The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-11-05

When the runaors of the Ku Klux
i<lan first spread over Tennessee, For
rest was quick 10 see its possibilities
He went Immediately TO Nashville 10
find his young chief Of artillery.
Morton" ne said, II hear this Klan
is organized in Nashville. and / know
you're in it. / want to join"
The youngster fenced, smiled and
gave vague answers.
The general swore a little and said;
shut up. you can't fool me. IL this
things in Nashyillr you're in it, and
Tn going TO get in if / kick the door
down. Its appeal 10 the terror OF the
negro and its profound secrecy. II
linked with wise leadership and merci-
less daring at the proper moment viii
save the south"
The young man avoided the issue
and took his old commander for a ride
Forrest persisted in his questions
about the Khan. and the youth kept
smiling and changing the subject. On
reaching a dense woods in u secluded
valley outside the city. Morton sud
denly turned on his former leader, and
said:
General hold up your right hand,
Forrest did as he was ordered, and
the youth. trembling with excitement
and his eyes misty with tears. solemn
ly administered the preliminary oath
of the order.
That night the General was made
full-hedged clansman and was soon
elected Grand Wizard of the Empire
Forrest was so elated over the sue
cess Of his mission, he remained over
a day To help young Morton with his
girl. who was hesitating over the
eventful issue of life. She fairly Wor-
shipped the daring General, and when
he declared to her that Morton was
the man of all men for her, she gave
her consent. a beautiful welded life
of twenty-Seven years followed. Three
sons and one daughter blessed their
union, and all three of these boys
leaped forward to defend the fiag the
morning Mckinley called for Yolun-
teers in 1898.
The order of dissolution of the Khan
as issued by General Forrest was in
every way characteristic of the man.
When the white race had redeemed six
Southern states from Negro rule in
1870, the Grand Wizard knew that his
mission was accomplished, and issued
at once his order to disband. The eX-
ecution of this command by young Nor
ton, the Cyclops Of the Nashville Den,
also of the staff of the Grand Wizard.
is typical of what occurred throughout
the South.
Thirty-five picked men. mounted.
armed and in full Ku KluX regalia, for
. both horses and men. were selected
for the ceremony and ordered to boldly
parade through the streets OF Nash
Vile The capitol was still in charge
of 5000 Reconstruction Militia and 200
metropolitan police. who had sworn to
take every Ku Klux Klansman dead or
alive who dared to show himself
abroad
On the night appointed. the squad
ron Of thirty-five white and scarlet
horsemen moved out of the woods and
bore down upon the city. The streets
were soon crowded with people watch
/ ing the strange procession of ghost
like figures, On the principal streets
the police blew their whistles and
darted here and there in great excite
ment, but made no move to stop the
daredevil paraders. On they rode up
the hill and passed the capitol building.
round which the camp-fires of a
thousand soldiers burned brightly, and
not a hand was lifted against them.
The. turned south into High ~treet,
and ladies began to wave their hand-
kerchiefs from windows and men TO
shout and cheer from the sidewalks.
! The scalawag police received these
shouts with suppressed oaths. At last
they began 10 summon citizens TO aid in
the arrest of the clansmen. The citi-
Zens laughed at them.
On reaching Broad street young Nor
/ ton who rode al the head of the
squadron. observed a line OF police
drawn across the street with the evil
dent intention of attempting 10 stop or
arrest the riders. Turning TO Mart y.
Brown, q gallant clansman who rode
by his side. Morton said:
What shall we do. Mart?'