collins was whipped on the
night of the 18th of January, but he told
many citizens of White county that three
or four, possibly five men constituted the
band who whipped him. 1t is not known
who these men were, but the Sparta paper
SAYS it is the opinion of both Northern
and Southern men that they were per-
sons who had been co-habiting with lewd
daughters of Mr.. Collins; that these
daughters had been acting badly for
some time, and that there was incontesti-
bic evidence of their want of virtEe. The
''father had threatened to drive them from
the house and kill the men if they persis-
ted in receiving them," and it is the i'm
preston these men 'tresolved that be should
quit the rancho and that the girls should
remain" Our Sparta contemporary 'EsOl-
EMMY believes this is the only reason why
Mr.. Collins was driven from home;" audit
adds: "The act of the disguised men was
denounced by all we have heard express an
opinion on the subject" The Sparta
Tribune says:
Gas to Mr.. Collins being "a fair type of
the substantial farmer Of Tennessee may
Heaven forbid He does not own one foot
of ground in Tennessee, and all his earthly
possessions are not worth S500-to which
statement we will make oath. As to his
large family we should think that, under
the circumstances, the fact Of being large
would be such source of regret to him that
he'd shed tears enough to excite the sym
patty of two or three stones, and more es-
pecially as it is owing to that fact that he
is now refugee from home"
As to the latter portion of our Radical
contemporaries romance, the Sparta paper
states that it has ''heard of one white man
. being whipped not long since by party of
neighbors because he went to a private
house where there was a social gathering
and tried to frighten the inmates by appear
ing with a mask on. He was pursued,
overtaken and 1chipped for being a Ku-
KluIl' 1t denounces as untrue the story
that eleven or even three white men have
been in any manner outraged by the
Ku-Klux in White county. It says
no citizen of Sparta has ever
heard of either a white or black wo-
man being whipped in the county. The
Editor heard Of the whipping of one negro
man, but he was thief.
As to the character of the people of
N9ite county, the Sparta paper publishes a
statement from a number of Northern
men-Republican and Democrats, honest
laboring men-and it defies any man to
gainsay what they have subscribed their
names to, as follows:
ave, the undersigned citizens of White
county, born and raised in the North,
hereby testify to the following facts, name
ly:
''That we firmly believe there is no or
gauizalion in the county Of White. State Of
Tennessee, known as a Ku-Klux Klan.
'sThat we believe the life and property
of any man, be be from the North or a ma
tive Southerner, Republican OF Democrat,
is as safe here as in any State or county in
the United States.
"That we have been residents of this
county for periods ranging from three years
to three months, and that during the whole
time we have heard of no one being whipped
or in any way outraged because he was
from the North or because he was Repub-
ican.
THAT we have been well treated since
coming here, and that there is no distinction
made in social or business relations between
Northern and Southern men.
"That we have no hesitancy in inviting
Northern men to come here and settle, and
that all such may rest assured that their
life, property and rights are as safe here as
anywhere in the Union.
'eTo all of which we solemnly depose.
r. F. Dunning G. d. EmOHds,
V. B. jerks, Daniel Myers,
c. II. Vermiyea, A. Z. Tulloch,
w. A. Woodland, CD. Tulloch,
A. w. Mcintyre, o. d. Fish,
I. II. Stevens, Ed. Borcherdt,
Robt. L. Bronson, J. W. Sawyer,
John Shelito, Jr., VIM. Chandler.
That is a settler.