The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1899-09-16
DIARY OF 4 KUKLUX MAN
"REMINISCENCES OF THE BLOODY
RECONSTRUCTION PERIOD.

Story of the DISSEMINATION Written
by y Member in Prlson-Biased
Report Of Conditions Existing in
the South During Reconstruction
and the Grievances which Led to
the orsa nization, Witch Becnme
a VeritnbIe FranLenstei First
Story by a Member. ar5Ea.e .-..-
From Georgia comes the report that the
survivors Of the KukluX Khan are Quiet
Iy arranging reunion, to be held IN At
lanta in August, and as it is now, more
than quarter of a century since this
most formidable of secret societies domi-
mated the South, it is probable that a
reassembling of the khan might occur
without much bitterness. One Of the four
notorious leaders Of the order in Georgia
is alive and serving as a deputy sheriff
In the western part of Texas The others
died violent deaths. There are many dis
tinguished survivors of the khan in the
South to-day who would not hesitate to
attend openly a convention of the early
members of the order, bat who would
shun association with the men who per.
petrated such outrages in the name of
Kuklux that the North and the South
joined hands to wipe it out.
1t has always been maintained by the
original members of the khan that the
deeds of violence and bloodshed, which in
1867 and 1868 made the name Kuklux
the synonym for the most brutal lawless-
ness were committed by unworthy new
recruits or by men in no way connected
with the order, but who found its name
convenient shield. There never was an
other period in our history when such al,
order could have fourished. The war left
the South in Il chaotic condition. It was
filled with men Of military training and
no means Of support The negroes who
had been slaves tried III many places to
become masters From these anomalous
and peculiar conditions was developed a
band of regulators such as this country
had never before seen. Many Of these
men were of high character, it is pointed
out by the New York Sun, but although
tho Kuklux Khan was organized on in
nocent lines it had become an engine Of
power which made it a veritable Frank
enstein before the originatorS realized it.
Although it numbered thousands of men
all through the South, the oaths which
bound it's members to the order were Of
.Sucn a character CNdC-CO CnlS uty no du-
thoritative' account of the Iful<lux Khan
has ever been published. A history OF
the khan, which was printed In one Of
the magazines Of this city fifteen years
ago, was made up of facts which any
outsider might gather in the states where
col the khan operated, The joint select com
mirtee of congress, which reported IN 1879
the condition of affairs in the late
insurrectionary states" contained a 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
Kukiux. Much of the evidence was con-
Trajectory. 1t would not have been safe
for any member CT the khan to reVea dts
history and secrets at that time. ..,.r.4.,
When Louis D. Pi!sbury,+ afterward
warden of the BlackWells Island peni-
tertiary, was connected with the Albany
oepitentiary he became we'll acquainted
with Randolph Shotwcll, then serving a
six years term for a kuklux assault in
North Carolina. Many kuklux prisoners
were sent North to- serve out their SEN
fences. Shotwell was a captain of the
khan and man Of education and marked
ability. His trial and conviction were cf
nation interest There were other ku-
Nux prisoners in the penitentiaTy, but
none of them was Of the reputation and
ability of Shotwell. During his imprison-
ment he spent part of his time in pre-
pairing a history of the kuklux, which
naturally was in the nature Of an apology
for it, and for obvious reasons he did not
want made public until his death. This
history is written with pencil in a large
blank book, and in it's Introduction the
author explains that he uses the colio-
quail style that he may better elucldate
the points of general interest. Mr.. Pills.
bury gave this diary to the writer sew
eral years ago, and as an interesting con-
tribution to the history of the Kuklux
Klan some portions of it are printed be-
low Shotwell was as we'll qualified as
any man in the South to write about
this secret society. So far as is known,
Shotwells history of the khan Is the only
authoritative one by an officer OF the
organization. 1t has not been publ1shed
before for obvious reasons. Parts OF 1t
arc given below in the form OF question
and answer, as it was written: ----...
O.. Will you state the origin OF the
khan? i.i. 5at,1rE#: EE455&f
A. The Kuklux Klan (using that IA
rniliar generic, title for the, several So
cieties Of which it was composed) was
the legitimate offspring OF the Royal
league and the Freedmen bureau; con,
seuuently owes its existence to rad1cal
It is difHcult for any one not a resident
Of the South at the time to form just
idea, of our condition for a.. number OF
years after the war, or even now. me
1900
tary, provisional and reorganizeds gov
ernments, with their attendant train OF
evils-are we'll known to the reading pub
lic But the humiliations, the exactlons'
the prosecutions and personal annoyances
put upon the Southern people oynAtn
swarms of adventures and snarpers
which. settled upon the land under the
auspices of the Freedmen's bureau ana
the internal revenue department can
never be realized except by those VINO had
the misfortune to experience them.
From the first it apparently Was.stne
common object of all classes OF federal
officials to excite an antagonlsm OF races.
No opportunity was lost to ALLEVIATE the
late slave from his late master. Ihe
freedmen, uninfluenced by outsiders,
would For the most. part have continued
to work and sing and dance on the old
plantation, content to receive mooer-
ate allowance Of the crop. and come to
look to cole Massa' for advice and as
sistance in all troublOus circumstances
But this would not do for the bureau.
The idle and vicious were lured from TINS
farms by the issue Of free ratlons, WINE
the more Industrious were kept IN per-
petual excitement by plausible reports
that their former masters were plotting
to put them back into slavery. The bu-
reau took cognizancey Of all disputes be-
tween whites and blacks, and as no occa-
sion was lost to browbeat the former for
the diversion Of the latter, Sambo was
not slow in coming to the conclusion that
the bottom rail was on top sure
enough.
ANY person acquainted with the excess
siye vanity and the emotional nature q
the negro will not need to be told that
his mind soon became unsettled and pol
soned by such treatment. Nor will It APP
%t1of 1a WI