The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, September 15, 1905, Image 8
THE KU KLUX KLAN
IN SOUTH CAROLINA
(Continued from lirst page.)
"The rule in South Oarolin
should not lie dignified with th
name of ( ovcrninent. It is the in
stallation of a huge system of hrig
andage. The men who have hu<
it in control, and now have have i
in control, are the picked villain
of the community. They are th
highwaymen of the State. The
are professional legislative rohhcr*
They are men who have studio
ami practiced the art of legalize
theft. They are in no sense dilTei
ent from, or hotter than, the nie
who till the prisons and poniter
tiaries of the world. They are, i
fact, of precisely that class, mil
moiv daring ami audacious. The
pick their poekots by law. The
roh the poor and the rich alike, h
law. They eonli.-eate your estal
hy law. They do none of the?
things even under the tyrant'- pl>
~~ A)i tile puh'he good or the public-nt
cessity. I li y do all simply to cm
rich thei nsel ves personally. T1
solo, hase object i- to gorge tic it
dividual with public plundei
Having done it, they turn aroun
and buy immunity for their act?
hy sharing their gains with th
ignorant, pauperized, besot te
crowd who have chosen tl.cm t
the stations they till, and wide
enables them thus to rob and pint
iler.
Such being the nature of tli
State < iovernnient, and theoutrag*
referred to having been eoiumitte
upon those hy whose votes thi
(iovevnmcnt was established,
can he understood that the puhli
opinion, which in any normal cot
dition of society rallies to the sui
port of law and order, was n<
aroused to the necessity of put tin
down the Ku Klux Klan, but wiie
it became apparent that the com
try was in a state of anrchy an
that gangs of milium* were bet
upon driving the negroes out of tli
country, public sentiment wa
aroused and began slowly toeoncer
lie asures for the restoration of lat
and order. 1'ublie meetings wer
held, and people began to consul
together as to what should be clone
It was about this time that measures
were introduced and agitate
iu Congress, looking to action 1?
the Federal Government, and inaf
much as everything that bad bee
done up to that time by the Kepul
liean party, bad been apparentl
directed to the oppression of th
white race, and to the support <
tb?- Reconstruction Government
which bad been so oppressive am
humiliating, the threat of Fed era
interference tended to quench th
nascent desire of the better clemcn
among the white to undertake meas
ures and the repression of ihe pre
vailing disorders.
Things remained about in thi
nonunion ior several months, ther
being intermittent raids and whip
pings, when some time in the an
Uuun of 1*71, (it n. (irant issuet
liis proclamation suspending lh
writ of habeas corpus in the conn
ties above named, and tin- military
under the command of Major Mer
rill, began making arrests. Fiveo
six hundred men were arrested ii
the counties of Vnk, I nion ant
Spartanburg, a good many innocen
men among them, and at the I ><
i ember term of the 1'nited State
Court, at Columbia, true hills wer
found against about live hundred
Five men were convicted and sen
to the Albany Penitentiary, am
about fifty pleaded guilty and wer
sentenced to various terms of im
prisonment in the county jails.
In the trial of the ease agains
Mitchell and others a copy of th
Constitution, by-laws and oatl
under which the. Ku Klux Klai
was represented ',to have heel
organized in York County, was of
fercd in evidence.
The oath is follows: I (name,
before the Immaculate Judge o
Heaven and Karth and upon tin
holy Fvangelists of Almighty Cod
do, of my own free will and accord
.-uhscrihe to tlio following sacred 1;
landing obligation:
1. Wo are on the side of justice
Innininity ami constitutional liberty
a- lici|Ucathc<l to u> in its purity la
our forefathers.
'J. W'e oppose ami reject tin; prin
eiples of the Kudica) party.
: ?. We pledge mutual aid to eael
other in sickness, distress and pecuniary
emliarrassnicnt.
1. Female friends, widows am
their households shall ev?-r he spec
ial objects of our regard and protection.
Any nicmhcr divulging, or cans
mg to hi! divulged, any of the fore
going ohligations- shall meet tin
fearful penalty of traitor's doom
which is "Death! Death! Death!'
The head of the Order was caller
the (irand Cyeloys. The awe and
terror inspired hy an organization
moving at night, silently and mysteriously,
with horses and men
shrouded and masked, upon the
joncly country roads, can he readily
? ?
understood, and many were the T
r tales told of the. mystery and horror,
of these raids.
When the organization was broken
I np hy the aetion of the United ~
States (iovernnient, as above stated,
:i ' a good deal of this mystery was
0 , cleared np. While a good many
-1 outrages were uncovered, the C?ov- "J"j
! eminent failed to prove that rhero
1 was any general movement
11 throughout the State in the nature
...1 <>f conspiracy to overthrow the State
c ! Government and to nullify the Re\
' construction Acts, for all the oft.
j fences tried occurred in the three
,1 counties altovc named, and on the
,1 I other hand those who sympathized
- I with the Ku Klux movement to ,
n ; the extent of employment gentle- i
! men of national fame, like Messrs.
n Keverdy Johnson and Stanherry to
v defend the prisoners brought to trial pr
v in the belief that, however misguid- wl
v ed, they were engaged in a move- th
v nient unlawful, though patriotic, to di
V overturn the State (lovernmcnt, di
were disappointed to find that most ^
;1 of the ol fences- ccrnihnttod were of
.. the chnfactor which Mr. Jolinson
stigmatized in the words above
quoted, and most of the offenders
!- were mere ordinary rullians, wlio w'
. I bad taken advantage of tlie disor- ha
,| I gnnization of society to commit la
;t j crimes which could not he extonu- on
?. | a ted on any pica that they were or]
d j perpetrated for any puhlie good. wl
.x-arly all of these outrages oc|,
currcd in the regions where the
whites were in the majority, and r
those wiio were eonvieted or pleaded
?. guiity belonged to a class which had an
ncwr been slave owners, and ul,|
ways most intolerant towards the po
negro. The quiescence of the land fo
it owners and their apparent tolera- th
tion of practices, which tended to
j. drive the laborer out of the country, j.0
and therefore was against their in,t
terests, was in large measure due
to the disintegration of the moral
n forces of society by bad government,
x. the State administration being so
obnoxious that the better elements ?f
lt would not rally to its support, and po
,. partly to that feeling of race soli- da
s darity. which in the unhappy con- Hi
ditions prevailing in the South, (p.
v seems to compel all white men to pj
,, stand together. tQ
\l My own position during this dark
period was not a happy one. 1 had nc
been elected Solicitor in 1 N(>s, short,1
ly after my admission to the liar,
Y most of the older lawyers being then ad
_ under political disabilities, and with ad
n the zeal natural to a young man
holding the oflice I did, 1 felt it my
v duty to prosecute the men who were m
committing these outrages, and 'l1" fa(
,f though I did not accomplish much,
I gave some of them some trouble,
1 which naturally did not make me
] very popular. "r
Later, when legislation was pendt
ing in Washington, to put the no
. country under martial law, believ- th
. ing that pressure from outside would nu
t'-nd only to solidify the white neo
A \sVJ
s pic hero and prevent the tiwakening llt.
t, i?t" those moral energies among our
own people so essential to our own ^
well heing, helieving that any real
I ami permanent reform should come
0 from within and not he imposed de
from without, and at the same time Pa
fearing that the interposition of the ch
Federal (lovernnient would he eon- in
sidered hy those then in control of th
? the State as an encouragement to te,
j continue in ill-doing, 1 went to tj,
t Washington, as one of a committee
appointed for that purpose, to see
^ jf I eoiihl do anything to defeat the n0
(1 I proposed legislation. b"
I 1 was prohahly not very discreet, ^
^ and some talk that 1 had with the 3t
I meinher of Congress from our district
was repeated hy him and con- a t
trued as a threat, and so 1 came to in<
l>e publicly branded as an emissary a>,
t of the Ku Klux, endeavoring by
t, threats to defeat legislation against ^
, them, and there was some denuncia,
tion of me in the newspapers; and In(
, some talk of proceedings before the sc'
House of Representatives to commit 'or
me for contempt, all of which has M'
I tended to confirm me in the view cai
j- uiai m periods i>i storni and Se
.-dress" in South Carolina, which sta
occur from time to time, the posi- o1(
tion of a man of moderate opinions co|
is an unhappy one.
Major Merrill, of the Seventh 'x
Cavalry, was the ollicer in command zei
1 of the troops in York county. lie ^e<
. was a man of considerable ability *n
and of great energy. In appearance ^ta
and in the thoroughness of his in- mt
vestigations he reminded one more thi
, of a German professor than of an th<
army ollicer. It was doubtless due gaI
largely to his rejiorts that the writ
I of habeas corpus was suspended and n
that the Government put forth its
powers for the suppression of the IU
Ku Ivlux Klan, and he was present nc
at the trials and took :11> nctiwii rvnt thi
in tliu prosecutions. ' -mi
When lie afterwards claimed and rh<
received from the State something bo
like Slo.tKM) in paymentof rewards, he
I offered hy an Aet of tin; Legislature ~
I for the detection and conviction of wli
! members of this organization, it m<
naturally created a most unpleasant Stsi
! impression. *iti
1 have endeavored to give, briefly, it i
the main features of an episode Van,
HE TILLMAN-BRICE
DEBATE.
000 PRESENT AT TIRZAH,
BUT ONLY 500 LISTENED.
Ilman Stated That the Members
of the State Board are
all Thieves and Should be
Removed ? Senator Brice
Spoke Briefly in Answer to
Tillman's Assertions.
The Red Nose law was discussed at
ir/.ah, York County, September 7,
' Senators J. S Brice end B. K.
Ilman.
'1 he exercises were opened with
aycr by the Rev. I)r J L Stokes,
io asked for divino guidance, and
at reason and not possion or prejuce
should influence ihe people in
sposing of the problems now before
em.
The speakers Were introduced by
e Hou. J. C. YVilburn, and the first
be presented was Senator Brice,
io spoke for about an hour and a
ilf. He denounced the dispensary
w as being the most infamous ? ver
acted, and maintained that the
ily remedy was to wipe out the
lole miserable business. He comiraJ
ihe corruption recently brought
light to that which existed du'ing
e dr.vs cf Sc??tt, Mo3es and Neig:e,
id stated that under no ciroumances
would he, as representing the
Af V ,.1, *1-- o -
VJJ1U ui x III IV IU tllU Ofllllie, Yuil!
r any measure calculated to give
e law a new louse on life.
Mr. Ilrice stated that in his i tTorts
amend the 1 ?w so as to give the
lople the right to drive out ihe disinsary,
he had been insp'rod only
' a desire to promote their bcs". iarests
and restore to tliein the right
local self-government, lie stated
sitively that he was not a cundite
for Governor or any other office,
e made out u good cuso against the
apensary and received liberul up
aus?. At the conclusion of Senar
Bri *e's speech, tho chairman anunced
that in view of the fact thai
was then after 12 o'clock, and that
nator Tillman would speak for posaly
two hours, the meeting would
journ for Id minutes.
SENATOR T)l.I.MAN'S SPEECH.
After reassembling Senator Tillan
was introduced. I)y
ce he referred, as he i lways does
ren he appears on tho stump in
>rk county, to his having made his
st political speech at Tir/ah in
aud explained that he was there
w at the invitation of friends in
e county, who had sent him a
imerously signed invitation of
me up and defend himself against
tacks made on him at the anti-dlsnsary
meeting held in Vorkville on
igust 7.
Ho devoted considerable time to
fending his course in obtaining the
uco iva af 1 K a 1 * J ? ? A 1 *
ui me i?n, niiu repeated 1518
liin that a majority of tlio voters
did not ask for prohibition,
irty thousand against it and eigh3n
thousand who did not vote on
e proposition.
Senator Tillman, however, deunced
the management in Colutni
as thieves, and stated that while
ere are scores of honest men in the
ate who are working for a salary of
iMl a year, they are not in charge of
jhree and a half million dollar bus3ss.
He had something to say
out the great benefits the agriculral
class was receiving from the
ipensary, in that hy reason of the
)ney paid into the school fund the
tools were kept open Six weeks
iger than they would he without it.
ich of his time was devoted to sar- ,
jm and ridicule, his target being
nator Brice, and those who are
mding with him in the light against
3 dispensary. He referred to t he
nmunication recently addressed to
-Senator MoLaurin hy four citi18
of Spartanburg urging him to
come a candidate for Governor on
anti-dispensary platform, and
itei that he had investigated the
in who signed the letter and found
it at least two had been tried by
3 courts for violating the dispen y
law.
Mr. Tillman said that under the
restitution the Governor is given
thority to remove ti corrupt and ,
sompetent board of control, and
it the investigation of the dispen y
now in progress has shown that
$ entire State board of control is '
th incompetent and corrupt, and
mentioned the label purcbaso as
licit was one of the darkest and <
>st painful in tlic history of tli<> |
itc. It was the outcome of a
nation that has no parallel, and
is to Ik; hoped will remain unexiplcd.
II
WE DO flt'OAK OVER THE 1
S U <
From sugar-cane to ;
the process of refining t
purity.
From the moment th
mill urifil it reaches the c
lutely free from contamin
Sugar absorbs moisi
I more or less loaded wit
Sugar that has becoi
likely to be lumpy and irr
OUR S
3 is packed in clean, dry b;
1 kept free from dampness
I where our sugar differs fr
I You order sugar from
S course. Sometimes it tal
jj to sweeten your tea or co
j in, and shoveling in, yet
tj Large quantities are >
|| you wonder why? Pun
I way. Pure sugar dissolv
I that does not dissolve is i
S Our sugar dissolves 1
I A 1 it11 nf /Mir ciirror nr/-v.^o
II ft IIV.V.IV \/i vyv.11
bills are reduced. Think
The Union
Clean, Wholesome F
instance of both, and stated that it
was the duty of Governor Hoyward
to remove tlie entire board and np
point one composed of horcst, competent
men to administer the affairs
of the dispensary. He to- k a hand
primary on the proposition as to
what the Governor should do, and
every man in sight voted to Senator
Tillman's views.
Senator Tillman said that, from
what he had been uble to gather as
to the situation in York, he was of
the opinion that the people were going
to vote to close the dispensary at
Yorkville, and that he was entirely
willing for t-hein to do so, if they so
desired.
senator l illinau repeated his recent
deliverance relative to voting out dispensaries
and having blind tigers in
their stead, and then gave the editor
of the Yorkville Enquirer a number
of Scripturo quotations, which, he
claimed sustained the morality of the
liquor business.
SKNATOK BRICK'S REPLY.
Senator Brice was allowed twenty
minutes in which to reply, but did
not consume so much time. Among
other things he said, in reply, was
that Tillman's attitude toward himsedf,
reminded him of that ancient
bully, Goliath, of Gath, and quoted
First Samuel xvii, id-41, and said
that Tillman's use of Holy Scripture
to sustain^he rum business was simlar
to that of the devil, when he
quoted Scripture to Christ, when he
attempted to tempt Him after His
feast.
MANY THERE, BUT FEW LISTENED.
It is estimated that there were
about two thousand people preseut.
At no time during the speaking were
over ">0<> making any prense to listening
to either Brice or Tillman, the
balance being scattered over the village
and In the grove, where the
stand was erected, out of ear shot of
the speakers. Both speakers wore
applauded. Mr. Brice, when he
made an especially forcible nninf
and Tillman, when ho said something
especially sarcastic, or made one of
those gesturos which has made him
especially dear to the hearts of his
old worshippers.
There were no unpleasant featuros
at the meeting, practically everybody
feeling in a good humor.
It is the general opinion of the observing,
thinking people of this
county that the dispensary will be
voted out by a majority of at least
8 to 1 on September 2f>.
Strikes Hidden Rocks.
When your ship of Health strikes
the hidden rocks of Consumption,
Pneumonia, etc., you are lost if you
rion't get help from Dr. King's New
Discovery for Consumption. J. W.
McKiimnti. of Talladega Springs, Ala.,
writes: "f had been very ill with
Pneumonia, under the care of two
loctors, hut was getting no better
wih'ii i negan to take Dr. King's New
Discovery. The Hrat dose gave relief,
Mid one bottle cured me." Sure cure
for sore throat, bronchitis, coughs and
.olds. Guaranteed at Dr. F. ('?. Duke's
1 rug store, price oOc and $1.00. Trial
liottle free.
Bring your job work to The j
rimes. We can please you.
DKVIIj HIMSELF.'' HAMLET.
3 A R
>ugar-bowl, every step in
he sugar we sell, spells
e cane enters the crushingustomer
it is kept absoation.
ture?moisture is always
h the germs of disease,
ne the least bit damp is
lpure.
5UGAR
irrels at the refinery and j
in transportation. That's I
om the.ordinary kind. I
your grocer as a matter of
<es a great many spoonfuls
ffee. You keep shoveling
it refuses to get sweet,
vashed out of the cup, and
? sugar doesn't act that
es and sweetens. Sugar
not pure.
'apidly, and it sweetens,
a long way. And sugar
it over. |
Grocery Co., I
ood at Lowest Prices. I
Orgia.
William Winter (from a volume of
poems out of print.)
Who cures for nothing alone is free?
Sit down, good fellow, and drink with
me!
With a careless heart and a merry eye
lie laughs at the world as the world
goes by.
lie laughs at power, and wealth, and
fame;
lie laughs at virtue, he laughs at 6liame;
I He laughs at hope, and he laughs at
fear;
At memory's dead haves, crisp and
sere;
He laughs at the future, cold and dim?
Nor earth nor heaven is dear to biui.
(). til At. 19 tho OAmfftrln " 1
,w ...v, ?*v*w hi/ iur uic.
He cares for nothing, his soul is free;
Free as the soul of the fragrant wineSit
down, good fellow, my heart is thine!
For I heed not custom, creed, nor law;
1 care for nothing that ever I saw.
In every city my cups I qu.._i',
And over the chalice I riot and laugh.
I laugh, like the cruel and turbulent
wave;
I laugh at the church, and I laugh at
the grave.
I laugh at joy, and well I know
That I merrily, merrily laugh at woe,
I terribly laugh, with an oath and a
sneer.
When I think that the hour of death is
near.
For I know that death is a guest divine,
Who shall drink my blood ,?s I drink
this wine.
And he cares for nothing! a king is he?
Come on, old fellow, and drink with
me!
With you I will drink to the solemn
past,
Though the cup that I drain should be
my last.
1 will drink to the phantoms of love
and truth;
To ruined hopes and a wasted youth.
1 will drink to the woman who wrought
my woe,
In the diamond morning of long ago.
To a heavenly face, in sweet repose,
To the lily's snow and the blood of the
rose;
To the splendor, caught from Orient
skies,
That thrilled in the dark of her hazel
eyes?
Her large eyes, wild with the lire of the
south?
And the dewy wine of her warm, red
mouth.
1 will drink to the thought of a better
time;
To innocence, gone like a death-bell
cliime.
I will drink to the shadow of coming
doom;
To the phantoms that wait in my lonely
tomb.
I will drink to niy soul, in its terrible
mood, |
Dimly and solemnly understood;
And, last of all, to the monarch of sin,
Who scaled its rampart and reigns
within.
My sight is fading?it dies away?
1 cannot tell is it night or day.
My heart is burnt and blackened with
pain,
And a horrible darkness crushes my
brain.
I can not seo you?the end is nigh?
But we'll laugh together before I die.
Through awful chasms I plunge and
fall?
Your hand, good fellow?I die?that's
all.
From Tho Argonaut.
THE _
C-*
Cash Bargain Store
Has just received a new
and complete line of Dress
Goods in the very latest
patterns in Silk, Mohair
Clintz, Mohair Velour,
Prunella, Broad Cloth,
Tricot Pebble Cloth, Venitian,
Repellant and other
fashionable suitings.
Come early and get first
choice and watch our next
week's ad.
MRS. D. N. WILBURN.
Get
One Pound
of
BEST
BORATED TALCUM <4
for
25 CENTS
at
DUKE DRUG CO.
Under Hotel Union. - Union, S. C.
THFY HAVF TOMF!
mm mm m - mm m, V Mm ViVI Mm
J ___ t
I always made special preparations
for the summer
months, for I know that almost
everybody has to buy
hot weather specials this time
of the year, so l ask you to
come and look through my
lines, which are complete.
JUST RECEIVED
lots of real good things in
Dry Goods, Notions, Shoes,
Hats, Clothing, Hosiery, Underwear,
etc.5
All of the above mentioned
are correct in style, best in
quality and low in price. So
trade here, save your coupons
and get a fine set of dishes
free.
GEO. W. GOING.
Aid the Doctor!
Don't forget that you can
assist the doctor greatly ^
in getting the best re- W
suits from his prescriptions
by having them
filled properly. You
make sure of this in
bringing them here. We
?use the best drugs, compound
careful I V nnH
charge fair prices.
We fill any doctor's
prescription at any time.
Night calls answered
promptly by ringing
Phone No. 159. ^
<
Palmetto Drug Co.,
Huiot & Renwiok, Owners
*