Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1916-08-18
HISTORICAL INCIDENTS
The ku-klux-klan.
NEW ORLEANS DAILY STATES

NEW ORLEANS DAILY STATES
The most remarkable as well as un-
usual secret society ever organized in
this country was the Ku-Klux Khan
which existed in many of the South
ern States during the period roughly
speaking from 1855 to 1872. 1t is said
to have originated in Giles County,
Tenn, during the administration of
Governor Brownlow, and was started
by some young men of that State as a
joke. 1t finally became a serious
political force to be reckoned with.
Ku-Klux work was done by socie-
ties under the names of the "Knights
of the White Camelis," the "Pale
Faces" and "Invisible Empire of the
South" but all them have, in records
of legislation and in history been
merged into the name of the original
society, so that it will be convenient
and sufficiently exact to refer to all
their operations as work of the Ku-
Klux- Khan.
The order attracted no attention
until negro suffrage was imposed on
the South when "dens" began rapidly
to be organized so that in 1868 it was
supposed to have q membership of
$4,000. Its members claimed that
the order was formed to check the
Vaccinations of the Union or Loyal
Leagues, secret societies which were
composed of negroes under the
leadership of carpet-baggers and
scalawags.
The decentralization and turbulence
of the colored people at the close of
the war necessitated, it was said,
some means of restraint which the
Government did not then afford. In
its beginning it was not greatly differ
emit from the old slave patrol, and was
intended simply to scare the super
stitious blacks into good behavior and
obedience, and its membership COM
prised some of the best citizens of the
South.
Its original purpose, as set forth in
the prescript or constitution of the
khan, were the protection of the weak
and innocent from the outrages of
lawless and brutal persons, the relief
of the injured and oppressed, and the
assistance to the Government in the
execution of oil constitutional law.
The sphere of operation was styled
the "Invisible EMPIRE" the chief
functionary was the Grand Wizard;
each State was Realm, ruled over
by q Grand Dragon; each Congress
sional District was a Dominion, at the
head OF which was the Grand Titan;
each county was Province, under
the rule ola Grand Giant, and county
subdivided into Camps or Dens, each
governed by a Grand Cyciops. The
members of the dens were called
Ghouls.
~ luminous VI VIC Alou WCEc us
guised in long white robes, their
faces were masked, and they wore a
huge cardboard hat or cap with ears
and horns attached. The horses which
they rode were quite as effectively
disguised. Threats against those
whom the Khan had marked were
adorned with "a picture of crossed
swords, coffin, skull, and crossbones,
owl, bloody moon, and a train of cars
each labelled X. X. K" and the
language used was mysterious and
sanguinary.
Obnoxious mon were taken at night
from their houses by masked horse
men and whipped; and IL they would
not agree to desist from their work or
leave the country they were more
severely punished. Into an order of
this character, naturally many desper-
ats men affiliated themselves, unhe.