Year: 1870

Peieh'eu Az "ouiu piiiS apout q desperate
state OF affairs in our country. Men had no
right for mere political purposes to wbip and
to kill unofending citizens and one great ob;oot
/ had in becoming o. candidate in Alamonoo
County was to use my position as such to do
stroy these organizations; but before INV con
vass begun the Governor of the State had mt
in operation his plan to put an end to If How
far his plan has succeeded is evidenced bv the
fact that hundreds of the best men of NV Conn
ty are taking the occasion to confess that tbev
had become members of it under peculiar cir.
cumstances, and they have witnessed with shame
its workings and are now willing to lend their
aid in breaking it entirely up. In conclusion 7
call upon the people to give this thing careful
consideration and say whether such organizations
are becoming free and enlightened people. |
know that the condemnation of every patriotic
man is upon these organizations and upon any
party or set of men who foster or encourage
them Knowing what do of them hereby de-
nounce these organizations as dangerous to civil
liberty, as calculated to tear down a Republican
form of government and finally to involve our
whole country in civil war and bloodshed. The
| Sentinel in the issue of the 2Sth inst, in an
article headed Prepare for great develop
ments,' has seen proper, after stating that q
| horse thief and murderer of Moore County had
made affidavits to the Governor. to say that it
was said that was going to turn States evil
dence. would say to the Editor of the Sentinel
that he need not be frightened about me- Whilst
| / have heard it said among members of the
Constitutional Union Guard that this same Edi
tor was supposed to be chief of that concern in
the State, still do not know this fact of my
| own knowledge, and therefore will not be
nel 1t has also been reported and generally
| believed among the members of these organiza-
tions that a number of the leading Democrats
| and Conservatives in this State are members.
and that they have directed the organization in
its wicked and bloody operations. 1t is a fact
established to every unprejudiced mind that
these organizations perpetrated the whippings
and scourgings in Alamance County, and were
the murderers of Outlaw and Puryear, though
as to the individuals who committed these
crimes know nothing, nor by whom they were
counseled or advised to commit them. shrink
from these crimes with adherence, and call
upon all good men to unite with me in putting
this ruinous organization down.


1t has often been charged that no such organ
izations as l have above described exist Let
all doubts on this point cease can vouch for
the existence of such orders, and that as is well
known by their open confessions. 1t comprises
large majority of the members of the Conser-
vative party in my County. have learned
from many sources that there are large member
ships in other Counties throughout the State,
though l am satisfied that great number of
the members of these organizations have been
dragged into them under total misapprehen-
sion of their purposes; that they have not CO.
operated with them in their crimes, and will
meet with joy an opportunity to release them
selves from the thraldom under which they have
been suffering.


Very respectfully, -


JAMES E. BOYD.


We learn from some of the above citizens of
Alamance that the signs, pass words and grips
of the organizations are as follows:


Of the White brotherhood the sign of recogni-
tion is sliding the right hand down the eft
collar of the coat. The answer to this is given
with the left hand sliding down the right collar
of the coat. The grip is, in shaking hands, in
pressing the forefinger against the back part of
the palm of the hand The answer to this is by
drawing the hand and pressing between the
joints of the middle finger. The sign or cry of
distress is Shiloh.


The passwords, grips and signs of the Con-
stitutional Union Guard are the same as those
exposed in the trial at Newbern some months
since


For prudential reasons, which the public will
appreciate, it is deemed best by the government
not to publish any part Of the mass of evidence
it has in hand


This will come out when the criminals are
tried