Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1905-10-27

cordially and he tried to respond, stop
ped, and feebly drawing from his
| pocket an envelope, wrote across 1t a
quotation from Seneca In quaint old
fashioned style of handwriting-the
hand which wrote the fatal signature
to a proclamation which cost him his
citizenship. He did not know that my
mother was Colonel McAfee's sister,
and I did not tell him, for felt then
as do now, that he suffered for 9TH
ers' sins as we'll as his own, and that
It would have been q nobler thing to
have forgiven him.
When Colonel McAfee returned from
! the legislature after the overthrow Of
| the Reconstruction government, he
disbanded the Ku Klux Klan in his
district in accordance with General
Forests orders. Younger ard more
desperate men reorganized 1t as a To-
cal fraternity to their own sorrow and
the disgrace Of some sections Of our
mountain region. It's degeneracy into
fierce neighborhood feuds and its per-
version by the lawless swiftly follow
ed until 1t became necessary for the
organizers of the original Klan to aid
in the suppression of its spurious sue
cessors.
My father, Rev. Thomas Dixon, Sr,
was a member of the original Klan
under Colonel McAfee's leadership and
aided him in the suppression OF Its
reckless imitators. He was pre-emi-
nently the type Of man whose name
made the Klan a resistless power the
first two years of its existence. He
never attended a meeting of tLe order
or took any active part in its work,
except as an elder counsellor Of wis
dom and moderation to its chosen
leaders, but his name was a tower OF
strength. He Is and always was man
of large patriotic views, though an ar
dent southerner. He comes OF the
stock that created this Republic. His
grandfather. Lieutenant Colonel Fred
erick Hambright, was q member OF the
Continental Congress and commanded
regiment Of Revolutionary patriots
at the battle of Kings Mountain. He
is today a venerable minister OF
Christ, who in a ministry. OF sixty
years has built twenty fourishing
churches In Piedmont, North Carolina.
He knew and dreaded the dangerous
power Of a secret oath-bound pontical
order. He went into 1t reluctantly.
He ioined with every other minister
in the county, only because 1t was
the last resort Of despair to save So
ciety from the intolerable curse or
negro dominion, insolence and crime.
Mr.. Laps D. McCord Of Tennessee,
is a man whose portrait scarcely bears
out the description Of "desperado.
Clansman McCord was the printer In
the office of the pulaski Citizen
who set the type, printed and stitched
the complete edition Of the Ritual OF
the Order. He never knew until years
after. the author Of the manuscript, or
from whose hands he received 1t. He
got one day an anonymous letter tell
ing him to remove the middle brick In
the space beneath a certain window In
his printing office. He did so and
found that the brick in the center OF
the wall had been taken out and In its
place lay the Ritual Of the Invisible
Empire" No name appeared In the
title. It was merely marked with
three stars. He was instructed to
print and bind in the night and on q
certain date between the hours Of one
and two a. m, to place the bundle OF
complete copies outside the door. He
did as ordered and unseen hands bore
them away in the darkness.
The only two copies Of this Ritual
known to exist, are to be found In the
Library of Columbia College and the
archives of the state Of Tennessee. lts
author Is General George w. Gordon
Of Memphis. -.
An extract from letter written to
me by the Rev. DR.. ]. A. Clinton OF
Orangeburg, S. c., gives his ofnclai
rank: "I was the Grand Cyclops OF the
East Chester Den and my territory
was very large. DIR. Bratton Of York.
was the Cyclops adjoining me, and we
were compelled to do many severe
things in these days to protect our
homes. I fear 1 was almost savage
in keeping savages in their places out
I felt it was my duty" This territory
is the immediate scene Of my novel;
1.-The Clansman."
One of the most interesting fgures
in the inner history Of the Klan Is that
of Hon. John w. Morton, the present
secretary of state of Tennessee, VINO
was General Forests chief OF artil-
lery. Pale and boyish In appearance
he was in fact but boy, yet he won
the utmost confidence Of the general,
who relied on him as Stuart did on
Pelham, and Lee on Jackson. Forrest
called him the little bit Of Kid with
a great big backbone"
When the rumors Of the ku klux
Klan first spread over Tennessee, For
rest was quick to see its possibilities.
He went Immediately to Nashville to
find his young chief of artillery.
Morton" he said, II hear this Kan
Is organized in Nashville, and 1 know
you're in it. I want to join"
The youngster fenced, smiled and
gave vague answers.
The general swore little and said:
shut up, you can't fool me. II this
things In Nashville, you're In 1t, and
I'm going to get in If kick the door
down. Its appeal to the terror OF the
negro and its profound secrecy II
linked with wise leadership and mer-
ciless daring at the proper moment
will save the south!"
The young man avoided the issue
and took his old commander Tor
ride. Forrest persisted in his ques-
tions about the Klan and the youth
kept smiling and changing the sub
ject On reaching a dense woods In
secluded valley outside the city, Nor
ton suddenly turned on his former
leader and said:
General hold up your right hand!
Forrest did as he was ordered, and
uifb axcitame emf