The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1879-04-04
KU-KLUxtSM IN ALABAMA.
Can Lsopdrd Change it. spot.s
WRITTEN FOR THE NEWS BY COL. W.

Has the rebel Democracy of the south
ern states yet learned to tolerate free
expression of opinion in opposition to
their early trainingS As an evidence
that they had not, five years ago, relate
the following:
Henry Kline, wellto-do German, ar
rived in this country soon after the close
of the war Of the rebellion, and located
near the village of Cross Plains, Alaba-
ma. His family consisted of his wife
and two children-a boy and girl, aged
respectively nine and eleven. The local
ity at this lime was the scene of many out
RACES by the ku-klux khan, but the good
natured German was for long time I'M
able to comprehend their significance.
Like most of his countrymen, he enter
tanned Republican sentiments. They
were the sentiments of his heart while at
home in the land of his fathers, and he
had supposed that in America, the asy-
lum of the oppressed of all nations, he
would find them, in all their purity, up
held and expressed without fear and hon.
ored by all In this respecthe was DOOM
ed to bitter disappointment.
The nearest neighbor to Kline was a
man named Luke, originally from the
north, but who had for some years resid-
ed in Alabama, and was thorough-going
unionist. He did not hesitate, even
among all the tumult and disorder by
which he was surrounded, to express his
union sentiments, and had been repeated
ly warned by the ku-klux khan that he
must change his course. AS he paid no
heed to these threats, he received visi-
tation during the spring of 1873, which
utterly ruined him and from which he
escaped with his life only by the aid of
Kline. Itappears that the klan, having
beaten Luke almost to death, gave him
twenty-four hours in which to leave the
country, threatening to kill him if he did
not do so. Suffering terribly from the
dreadful scOurging, Luke was just able
to get as far as Kline's house, where he
sought protection until such time as he
might be able to travel and get away from
the place.
The good-hearted German, filled with
the humane instincts natural to his peo-
pie, at once took the refugee into his
house and cared for him for several days
without dreaming that he would incur
the displeasure of any one for such an
act. He nursed Luke tenderly for some
four days, when the latter, fearing that
the Khan might discover and destroy not
only him but his generous benefactor,
left the house at night and removed him.
self to Paytonia to avoid his prosecutors.
The fact of his having been harbored by
Kline became known to the khan, how
ever, by some means, and they forthwith
classed the latter as a radical.
On the third night after Luke's de-
parture, about eight O'Clock in the even
ing, the unsuspecting German was sit
ting with his wife and children before a
log fire, as the weather was still chilly,
when the door was unceremonlously
burst in and score of the khan filled the
room. Kline was rudely seized, and a
demand made upon him to know "what
he had done with that ID radical,
Luke?' To this he made reply that he
didn't know such mans" Upon this,
one of the band, struck him a severe
blow, telling him they meant to learn
him not to interfere with their business.
Mrs. Kline implored them, in broken
English, not to hurt her husband; he had
done nothing, and they had made mis-
take.
Hes done enough" said the leader of
the crowd. you can't make any mis-
take on these Dutchmen, they are all
ID radicals, anyhow. It's born in
'em, but by - they shant practice 1t
herer'
Kline was then securely pinioned, and
whipped until he became unconscious.
When the castigation was ended, the
leader, turning to Mrs. Kline, and point
ing to the bruised and bleeding body of
her husband, as he lay upon the floor,
said:-
Now, if that dirty Dutch scalawag ever
comes to himself, you tell him to sell
out and get away from here, or we'll be
the death of the whole of you and burn
the house over your heads Well give
him just ten days to do it i'm
Kline did revive at last, and when he
learned the dread message which the
khan had left behind, saw with sorrow
that he must relinquish his pleasant
home and become a wanderer, but the
necessities of the case admitted no Other
course. His property was disposed OF al
a ruinOus sacrifice, and with his wife anj
little ones, he made his way to Kansas.
where he now is.
A short time afteTward Mr. Luke re
turned to his home and was subject to a
second visitation from the khan, who
burst into his house between twelve and
one O'Clock at night The unfortunate
man was dragged from his bed and ia
ken out of his house amidst disguised
mob, who had in custody five negroes
Mr.. Luke and the negroes were taken tc
the northern border of Paytona on ths
! Cross-Plains line, where the band halted
Mr.. Luke was now convinced that hi
death was meditated, and he said to tn,
leader of the khan, one Glenn Read,
| Am / about to die?'
'Yes, you have preached your last ser
mon. If you've got any prayers to say
you had better be about it."
Mr. Luke replied, calmly, 81 am no
afraid to die, but it is hard to die il
such way"
He uttered a most fervent appeal Il
God, soliciting mercy for himself anC
the negroes, and forgivness for thos,
who were about to execute them fo
opinions sake. His prayer was rudell
cut short by a rope being placed abou
his neck, the end thrown over a limb O
a tree and his body suspended IN tn
air. The five negroes were next dispatch
ed The khan tried to hang two of the ne
groes at once on the same rope, but no
being able to make the bodies balance
Pat Craig, member of the khan, sho
one of them in the mouth, while Cha,
Keith murdered the other with a knife
The defenders of the white mans rae
then separated, satisfied with havini
performed one more service, in supper
of a white mans government