Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1920-10-27
apply for mail; three negro alder
men, q negro town clerk, three negro

policemen, and negro on every
school committee in the county. Some
OF our mothers and yrandmothers
who were engaged in teaching were
forced to get the signatures Of these
negro school committeeman to their
vouchers in order to get the small
salary paid to them for teaching. In
many instances these negro school
committeeman were unable to read
or write their names, and had to
make their marks. In Pitt county
we had three carpct-baggers and two
scalawags for county commissioners.
Il scalawag Clerk Of the Superior
Court. and the register Of deeds Office
was held by Il similar dignitary. Gen.
Byron Latin was our representative
in the Senate, and Capt. Rich our
member OF the House. Both Of these
men were notorious as carpet-bag-
gers and scalawags Of the worst type.
This same Gen. Latin. in listing his
taxes in 1868, sworc that he was not
worth dollar and listed no taxes.
After his return from the LegiSla-
turc. having served through the Ses-
sion as chairman Of the committee
on internal improvements, and.
therefore. having to place his 0. x.
on all appropriation bills for this pur-
pose. amounting to $27, 1000, he
went on the bond Of a carpet Dagger
sheriff. and when the solvency Of the
bond was questioned. swore that he
was worth $4,000, and when Ques-
toned further, stated that this wealth
consisted Of North Carolina State
bonds. This was his share Of the
plunder The other eastern counties
OF EdgecOmbe. Craven. Bertie and
| Halifax, and numerous others. we're
similarly cursed The oflce-holding
crowd Of that period were all thieves,
and totally lacking in character
At the time when conditions were
rottenest, Governor Holden organ
lied Kinks Militia, which was com
posed OF 1000 Tennessee andWcstern
North Carolina deserters, for the pur-
pose Of awing and intimidating the
best citizens Of the West and Pied
mont sections of the State. One of
the first to be arrested by this band
OF plunderers was Randolph shot
we'll, prominent editor. The charge
upon which he was arrested was that
he belonged to Il secret organization
known AS the Ku Klux Khan, and be-
ing disloyal TO the government of the
United states. lie was arraigned for
trial before a Federal Judge from
Baltimore, Nd. by the name of Bond
and negro jury was selected to pass
upon his guilt or innocence. AS was
expected, this negro jury. under the
guidance Of Judge Bond. promptly
returned verdict of guilty. and
Shotwell was sentenced to term Of
ten years in the Albany, y. Y. reni-
! Tertiary. The next prominent citizens
Of North Carolina to be arrested and
imprisoned were Josiah Turner and
! Judge Kerr and DR.. Roam, and some
others whose names | do not now re-
call. All were charged with disloy-
atty. The best legal talent available
in the State applied to the Superior
and Supreme Courts for writ Of
habeas corpus, and were met with
the declaration from the courts that
the power OF the judiciary was eX-
hausted." Gen. Ransom finally did
go to Elizabeth Citv, y G. ord arr',.
10 IUaG2 Brooks "h0 possessed about
The onlv SPARE Of ynurnctry 10 be-
: :onnd in no RANKS Qf tae Republican
oAri 'If,S5 24tyA S3F"o&s~a &Hcl ttAs&rig
OF ha DgaS c0rOUs. AND hose arrngiefI
, " orc re,easeu OH Daii
Seeing the civiliZatio Of our State
so set upon and imperilled: learning
OF the murder Of Gen. Nethercut, Of
Jones county, in the presence Of his
wife and children, and other deeds
equally as dastardly, the X. X. X,
sometimes known as the "Invisible
Empire" sDrang into being and pre-
pared for action at all costs. The
first act Of the ''lan' was to lynch
Wyatt Outlaw. The next carpet-bag-
ger to suffer similar fate was
Stephens, OF Caswell county, who was
lynched in the grand jury room Of
the court house about noon of the
day, at 4 time when 1000 or more
negroes and % or 80 carpet -baggers
and scalawagS were holding con-
Vention upstairs. stephens was the
leader In that county, and the charge
proven against him was that he in
cited and urged the negroes Of his
county to burn number of barns,
residences and stables, and other
wise destory the property Of the real
white men--the patriotic men of the
South. His reason for urging the ne
groes to this dastardly conduct was
that he knew little enough about
about North Carolina and North Car
olinians to believe that thing Of this
kind would serve to awe and intimi-
date them. AS history will forever
record. 1T had the reverse effect. The
next lynching to take place resulted
by reason Of a plot to take the life Of
Gen. Toons. Those so dealt with were
two carpet -baggers. scalawag and
two negroes-One Of the latter being
a preacher. The negro preacher was
hanged to Il limb between a carpet
bagger on one side and a scalawag
on the other From this date it re-
quired only positive and unmistaka-