Report of the Joint select committee appointed to inquire into the condition of affairs in the late insurrectionary states, so far as regards the execution of laws, and the safety of the lives and property of the citizens of the United States and Testimony taken.

ALABAMA-SUB-COMMITTEE. 152 7
Answer. I have seen masquerade disguises of a simple silk, which I could put in my
hat-masks that are used in the cities. What these men wear, I have no idea in the
world.
Question. If a prominent citizen of Greensborough had been murdered that night,
and a hue and cry had been raised, and the men of the town, earnest in discovering
the murderers, had turned out and followed upon the track of those raiders, is it possible that some one of them, at least, should not have been tracked to his home or den
and discovered?
Answ:er. Senator, I would reply-I have thought of that thing before-I would reply
this: if persons had gone so far as to commit murder, they would have escaped so
rapidly that, in my opinion, the citizens could not have assembled in time-no matter
who was killed-to have followed them with success. I believe, too, atgain, that persons would have been afraid to have followed a body of men, short of a goodly number themselves.
Question. An equal force could have been raised, without difficulty, in Greensborough?
Answer. Yes, sir; but not for some hours; because you find men asleep, and many
have no horses, and they are taken by surprise, as naturally they should be. You spoke
about a prominent citizen. I attach importance to prominence and position, and believe of two men of like political sentiments, one who was prominent would attract
more attention than another by his death. We had a man die at my house the other
day-a plain railroad man, found at my gate. I took him in and sent for a physician.
He died. Nothing of importance was attached to it. His companions took him away.
Question. I put the case of a man of good esteem, put to death by a band of disguised
men, coming from a distance, whose horses are more or less wearied; where is the
practical difficulty in a body of men, mounted upon fresh horses, making earnest pursuit, overtaking this band?
Anlswer. If that body were in readiness, armed and equipped, to start after those
men-whose horses were not so much flagged as you think, for they took it moderate,
stopping to water, as they did at my house-they might follow and, perhaps, overtake
them. But understand me; the pursued is more fleet than the pursuer, alwxays.
Question. Did you understand that they were flying rapidly when they retreated, or
going orderly?
Answeo. No, sir; I never understood that they were going rapidly. The case you
mention is not analogous to this. There was no murder committed.
Qlestion. I will ask your opinion upon the case I put. I am leaving out of view the
case of Dr. Blackford entirely. I ask your opinion whether it is possible that some
one of the thirty or forty men engaged in such an enterprise should have failed to iave
been discovered and brought to justice?
Answer. I think this, in a case mentioned as strong as you have named: The sheriff
would be expected to summon a posse. That would take some time. Men are not in
a moment ready, as if they were called expecting these things, for nobody expected it,
as I know of, in the case you mention. I think it would take some time to get ready.
Men would not hurry themselves. It is a risk to undertake this, and they would say,
"Of course, sheriff, I obey you; but give me time to get- ready." I do not think it
could be got ready in a very short time.
Question. By a posse, you do not think it practicable to arrest any one of a band of
disguised men under ordinary circumstances?
Answeer. I think it would be attended with considerable difficulty. It is to their vital
interest to escape detection.
Question. Have you ever known, since the first time you have heard of the existence
of this Kul-Klux organization, of any arrest made of any of its members, and his prosecution in a court of justice?
Answer. I have never heard of one being arrested.
Question. Are the community palsied with fear, that they dare not attempt their
arrest?
Answer. No, sirs they are simply palsied with astonishment. They do not know
whence they come or whither they go. The community say, "We deprecate this lawlessness; we would rather things were peaceable."
Question. Do they sit down with apathy and let these things go on, when they come
to their knowledge?
Ansswer. Well, the grand jury acts. To show that there is no apathy, I was on the
first grand jury that sat after the burning of a certain house, and we did all in our
power to find it out. At the time Orick killed Webb, it was in the evening, when the
negroes were, to some extent, at leisure. "Why could they not arrest him?" was the
question asked by the white people. They were in numbers. No possible hinderance
would have been offered, in my opinion. There was a murder right in day-light.
Question. Was Orick pursued?
Anstwer. The sheriff did all he could with the little posse he got up.
Question. Did he follow him?
Anlswver. He did not know where to look. Orick fled.