The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1880-09-03

pe irce country. FOR this reason he
was universally hated. Attempts were
made to kill him. A plot to assassinate
him was formed, much in the same man.
ner as described in the story. He es.
capped 1t by following the road his horse
chose. 5I ''.s- ...-.t ...f... . ....... -
A man who knew him we'll at Green's
boro, and who lived there when he did,
says he received stacks OF ANONYMOUS
letters from the 4" Regulators, /" threaten
ing his life. They were profusely deco
rated with collins, skulls, and cross
bones. Black men, and white ones, too.
used frequently to creep secretly to his
house, with their backs oil bleeding
from the Kuklux bull-whip. They had
been dragged from their beds in the
dead of night, and thus cruelty dashed.
The tragical experience Of "Bob Mar
tin was fact exactly as narrated So
was the whipping of "Jesse Hyman,"'
tho white youth who was Kukluxed, and
who was 80 crushed by the sense of be-
ing whipped like negro that he left his
native State never to return.
Outrages were committed by the Ku-
klux that were never known outside Of
the neighborhood in which they oc-
CURED. Ii makes the heart turn sick to
find that the awful murder of john Wall
tiers by Southern Democrats is literally
true, just NJ the Fool has told it. The
real name of John Walters was John
Walters Stevens. He was u Justice of
the Peace, ut Yanceyville. A Mr.. Nixon,
nowof New York, was at Grecnsboro when
the awful deed was committed, and il ac-
guainted with the circumstances. At ~
Democratic meeting ut the Court House,
squire Stevens was called into ono of
the jury rooms under pretense Of being
consulted about forming fusion ticket.
Once inside the room, the ruflians sprung
upon him in mass and threw him upon
table and held him down. Then they
cut his throat They held bucket to
catch the blood, and passed it through
the window to one of the conspirators
outside. They threw the mutilated
body, with one leg broken, into wood
box and covered it with sticks, precisely
~ narrated in the Fools Errand."
Those who participated in this crime
were well known, and made claims to
respectability." An Englishman or
German reading of these things might
well ask whether it was true that they
happened in the United States and not
i'll Russia or III the blood.stained dolnin-
ions Of King Thebaw.
Mr.. Nixon informed New York T,'ib.
uae reporter that "Jom Burlison," II
Kuklux, was real person well known
b him, although that is not his name.
He says:
Son one occasion several Northern
men were sitting Oh the veranda of the
BenbOw House, at Greensboro, talking
about tho Kuklux. Some of them ex-
pressed Il doubt il there were any, in
fact whereupon Burlison spoke up and
said he had been one, and 'yOu, and
'you,' and 'you,' pointing to several
men who were sitting around"
That Judge Tourgee himself never lost
his life, Is probably only due to lucky
accident and to the popular impression
that he would be II tough customer to
tackle in fight. He had no mind to
yield up his life tamely, and always trav-
eled we'll armed. His official position
was that of Judge of the Superior Court
of the Seventh Judicial District. He
was also IL delegate to the North Carolina
Constitutional Convention. In perform
ing his judicial duties he journeyed from
county to county on horseback. lie thus
had perfect opportunity to see the South.
ern people rs they are. The knowledge
thus gained led him to oppose to the ut
most the reconstruction measures pru.
posed by the Government. He declared the
people were not yet ready for reconstruo.
lao StlAn al, tAl
ever, ne did what lay in his power t.
make them successful. 1t was in vain.
all i'll vain. Reconciliation was scorned
and trampled upon. Rebel Brigadies
despised and misunderstood that genero-
sity which permitted them to open their
mouth and blatantly eulogize jeff Davis
upon the floor of the United States
Senate. Republicans and negroes were
once more killed 10y the score in the
South, not now indeed in open, honor
able way, but by masked men at mid
night, armed with knife, whip and pis-
tol. He woke from his fond, silly dream
of beautiful Southern home, poor fool,
to find the battles he fought had I'LL To
be fought over again.
Discouraged and saddened, he gave
up the unequal contest. He retired to
u region where men may vote according
to the dictates of their own conscience,
and wrote for his fellow-countrymen n
faithful account of his experiences in
Greensboro. 1t will not lessen the III
terest in the "Fool's Errand" to know
that it il q narration of fact. Northern
citizens who contemplate voting the
Democratic ticket this fall might "tind
it to their advantage" to read the book
before tho election.