The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1905-12-21
Events that HAPPENED IN
THE DAYS OF THE K K. K.
COLONEL j. A. RHAME WRITES INTERESTINGLY OF that MUCH Dis
CUSsED PERIOD

QtIS Caiit 'Coiiipci Hill w WY, p"'
take life only to save life.
So, in due time they offered him
the courtesy of another interview,
which he hotly rejected with flash.
ing pistols. Mr. Editor, l witnessed
this battle between Murphy and the
Ku Klux. which resulted in his
heing shor through the neck and
body. Murphy sticking his pistol
| in the face Of the foremost of the Ku
Klux, fired the FIRST shot, but miss
ed his aim-or being ratified had no
aim-and was promptly shot down
hv the man he shot at, after which
the detachment of Ku Klux, seven
in number, retired to the woods near
BY. The leader simply pointed his
pistol upward above tn right shoul-
der AID repeated "K X K" when
each of the othec six, in reply,
pointed to himself AMI said "safe, J"
and Immediately the command, ''re.
turn" was given, when they walked
leisurely across the green to the for
est in view.
I assisted in getting Murphy's cot
from the loft of the store where he
slept, helped to get him on the cot
and sent for doctor. In about
an hour FROM the time Murphy was
put to bed, while there Were only
thHe or toar Of us in the room with
him, one hundred mounted Ku
Klax from Williamsburg and Clar-
endon, accompanied by guides from
Sumter county, rode up and sur
rounded the store, and to say that
some of the eyes in the store, at
that moment, were as large as tea
cups would be some slight exager.
alton, but te say tremendous would
be mild.
The riders satisfied themselves
that Murphy had been sufficiently
punished, and after admonishing
the attending physician to faithful
ly care ior the wounded man, they
gave new orders which Murphy
never disobeyed. and disappeared
Murphy was restored to health
agam in about two months by the
skillful attention of DR. Thomas
Wells, an ex-Confederate surgeon.
In this battle, the present Bishop
A Coke Smith, then a young minis.
ter. and his father, Rev VIM H
Smith, came near being hit by Muir
phys bullets. He Was firing dl-
rectly towards them as they walked
along by the railroad track. They
and l had just gotten of of the pas
senger train. from Sumter about 9
O'Clock in the evening, and We
walked together from the depot up
the track by the engine. The Mess,s
Smith kept on along by the track
while | turned direct across 1t to
Murphy's door. And at that III
slant the Ku Klux entered the store
by the open front door, when Muir
phy Immediately began firing across
the counter, to the right oblique,
putting Messrs Smith directly in
the range of his bullets, which
struck the track near their feet.
Mr. Editor, those were terrible
times, and the whole truth concern
Ing them will never be tCld. Ger
tainly terrible condition of thing.
the peculiar aud awful condition
then existing-was Necessary te
warrant the Ku Klux organization
Or the existence of any, other secret
order doing the line of wcrk done
by the Ku Klux Klan, under tht
claim of maintaining white su
premacy, resisting persecution and
preventing robbery and other vii
lainous deeds. But, in the judg
ment of the best people of this land
the urgent need and the justification
did exist, And no man who be
longed to the order will hang hi
head il lame for having been zone
of th7m''-anless he was Indlvld
'ually mean man and guilty oI
some act not known of or author
| lied by the Klan.
have no more regret for Having
been ii Ku Klux than | hate fol
displaying SOME patriotism in run'
ming away, as 12.year old boy,
accompanied by a little brother still
younger and one a little older, with
the purpose of joining my soldier
brothers In the army of Virginia,
during the Civil war, or for the pa
triotism and grit, l, along with other
red-shirt Democrats, displayed in
reaplng the fruits for which the Ku
Klux Klan had at least in part
paved the way by the redemption.Q Of
the State from negro rule in '76.
The same men, in large measure,
did both, helped to'lay the foundation
and fully redeem the State. That
the government could have been
taken from the horde in power, by
fraud and force, without a bloody