The Nation's Peril Part 9

"Now if that dirty, dutch scallawag ever comes to himself, you tell him to sell out and get away from here, or we'll be the death of the whole of you and burn the house over your heads. We'll give him just ten days to do it in."

Kaufmann did revive at last, and when he learned the dread message which the Klan had left behind, saw with sorrow that he must relinquish his pleasant home, and become a wanderer; but the necessities of the case admitted of no other course. His property was disposed of at a ruinous sacrifice, and with his wife and little ones, he made his way to Illinois, where he now is.

It would seem that the nationality of Kaufmann, and his probable ignorance of what const.i.tuted an offence in the eyes of the Ku Klux, should have saved him from this terrible visitation, so fraught with physical chastis.e.m.e.nt and financial ruin; but to the vision of men who regarded no law, who only saw the attainment of their despicable ends, through fraud and violence, he appeared a "radical by nature."--One, who being a German, must necessarily be a Republican, and hence they could make no mistake in scourging him.

A SLAVE'S FORMER EXPERIENCE REVIVED.

In the month of May, 1871, an intelligent mulatto--in whose veins flowed the blood of some ardent advocate of the _white_ man's race, unquestionably judging from his light color--whose name was William Was.h.i.+ngton, resided in a small shanty or cabin, about two miles and a-half from Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Was.h.i.+ngton had been a slave in the early part of his life, and was one of those unfortunates who chafed under the abuses and the yoke that held him in servitude to a "master."

He was high-spirited, and had learned to read and write before the Emanc.i.p.ation Proclamation had given him freedom, to act upon his own volition, untrammelled by his nominal "owner." Upon becoming a freeman, he left Montgomery County, Ala., near which place he had been reared, and settled in the vicinity of Tuscaloosa.

He was quiet in his deportment, orderly and well disposed. He had given general satisfaction to all who had employed him. But in the early part of the year 1870, it began to be observed that Was.h.i.+ngton was actively exerting an influence over the negroes in the vicinity, to such an extent as to cause the Ku Klux Camp organized under Philip J. Brady, as Commander to take the alarm.

The mulatto Was.h.i.+ngton was charged with being a Republican, of the radical sort, with presuming to teach the negroes to read, (shocking offence?) and of instructing them in Northern principles. This wouldn't answer, surely.

And so William was "warned" by the Camp that he must cease this kind of practice, and leave the country at once.

He paid no heed to this warning, and a second one came, notifying him that unless he departed within the succeeding thirty days, he should suffer death--for "though the moon was then bright, it would turn to blood--K.

K. K." Instead of seeing this fearful summons in the light it was intended he should, the mulatto industriously circulated the story that he went well armed always, and was ready to die, if he must, in defence of his principles. But that "he wouldn't run away--no how."

Matters went on thus for nearly a year. On the night of the 15th of May, 1871, Was.h.i.+ngton shut and barred his cabin door, as was his custom upon retiring, placed his gun and a single barrelled pistol by his bedside, and turned in, to sleep. About eleven o'clock, he was suddenly awaked by a thumping upon the closed shutter of the only window in the hut, and upon inquiring who was there, he recognized the voice of a friendly negro, outside, who answered--

"Day's a pow'r o' men a comin' up der road, yender--an' yer muss look out for yar se'f Wash'n't'n, da.s.s a fack."

This timely and kindly warning from his friend was very gratefully listened to by Was.h.i.+ngton, who replied that his informer must try to get help to him, if possible. And quickly dressing himself, the former slave awaited the a.s.sault which he now antic.i.p.ated, from the look of affairs outside, so near his hut.

The mounted band rode up very soon afterwards, and having been refused admittance, some of them dashed in the door. Was.h.i.+ngton was a powerful man, well built and very muscular--while his self-possession was always remarkable, when in peril. The interior of the shanty being quite dark, he crouched down in one corner, and fired upon his a.s.sailants with the pistol first and then immediately discharged the gun. Both shots took effect, and two of the Klan fell heavily to the floor.

Clubbing his musket, he then desperately rushed upon the enemy, determined, if he must die, that he would sell his life as dearly as possible; but the odds were altogether too heavy against him. The gun-stock in his brawny hands, was shattered at the first blow struck by his powerful arm, and then the band sprang forward and secured him, though not without a furious struggle. He was at once taken out of the cabin, a rope was placed about his neck, and thrown over the projecting limb of the nearest convenient tree, from which his body was quickly dangling, a lifeless corpse. They hung him without accusation, judge or jury, until he was dead, dead, dead--in accordance with the terms of the bitter oath of the Ku Klux Klan, whose victims are doomed "for opinion's sake!"

One of the gang had been mortally wounded by Was.h.i.+ngton's first shots, and died on the following day. Two others had been seriously hurt, and one of them was crippled for life. The body of Was.h.i.+ngton was left hanging beneath the tree for several days after this conflict, and until the negroes in the neighborhood gathered courage sufficient to cut it down, and give it decent burial; which they did at night, secretly and mournfully, for their late friend's sudden and violent death, proved an affliction indeed to the poor creatures, towards whom he had been so kind and clever an instructor and companion.

And thus this poor negro paid the penalty of his offence in being a radical, and like many a one before him who had been similarly sacrificed, "his soul goes marching on."

SCOURGING RADICAL TEACHERS AND BANIs.h.i.+NG MINISTERS OF THE GOSPEL.

Judging from information gathered from the most available sources, it appears that all measures, whether of a political, a religious or educational character, looking to the elevation of the negro, were strenuously opposed by the Ku Klux Klans, as they had sworn they should be.

The education of the negro was regarded as an especial heresy, not to be tolerated under any circ.u.mstances. It was an offence second in magnitude only to that of his voting the Radical ticket, and the face of the Klan was set against it with a resolution that made it a dangerous avocation for any one to engage in. School houses, erected for the purpose of teaching colored children, were burned to the ground, and the teachers scourged, banished or whipped to death.

The testimony of Col. A. P. Huggins, formerly of the Union Army, and subsequently of Monroe County, Mississippi, is pertinent to the point.

Col. Huggins, is known as a brave and gallant officer, a man of great physical and moral courage, and of unquestioned veracity. During the month of May, 1870, he became County Superintendent of Schools, for Monroe County, and on the 8th of March following, went into the interior, some eight or ten miles from Aberdeen, the County seat, on business connected with the School Department. He was at this time an a.s.sistant a.s.sessor of Internal Revenue, and improved the opportunity to make several a.s.sessments of revenue in the vicinity, staying, by invitation, at the house of a Mr.

Ross.

On the night of the day after his arrival at the house of Mr. Ross, (the 9th of March) a band of the Ku Klux, armed and disguised, and numbering about one hundred and twenty, came to the house and compelled Col. Huggins to come out. The chief of the Klan then informed him that they had come to warn him that he must quit the country within ten days that it had been decreed in the camp that he should first be warned, that the warning should be enforced by whipping, and if that did not produce the desired effect, he should be killed by the Klan, and if circ.u.mstances were such that he could not be killed by the Klan in a body, then they were sworn to a.s.sa.s.sinate him publicly or privately.

Col. Huggins asked them what his offense consisted of, and was answered by the chief, who said:--"You are collecting obnoxious taxes from Southern Gentlemen, to keep d.a.m.ned old Radicals in office. Now I want you to understand that no laws can be enforced in this country, that we do not make ourselves. We don't like your Radical ways, and we want you to understand it."

Col. Huggins then asked them if their operations were against the Radical party, and the Chief replied that they were; that they had stood the radicals just as long as they intended to, and they meant to banish or kill every one of them. The Chief then said, "will you leave the country in ten days." The Colonel replied that he would leave the country when he got ready, and not before. He was then taken about a quarter of a mile from the residence of Mr. Ross, where they halted. He was then ordered to take off his coat, which he refused to do, and it was removed by force.

Twenty-five lashes were then given Col. Huggins, when he was asked if he would leave the country. To this he replied that he would not, that now that they had commenced, they might go on as far as they pleased, as he had just as soon die, as take what he had already received. The whipping was resumed. Col. Huggins remembered hearing the executioners count the number of lashes up to seventy-five, when he fainted. The Klan left him in charge of Mr. Ross, and rode away. The main reason a.s.signed for the punishment of Col. Huggins was that he was a Radical and in favor of educating the negroes.

The case of Cornelius McBride, a young Scotchman who taught a colored school near Sparta, Chickasaw County, is one of unusual cruelty. Being teacher of a colored school, McBride was cla.s.sed as a Radical, and beside this, he had come from the North. He was accordingly doomed by the Klan for a visitation.

Between twelve and one o'clock of the Thursday night of the last week in March, 1870, a number of the Klan came to his house, and presenting rifles through the window, ordered McBride to come out. He asked what was wanted, when one of them replied, "come out you d--d yankee." McBride saw that nothing less than taking his life was intended, and determined to make an effort to escape. He gave a sudden spring through the window, landing directly between the two men who were pointing their rifles, dashed past them and ran to the house of a colored man whom he knew, and where he thought he could get a gun. While he was running, the members of the Klan commenced firing upon him, ordering him to stop, or they would blow his brains out. None of the shots took effect upon him, and he entered the cabin, but before he could get the gun, of which he was in search, the Klan were upon him and secured him.

McBride was then taken about a mile away from the place, having nothing on but his night dress. This was rudely torn from his person, and the executioners were about to commence their work, when he asked them what he was to be whipped for. The leader said, "you want to make the n.i.g.g.e.rs equal to a white man. This is a white man's country."

The whipping was then commenced with black gum switches, that stung the flesh and raised it in great ridges at every blow. The torture was so great that the poor victim begged them in G.o.d's name to kill him at once and put him out of misery. The leader said "shooting is too good for this fellow, we'll hang him when we get through whipping him." Another one said, "Do you want to be shot?" To which McBride replied, "Yes, I can't stand this torture, it is horrible." He then partially raised himself upon his knees and determined to make one more effort for his life.

Standing directly in front of him was one of the Klan, the only one who stood directly in his way, if he should attempt to run.

Stung by the terrible pain of the switch, McBride sprang to his feet, dealt the man in the front of him a tremendous blow, and darting past him scaled a fence, and ran across the open field. The Klan discharged their fire-arms after him, but in a few moments gave up the pursuit. McBride reached the house of a Mr. Walser, and there found protection through the remainder of the night.

Other teachers of colored schools received similar visitations, and colored schools were burned there and in the adjoining counties.

The crusade against Ministers of the Gospel who preached to the freedmen, was then commenced. The Rev. John Avery, of Winston County, was notified that he must appear at a meeting of the Ku Klux; that he must join in with the Klan, and cease his interest in free schools, and upon his refusal, his house was burned over his head. Mr. Avery was a southern man, and a pastor in the Methodist Episcopal Church.

Rev. Mr. Galloway, a Congregationalist Minister, of Monroe County, was in the habit occasionally of preaching to the freedmen. During April, 1870, a band of the Ku Klux called upon him at night, and notified him that he must not preach to these people. He continued doing so, however, and received a second warning, accompanied by an intimation, which he did not dare disregard, and he was compelled to relinquish his good work, on pain of banishment or death.

The Rev. Mr. McLachlin, a Methodist Episcopal Preacher, of Oktibbeha County, received various warnings to the same effect, but persisted in his course until he was finally driven from that county, and dared not return to it.

Scores of similar cases might be cited, all of which are matters of public record, but those above given, serve to show, that the Order of the Ku Klux Klan, is inimical to religion and education, as well as to the politics of those differing with them in their avowed opposition to Republicanism, and their adherence to the Democratic party. These gallant defenders of the white man's race were determined that no Government but the white man's should live in the country, and these results they hoped to obtain through the banishment, scourging and killing of negroes, Radicals and Republicans, by which means also, with the aid of their sympathizers at the North, they expected to have a Democratic Administration.

WARNINGS AND EDICTS OF THE KLAN.

It would seem to have been the design of the leaders of the Ku Klux Klans, in issuing their warnings, to play as much as possible upon the superst.i.tions of the people. These doc.u.ments were written in a disguised hand, sometimes in coa.r.s.e language, and contained sentiments intended to inspire terror in the minds of the recipients.

They were usually bordered with designs, representing daggers piercing bleeding hearts, death's heads and cross bones, and various grotesque devices. Some of them had a spice of grim humor, which, although fun to the Klan who issued these missives, meant banishment, scourging or death to those who received them. Specimens of these, the originals of which fell into the hands of the United States Officials during their attempts to break up the Ku Klux organization are here given _verbatim et literatim_.

Five persons residing in White County, Georgia, having made themselves politically obnoxious to the Klan, received the following:--

"READ THE CONTENTS, K. K. K.

O ye, hors.e.m.e.n of Mana.s.sas. Bounce, ye dead men that is now living on earth. We are the men that I am talking about. We are of K. K. K. Now Sandy Holc.u.mb, Green Holc.u.mb, Daniel McCollum, and E. d.i.c.kson, your days are numbered. We shot the old Belt weather[2] a little too low.

We aimed to shoot him through the heart; and if you don't all get away from this country very soon, your Radical hearts will be shot out of you, and we had just as leave shoot you as for you to get away.

K. K. K."

The parties named in the above warning did not leave, as the United States Officials came into the county about that time and arrested nearly one hundred members of the Camp from which the doc.u.ment was issued.

At Irwington, Ga., the colored people determined upon holding a "protracted meeting," and colored preachers a.s.sembled there from all quarters. The meetings are described as having been most orderly, but they were deemed inimical to the interests of the Ku Klux, and the following warning was issued and posted near the place of meeting.

"K. K. K.

The devil is getting up a new team, and wants some n.i.g.g.e.r preachers to work in the lead. If you stay here until we come again, the devil will be certain to have his team completed.