The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1911-01-10

Irish n90 idTSciy SCllltHb
sounds of mirthful voices were hedlu
ringing out from ghostly places or 81,
lent Night Hawks or spectid,
Chouls were encountered by pelateu
home-Goers. quiet fell like a pan osei
he Grant portion Of the CONTINUITY
and the wandering darkies as IN tne
ormer DAYS when "patreroles were
broad ceased their activities with the
approach Of night and sought the Gov
er Of their homes
In 1867, contemporaneous with tne
passage OF the Reconstruction acls, ~
order found itself in possession OF az
influence which could be usec NOT only
for sport, as 1t had been. but TOT fiih-
Iimizing the hardships incident 70 tne
enforcement Of the Reconstruction
iacts, and for regulating the conduc
Of baggers III negroes peions-
ing TO the Union League. 1t ceased 70
exist for the amusement or It's mem
bers; it suddenly transformed ltseii
into an order to protect, as a secret
revolutionary power, all tnat vas pes'
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 Prescr1 { or Con-
stitution was adopted and rules were
laid down for the direction OF the
Klan's affairs. In 1858 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,
lSouth Carolina, Georgia. Florida, Ala
bama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas.
Arkansas, Missouri, Kentucky, n
Tennessee were embraced within the
Jurisdiction Of the order and conStl-
tuted the Empire. A Grand Wlzaro
Ipresided over this and vas its chief
officer. Each State was denon1inated
a Realm and was presided over by a
Grand Dra"On In turn each Reaim
was divided into DOmlnions approach
ling senatorial or congressional districts
in rise. These were ruled by Grand
Titans. Each Dominion was d.vided
Into Provinces which were Z : sided
over by Grand Giants. Likewise each
Province was divided into Dens which
were placed under the aut1- GRITTY 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 so
completely worked out that of very
inecessity, it became an almost perfect
esulating agency. It lacked only in
one particular. It's secrecy which at
The beginning Of the order was its
hief strength, became, when it need
ed to act quickly and concertedly, its
greatest
During 1S67-186S the Khan 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
Freedman's Bureau and carpet-bag-
gers and ScalaWags. Occasionally VIC
lence was resorted to, but not nearly
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 500 after the order
was issued. Presumably it would be
burned by the Khan, but as a matter
Of fact it was burned in tho majority
5of cases by an enemy Of the Khan in
order to bring it into disrepute. This
practice became so general in one sec
ton that on one occasion a promi-
nent carpet-bagger was threatened
with hanging if he did not Sc to it
to such means to discredit the Klan.
After that fires ceased to follow
Threatening orders.
By 1859 the Khan had served it's
purpose and on account Of the grow
inc 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 Klux, and In opposi-
ton to 1T. perpetrated many outrages
n it's name.
What the character and objects OF
the order were have been to the ma
iority Of the present generation mat
ters Of conjecture and hearsay. From
stories told of the deeds of the mem
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 clearness
has been gained OF the organization
Real light has had to be sought in a
different quarter. Fortunately, b1
means Of the two Prescripts and the
deeds wrought BY the members of the
Khan. the vail surrounding the nature