The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-02-04
KENTUCKY KUKLUx.
Masked Men Acting as Regulators and Whip
ping Those Who Incur Their Displeasure.

LOUISVILLE. KY, Feb 3.-The Courier-Jou
nal has the following from Grayson:
'For the last few years the country around
Shrewsbury, lying six miles south of wildwood,
in Grayson county, has been disgraced by the
presence of a lawless band of men calling them
selves Regulators or 'kuklux, whose cowardly
defiance of law and decency has been the whls-
pered theme of conversation among the citizens
of that part of the country for long time past.
No one is secure from their threats and violence,
and people have actually become afraid to speak
openly of their misdeeds lest the vengeance of
the self-appointed reformers may be wreaked
Unexpectedly upon their own heads some starless
night.
Several months ago a family named Forbes
fell under their displeasure and the vengeance
of the gang was to be melted out to them on
certain night In the meantime friends warned
the Forbes of the intended attack One dark night
their ears were saluted by the sound of approach
ing horsemen, and very soon the house was
surrounded by about twenty masked and
mounted men, several of whom, dismounting,
demanded admttance. But they had reckoned
without their host, for drawer men never lived
than the Forbes, who answered the demand
with volley of buckshot, sending the regu-
lators to their horses like frightened hounds.
Throwing the door open, the Forbes boys fired
another voey into the crowd, killing one horse
and MORALLY woundDg one of the gang, which
scattered in every direction, taking their
wounded comrade with them, but leaving be-
hind the horse he had been riding. The horse
proved to be the property of one ". Miller,
who lives on Big Reedy, in Edmondson county,
hut he said it had been taken from his stable on
that night without his knowledge. The horse
killed belonged to a man named Sally, and son
| of his is the man supposed to be killed, as he
has not been seen in this county since the night
in question.
'After repeated acts of lawlessness and COW
ardice, such as whipping helpless women and
warning others to leave the country under pain
| OF severe castigation at their hands, their
msdeeds eliminated in the taking out OF
| an old man named Green and his son, not
long SINCE and the administering of 200
| lashes on the bare back of each. The offense
| complained of by those paragons of morality was
the too frequent occurrence of family jars in the
| Green family, and to remedy this they resorted
| to their usual mode of procedure, and almost
| whipped a helpless old man to death in their
blind rage for taking the law into their own
| hands.
''Mr Green lives in Shrewsbury, and a few
days since young Green, while coming along the
| road, happened to meet a man named John Will
| son, whom he more than suspected of assisting
| in the whipping of his father and himself Walk
! ing up to Wilson. he openly accused him of be-
| ing one OF the notorious gang and commanded
| him to tell the names of his accomphces on that
| occasion. Wilson stoutly denied any knowledge
| whatever OF the occurrence, and some words
| passed between them, when young Green
pulled a revolver and fired three times at his
| opponent. none of the shots taking effect, but
soaring Wilson badly warrant was issued
| for the arrest of Green but he managed to evade
the officers and succeeded in effecting his escape
| Yesterday information came of another out
| rage committed by members of the gang this
time on a poor, innocent, good-for nothing fell
low named Bud Graham, who lives on Bear
creek, in the vicinity of their numerous outrages
1t appears that on last Saturday night party of
| five or six masked men went to the cabin that he
makes his home. and taking him out
stripped him naked and whipped him
with hickory switches until the blood
streamed from the countless cuts in his
quivering flesh. The whipping was so
severe that it is thought he will die from its eff
fects. His fault in their eyes, was taking the
world too easy and having very little care for the
future
''The strangest part of all this is the seeming
apathy of the county officials in making any eff
fort to put stop to this state Of things by hunt
| ing up the offenders and making them feel the
full force Of justice for their atrocious defiance
of law and order. No effort that can be learned
of has ever been made to break up this gang,
| which is regarded as burning disgrace to civil
ization. Unless it is broken up quickly Grayson
county will become as notorious in this line as
some other counties in Kentucky whose record
| of lawlessness has become byword of reproach
and scorn to the lovers of law and order else
/ wheroa