New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1872-08-22
NORTH CAROLINA KU-KLUX.
ORIGIN AND HISTORY OF THE ORDER.

ADMINISTRATION MIsREPREsENTATI0NS-ORI
NAL CHARACTER OF THE KU-KLUx-BxTBN-
UATING CIRCUMSTANCES OF IT'S 0UTRAGBs-
GRANT MEN ENCOURAGING THE NEGROES TO
vIOLBNCR-NO KU-KLUX NOW IN THE
STATE
lPROM TIIB SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT OP THE TRiBUNRl
WILMINGTON, N. c., Aug. H.-Gen. Grants
Administration. moved by desire TO mako political cap
ita is doing the State OF North Carolina great mate
rial injury by its repeated and persistent msrepresena
Of the spirit and character Of her people Correspond
Of Grant newspapers and editors of Administration
organs apparently striving to convince the Northern
people that the Conservative party which includes
almost the entire white population of the STATE are Ku
Klux and secessionists who welcome Northern immi-
grants with stripes and the knife OF the assassin ana
their families with social ostracism ana persona
contempt / say that Is Tor poh'ch
reasons that those utterly false and malignant mis-
are published for soon as the rea'
character and disposition of these people become known
and the men who have control OF the negro vote In
this and other States and drought 1t govern large por
tons OF the South will lose the countenanoo and sup
port Of every honest Northern man, mo matter 70 WHAT
marty he belongs 1 know Of only three things winch
can now stand in tho way Of the material prosperity Oh
this state-the KuKluK, bad State Government,
and the decentralization OF labor The late election
believe has given to the country the ASSURANCE Vi non
esty and economy IN tho future management OF otaee
ars The enormous bonded debt OF tho State, created
by the wholesale stealing Of the last Administration
State Government, will never DO paid In iun Dus Sumo
compromise will made with the holders Oh the oonuS'
and no party will in the future dare 10 repeat ""a'
done by the Legislature OF 1869 and TO- SO no immigrant
need any fear of being taxed out Oh Ills
IL he settles In North Carolina.
END OF THE KU-KLUx-oRIGN AND HISTORY OF TIE
ORDER.
The KuKlux is dead and buried deep that even Ad
mnstration conurng cannot raise It's ghos Az an ace
Of simple Justice to the people Of this state wish
ooud reach every honest in the North regardless
NJ narty affiliations and tell him what know about the
Ku-Kux in North Carolina This very Summer, stran-
cars arriving I'm Raleigh have seriously inquired OF cl
zeps there whether It would DO safe to travel through
certain western and middle counties. Safer why there
never has been time even when the huhlu1 eAcile-
rnent was at its hight, that stranger could not go
from Curruek to Cherokee with less danger OF mOes
tation than he would encounter in going from the Bat
terry 70 Harlem River The KuKlux was not indigenous
to North Carolina and with few exceptions prevailed
here only in its ilder FORMS When 1t took tho law into
its own hands did originally only for the mutual
protection Of life and property. Bad men took adVan
tage of its existence, and ts name committed many
outrages do not believe that Its founders IN thS
State ever intended to be used as an engine TO perse
cue men for political OPINION During my stay in forth
Carolina I have visited nearly every county
where KuKlux outrages were ever reported have
met and talked coufdenally but freely with some OF
the men who composed the order; have learned the
particulars Of murders and whippings from persons
living near where the deeds were committed. and De-
leye that know something OF the rise OF the huhlux
something of the character OF It's members, and some
thing Of it's general objects The KuKlux assumed the
character OF vigilance committee only in three sec
tons of the State Elsewhere, IL 1t existed at all, Its
lodges were simply political clubs formed for the pur
nose OF uniting the Conservative voters and bringing
their full strength to the polls, societies for mu
tual protection In OF general uprising OF the ne
groes In Sampson County. and In Alamance and CAS-
well counties, in Judge Tourgees district and In CeVe-
land and Rutherford counties in Judge Logans district
IL became aggressive and did In many instances, take
the law into Its hands. The rise of the KuKux In
Sampson County so far as have been able to learn,
was due 10 local causes and to the peculiar character or
the people The outrages there committed during
1870 and consisted Of whippings and the murder Oh
one or two negroes That they were not po-
ltcal in their character Ia apparent lroh an
examination OF vote OF the County In the several
elections since 1861 of that not being far
te Of tho srengh parties In each or the last threo
elections the Conservatives have carried tho county ny
from 100 to $50 votes Now, desperate set OF men
resort TO force the votes OF negroes anu "o
Republicans they did not have control OF county OF
were in danger Of being beaten, but never IN county
like Sampson where they had majority which they
had no danger Of losing and must look further for
CAUSES OF KU-KLUx oUIRAGEs.
An examination OF any good map OF North Carolina
will show that Sampson County has not only been
avoided by the railroads. but unlike the adjoining coun
ties OF Bladen and Cumberland. has no naygabe river
running through it, 1t s therefore, of the remote
counties OF the State though surrounded by others
which are easily accessible. The character OF its popu
aton Ia different from that OF surrounding coun-
ties. Cumberland originally settled by scotchmen
who were joined during the present century, By NUN
Der Of Yankees from Connecticut. These people have
always had high appreciation OF what Is called a
liberal education and almost every family with any
pretensons TO responsibility has sent more sons
TO college, though the stctest economy had 20 be
practiced home in order to pay for it. The people Of
Cumberland County, before the construction OF
railroads came constantly into contact with people
from other parts Of the State and from other States
Fayetteville being at the head Of navigation, nearly all
the produce Of the western counties sold there
shipped to Wilmington. While these circumstances
have therefore, made tho surrounding people very
egent and progressive the majority of the inhabitants
OF Sampson have remained in comparative
ignorance, and have been distinguished for
their strong preudices. These preudices have
rather been excited than soothed since
the by the OF the Federal Government The
sending OF coored troops among such people very
unwse, although the prudence Of the officers who
manded them prevented much OF the trouble that would
otherwise have occurred The conduct Of the Internal
Revenue officers also tended to exasperate
the people. Tho men they have employed
to assist them deputy marshals, &c, have often
been fellows of character and their treatment Of
respectable citizens has In many instances have
doubt been outrageous. None OF these things jus tify
any set of men in taking the law into their own hands
and whipping negro who might be guilty Of any crime,
but their existence carefulyiconcealed in all Admins
tration reports shows that to extent those who
part in the ourages did not de from simple innate
depravy thirst for blood desire to abuse the
Many of the whippings were inflicted without
any preconcerted plan set OF drunken fellows, going
home from cornhusking or some other frolic, filed