New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1872-01-10

v D'i Az " NAADNhL VI I'M iAl"Ni"
COLUMBIA, :. c., Jan. 6.-Thc trials Of the
hu-Klux were yesterday brought to close in the
United States Circuit Court Judge Bond. being required
to hold his regular term Monday ucxt in Baltimore,
was compelled 10 discharge the iurie5 and
on Friday morning that further cases would be taken
up Tor trial large number Of prisoner from Spartan
burg County principally were thereupou brought into
Court and their pleas Of guilty recorded Fifteen whte
pleaded guilty to the charge Of parcipaton m the
KuKux conspiracy, and these together with those vim
had previously pleaded guilty, now brought no
fore the Court to receive their sentences.
JUDGE BONDS CHARGE TO THE PRISONERS
Judge Bond thereupon addressed the following re-
marks to the prisoners;
You have pleaded guilty TO an indictment which wheel,
charges Won Wit pirng with othti men throHEh1u
ms Stafc to iutuidate y certain class Of voters by
OF threats, beading anG even K.iL' Oe ',
iitical opinion. We acknowledged great pcTPrkHy u
We have no words s;roag enough to signify our horror
M the means employed to carr out the purpose OF INC
KIaus our difficulty is personal to you. You
court, been brought up IN the most dcplodbc lghO.-
ancc tjhe age OF manLood but two Of you can
,bnr rrad or Write and Won nave lived in a community
where the evidence seems establish the fact that the
men az premr nee and cducatOr-jhosc who By their
0ry IN these respect, establish and control public
si or 20 nmch in terror o, il that You could obtain
from them neither protection nor ADVICE Lin you
T.r. IS abundant proofof the nature and character
Of Gli.cd leI WHO broke into the houses Of negroes
and DRAGGED them from their bods-parents and chill
mi VIM thcn II trecs numerically beat them.
is cxHibitnd la every ease. Nblt'i ana rape are
nor Tufr-Guort Accomplishments the story OF which Is
too Indecent for puulic mention. The persons upon
whom these atrocities are committed d4t 'hOat HiW"J'
colorcd people Whatever excuse is gwen for raid
jfs conclusion was almost always accompanied ~ q
lrb,r Tor the tOr.I0r exercise or the Suffrage ana
warning az to the future exercise OF the right 20 vote
But what is q,, as appalling to The Cot as tho hoIr-
bic nature OF these tL.n-t5 Is tue UJ.tF absence On
vow, Iaf and o, the uart oil others VINO have made con-
4--f..r Irq of
done anything very wrouc in Your confessed par
ticipatiou in out.aecs which uneXampcd out-
sidc OF the Indian territory. some of your com
rades rcclJe ne circumstances OF oTdt.!'
lite apparent abhorrsnce they would relate the IN
Of Rsf ana ySS yo%T Which 5o 1 at
upon the acerlted bleeding back OF defense
Move Of You seem to nave slightest respect
The sacredness Of the human person some OF you
of The .I'.rt: no .urh sense of injury 10
go LII ,,hich { am acuuliut,d
The ,fI,n uron whom such outrgcs we're per
Pr'rI'' ,f" - fJi6yy Inc w.oa--i5.r 10 the end OF
tie world 10 make him atone for H. fOd make cAc'Nt
for tbs In Your statement TO the Court hat you are very
ignorant; that the kans would nave D ,,n gu i
oven IN rI you had you refused TO ION them in ,I.r
crif,es some ID. you particularly before me nave
actually suffered for your refusal De'orS YOU ran
,, 20 ,.,.Iz e some feature, OF humanity in YOU
has considered these rtN which yyn pSU as Sled
Tor q long time, and where the NmpPln5-po'' "'' ~
~ ' sc borks aeelacd was no unusual occurrence
Til. scene often viewed, with its nOVel, Io0t 10
M eject. And wien II came to DE % ] man ~
TO secure immunity from outrage u u uU or al 80
to lose lis sacred caldet% III NIL a. iebor II
must p from TINS that your ltlcr nor a. ~
W., when ainon- frecmeu would stir IeVer III the
, ,riec. And then YOU tell us that you d!ltI
from many Other portions or the country "a -, ' - tr
has always been obligatory upon YOU ana tle Gss 10
witch yOu bc0u. TO look to persons OF "'i'h ana ci
cation for command, and that YOU III your ISAoI1Ac''
mad 10 follow ouch persons iulphcltl.
~ ,r anD.tr string" to you fellow 0untrTmen VINO
read vour story and that Of Your eonedeIatr' however
wiling they may he 10 believe you li'' 50 i'tS = p'
lion of the young white men oil your county can uc IN
such state Of affect slavery to the men o, PlPtF.
nhOYC th'm o. to bo WHINE 10 commit 80, 80 -,
commaud In no case has there been any resistance 10
these midnight raiders except on tne p1tI o. tne
people You say some OF you "lu ~, ~. i ;i,fs
night after night and have hidden yourselves III Jn'S
to escape these marauders None oil yo, nav
hai the mauncss To defend OH Ia So l h,, m,
sagitS OF ts9S W ne iTicnc shoHS an assault and
battery committed in defense OF Iamhy auu nome anu
all tina; fIecmcn hold dear. g.. -. :, ..,
Admitting all YOU have said to the court 70 Dc uue'
while the story OF your condition anu o' So' , p
ton these outrages through lear Is PAM u
some degree your ofcnse but they cannot JUSTIFY You
Tho uuuichmeut the Court awards you Is phIlB III
ncted that YOU may learn that no amount oil tlea, Va
fear Of punishment VIII JUSTIFY ulIn III ,iJ ~ H.
Violence to another, unless the danger thleate u.
WRONG imminent OF actually present AT .le ,I
of his WrOEgdulnS, ana even TIC tHv U'uso t,gr
urrs"n great bodily harm. ana OF ucilh l'Hcli' ~"
SOL criminal tuuuutt toult'N'A NN"''' ''
titled II does not excuse you 80 "a, 80, n.oi,
conspiracy and ralding upon nOfenSlNe cooiiu PyoP
dragging them from nyr be"S beating 5oTc t 'i ; nv,
ing others that you had notice II you dlu Lo' Jo" ''
khus would visit you. 100,
You are bound 10 Iuu the risk ~ seek mfaus OF
tiCu rather thdu do violence 10 your hcIA .rca
and your fellow -ciZCus look ~ you 10 maze lhs ,cs
violence difficult OF execution, by many ga ,riSlf
enforcement Ot the law. lgu Ha d ~ nee az
VIXEN YOU could escape, 10 make the PrbboP's
Your security :se violation OF Your nc M your
You ana your contcdcr'tes must ma nhnespjriicy or
minds either TO resist the KuKluA consPat b exist
tho laws OF the United States lhel Ji,.s ana cor-
together and IL ouly needs niue esi,niI, ueu
80 rr ia. mart of Won ignorant dupcs o. iu ,, M.
to give supremacy 10 the Jaw, DC i ,rv other 10 hear
taken excuse IN your 'as, " h chef ordered H..
il .nih slew ms man because w - ,,,sJ these
and | was afraid" and 80 brNSutu IL ~ + dii not"
others because dreaded to be Wnipp'" " - ,,,,,
The impression which these rem1'A' ,Iio,
the audience present was greater than upon "'
49,. ,ons,r, and il is probable that 10 more puASenI
mr. truthful abatement OF the causes ana 'u'''S ''
n,tur, of the great ku-KluX conspiracy '
cvcr boen made than is contained III 'A'S' 80
Wr,ldlr,cted remarks Of Judge boHo'
nrisopcrs who listened TO them WERE w.
very few exceptions. the repreSehI'.'" ,ls
mat same class of ignorant imbrnted ana - be
a,ur,s with whom your readers must no" "a.
sufficiently familiar; but the audience embrace ,i,ns
sentatiyes of the Intelligence and influence OF al and
~ the stale and no one who heard these rein' - no
witnessed the scene could help feeling that III" the
sat In that audenoe-the lawyers, the pa, sn,.elyes
men Of leisure and. OF wcath-who styleu aere mr
the gentlemen OF the communo' ,,cb have
more guilty ot the crimes W who were
disgraccd this state than the poor i'' Wv scem 10
arlaigned for sentencc. Strange "' - still uuo
residents Of other sections of the 'ou"" nan Of Ne""
,,t ,to ule, nj a command from some th apparent
mr. renenco would be stated 10 the Co sntire excuse
sincerity on the part OF the prisoner mes. Inc sen
for committing any OF the ku NJ W, guilty N"'' ="
,cnccs upon those who have months aud It Is tho
eneth from two years three l, Ud with this class
opinion Of some OF those best 80 of policy A' wen as
,Sa che oas, o a., n % : light 'sa'en''' upon
the dictates ., n"nau,' confessed their S''