Year: 1871

| lPkOh OUh kPBClAb CORRkSPONDbNIl


ATLANTA, Ga, June 9.-The only portion Of
Georgia where there appears to be existing tho
roughly organized Ku-Kux Klan is the northwestern
corner and especially the Counties Of Floyd, Forsyth
and Barton In this region the outlaws believed 10
have perfectly systematic organization. gentleman


living in the former county who sad he was Democrat
and had been Rebel Colonel told me yesterday that ne
positive knowledge that the county s divided into
Ku-Klux districts, each under commander, and that
ten districts make grand district under the orders OF
Grand Commander. The members Of the Klan In each
| district form @ Den, 1t Is called, and have
authority to whip obnoxious persons, but when
| 1t is question Of killing a man, the Grand
Commander summons Council which meets ut night In


the woods and discusses the question: and the verdict Is
not death unless all the members OF the Council agree
| To illustrate the power Of the Grand Commander my
informant related the following occurrence. few
weeks Is KuKux went to the cabin OF an old negro
named Ellison who lived the farm Of Robert Foster
in Chattooga County 1t night and he was In bed
They called to him to out telling him there were
friends who wished to see him. He went out and


seeing the men in their black cowls and gowns, turned
and an trying to get into the woods close at hand,
but he stumbled and fell and of the KuKux struck
him three blows on the head with saber and left
him for dead Ellison to his soon after, and,
thinking HIS assaants had gone, started back to his
CABIN The KuKlux were still there, and, seeing the
negro returning fred several shots and rode away Mr..
Foster, aroused by the firing from his house and
took Ellison into his cabin. Ellison died afterward,
having made statement of the He was an
old man, to whom his employer was much attached.
Now the curious part OF the story. The murder
committed by order Of the Captain OF the Den in
the neighborhood, and without the authority OF the
Grand Commander. The murderers were. therefore,
warned by that functonary that they could expect no
protection from him. and liable to die by his order
dsobedience The Captain and one other man there
upon fed the country.


The same gentleman brings information OF ku-kux
murder committed in Barton County. adjoining Floyd
County, last Friday night white man named Garri-
son. owning a saw-mill, had dispute with a negro man
employed in the m about the wages Of the latter and
cut him badly with knife. The same night party OF
masked men broke into the negro's house. and Of
them placed musket against against his breast as he
lay in bed and shot him dead Instances of whipping
are reported to be stl frequent in that vicinity.
Some Georgia papers report that Veritabe
Ku-Kux attempt at murder occurred on the
3Oth ult, In Sumter County. party of disguised men
went to the house of colOred man, Isom Jenkins who
was employed by Mr.. Thomas Davenport on his farm,
and ordered him to out. which he refused to do.
They then into the house and forced him out and
carried him about half mile. and shot him, and sup
posing they had killed him, he thrown into an old
treeop and there left. He not dead however, and
gave information which cauGed the arrest OF three
who are in jail This is exceptional the
southern part of the State having been for time free
from KuKlux disturbances.


From all the information can gather IL appears tha
in addition to the political animosity entertained toward
the negroes another is operating in the counties
where these crimes committed to produce the per-
secution practced upon the coored people, and that ia
desire among the poor whites to drive them away 80
that they shall not come into competition with them
laborers These poor whites, crackers, as they are
called compose the active force OF the Ku Kux organi
zation. They have become impressed with the belief
II they drive out the negroes the good lands
cultivated by the blacks shares for the planters
will fall into their hands. They now own or
soua upop little farms OF Door upland that with
hard scratching barely produce corn enough ior them 10
eat They naturally eoyet the better lands OF the plant
era and think they have hit upon way OF getting pos
session them. On the principle where they see
negro employed in any capacity where he is earning
good wages they hate him, and want to him off, that
his place may be obtained for OF themselves. They
| frequently warn white to discharge their negro
hands and beat the negroes to force them to leave Ne
groes who have acquired little farms OF their own are
especially detested by these rufians


The reason assigned for the exceptionally bad cond
tion of the northwestern counties sat they were the
scene OF predatory guerrilla warfare during the Rebel


on which left the country class OF desperadoes ac
| customed to murder and robbery There are but few
negroes in these counties, there is not the cause OF
bad feeling against them that exists in South Carolina
where they have taken control OF the county onces
without regard to their capacity TO NIL tnem'
Political animosity, however, sun occasiohs many
OF the outrages Two white men were whipped
| in tCbattooga County last month"; for the
sole crime OF being Republicans. At the elec-
ton in December the KuKlux were efhcent


I'm keeping negroes from the polls in the section referred
TO- In FLOYD County OF 800 negro voters only 2O Yoted
and in Chattooga County only 13 negroes voted out OF
about $780, 1t is solely account Of the political results


il accompshes that the Klan allowed to exist by the
influential and respectable citizens, who could suppress
It in week If they would The planters are opposed TO


il because il interfees with their aborers Many OF the
best farms uncultivaed account OF the dsorgan-
ization OF labor caused by the Ku-Klux, but
the planters, isolated they are, and ex-
posed to night attacys have not dared TO
act ON foot any movement against the order In the towns
where such a movement should originate with the OF
fcers of the law the sympathy of the people empha
icaly with the Ku-Kux. The little courthouse towns
in Georgia are hotbeds OF Rebel sentiments, which are
tostered and stimulated by the lawyers and politicians
who have nothing TO lose by the disorders they encour
The planters are conservative and want peace and
good feeling with the negroes without whose labor they
| are ruined.


The real leaders OF the KuKlux are the Court-House
and tavern politicians and the rank and ne Is composed


a, the idle Ignorant and worthless poor white element,
which is unquesonaby the worst class OF people 10 DC
found any where in the United states They are depor'


h IGNORANT but have desire FOR education for them
selves or their children They are wrechedy peor put
the desire for wealth never stimulates them 10 seaay
labor They are without ambition TO better heif con
dtion They coarse, cruel and vindlchve' ana III
overv way deserve their appelation OF the lowiown
| naonle To understand the KuKlux problem the
| existence and character Of this class in Southern
society must be borne in mind, for, without IT,
| Ku.Kluxism would be impossible. To parade atnight
in mysterious masquerade, terrifying peaceabe peo'
ple has strong fascination for the men OF TINS class
| The Governor has in his Office number OF kuRlux
uniforms captured recently in Chattooga County The
costume consists OF red flannel trowsers black blouse
trimmed with red and gathered at the waist and black
cow covering the face and falling down TO the breast