Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1884-07-01
THE KUKLUX KHAN.
The Story OF the Rise and Fall Of the
Famous Order.
How 1t Game to be Formed Organized
for Amusement.


organization.
The article makes known man,
facts which are now published for tn
first time and which will throw mucl
light on this mysterious order. Tn
author vouches for their accuracy, an,
his reliability is Endorsed by the edlto
NJ the Century.
Pulaski IL town of about twenty
five hundred inhabitants, Of an excel
lent class Of people, in Giles county
Middle Tennessee. AT the close of tn
\yar the young men of this place re
hrning home found themselves with
out capital or business or professional
qualifications. OF amusements Their
were none, and SO In June, 1856, few
OF these young men met In the oflic,
OF one of the most prominent member
of thePulaski bar. In the course o
the congregation one Of the humble
SAID: "ipDys. let us get up a club or /
society oNsome description
The suggestion was favOrably re.
ceived. The next evening was ap
pointed To meet aud organize; eight Of
ten young men were present at tn,
time agreed on; two committees wer,
appoint I'd, one to select name ant
the otf,ee to draw up II set of r.les.
AT I'll next meeting the first com
mittee reported that IL was difficult t.
decide ON name. They mentioned
several, among them "Kukloi," from
the Greek word kuklos, meaning q
band or circle.
AZ the mention Of this some one
cried out:
"Call II Kuklux!"
"Klann ut once sug gestei itself. and
was added TO complete the ALTERATION.
So, Instead of adopting a name, as
was the first intention, which had Il
definite meaning. they chose one
which to the proposer and TO everyone
else was absolutely meaningless. This
trivial and apparently accidental in
cident had most important bearing
on the future OF the organic alton SO
slngularly named. Looking back over
the history of the kahn, and mt the
causes under which IL developed, il
is difficult TO resist the conclusion
that the order would never
have grown to the pre-.
portions which IL afterward assumed,
or welded the power 1t did, had it not
borne this name, or some other equally
as meaningless and mysterious. Had
they called themselves the "Jolly
Jokers" or the "Adelphi," or by some
appellation. the organization
would doubtless have had no more
than the mere local aud ephemeral
aNistance which those who organized
IL contemplated for IL. Hundreds of
societies have originated just as this
one did, and, after brief existence,
have passed away. But in the
Ease before us there was II weird
lotency In the very name Ku Klux
tlnn! Let the reader pronounce
: aloud. The sound OF II Is suggestive
If bones rattling together. The po-
ency of the name was not wholly in
he impression made by 1t on the gem
RAJ public. IL Is II singular fact that
he members of the khan We're them
elves the first TO feel its weird inilu-
nee. They had adopted mysterious
'aine. Ihereupon the original plan
vas modified so rs To make every
ming connected with the order har-
nonize with the name.
Amendment was still the end i'm
lew, but the methods by which they
proposed tn win 1t were now those OF
ecrecy and mystery. So when the re-
'ort OF the committee on rules and rit.
als came up for consideration the rec
lamentations Were modified to adapt
hem to the new idea. The report, as
Inally adopted, provided for the fol-
owing officers:
Icer.
"a grand magi. or vice-president.
"a grand Turk, or marshal.
~ grand eXchequer, or treasurer.
Two lictors, who were the outer
nd inner guards of the den as the
lace of meeting was designated"
The most profound secrecy was en-
)ined no one was allowed to solicit
Jew members, and none but the better
lasa were desired as members.
Each member was required to pro
ide himself with white mask for
he face, n tall, fantastic card. hoard
'at and grotesque gown or robe OF
ny color or colors to cover the entire
'erson.
The sole object of the club was
muSement, which they obtained
Trough the absurd ritual thew used
y initiating new members. lust as
hose famous college societies. the
SONS OF Confucius,n the "Guiasti-
utas' and others, do to this day.
This society OF fun-lovinp voung
men, with their affected mystery. soon
'egan To be much talked about I'm Pm.
ASK, the country boys took up the
dea and organized branches of IL In
he country; thence 1t spread throuoh
he state and II large section of the
south. '"'
Up to about April, 1867, the organ.
AMIoh was one purely for amuse-
nent, ~ was about this time II took
N features which changed 1t into a
'and OF regulators, the Transformation
,elng elected by the operation ofthree
,auses;, First, the impression made Inv
ne order ON the minds of those who
Inited with II; second, the impression
Produced upon the public by lis weird |
M mysterious WAYS; third. and
hieiiy, the anomalous and peculiar
ondition OF affairs In the South nj
his time. az
circumstances made IL evide,,
nat the measures and methods
mployed for sport might ba
Iiectually used TO subserve the nnbi;c
'eiiare---to suppress lawlessness and
fo,sct property. When propositions
this effect began to be urged there
ere many who hesitated, fearinr
anger. The majority regarded such
ans as groundless. They pointed 10
10 good results which had already
zen produced, and the question was
'olded without any formal aotIon
be very force OF circumstances had
,.. .he KAN away from its original
.rpose SO that In the beginning Of
= year 100, II was virtually, though I
;. pioiessedly, a band Of regulators
'nes'iy, but In an injudlclous and ,
'nRerous way. trying TO protect prop /
y, Y and preserve peace and order.n s