CHAPTER X

“Some people seem to think that the Ku Klux Klan is a body of men who have banded together simply to oppose certain things they do not like—that they are anti-Jew, anti-Catholic, anti-negro, anti-foreign, anti-everything. But real Klansmen have no fight to make on any of these. I can’t help being what I am racially. I am not a Jew, nor a negro, nor a foreigner. I am an Anglo-Saxon white man, so ordained by the hand and will of God, and so constituted and trained that I cannot conscientiously take either my politics or religion from some secluded ass on the other side of the world.“Now, if somebody else is a Jew, I can’t help it any more than he can. Or, if he happens to be black, I can’t help that either. If he were born under some foreign flag, I couldn’t help it, and if he wants to go clear back toItaly for his religion and his politics, I cannot hinder him; but there is one thing I can do. I can object to his un-American propaganda being preached in my home or practiced in the solemn assembly of real Americans.”

“Now, if somebody else is a Jew, I can’t help it any more than he can. Or, if he happens to be black, I can’t help that either. If he were born under some foreign flag, I couldn’t help it, and if he wants to go clear back toItaly for his religion and his politics, I cannot hinder him; but there is one thing I can do. I can object to his un-American propaganda being preached in my home or practiced in the solemn assembly of real Americans.”

The propaganda against the Jew is being carried on as viciously as against the Catholic. In theSearchlightof July 30, 1921, there appeared on the front page a typical anti-Semitic article in the nature of a letter written from New York, and signed “American,” of which the following is an extract:

“The Jew is interested in creating war between blacks and whites, not to benefit the negro, but to destroy our government. For the same reason, the Jew is interested in overthrowing Christian Russia. But remember, he does not intend to stop at Russia. Through his Third Internationale of Moscow he is working to overthrow all the Gentile governments of the world. I am enclosing an editorial clipped from theNew York Worldof Saturday, July 23. You will keep in mind that theWorldis Jew-owned (as is also every newspaper in New York City except theTribune).“My investigation proved to me beyond a doubt that the negro situation is being made increasingly dangerous by Jewish agitators.“In all my twenty-five years travelling over this continent, I have never met a disloyal American who failed to be either foreign born or a Semite.“With the best wishes for the success of the Ku Klux Klan.”

“My investigation proved to me beyond a doubt that the negro situation is being made increasingly dangerous by Jewish agitators.

“In all my twenty-five years travelling over this continent, I have never met a disloyal American who failed to be either foreign born or a Semite.

“With the best wishes for the success of the Ku Klux Klan.”

The destiny of the United States, like the destiny of the individual, lies not in dwelling upon the unpleasant things of the past but in a sane and correct solution of the problems of the present and of the future. We are all Americans; we live amid conditions that demand national unity and national sanity; and our principal thought should be the elimination of sectional discord and internal dissension. Experience has shown me that there is but little basic difference between average Americans, no matter in what part of the country they may have been born and reared. Aside from local customs, variations of accent, and minor provincialisms, the man from Tennessee is no different from the man from Massachusetts, and the man from New Jersey is a brother “under his skin” to the “native son” of the Golden West. To remove the causes of friction, to eliminate sectional and class hatred, and to inculcate the principles of unified Americanism among people of diversified interests are the real ideals of this Republic.

Believing, therefore, that constant dwelling upon the evil of the past is unhealthful, both tothe individual and to the nation, it is neither my intention nor purpose, in discussing the historical side of the original Ku Klux Klan to give vent to the passions and prejudices of the South of the days immediately following the Civil War. In dealing with it, I am merely narrating facts as set forth by men recognized as authorities of American history, and these facts can, if need be, be verified by the reader.

It is a part of the tragedy of war that its termination is followed by a period of painful reconstruction. Every war ever fought in the world’s history has had its inevitable aftermath of readjustment—the return from the abnormal to the normal. In some instances this has been so imperceptible as to entail but little hardship upon the people who have suffered the terrible effects of armed conflict; in others, the harshness of the conqueror to the conquered and the brutality of the victor toward the vanquished have left traces of hatred and lust for vengeance that have survived for generations.

In the study of the history of the Anglo-Saxon race, there are two reconstruction periods that stand out in marked contrast. One was the reconstruction of the Southern States following the Civil War, and the other was the reconstruction of South Africa by the British government immediately after the Boer War. The former was handled in a stupid, ignorant, and insane manner, and based upon the lust of spoils and upon the most wretched of partisan politics.The latter was disposed of in a wise, sane, and statesmanly fashion, with impartial consideration for the welfare of the British Empire and the peace and good will of the Boers.

The reconstruction of the Southern States following the Civil War was utterly stupid, and Americans of our generation—regardless of Northern or Southern birth—so consider it, and know that the manner in which the situation was handed was a political mistake.

The activities of the “carpetbaggers” and their negro allies after the Civil War were not confined merely to the looting of the public treasuries. Vicious white men organized the negroes into societies and stirred up their hatred against the white people, with the result that unspeakable crimes were committed in all parts of the South. Perhaps the most notorious of these organizations was that known as the “Loyal League,” which operated in all parts of the South, and which was composed of negroes and low white men.

I quote from Mr. Wilson’s work, the following clear and well-worded summary:

“The price of the policy to which it gave the final touch of permanence was the temporary disintegration of Southern society and the utter, apparently the irretrievable alienation of the South from the political party whose mastery it had been Mr. Stevens’ chief aim to perpetuate. The white men of the South were aroused by the mere instinct of self-preservation to rid themselves, by fair means or foul, of the intolerable burden of governments sustained by the votes of ignorant negroes andconducted in the interest of adventurers: governments whose incredible debts were incurred that thieves might be enriched, whose increasing loans and taxes went to no public use but into the pockets of party managers and corrupt contractors. There was no place of open action or of constitutional agitation, under the terms of reconstruction, for the men who were the real leaders of the Southern communities. The restrictions shut white men of the older order out from the suffrage even. They could act only by private combination, by private means, as a force outside the government, hostile to it, prescribed by it, of whom opposition and bitter resistance was expected, and expected with defiance.... But there were men to whom counsels of prudence seemed as ineffectual as they were unpalatable, men who could not sit still and suffer what was now put upon them.... They took the law into their own hands and began to attempt by intimidation what they were not allowed to attempt by the ballot or by any course of public action.”

The agency by which the South was saved from the devilish scheme of Thaddeus Stevens to Africanize it and convert it into a mongrel, half-bred section was the original Ku Klux Klan! Brought into being by chance, and used as an agency to meet the exigency of the hour, it served its purpose as many similar systems have served theirs, including the Western vigilantes, whose work has been commended by Theodore Roosevelt on the ground of public necessity. Then having restored the South to the control of its better element, it passed away, to occupy a cherished place in the history of the Southern States, from which it can never be resurrected.

The reign of Ku Kluxism existed in the Southern States from the year 1866 until President Rutherford B. Hayes withdrew the Federal troops from the South, during which period a number of its phases present themselves for study and investigation. In some of these, if one accepts the opinions of radical members of Congress from the Northern States, the whole system was nothing but evil; while if the extremely radical Southern viewpoint is accepted, the Ku Klux movement was as spotless as a lily and was responsible for no acts of lawlessness whatever. Somewhere between the extreme Northern condemnation and the extreme Southern justification lies the truth. In any case the Ku Klux movement was the exercise of extra-legal force for the purpose of meeting a revolutionary condition of society in a revolutionary manner. In the sense that it had no standing in law and took upon itself to enforce what its leaders saw fit to declare was the law, it was an outlaw organization. Taken by itself, in the light of our present system of government and law enforcement, it has nothing on which to stand; but, studied in the light of the reconstruction period, it is shown to have been the last desperate resort of the Anglo-Saxon to resist and overthrow the attempt toAfricanizehis country.

The movement was a revolution to meet a situation unparalled in this country’s history, and the history of revolutions has never at anytime manifested the character of pink teas or church socials. Personally I prefer to adopt the point of view that in a chaotic and despotic condition of society like the one forced upon the Southern people, the end justified the means, and would place the entire responsibility of what happened in the South upon the shoulders of Thaddeus Stevens and other radical leaders of Congress.

A careful investigation of the history of the original movement shows that it was divided into three separate and distinct periods. It was first organized as a secret society for the amusement of its members, without any serious attempt to act as a “regulator” of social and political affairs; it was then transformed into a great political-military movement, enforced law and order, drove the negro and the carpetbagger out of politics, and was then ordered disbanded; and lastly it attempted in unorganized fashion, without the authority of its former leaders, to rule many communities, and an enormous number of acts of violence were committed either by it or in its name.

There were several different organizations which sprang into existence in the South during the reconstruction periods, each one operating along the same general lines but bearing different names. There were the Ku Klux Klan, the White Brotherhood, the Pale Faces, the Constitutional Union Guards, and the Knights of the White Camelia, which was larger thanany of them. In the latter days of the reconstruction, when acts of lawlessness in the South were so bad that an investigation was held by Congress, the general name of Ku Klux was applied to all extra-legal Southern movements. As this narrative deals only with the Ku Klux Klan, a discussion of the other movements is unnecessary.

The Ku Klux Klan was organized in Pulaski, Tenn., in May, 1866. Several young men who had served in the Confederate Army, having returned to their homes, found themselves suffering from the inactivity and reaction that followed army life. There was nothing to do in which to relieve it. There was but little work to do, and but few had capital to engage in new mercantile or professional pursuits. The amusements and diversions of normal society were lacking, and to meet this situation, it was decided to form a secret society merely for the purpose of burlesque and fun-making. After the society was organized, and a name was sought, one of the members suggested the word “kukloi” from the Greek word “Kuklos” meaning circle. Another member then suggested: “Call it ‘Ku Klux,’” and this suggestion was at once adopted, with the addition of the word Klan.

The new society was a success from the start. The “joiner” of 1866 was no different from the “joiner” of 1921. The boys made the organization one of deep mystery; they adoptedgrotesque and hideous costumes which they wore to and from their places of initiation; they gave out hints of the wonders of the new society, which played on the curiosity of the public; and they had mysterious communications printed in the local newspapers. The members were required to maintain profound and absolute secrecy with reference to everything connected with the order, and went at their work with great glee, to the added mystification of the community. The result was that everybody in the city of Pulaski and all throughout the surrounding country, became possessed of the “joiner’s itch” and sought admission. No applications were solicited for membership, because the organizers knew human nature well enough to know that if they gave out the impression that they wished to be exclusive the applications would be both voluntary and numerous. The organization grew very rapidly, and strangers coming to Tennessee from other Southern States learned of it, became members, and secured permission to start local organizations. By the fall and winter of 1866 the order had grown all over the South, and in nearly every community there was a “Den” of Ku Kluxes enjoying the baffled curiosity and wild speculations of a mystified public.

In March, 1867, the Reconstruction Acts were passed by Congress, and in the month of April the actual work of reconstruction began. Then it was that the Ku Klux Klan underwent itssecond stage of development and became transformed into a band of regulators to handle the alarming situation that immediately followed. Perhaps the best available authority on the Klan in the country today is a little book written by Capt. John C. Lester and Rev. D. L. Wilson, giving an insight into its organization and real history. Captain Lester was one of the six original organizers, and Mr. Wilson, while not a member, was a resident of Pulaski and was closely in touch with the entire movement. In this work they stated that the transformation of the society was effected in three ways:

(1) The impressions made by the order upon those who joined it; (2) the impressions made upon the public by it; (3) the anomalous and peculiar condition of affairs in the South at the time. The impression made upon the man who joined was that behind all the amusement features of the organization and, unexpressed in its ritualistic work, was a deep purpose—a solemn mission that would be undertaken later. What it was none knew, but the feeling existed that a mission existed, just the same. The impressions made upon the public immediately showed the Klansmen that the organization possessed a certain power that nobody had imagined it would possess. This power was largely one of fright and intimidation, and was shown in the case of the ignorant and superstitious negro more than in that of the whitepeople. Negroes would see the ghostly nocturnal Ku Kluxes and imagine that they were spirits of deceased Confederate soldiers, and the Klansmen were very quick to grasp the idea and use it to the fullest advantage. In some cases a figure in white would ride up to a negro’s house, dismount and ask for a drink of water. The frightened negro would hand him a gourd, which the rider would pour into a rubber bag, concealed under his robe, and then demand a whole bucketful of water, which he would dispose of in the same way, remarking, “That was the first drink of water I have had since I was killed at Shiloh.” In other cases the Ku Klux members would wear false heads, ride up to a negro and, removing the head, ask the negro to hold it. Skeleton hands would be fastened to the wrist and held out for a handshake, which procedure usually caused the terrified negro to make a hasty retreat. With the superstition and natural tendency of their race to magnify happenings, the negroes soon spread alarming tales among themselves as to the Ku Klux and its doings, until presently the name was one that invoked horror and terror. It is but natural, therefore, that knowing this new power of frightening the negro, the members of the strange order exercised it to the fullest extent.

In May, 1867, in order to form a strong sectional organization, a convention was secretly held at Nashville, Tenn., and the Prescript of the order was revised and amended bydelegates from all of the States. Plans were made for extensive work, and for propagating the order in every community in the South. Gen. Nathan B. Forrest, having previously heard of the organization made a careful investigation of it, and consented to become its head, assuming the office of Grand Wizard immediately after the Nashville Convention. He had been one of the South’s most successful and distinguished cavalry officers, was recognized as being able to handle men in a masterful manner, and was a person of coolness and clear-headed judgment. He at once set to work to reorganize the order, which had become more or less demoralized under loose management, and made it a real factor in handling the serious situation which grew more serious as the reconstruction proceeded. He brought the membership in Tennessee up to 40,000 and the total membership in the South to 550,000, and did all he could to keep the force in strong control.

A great many of the most prominent men in the South became members of the organization, and were either active in the work or served in an advisory capacity. Among them were Generals John B. Gordon, A. H. Colquitt, G. T. Anderson and A. R. Lawton, of Georgia, Gen. W. J. Hardee, Gen. John C. Brown, Capt. John W. Morton, Gen. George W. Gordon, and Gen. Albert Pike, who later became one of the foremost Masonic authorities in the country. Gen. Pike was the chief judicial officer of the Klan.

Among the first policies inaugurated by General Forrest was the courting of widespread publicity, and an order was issued for a parade in full regalia on July 4, 1867. In every Southern city parades of the Ku Klux Klans were held, and served to act as an advertisement to the people of the South that they were being protected, and to serve notice on the carpetbagger and the negro that a new force had arisen for the purpose of meeting their encroachments upon the liberties of the white people.

Then began the reign of the mysterious organization that ended in the various restorations of the State government to the white people of the South, most of which occurred in 1870, the last States to throw off the yoke being South Carolina and Louisiana. What occurred during that time in the way of actual events is but vaguely stated.

The fact that the whole period was one of the bitterest of partisan politics makes it necessary to discount to a large degree the statements of both sides of the controversy. It has been told by some that the original Ku Klux Klan enforced its decrees and maintained law and order, not so much by the overt acts it committed but by reason of the vague fear and surmises on the part of the negro and carpetbagger as to what the Klan could do.

In an address before the Bar Association of Texas in 1906, Hon. Thomas W. Gregory, later Attorney-General of the United States, gave ahistory of the old Klan, and in speaking of its work said:

“It is safe to say that ninety per cent of the work of the Klan involved no act of personal violence. In most instances mere knowledge of the fact that the Ku Klux were organized in the community and patrolled it by night accomplished most that was desired. In the case of nocturnal meetings of the negroes, organized by scalawags and carpetbaggers, which proved disorderly and offensive, sheeted horsemen would be found drawn up across every road leading from the meeting place; and although not a word was spoken and no violence whatever offered, that meeting was usually adjournedsine die.... But masked riders and mystery were not the only Ku Klux devices. Carpetbaggers and scalawags and their families were ostracized in all walks of life—in the church, in the school, in business, wherever men and women or even children gathered together, no matter what the purpose or the place, the alien and the renegade, and all that belonged or pertained to them were refused recognition and consigned to outer darkness and the companionship of negroes.“In addition to these methods, there were some of a much more drastic nature. The sheeted horseman did not merely warn and intimidate, especially when the warnings were not heeded. In many instances negroes and carpetbaggers were whipped and in rare instances shot or hanged. Notice to leave the country was frequently extended and rarely declined, and if declined the results were likely to be serious. Hanging was promptly administered to the house burner and sometimes to the murderer; the defamer of women of good character was usually whipped and sometimes executed if the offense was repeated; threats of violence and oppression of the weak and defenseless if persisted in after due warning met with drastic and sometimes cruel remedies; mere corruption in public office was too universal for punishment oreven comment, but he who prostituted official power to oppress the individual, a crime prevalent from one end of the country to the other, especially in cases where it affected the widow and orphan, was likely to be dealt with in no gentle way, in case a warning was not promptly observed; those who advocated and practiced social equality of the races and incited hostility of the blacks against the whites were given a single notice to depart in haste, and they rarely took time to reply.”

“In addition to these methods, there were some of a much more drastic nature. The sheeted horseman did not merely warn and intimidate, especially when the warnings were not heeded. In many instances negroes and carpetbaggers were whipped and in rare instances shot or hanged. Notice to leave the country was frequently extended and rarely declined, and if declined the results were likely to be serious. Hanging was promptly administered to the house burner and sometimes to the murderer; the defamer of women of good character was usually whipped and sometimes executed if the offense was repeated; threats of violence and oppression of the weak and defenseless if persisted in after due warning met with drastic and sometimes cruel remedies; mere corruption in public office was too universal for punishment oreven comment, but he who prostituted official power to oppress the individual, a crime prevalent from one end of the country to the other, especially in cases where it affected the widow and orphan, was likely to be dealt with in no gentle way, in case a warning was not promptly observed; those who advocated and practiced social equality of the races and incited hostility of the blacks against the whites were given a single notice to depart in haste, and they rarely took time to reply.”

Whether one looks upon the methods of the Ku Klux Klan as wise and humane or as rough and cruel, the fact remains that its work was accomplished, and state governments under carpetbag control, negro militia, acts of Congress and proclamations of the President though backed by the army of the United States, made but little headway against the silent force of white men which was making a last desperate stand for all they held sacred.

Lester and Wilson in commenting on the work of the Klan, even before it was transformed into a movement of regulators say:

“The order contained within itself, by reason of the methods practiced, sources of weakness. The devices and disguises by which the Klan deceived outsiders enabled all who were so disposed, to practice deception on the Klan itself. It placed in the hands of its own members the facility to do deeds of violence for the gratification of personal feeling, and have them credited to the Klan. To evilly disposed men membership in the Klan was an inducement to wrongdoing. It presented to all men a dangerous temptation, which, in certain contingencies at any time likely to arise, it required a considerable amount of moral robustness to resist. Many did not withstand it. Up to this time, the majorityhad shown a fair appreciation of the responsibilities of their self-imposed task of preserving social order. But under any circumstances the natural tendency of an organization such as this is to violence and crime—much more under such circumstances as those then prevailing.”

In September, 1868, Governor Brownlow of Tennessee called the legislature into session, and caused a drastic act to be passed comparable only to the Reconstruction Acts of Congress. Under its terms association or connection with the Ku Klux Klan was punishable by a fine of $500 and imprisonment in the penitentiary for not less than five years. Any inhabitant of the State was constituted an officer possessing power to arrest without process any one known to be or suspected of being a member of the organization; and to feed, lodge or conceal a member was made a criminal offense punishable by fine and imprisonment, and informers were allowed one-half the fine. In spite of this drastic law, the Klan continued to actively operate in Tennessee for over six months.

Partly because of this law, and partly because of the fact that in many cases some of the “Dens” had gone beyond their instructions in coping with the situation, and were showing a tendency to get beyond the control of the men who were trying to conduct the movement honestly, but principally because the purpose of its regulation work had been accomplished and there remained no reason for its existence, General Forrest, in the latter part of February,1869, issued a proclamation as Grand Wizard declaring the Ku Klux Klan dissolved and disbanded.

The substance of his order is included in his summary which reads:

“The Invisible Empire has accomplished the purpose for which it was organized. Civil law now affords ample protection to life, liberty and property; robbery and lawlessness are no longer unrebuked; the better elements of society are no longer in dread for the safety of their property, their persons, and their families. The Grand Wizard, being invested with power to determine questions of paramount importance, in the exercise of the power so conferred, now declares the Invisible Empire and all the subdivisions thereof dissolved and disbanded forever.”

Thus ended the second period of Ku Kluxism in the South. A large number of “Dens,” however, paid no attention to the order of General Forrest, but continued to act independently, and kept up their work until the late seventies. The “Pale Faces,” the “Constitutional Union Guards,” the “White Brotherhood,” “White League,” and the “Knights of the White Camelia” were also kept up for several years after the organization of the Ku Klux Klan was officially abandoned, it being very likely that many of the Klan units joined in with these movements. It is generally understood that the work done by these organizations, and by the irresponsible people who still used the name of the old Klan, was more reckless and violent in its character and was the cause of more bloodshed than the original movement. At any rate therewas less justification for the movement after 1870 than in the first years of the reconstruction.

Ku Kluxism occupied a great deal of attention of Congress in 1870, 1871 and in 1872, the President issued proclamations against it backed by the army, committees were sent by Congress to visit every section of the South, volumes of testimony were taken, hundreds of speeches were made, in some instances martial law was declared, and a drastic act was passed by Congress intended to check the movement. It went on, however, until the Federal troops were withdrawn, the carpetbaggers left the country, and all of the State governments were in the control of the white men of the South.

Mr. Gregory in summing up the whole Ku Klux movement said:

“Did the end aimed at and accomplished by the Ku Klux Klan justify the movement? The opinion of the writer is that the movement was fully justified, though he of course does not approve of the crimes and excesses incident to it.“The abuses under which the American colonies of England revolted in 1776 were mere child’s play compared to those borne by the South during the period of reconstruction, and the success of the later movement as a justification of a last resort to revolutionary methods was as pronounced as that of the former.“The Ku Klux machine has been stored away in the Battle Abbey of the nation as obsolete, we trust, as the causes which produced it; it will stand there for all time as a reminder of how useless is the prostitution of forms of law in an effort to do that which is essentially unlawful, but it will also remain an eternal suggestion to the vigilance committee and the regulator.”

“The abuses under which the American colonies of England revolted in 1776 were mere child’s play compared to those borne by the South during the period of reconstruction, and the success of the later movement as a justification of a last resort to revolutionary methods was as pronounced as that of the former.

“The Ku Klux machine has been stored away in the Battle Abbey of the nation as obsolete, we trust, as the causes which produced it; it will stand there for all time as a reminder of how useless is the prostitution of forms of law in an effort to do that which is essentially unlawful, but it will also remain an eternal suggestion to the vigilance committee and the regulator.”

In the study of the original Ku Klux Klan, it is fortunate that there have been preserved documents which fully set forth its structure and composition, and these documents demonstrate conclusively that the modern organization has no claim whatever to recognition as the “genuine original Ku Klux.” The most important of these documents is the “prescript” or constitution of the old Klan.

In its early stages, the old organization adopted a “Prescript,” but this was in 1867 revised and amended, and the second document became the law of the organization, under which it functioned until it was disbanded. When General Forrest issued his order disbanding the Ku Klux Klan, all copies of the revised and amended prescript were ordered destroyed. One copy escaped destruction and is now in the library of Columbia University where it is carefully preserved as a valuable historic paper. As an exhibit in the case against the present organization, I give the “Prescript” in full. It is a booklet of twenty-four pages, and at the top of each page is a Latin quotation. Without attempting to follow the typography ofthe original text, I am reproducing it as a continuous document, placing the quotations where they appear in the booklet, as follows:

“PRESCRIPT”Exact copy of the Revised and AmendedPrescriptof theORDERof the***“Damnant quod intelligent”

“Appellation”

This organization shall by styled and denominated, The Order of * * *

“Creed”

“We, the Order of the * * *, reverentially acknowledge the majesty and supremacy of the Divine Being, and recognize the goodness and providence of the same. And we recognize our relation to the United States Government, the supremacy of the Constitution, the Constitutional Laws thereof, and the union of States thereunder.

“Character and Objects of the Order”

“This is an institution of Chivalry, Humanity, Mercy, and Patriotism embodying in its genius and its principles all that is chivalric in conduct, noble in sentiment, generous in manhood, and patriotic in purpose; its object being,

“First: To protect the weak, the innocent, and the defenseless from the indignities, wrongs, and outrages of the lawless, the violent, and the brutal; to relieve the injured and oppressed; to succor the suffering and unfortunate, and especially the widows and orphans of Confederate Soldiers.

“Second: To protect and defend the Constitution of the United States and all laws passed in conformity thereto, and to protect the States and the people thereof from all invasion from any source whatever (Nec scire fas est omnia).

“Third: To aid and assist in the execution of all constitutional laws, and to protect the people from unlawful seizure, and from trial except by their peers in conformity to the laws of the land.

ARTICLE I

Titles

“Section 1.The officers of the Order shall consist of a Grand Wizard of the Empire, and his ten Genii; a Grand Dragon of the realm, and his eight Hydras; a Grand Titan of the Dominion, and his six Furies; a Grand Giant of the Province, and his four Goblins; a Grand Cyclops of the Den, and his two Night Hawks; a Grand Magi, a Grand Monk, a Grand Scribe, a Grand Exchequer, a Grand Turk, and a Grand Sentinel.

“Section 2.The body politic of the Order shall be known and designated as ‘Ghouls.’

ARTICLE II

Territory and Its Divisions

“Section 1.The territory embraced within the jurisdiction of this Order shall be coterminous with the States of Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, Kentucky and Tennessee; all combined constituting the Empire.

“Section 2.The Empire shall be divided into four departments, the first to be styled the Realm, and coterminous with the boundaries of the several States; the second to be styled the Dominion and (Amici humani generis) to be coterminous with such counties as the Grand Dragons of the several Realms may assign to the charge of the Grand Titan; the third to be styled the Province, and to be coterminous with the several counties; provided, the Grand Titan may, when he deems it necessary, assign two Grand Giants to one Province, prescribing at the same time the jurisdiction of each. The fourth department to be styled the Den, and shall embrace such part of a Province as the Grand Giant shall assign to the charge of a Grand Cyclops.

ARTICLE III

Powers and Duties of Officers

Grand Wizard

“Section 1.The Grand Wizard, who is the supreme officer of the Empire, shall have power,and he shall be required to appoint Grand Dragons for the different Realms of the Empire; and he shall have power to appoint his Genii; also a Grand Scribe and a Grand Exchequer for his department, and he shall have the sole power to issue copies of this “Prescript,” through his Subalterns, for the organization and dissemination of the Order; and when a question of paramount importance to the interests or prosperity of the Order arises, not provided for in this “Prescript,” he shall have the power to determine the question, and his decision shall be final until the same shall be provided for by amendment as hereinafter provided. It shall be his duty to communicate with, and receive reports from the Grand Dragons of Realms as to the condition, strength, and progress of the Order within their respective Realms, and (Quemcunque miserum videris, hominem scias) it shall further be his duty to keep, by his Grand Scribe, a list of the names (without any caption or explanation whatever) of the Grand Dragons of the different Realms of the Empire, and shall number such Realms with the Arabic numerals 1, 2, 3 etc.ad finem; and he shall direct his Grand Exchequer as to the appropriation and disbursement he shall make of the revenue of the Order that comes to his hands.

Grand Dragon

“Section 2.The Grand Dragon, who is the chief officer of the Realm, shall have power,and he shall be required to appoint and instruct a Grand Titan for each Dominion of his realm (such Dominion not to exceed three in number for any Congressional District), said appointments being subject to the approval of the Grand Wizard of the Empire. He shall have power to appoint his Hydras; also a Grand Scribe and a Grand Exchequer for his department.

“It shall be his duty to report to the Grand Wizard, when required by that officer, the condition, strength, efficiency, and progress of the Order within his Realm, and to transmit, through the Grand Titan, or other authorized sources, to the Order, all information, intelligence, or instruction conveyed to him by the Grand Wizard for that purpose, and all such information or instructions as he may think will promote the interest and utility of the Order. He shall keep, by his Grand Scribe, a list of the names (without caption) of the Grand Titans of the different Dominions of his Realm, and shall report the same to the Grand Wizard when required, and (Magna est veritas, et prevalebit) shall number the Dominions of his Realm with the Arabic numerals 1, 2, 3, etc.ad finem. And he shall direct and instruct his Grand Exchequer as to the appropriation and disbursement he shall make of the revenue of the Order that comes to his hands.

Grand Titan

“Section 3.The Grand Titan, who is the chief officer of the Dominion, shall have power and he shall be required to appoint and instruct a Grand Giant for each Province of his Dominion such appointment, however, being subject to the approval of the Grand Dragon of the Realm. He shall have the power to appoint his Furies; also a Grand Scribe and a Grand Exchequer for his department. It shall be his duty to report to the Grand Dragon, when required by that officer, the condition, strength, efficiency, and progress of the order within his Dominion and to transmit through the Grand Giant, or other authorized channels, to the Order, all information, intelligence, instruction, or directions conveyed to him by the Grand Dragon for that purpose, and all such other information or instruction as he may think will enhance the interest or efficiency of the Order.

“He shall keep, by his Grand Scribe, a list of the names (without caption or explanation) of the Grand Giants of the different Provinces of his Dominion, and shall report the same to the Grand Dragon when required; and shall number the Provinces of his Dominion with the Arabic numerals 1, 2, 3, etc.ad finem. And he shall direct and instruct his Grand Exchequer as to the appropriation and disbursement he shall make of the revenue of the Order that comes to his hands. (Ne tentes aut perfice.)

Grand Giant

“Section 4.The Grand Giant, who is the chief officer of the Province, shall have power, and he is required, to appoint and instruct a Grand Cyclops for each Den of his Province, and such appointment, however, being subject to the approval of the Grand Titan of the Dominion. And he shall have the further power to appoint his Goblins; also a Grand Scribe and a Grand Exchequer for his department.

“It shall be his duty to supervise and administer general and special instructions in the organization and establishment of the Order within his Province, and to report to the Grand Titan, when required by that officer, the condition, strength and progress of the Order within his Province, and to transmit through the Grand Cyclops, or other legitimate sources, to the Order, all information, intelligence, instruction, or directions conveyed to him by the Grand Titan or other higher authority for that purpose, and all such other information or instruction as he may think would advance the purposes or prosperity of the Order. He shall keep, by his Grand Scribe, a list of the names (without caption or explanation) of the Grand Cyclops of the various Dens of his Province, and shall report the same to the Grand Titan when required; and shall number the Dens of his Province with the Arabic numerals 1, 2, 3, etc.ad finem. He shall determine and limit the number of Dens to be organized andestablished in his Province; and shall direct and instruct his Grand Exchequer as to the appropriation and disbursement he shall make of the revenue of the Order that comes to his hands. (Quid faciendum?)

Grand Cyclops

“Section 5.The Grand Cyclops, who is the chief officer of the Den, shall have power to appoint his Night Hawks, his Grand Scribe, his Grand Turk, his Grand Exchequer, and his Grand Sentinel. And for small offenses he may punish any member by fine, and may reprimand him for the same. And he is further empowered to admonish and reprimand his Den, or any of the members thereof, for any imprudence, irregularity, or transgression whenever he may think that the interests, welfare, reputation or safety of the Order demands it. It shall be his duty to take charge of his Den under the instruction and with the assistance (when practicable) of the Grand Giant, and in accordance with and in conformity to the provisions of this Prescript, a copy of which shall in all cases be obtained before the formation of a Den begins. It shall further be his duty to appoint all regular meetings of his Den, and to preside at the same; to appoint irregular meetings when he deems it expedient; to preserve order and enforce discipline in his Den; to impose fines for irregularities or disobedience of orders; and to receive andinitiate candidates for admission into the Order, after the same shall have been pronounced competent and worthy to become members, by the Investigating Committee hereinafter provided for. And it shall further be his duty to make a quarterly report to the Grand Giant of the condition, strength, efficiency and progress of his Den, and shall communicate to the Officers and Ghouls of his Den all information, intelligence, instruction or direction conveyed to him by the Grand Giant or other higher authority for that (Fiat justicia coelum) purpose; and shall from time to time administer all other counsel, instruction, or direction, as in his sound discretion, will conduce to the interests, and more effectually accomplish, the real objects and designs of the Order.

Grand Magi

“Section 6.It shall be the duty of the Grand Magi, who is the second officer in authority of the Den, to assist the Grand Cyclops, and to obey all the orders of that officer; to preside at all meetings in the Den, in the absence of the Grand Cyclops; and to discharge during his absence all the duties and exercise all the powers and authority of that officer.

Grand Monk

“Section 7.It shall be the duty of the Grand Monk, who is the third officer of the Den, to assist and obey all the orders of the Grand Magi;and in the absence of both of these officers he shall preside at and conduct the meetings in the Den, and shall discharge all the duties, and exercise all the powers and authority of the Grand Cyclops.

Grand Exchequer

“Section 8.It shall be the duty of the Grand Exchequers of all the different departments to keep a correct account of all the revenue of the Order that comes to their hands, and of all paid out by them; and shall make no appropriation or disbursement of the same except under the orders and direction of (Dormitus aliquando jus, moritus nunquam) the chief officer of their respective departments. And it shall further be the duty of the Exchequers of Dens to collect the initiation fees, and all fines imposed by the Grand Cyclops, or the officer discharging his functions.

Grand Turk

“Section 9.It shall be the duty of the Grand Turk, who is the executive officer of the Grand Cyclops, to notify the officers and Ghouls of the Den of all informal or irregular meetings appointed by the Grand Cyclops, and to obey and execute all the orders of that officer in the control and government of his Den. It shall further be his duty to receive and question at the outpost, all candidates for admission into the order and shall there administer the preliminary obligation required, and thenconduct such candidate or candidates to the Grand Cyclops, and to assist him in the initiation of the same.

Grand Scribe

“Section 10.It shall be the duty of the Grand Scribes of the different Departments to conduct the correspondence and write the orders of the Chiefs of their Departments when required. And it shall further be the duty of the Grand Scribes of Dens to keep a list of the names (without any caption or explanation whatever) of the officers and Ghouls of the Den, to call the roll at all meetings, and to make the quarterly reports under the direction and instruction of the Grand Cyclops. (Quieta non movere.)

Grand Sentinel

“Section 11.It shall be the duty of the Grand Sentinel to take charge of post and instruct the Grand Guard, under the direction and orders of the Grand Cyclops, and to relieve and dismiss the same when directed by that officer.

The Staff

“Section 12.The Genii shall constitute the staff of the Grand Wizard; the Hydras, that of the Grand Dragon; the Furies, that of the Grand Titan; and the Night-Hawks that of the Grand Cyclops.

Removal

“Section 13.For any just, reasonable, and substantial cause, any appointee may beremoved by the authority that appointed him, and his place supplied by another appointment.

ARTICLE IV

Election of Officers

“Section 1.The Grand Wizard shall be elected biennially by the Grand Dragons of Realms. The first election for this office to take place on the first Monday in May, 1870 (a Grand Wizard having been created by the original ‘Prescript,’ to serve three years from the first Monday in May, 1867); all subsequent elections to take place every two years thereafter. And the incumbent Grand Wizard shall notify the Grand Dragons of the different Realms, at least six months before said election at what time (Quid verum atque decens) and place the same shall be held; a majority vote of all the Grand Dragonspresentbeing necessary and sufficient to elect a Grand Wizard. Such election shall be by ballot and shall be held by three Commissioners appointed by the Grand Wizard for that purpose; and in the event of a tie, the Grand Wizard shall have the casting vote.

“Section 2.The Grand Magi and the Grand Monk of Dens shall be elected annually by the Ghouls of Dens; and the first election for these officers may take place as soon as ten Ghouls have been initiated for the formation of a Den. All subsequent elections to take place every year thereafter.

“Section 3.In the event of a vacancy in theoffice of Grand Wizard, by death, resignation, removal, or otherwise, the senior Grand Dragon of the Empire shall immediately assume and enter upon the discharge of the duties of the Grand Wizard, and shall exercise the powers and perform the duties of said office until the same shall be filled by election; and the said Senior Grand Dragon, as soon as practicable after the happening of such vacancy, shall call a convention of the Grand Dragons of the Realms, to be held at such time and place as in his discretion he may deem most convenient and proper.Provided, however, that the time for assembling such convention for the election of a Grand Wizard shall in no case exceed six months from the time such vacancy occurred; and in the event of a vacancy in any other office the same shall immediately be filled in the manner hereinbefore mentioned.

“Section 4.The Officers heretofore elected or appointed may retain their offices during the time for (Art est colare artem) which they have been so elected or appointed, at the expiration of which time said offices shall be filled as hereinbefore provided.

ARTICLE V

Judiciary

“Section 1.The Tribunal of Justice of this Order shall consist of a court at the Headquarters of the Empire, the Realm, the Dominion, the Province, and the Den, to beappointed by the Chiefs of the several departments.

“Section 2.The Court at the Headquarters of the Empire shall consist of three Judges for the trial of Grand Dragons and the Officers and attaches belonging to the Headquarters of the Empire.

“Section 3.The Court at the Headquarters of the Realm shall consist of three Judges for trial of Grand Titans, and the Officers and attaches belonging to the Headquarters of the Realm.

“Section 4.The Court at the Headquarters of the Dominion shall consist of three Judges for the trial of Grand Giants, and the Officers and attaches belonging to the Headquarters of the Dominion.

“Section 5.The court at the Headquarters of the Province shall consist of five Judges for the trial of Grand Cyclops, the Grand Magis, the Grand Monks, and the Grand Exchequers of Dens, and the officers and attaches belonging to the Headquarters of the Province.

“Section 6.The Court at the Headquarters of the Den shall consist of seven Judges from (Nusquam tuta fides) the Den for the trial of Ghouls and the Officers belonging to the Headquarters of the Den.

“Section 7.The Tribunal for the trial of the Grand Wizard shall be composed of at least seven Grand Dragons, to be convened by the senior Grand Dragon upon charges being preferred against the Grand Wizard; which Tribunalshall be organized and presided over by the senior Grand Dragonpresent; and if they find the accused guilty they shall prescribe the penalty, and the senior Grand Dragon of the Empire shall cause the same to be executed.

“Section 8.The aforesaid Courts shall summon the accused and witnesses for and against him, and if found guilty, they shall prescribe the penalty, and the Officers convening the Court shall cause the same to be executed.Provided, the accused shall always have the right of appeal to the next court above, whose decision shall be final.

“Section 9.The Judges constituting the aforesaid Courts shall be selected with reference to their intelligence, integrity, and fair-mindedness and shall render their verdict without prejudice, favor, partiality, or affection, and shall be so sworn, upon the organization of the Court; and shall further be sworn to administer even-handed justice.

“Section 10.The several courts herein provided for shall be governed in their deliberations, proceedings, and judgments by the rules and regulations governing the proceedings of regular courts-martial. (Fide non armis.)

ARTICLE VI

Revenue

“Section 1.The revenue of this order shall be derived as follows: For every copy of this‘Prescript’ issued to Dens $10 will be required; $2.00 of which shall go into the hands of the Grand Exchequer of the Grand Giant; $2.00 into the hands of the Grand Exchequer of the Grand Titan; $2.00 into the hands of the Grand Exchequer of the Grand Dragon, and the remaining $4.00 into the hands of the Grand Exchequer of the Grand Wizard.

“Section 2.A further source of revenue to the Empire shall be ten per cent of all the revenue of the Realms, and a tax upon realms when the Grand Wizard shall deem it necessary and indispensable to levy same.

“Section 3.A further source of revenue to Realms shall be ten per cent of all the revenue of Dominions, and a tax upon Dominions when the Grand Dragon shall deem it necessary and indispensable to levy the same.

“Section 4.A further source of revenue to Dominions shall be ten per cent of all the revenue of Provinces, and a tax upon Provinces when the Grand Titan shall deem such tax necessary and indispensable.

“Section 5.A further source of revenue to Provinces shall be ten per cent of all the revenue of Dens, and a tax upon Dens when the Grand Giant shall deem such tax necessary and indispensable. (Dat Deus hisquoque finem.)

“Section 6.The source of revenue to Dens shall be the initiation fees, fines, and aper capitatax, whenever the Grand Cyclops shall deemsuch tax necessary and indispensable to the interests and objects of the Order.

“Section 7.All the revenue obtained in the manner aforesaid shall be for theexclusivebenefit of the Order, and shall be appropriated to the dissemination of the same and to the creation of a fund to meet any disbursement that it may become necessary to make to accomplish the objects of the Order and to secure the protection of the same.

ARTICLE VII

Eligibility for Membership

“Section 1.No one shall be presented for admission into the Order until he shall have first been recommended by some friend or intimate whoisa member, to the Investigation Committee (which shall be composed of the Grand Cyclops, the Grand Magi, and the Grand Monk), and who shall have investigated his antecedents and his past and present standing and connections, and after such investigation, shall have pronounced him competent and worthy to become a member.Provided, no one shall be presented for admission into, or become a member of this Order, who shall not have attained the age of eighteen years.

“Section 2.No one shall become a member of this Order unless he shallvoluntarilytake the following oaths or obligations, and shallsatisfactorilyanswer the following interrogatories, with (Cessante causa, cessat effectus) his righthand raised to heaven, and his left hand resting on the Bible.

Preliminary Obligation

“I —— solemnly swear or affirm that I will never reveal anything that may this day (or night) learn concerning the Order of the * * * and that I will true answer make to such interrogatories as may be put to me touching my competency for admission into the same. So help me God.”

Interrogatories To Be Asked

“First.Have you ever been rejected, upon application for membership in the * * * or have you ever been expelled from the same?

“Second.Are you now, or have you ever been, a member of the Radical Republican party, or either of the organizations known as the ‘Loyal League’ and the ‘Grand Army of the Republic’?

“Third.Are you opposed to the principles and policy of the Radical Party, and to the Loyal League, and the Grand Army of the Republic, so far as you are informed of the character and purposes of these organizations?

“Fourth.Did you belong to the Federal Army during the late war, and fight against the South during the existence of the same?

“Fifth.Are you opposed to negro equality, both social and political?

“Sixth.Are you in favor of a white man’s government in this country?

“Seventh.Are you in favor of Constitutional liberty and a Government of equitable laws instead of a Government of violence and oppression? (Cave quid, dicis, quando, et cui.)

“Eighth.Are you in favor of maintaining the constitutional rights of the South?

“Ninth.Are you in favor of the re-enfranchisement and emancipation of the white men of the South, and the restitution of the Southern people to all their rights, alike proprietary, civil and political?

“Tenth.Do you believe in the inalienable right of self-preservation of the people against the exercise of arbitrary and unlicensed power?

“If the foregoing interrogatories are satisfactorily answered, and the candidate desires to go further (after something of the character and nature of the Order has thus been indicated to him) and to be admitted to the benefits, mysteries, secrets, and purposes of the Order, he shall then be required to take the following final oath or obligation. But if said interrogatories are not satisfactorily answered, or the candidate declines to proceed further, he shall be discharged, after being solemnly admonished by the initiatory officer of the deep secrecy to which the oath already taken has bound him, and that the extreme penalty of the law will follow a violation of the same.

Final Obligation

“I —— of my own free will and accord, and in the presence of Almighty God, do solemnly swear or affirm, that I will never reveal to any one, not even a member of the Order of the * * * by any intimation, sign, symbol, word or act, or in any (Nemo tenetur seipsum accura) other manner whatever, any of the secrets, signs, grip, pass words, or mysteries of the Order of the * * *, or that I am a member of the same, or that I know any one whoisa member; and that I will abide by the Prescript and Edicts of the Order of the * * * So help me God.

“The initiating officer will then proceed to explain to the new member the character and objects of the Order, and introduce him to the mysteries and secrets of the same and shall read to him this Prescript and the Edicts thereof, or present the same to him for personal perusal.

ARTICLE VIII

Amendments

“This Prescript or any part of the Edicts thereof shall never be changed, except by a two-thirds vote of the Grand Dragons of the Realms, in convention assembled, and at which convention the Grand Wizard shall preside and be entitled to a vote. And upon the application of a majority of the Grand Dragons for that purpose, the Grand Wizard shall call and appoint the time and place for said convention,which, when assembled, shall proceed to make such modifications and amendments as it may think will promote the interest, enlarge the utility, and more thoroughly effectuate the purposes of the Order.

ARTICLE IX

Interdiction

“The origin, mysteries and Ritual of this Order shall never be written, but the same shall be communicated orally.”

(Deo adjuvante, non timendum)

ARTICLE X

“Edicts”

“1. No one shall become a member of a distant Den where there is a Den established and in operation in his own immediate vicinity; nor shall any one become a member of any Den, or of this Order in any way, after he shall have been once rejected upon application.

“2. No Den, or officer, or member, or members thereof, shall operate beyond their prescribed limits, unless invited or ordered by the proper authority to do so.

“3. No member shall be allowed to take any intoxicating spirits to any meeting of the Den; nor shall any member be allowed to attend a meeting while intoxicated; and for every appearance at a meeting in such condition he shall befined the sum of not less than one nor more than five dollars to go into the revenue of the Order.

“4. Any member may be expelled from the Order by a majority vote of the officers and Ghouls of the Den to which he belongs; and if after such expulsion, such member shall assume any of the duties, regalia, or insignia of the Order, or in any way claim to be a member of the same, he shall be punished. His obligation of secrecy shall be as binding upon him after his expulsion as before, and for any revelation made by him thereafter he shall be held accountable in the same manner as if he were a member.

“5. Upon the expulsion of any member from the Order, the Grand Cyclops, or any officer acting in (Spectemus agendo) his stead, shall immediately report the same to the Grand Giant of the Province, who shall cause the fact to be made known and read in each Den of his Province, and shall transmit the same, through the proper channels, to the Grand Dragon of the Realm who shall cause it to be published to every Den in the Realm, and shall notify the Grand Dragons of contiguous Realms of the same.

“6. Every Grand Cyclops shall read, or cause to be read, this Prescript and these Edicts to his Den, at least once in every month; and shall read them to each new member when he is initiated, or present the same to him for his personal perusal.

“7. The initiation fee of this Order shall be one dollar, to be paid when the candidate is initiated and received into the Order.

“8. Dens may make such additional Edicts for their control and government as they may deem requisite and necessary,Provided, no Edict shall be made to conflict with any of the provisions or Edicts of this Prescript.

“9. The most profound and rigid secrecy concerning any and everything that relates to the Order shall at all times be maintained.

“10. Any member who shall reveal or betray the secrets of this Order shall suffer the supreme penalty.

Admonition

“Hush! thou art not to utter what I am; bethink thee, it was our covenant!

(Nemo nos impune lacessit)

I White, II Green, III Yellow, IV Amber, V Purple, VI Crimson, VII Emerald.

III

CumberlandAd unum omnes

L’ENVOI

“To the lovers of law and order, peace and justice, we send greeting; and to the shades of the venerated dead we affectionately dedicate the Order of the * * *

RESURGAMUS

(Author’s note: The “register” above given, was used by the original Ku Klux Klan as a code to indicate the day and hour for meeting. The first section indicated half of the hours in the day, the second section the days of the week, and the third section the remaining twelve hours. The word “Cumberland” seems to have been a general code expression.)

Back to Index Next