The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-07-30
DIARY OF A KUKLUX MAN.
STORY OF THE ORGANIZATION WRIT
TEN BY A MEMBER IN PRISON.

Grievances which Led to tho Organ
izntion 80 First story by Member.
From GeorRla comes the report that the sur
vivors OF the Kuklux Khan are quietly ar
ranging reunion to lie held In Atlanta in
August and as II is now more than quarter
Of a century since this most formidable OF So
cret SOC ietes dominated the South. II Is proba.
bio that a reassembllng Of the Khan might
OCCUR without much bitterness. One OF the
four notorious leaders OF the order In Georgia
IL alive and serving as deputy sheriff In the
western part OF Texas The others died vio-
lent deaths. There are many distinguished
survivors o. the Khan in.the South to-day who
would not hesitate to attend openly conven-
sion Of the early members Of the order but
who would shun association with the mon who
perpetrated such outraRes In the name OF Ku-
klux that the North and tho South Joined
hands 10 wipe II out
II has always been maintained by the oriRi-
nal members OF the Khan that the deeds Of vio-
lence and bloodshed which in 1867 and 1863
made the name Kuklux the synonym for the
most brutal la ylessnoss were committed by
unworthy new recruits or by men IN no way
connected with tho order. but who found It's
name a convenient shield. There never was
another period In our history when suoh an
order could have nourished. The war left the
South In a chaotic condition. IL was filed
with men OF military training and no means
OF support The negroes, who had been slaves.
tried in many places TO become masters. From
these anomalous and peculiar conditions was
developed band OF regulators such as this
.ountrv had pever before seen. Many OF these
mon were OF high character. but although
the Kukux Khan was organized on innocent
lines II had become engine Of power which
made II "a veritable Frankensten before the
oriRnators realized II. Although It num-
bered thousands Of men oil through the South,
the oaths which bound its members to the
order we're of such n character that to this day
no authoritative account OF the Kuklux klan
has ever been published. A history Of the
Khan which was printed in one Of the maya
Zines OF this city fifteen years ago was made up
OF facts which any outsider might gather in
the States where tho Khan operated The
Joint select committee Of Congress which re-
ported in 1872 on the condition OF affairs in
tho late insurrectionary States" contained
mass of disreputable history. 1t established
the fact that outrages without number had
been committed in the Southern States and
frequently in the name of kuklux. Much Of
the evidence was contradictory. 10 would not
have been safe for any member o. the Khan to
reveal its history and secrets at that time.
When louis H. Pilsbury. afterward Warden
OF the Blackwell's Island Penitentiarv. was
I'm, -, wv Wv ~, p"n,n,.h e.,
well. then serving six years term for a ku-
klux assault in North Carolina. Many ku-
klux prisoners were sent North to serve out
their sentences. Shotwell vas CAPTAIN OF
the Khan and man OF ed lcatio and marked
ability His trial and conviction were Of ma
tional interest There were other Kuklux
prisoners In the penitentarv. but none of
them was of.the reputation and ability Of Shot
n,ou nrri, ri. ;r,nrisonn,nrt ha .rart M
wen, i,utine MS IN 's"'thcn' "e s'eh' par'
OF his time in PREPARING history OF the ku
klx, which naturally was in the nature of
n, onologv for I. and for ohviors raason.
a.. az VS.. W. -, ~" ,,,i,o Soa.h
ne dld not want made public until MA death.
This history is written with peuril in large
h,ank hook and /, Ito introfuctiop the author
explains that he uses the colloGnial style that
he may bettor.eluridate the points of general
interest hr. I'isoury ka'e ''lis ",dis 10 Tue
writer several years AGO ana a. an interesting
contribution to the history of the Kuklux
man some portions ,, o' II are printed osIow'
hhotwsll was as well HnhIihed as any man In
g. ,,r 90 is know, sho,.oI,s hietnr,. -, ~.
~ ,'r a. Is nno"m ,G "e,, nSIpr' 81 ,e
Ger OF the organization. 1t has not been pub
ush.d hsfore Tor obyious rsasors PARIS If II
are given below in the form OF question and
answer. as it was written:
Own you state the origin of the Khan?
A.-The kukIuX Khan using that familiar
generic title for the several societies of which
=, 49,, ,s,,,no,.s ,,,, ,na Ia,,t,i,,. ya''.i,.
~ was co"posou' was ,'e 'esiCi"ate "splinE
OF the ROYAL league and the Fresdncn's Bu-
reau: con seuucntly owes its existence to radi-
cal legislation.
II /, difficult for any one not resident OF
the South at the time To form a Iust idea of
our condition for a number of years after the
war or oven now The chief features OF re-
construction-the military provisional and re-
organized Governments with their attend Ant
train OF evils, are well known to the reading
public But The humil ations the ox1ctions
the ne prosecutions and personal anuoyances nut
upon the Southern p"opla 10y the swnrms Of
adyenturers and sharpers which settled upon
the land under the arIsTices Of tho Fr%edmen' 3
Tureau and the Internal Kevenue DEPARTMENT
can never be realized excert BY those who had
The misfortune 10 eypsrienne them
From the first II appnrentlv was the COM
mon object Of ali rlasoes of Federal Officials to
excite an antng onlsm OF races No opnOrt,l-
nity was lost TO nliennt, the late slave from his
late master The freedmen upiniluenced by
outsiders would for the most mart have con.
tinued to work and sing and dance on the old
pluntutiOn content TO receive a moderate al
1nwanre Of the crop and come to look 70 'Oie
Mnspa'' for advice and assistance in ali trou