Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1907-02-21
NEW LIGHT IL SHED BY INVES'
LEGATIONS OF DIR. WALTER
FLEMING.

has stirred up a vast amount of in
terest in the Ku Klux Khan. Histuri-
ans and magazine writer's have been
busy ransacking archives and inter
viewing former members OF the or
der, and as a result it is possible
for the first time to understand thor
oughly who and what the Ku KluX
Khan were Foremost among the
investigators is DR.. Walter l.. Elem
ing. professor of history in West Vir-
ginia University, who has recently
republshed the Lester-Wilson
pamphlet on the Khan with an eX-
tremely valuable introduction full OF
facts.
According to Prof. Fleming, the
Ku Klux Khan was but one OF sew
eral organizations organized in the
South after the war for the purpose
of protecting life and property
Among the others were the White
Brotherhood, the White League, the
Constitutional Union Guards, the
Pale Faces, and one. the knights of
the White Camelia, that was larger
than the Khan. and covered an even
wider territory. why then, it may
be asked, the fame of the Khan and
the comparative obscurity OF the
others? The answer is that the
members of the Ku Klux Khan had
by far the biggest task cut out for
them and made history. while the
Others did more. The black coun-
ties were not. as is thought by some
the center of the greatest unrest af-
ter the civil war. or the contrary.
social chaos was worst in the noun
tain or hill country extending from
Virginia to Mississippi, ana it was
here the Ku Klux Khan was founded
and operated.
In this Piedmont or mountain re-
gion the eX-Confederates were con
fronted with the double danger of
disaffected negroes on the one hand
and on the other by the "bunaloes"
or tories" supporters of the Union
cause, allied with the fotsam and
Jetsam of the Civil War period. and
the invading carpet-baggers. AS the
negroes and ''scalawags" were under
the favor and protection of the State
and federal government and the ex-
Confederates practically were not
the latter We're obliged to organize
Tor self-defense. The organization
simply amounted to n secret notice
society, which. says Prof. Fleming
many Of the Unionists later Joined
That the organization was I'm no
way reasonable is shown by its writ
ten constitution and the innocent
manner of its origin. "The pream-
bic expressly says: 1--WE recognize
our relation to the United States
government and recognize the SUI
premacy Of its laws" As to it's origin
1t is we'll known that It grew out of
circle of returned Confederate SOL
diers, residents OF Pulaski. Tenn
who began meeting together for So
cial purposes in the fall and winter
OF 1865. a committee was apnoint-
ed to select a name for the little
society and they brought in the
Greek word "Kuklos" Ga circle)
which was presently changed into Ku
klux, and then for the sake of
euphony heightened TO the fun
sounding, Ku Klux Khan. These
first Ku Klux were Young. high
spirited fellows, courageous TO y
tault. but not ill-meaning. and tbev
seemed to have planned sort Of
Greek-letter college fraternity-bur-
lesque i'm purpose and devoted 10
amusing but harmless pranks. Thev
were accustomed TO meet at nigbt I'm
half-demolished house standing or
a lonely ridge on the outskirts o.,
the town and surrounded by storm
wrecked limbless trees that looked
like spectres I'm the darkness. FIFTY
yards from the house q sentinel clad
In the ghostly robes of the order
was stationed 20 warn of intruder
II stranger, particularly negro.
approached and asked. "Wbo ara
you2' the answer came ir sarur
chral tones. 'A spirit from Nh
other world I was killed at Chicr-
amauga" Awful noises from the
house the moving about OF weird
lights and the occasional SIGHT Of