Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1903-11-10
RITUAL OF KUkLUx KHAN.
A Copy Found Unexpectedly In Ne"
York Library.

| York Library.
| During the literary house cleaning
which has been going on at Columbia
university, in New York, ever since
the university library was moved to
Morningside Heights. there have been
unearthed from time to time many
treasures which have lain dust covered
and forgotten for years. recent dis
covery, however, is, perhaps, the most
interesting of the lot This Is a. man.
nal of the Kuklux Klan organization
which terrorized the south for so many
years.
| The ritual, for such it is, is yellow
covered pamphlet consisting OF tWen-
ty-four pages, four by six inches In
size. and the university librarians de-
clare that it is the only one of Its
kind in existence This contention
and the authenticity Of the manual are
confirmed by a letter which was founo
pasted in the back of the book, writ
ten a dozen years ago by a woman In
Nashville, Tenn.
The letter states among other things
that the ritual is prescript OF the ku-
klux Klan, which escaped destruction
when the 'ghouls' disbanded and was
given me by an ex-member." Ihe
"ghouls," as appears in the pamphlet
were the members of the body polite
Of this strange organization.
The letter proceeds to point out that
the "ghouls" were under positive or
ders to burn and destroy every possl-
BILE trace of their secret organization
and there Is an intimation of summary
retribution in the case of that "ghoul
who failed to obey this injunction. II
therefore, appears that by the merest
chance the manual at Columbia escaped
the fate Of the other evidences OF the
Kuklux Klan.
The Name Not Printed.
It is worthy of note that nowhere IN
the twenty-four pages is the name OF
the organization mentioned or referred
to. In the few places where, under
other circumstances, it would have
been printed there is either the inser-
tion of three asterisks or a blank
space. The title page, for instance
which is interesting in itself, an
nounces that the pamphlet is the Re
vised and Amended Prescript Of the
Order Of the -" A little below ap-
pears the motto, "Damnant Quod Non
ITntolIio,,nt"
The problem thickens on the second
page, where the ritual contains the
provision that "This organization shall
be styled and denominated the order
Of the ="
| The officers were many In NUMBER
and bore singular titles, not unlike
those obtaining in many Of the Greek
letter fraternities in our colleges. In
one place the dignitaries are hinted al
as mysterious" Above them all was
the grand wizard Of the empire, whose
position entitled him to ten genii
whose functions are not revealed.
The grand wizard is followed in rank
by the grand dragon Of the realm and
HYDRA. This potentate was, strangely
enough, allowed no satellites, as the
grand titan of the dominion, the grand
giant of the province and the grand
cyclops of the den, all inferior digni-
taries, were accorded six furies, four
goblins and two night-hawks respect
lively. Other officers whose station
was superior to that of an ordinary
"ghoul" were a grand magi, grand
monk, a grand turk. a grand exchequer
and a grand sentinel. One searches
the pages of this strange ritual In
vain to find the duties Of the officers,
their identity or when or by whom they
were chosen.
The purposes Of the order were va
ried, as a whole praiseworthy and elo-
quently set forth. The ritual states:
This is an institution of chivalry,
humanity, mercy and patriotism, en-
bodying in it's genius and principles all
that Is chivalric in conduct, noble In
sentiment, generous in manhood and
patriotic in purpose, it's peculiar OBJ
jects being to protect the weak, the
innocent and the defenceless from the
indignities, wrongs and outrages of the
lawless, the violent and the brutal; to
relieve the injured and the oppressed;
to succor the suffering. the unfortu-
nate, and especially the widows and
orphans of Confederate soldiers and to
protect and defend the constitution of
the United States and all laws passed
in conformity thereto. and to protect
the states and people thereof from all
invasion from any source whatsoever,
and to aid in the execution of consti-
tutional laws and to protect the peo-
pie from unlawful seizure and from
trial except by their peers in conform
| ity with the laws of the land"
| The phrases which are in italics go
far toward explaining many happenings
in the southern states during the un-
settled and turbulent period Of recon-
struction, when the south was just
beginning to get on it's feet. They also
serve to explain the menacing attitude
of the Kuklux Klan toward the consti-
tutionality of the introduction Of mar
tial law in the southern states, which
caused so much unpleasantness, as
we'll as the governments refusal for
a time to permit southerners to suffer
trial in the military courts.
1t should be remarked that through
out the book there is at least an osten-
sible respect for a central and organ
lied government, as we'll as reverence