Year: 1871

/ We give an extract from privatelet-


ter,written by C. Leahey, of Newber-


rvs. C., member Of the Legislature OF


that State, relative to the Ku-Klux


and their doings, together with the ef-
feet Of lawlessness upon the South.
Theletter is addressed to T. G.. Brosius
. Doubtless you have read much


about the Ku-Klux in the South


About the first Of February the KIan
was re-OrganiZed in this section Of the
country, and since then we have been


in state Of feverish alarm. About


thirty days ago l received a notice to
quit the country in ten days or die,
and rs this Klan generally perform


their threats you bet have been on


my guard, at night, for them. You
/ may imagine, when ] tell you, / have
not slept night in a house since, but
/ this IS nothing new in this country,
none Of our leading Republicans sleep
at home now. We all understand
each other, and but yesterday I was
asked by Southern gentleman to let
him go with me every night as he was
afraid he would be caught as he was
/ out of heart. Two miles from the vii
/ lage all theleading cOlOred men are on
the shift, and many have gone away
entirely. Nobody is exempt from the
l lash Of these ruffians. They even
/ Overawe what little virtue there is in
I the best citizens of the Democratic
I party. Crimes too horrible for human
beings to contemplate have been per-
I petrated. am taking every precau-
Nfnn hfnN l..
| pleasant il is to be harassed in this
way, and all because We are Republi-
cans. Astronomers may love "star
gazing" but from pine thieket there
is but little to charm, "shine they
never so brightly" I hope the people
of the North are awake to and realize
the importance and motives of the
mad Democratic leaders of the South.
1t just means this and nothing more
or less: They want to get possession
OF all the State governments, and then
organize for another rebellion, and to
accomplish this are they using every
weapon, entreaty, (which is becoming
less, social Ostracism, intimidation,
murder, and every other auxiliary
that their ingenuity can invent, and
their cruel ferOcity carry into effect
Their common practice is to pitch on
a man and beslime him all over with
foul ealumny, picturing him before
the community as a wretch covered
with social and political leprOsy, a
man of many crimes and no virtues.
The latest victim to this abuse is one
Doctor Winsmith, a man of one of the
oldest and most influential families in
the State. He formerly represented
his county in the State Senate for six
teen years. But this and his age, about |
20 years, did not shield him from the !
usual course of abuse, which culmin- |
ated about thirty days ago, in set of |
midnight assassins visiting him, and /
shooting him seven times, in his own /
house and surrounded by his terrified /
wife and family.


I at first thought that when they |
began to abuse a man that, perhaps, |
he deserved il, but it makes no differ /
ence how good and moral the man is,
ne is subjected to the same TRADE Of
abuse, and thus they keep the better
and more liberal SOuthernOr out of the
party. Now, some peO-
pie are made to get upon the sale
stand, on sales day, and announce
JudJ Iuey nave ulSSOlNeu LueI COLI
neetion with the Republican party,
and others have to come out in .he
papers and do the same. Their plans
are openly discussed of killing all the
Office-holders, and that
every man in the next campaign that
accepts a nomination from the party
s to be killed.


What curse this Klan is working
for the future prosperity of the South.
It puts an effectual stop to emigration,
which under the present state of an
lrchy is q blessing for the emigrant.


Hoping you will write soon, and that
[ will yet have the pleasure Of seeing
you all, am as ever,


Yours, &c,


J. @. LEAHBY.