East Mississippi times. (Starkville, Miss.) 19??-1926, 1912-03-01

these men were In the regular Ku Klux
organization and SOME were not. The
night this party started for Starkville
Hnb Saunde.s resident had ridden out
to collect a party to guard the town.
When some distance out after having
gotten together few men some shots
were fired in the distance as Ku Klux
sign. When the shots were heard Saun-
ders and his men turned back and met
the other party who were going In after
Mclaughlin. Saunders advised them
not to go as Capt. McCreight an old
Confederate soldier was on guard and
would defend Mclaughlin to the death.
Part of the party went on anyway, Saun-
ders refusing to go with them. Leaving
themain road and thus eluding the guards
they came around through the section
known as 1'Hardscrable" to McLaugh-
lin'sstore. Mclaughlin and the negro
with him, in fear of some such raid, had
piled up three or four hundred bushels
of corn against the door. The party se-
cured long pole and using it batter
ing ram drove the door from its hinges.
Mclaughlin, and the negroes with him,
ia,eaawhile crying murder at the top of
theiryoiees. Aroused by their clamor ths
tVwnguard under McCreight came. up
and: drove the party away. The repu-
tablcelement among the Ku Kiux only
wanted to frighten Mclaughlin and drive
him away. but there were those in the
party who would have killed him. Nc
Laaghlin who had been warned before
and refused to 60 was glad to leave this
time. w. b. Montgomery a, prominent
citizen acted as go-between and arrang-
ed that Mclaughlin should depart the
! next day. strange to relate under the
| principle that yotf'fdusts ffgfit the devil
with fire, Mclaughlin asked that *Devfl
Jim Bell" local fire eater be selected
to guard him to the R. r. station,
While W. Ii Montgomery was In con-
sultation with Mclaughlin at Che Freed.
mans Bnreau headquarters as to ways
and means OF escape party came and
offered their serviees as a '''guard" for
McLaughlih ID Mayhew, IL miles away.
4lMontgonisry.f y.fortuhately called to mind
the spirit ofpthc cid adage, Beware of
sthe' Greeks bearing gifts" and after look
ing them over decided that Mclaughlin
would never get to''Nayhew with them,
alive uj ,ss''t' -,'''.'''''' .',f'<' ''
50, So with theuonnivance Of Montgomery
who was determinedato avoid bloodshed,
Mclaughlin was dressed In woman's
clothes and shipped out through Hard
scrabble to the nearest Il, r, station and
finally landed in Holly Springs. -
| Breathing forth threatenings and
slaughter he was back in a few days
with U. S. Marshalsahd Il troop of cav
airy at his back. .:i
1" There were three separate dens or Ku-
'Klux organizations in Oktibbeha C6an-
.ty. One had its headquarters in Stark
vile, another at the Choctaw Agency in
the country, and the third and last at
Double Springs. Men from all three
dens had participated to a gaeater or
less extent in the barrying of McLaugh-
lin. All had been united in the deter.
mination to drive him from toe coun-
try. The negroes, not ut all times SO
badly scared and deceived us had been
supposed had penetrated. the disguises
of many of the Ku Klux and laid infor-
nation against them. .McLaughlin's
special animosity seemed to be directed
against Jim Bell the man whose servi-
ces as guardian, he had requested.
Bell sat in the streets and shouted
"Hello Yanks," to the. troops as they
went directly toward his house and then
made his escape; The troops burst into
Bells house and surprised his wife and
sister-in-law in their night clothes. 's'''
Trusting to the aforementioned negro
sources of Interrogation, Mclaughlin Mad
every man arrested and indicted whom
he thought had had anything to do with
his hurried exodus, SO unreliable was
his information, however, that he failed
to have arrested u single man who had
been an active participant.
j Many of the ieading Ku Klux,. howey-
'er' were caught in the drag-nct, and
carried to Holly Springs. t,>-,.'~, = -a'
While the arrests were'being made the
soldiers were quartered for a., night or
two in the Court House in .,St,rkville,
The conduct of the soldiers in breaking
into Jim Bells house i. had so AROUSED
the county that party of thirty men
made up lit Steele's Mill, near Stark
vile. were in full march to attack the
soldiers when the counsel Of older and
wiser heads prevailed and they yialded
to the entreaties of Captains, Beattie and
Rogers and Judue Honkins.