The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1885-03-22
KU KLUX KHAN.
ats Beginning as a Club for
Temporary Diversion.
THE INITIATION CEREMONIES
How the Name Came to be Adopted
A Sketch of Its Growth and
Its Destiny.

One afternoon in May, 1856, few of
the young men of Pulaski, Tenn, met
in the Office of one most prominent
LAWYERS of that city-a city of about
5000 inhabitants. 1t was meeting
without aim or preconoert. After
time one of the company suggested:
"Boys, let's get up club, or society
of some description" Such were the
careless words upon which was founded
s'The Invisible Empire" whose strange,
seventful history. after time, dared the
ears of listening Senates to command,
and enlisted the opposition of court and
camp, field and forum. The PROPOSE
ton to getup a little club for temporary
home diversion and amusement was
agreed to, and before the company
separated it was arranged to invite a
few other friends to join those present
in meeting the next evening and in the
same effice. AT the appointed hour
eight or ten young men were on hand;
a chairman and secretary we've elected,
committees appointed to selecta name
and prepare ruiesSfor the governance of
the society and ritual of initiation.
The committee to select name found
the chief difficulty, and after weeks
interval reported that they had not
made a selection, as they weHe puzzled
to discover or invent a name at once
impressive and suggestive of the objects
in view. Among others, they had
thought Of 'K1kloi,n from the Greek
Kuklos, band. or circle. Suppose we
call 1t -Ku Klux," cried ost one of the
mem 5ers, and the suggestion was
adopted as by inspiration. Fer the
sake of the music and the ALTERATION,
"Klan" was added, and the horror"
was named. Had they called them
selves the Jolly Jokers, or the "Crook-
ed Cranks, the society might never
nave been knewn beyond RulasH nor
had more than an ephemeral-existence.
But IN this name there was a weird
potency in I g name: Ku Kiux Khan.
The sound of it is suggestive of bones
rafting together-and il is a singular
fact, continue the historians of the
order, that the members of the Khan
were themselves the first to feel its
weird influence; they had adopted
mysterious name Thereupon It was
agreed to harmonic everything else
with the name. Amusement was still
the end in view; but now they must
win IL by The methods of secrecy and
mystery. So the rules were modified
to adapt them to the new idea, and the
report provided for Grand Cyclops, or
President; Grand Magi, or'Nice- Presi-
dents; a Grand Turk, or Marshal: a
Grand Exchequer; and two Lietors.
recall how often, during the exist
enee of the order, heard and read that
the origin of the name had a more
deadly suggestlveness than the harm
less Greek root. The prevalent theory
among the uninitiated was that spring
ing the lock of an old fint-and-steel
musket-which catches three times in
cooking it-hrst suggested the name.
1t was said that in cooking the old
weapon 1t sings doleful song at dole
full intei walls Kn-Klux-Klang Drop
the final 6, and the origin of the name
was explained
The Pulaski Khan waxed strong.
1t kept up. its cir of mystery. 1t was
the sensation of the hour. In order to
enlist recruits it played on human
nature by never permitting any one 10
be asked to join. They met in all old
house in the suburbs, posted their tail
hated, long-robed Lictors, of sepul-
cnraI voices, on the outpoSts, as Sentin-
els, and these sentinels deeply impress
ed, as they stood in the moonlight,
every passer-by. The would-be Ku-
Klux always went through a ceremony
somewhat like that known to every
college in the land. The oath of secrecy
being administered, the Grand Gyclops
commanded: place him before the
royal altar and adorn his head with the
regal crown" The royal altar was a
large looking-glass. The regal crown"
was huge hat, bedecked with two
enormous donkey ears. In this head
gear the candidate was placed before the
mirror and made to repeat the couplet:
Q wad some power, the giftie gle US
To see oursels as ithers see us
The bandage being removed, the can
dldate saw his own ludicrous image in
the glass: Then uprose boisterous
mirth: Echo caught up the shouts of
laughter as they rang through the old
building near the roadside, and i'm
pressed the superstition of both races
who heard it as they passed along the
pubic highway near by. In the coun-
try 1t was noticed that the nocturnal
PRESENTATIONS of the colored ponnIa-
tlon diminished, or entirely ceased
where the Ku Klux appeared. There
was very marked improvement in the
habits OF large class who had hitherto
caused great annoyance The Klan at
once realized that the most powerful
agencies fo- controlling the superstitious
we're In their hands-that they might be
eftectually used to subserve the public
welfare, to suppress lawlessness, and
protect property. Hence, in less than a
year after It's organization, the K. K. K.
became band of regulators The foroa
OF circumstances carried the Khan away
from its original purpose.-C. E. Merrill
in the Current.