The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-06-19
The Ku KIux Trials.

Senator Edmunds, of Vermont. in the
Senate last Friday, touched upon the Ku
klux trials, and said that he had heard
that "a large number of the people of
South Carolina contributed funds to de-
fend those accused Ku Klux people.n
This he applied to the Jury bill, then
under discussion, by saying that, if those
who contributed these funds were drawn
upon the jury, and it turned out that the
hu klux atrocities "grew out of political
considerations connected with the rebel
hon. then it would not be a grievance
TO silt the jury to ascertain whether thu
jurors had an unconquerable bins in favor
OF acquitting the prisoners, no matter
what they had done.
The fund in question was raised i'm
South Carolina to retain Reyerdy john
son and Mr.. Stanberry, in order that the
constitutional questions arising under the
Acts under which the Ku klux were
tried should be argued by counsel whose
attainmerts and freedom from local pre-
Judice would secure to them the serious
attention of the Court. Had not these
considerations been regarded, there would
have been no importation of counsel. and
no contribution Of funds for fees. IT
turned out badly. The objections of the
counsel were overruled. From Mr..
johnson came narrowing description
and whitening denunciation OF the crimes
imputed to the Ku Klux. And the peo-
pie of South Carolina were unjustly field
up to universal reprobation as the de-
renders OF crimo in q most horrible
shape.
Senator Hampton got a chance to put
IN word OF explanations, in the Senate,
and said:
81 do not wish to interrupt the Senator,
but l interpose as much for his sake MS
for my own, and I avail myself of this
opportunity which his courtesy has ax-
tended to me to say word about those
Ku Klux trials.
Some years ago the Senator from Yer
mont, who occupied then the same posi
ton that he does now, charged upon tho
floor of this Chamber that he had infor-
nation that l was connected with the
ku klux organization in South Carolina.
and with me he associated my present
colleague MIR. Putler) and very dis
tinguished gentleman who is now Judge
IN that State. We wrote q respectful
letter to the Senate, and came on to
washington, asking the most earnest and
rigid scrutiny. That letter was presented
here, but the Senate took no action. Tho
Senator from Vermont, when that letter
was presented, said that he had been in
formed that the Government had infor-
nation to that effect We asked thai. if
tiloTo aa5 any suui III III !. :S:s!:.
be brought forward but that never was
done. And l take the opportunity of
saying now-and hope the Senator from
Vermont will do me the justice to know
that speak with perfect sincerity-that
II there was one man in America who
had no knowledge of, no connection with,
no sympathy with anything like the Ku
Klux organization, it was myself. did
not know that there was any such organ
ization in South Carolina until those
trials occurred. I could give the expla-
nation, but will not detain the Senate,
OF how those organizations, as l found
out afterward, were inaugurated, and
what they were intended for. and how
they were perverted afterward, as ad-
NIT, into doing wrong; but only wish
to say that the gentlemen who were
named here, l feel sure, had no knowl-
edge of them-no connection with them.
For myself ate that with absolute
certainty.
THE contribution that was made by
the people of South Carolina to defend
those men was aimply contribution that
was mado on the presumption the law
always makes that parties are innocent
until they are proved guilty"
Senator Edmunds had the grace to saw.
in reply, that it was quite unnecessary for
the Senator" to repeat the denial that
was so full in the letter. Nobody. he
thought, bad over believed the allegation
since.-Ncics and Courier.