The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1911-01-03

0A0 DO1ISs AAo
throughout the entire South, and espe-
ciaily in those sections where Scotch
Irish had largely settled, wherever the
sounds OF mirthful voices were heard
ringing out from ghostly places or 81
lent Night Hawks or spectral
Ghouls were ounter by belated
home-goers, quiet fell like a pail over
he Grant portion of the community,
and the wandering darkies. as in the
ormer days when "p~atteroles' were
abroad, ceased their activities with the
approach Of night and sought the COW
er Of their homes.
In 1867, contemporaneous with the
passage of the Reconstruction acts, the
order found itself in possession Of an
influence which could be used not only
for sport, as it had been, but for min
inning the hardships incident to the
enforcement Of the Reconstruction
acts, and for regulating the conduct
Of carpet-baggers and negroes belong
ing to the Union League. It ceased to
exist for the amusement of its mem
bers; it suddenly transformed itself
into an order to protect, as a secret
revolutionary power, all that was best
and dearest to the heart Of the pros
|trate South.
To do this. a definite oranization
was necessary and was perfected in
Nashville in 1867. A Prescrilt or Con-
IS1IoSAoI Hdo ooOpACo LIZ - "SAS
laid down for the direction Of the
Klan's affairs. In 1868 a second or
Revised and Amended Prescript was
sent out with fuller instructions. Ac-
cording to this Prescript the States Of
Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina,
South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Ala
bama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas,
Arkansas, Missouri, Kentucky, and
were embraced within the
jurisdiction Of the order and consti-
|tuted the Empire. A Grand Wizard
presided over this and was it's chief
"a Realm and was presided over by a
Grand Dragon. In turn each Realm
was divided into Dominions approach
ing senatorial or congressional districts
in rise. These were ruled by Grand
Titans. Each Dominion was divided
into Provinces which were presided
over by Grand Giants. Likewise each
Province was divided into Dens which
were placed under the authority of a
Grand Cyclops. The members Of the
various Dens were called Ghouls and
were the agents through whom the
orders of the Khan were carried out.
Other staff, judicial. and executive
officers were provided for, and the ma
chinery of the organization was go
completely worked out hat Of very
necessity, it became an almost perfect
regulating agency. It lacked only in
one particular. It's secrecy which at
the beginning Of the order was its
chief strength, became, when 1t need
ed to act quickly and concertedly, its
greatest weakness.
During 1867-1868 the IL adher-
ed In the main to it's policy Of secrecy
and silence and performed it's work
as a regulator Of the members Of the
F~reedman's Bureau and carpet-bag-
gers and scalawags. Occasionally vio-
@@>~ 20 ha+ ~ -~o ~Ixy
so frequently as the enemies of the
order attempted to make it appear.
Frequently, when orders of a threat
ening nature were issued against an
offender, his barn or his dwelling
would be burned soon after the order
issued. Presumably it would be
burned by the Khan, but as a matter
of fact 1t was burned in h majority
Of cases by an enemy Of the Khan in
order to bring it into ~disrepute.
practice so general in one sec
ton hat on one occasion a promi-
nent carpet-bagger was threatened
with hanging If he did not Sc to 1t
to such means to discredit the Khan.
After that fires ceased to follow
threatening orders.
BY 1869 the Khan a served its
and on account of the grow
ing dangers to which it was becom-
ing incident, was officially disbanded
by it's Grand Wizard, though even at
a later date individual Dens continued
to meet, and others acting under the
.guise of the Ku K1ux, and in opposi-
ton to it, perpetrated many outrages
in it's name.
What the character and objects of
the order were have been to the ma
.jority Of the present generation mat
tiers of conjecture and hearsay. From
stories told of the deeds of the men,
bers Of various Dens, from accounts
as they are given in novels treating
of the period Of Reconstruction, from
articles contributed here and there in
the magazines, and from the thirteen
volumes of findings made by the Con-
gressional committee, a vague concep-
ton at times verging onto c~learness
has been gained of the organization.