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. 1613
munity would not sustain that warrant, and sustain the sheriff, and cause this man to
be arrested and put upon his trial?
Answer. I guess that perhaps there might be no difficulty in most cases.
Question. I am supposing the case now of a member of this Ku-Klux organization;
if he could not be arrested, tried, and punished, what is the reason of it; is it because
there is a sentiment in the community here that would protect him and this gang
from punishment?
Answer. No; I can't say. There might be more difficulty in getting a verdict, or a
true bill; there might be.
Question. There would be a difficulty in the grand jury or the petit jury?
Answer. Yes, sir.
Question. Why? because the men charged had friends on the jury; or because of the
ramifications of this order invading even the sanctity of the jury-box?
Answer. If there is a large class of these men in the community, and they are arrayed
against the laws, it would be hard to arrest or punish them.
Question. Is not that the difficulty, that this order so ramifies and permeates the
whole community that it infects the jury-box?
Answer. I don't think we have had any trials; the difficulty has not been in punishing the parties brought into court. The difficulty has been in ascertaining who any of
them are. Witnesses are called up before grand juries, I suppose. I don't know.
By Mr. BUCKLEY:
Question. That is not the judge's duty?
Answer. No, sir; it is the duty of the grand jury to investigate and "to make diligent inquiry;" that is their oath. I suppose they have made all inquiry; whether they
have failed or not, I can't say. If any such thing occurs in the country, I can't see
why they have not found it out.
Question. Do you not think any man would feel himself in danger who would go
before the grand jury and inform against a man he suspected of being a member of this
Ku-Klux Klan; wouldn't he be spotted and marked, and be a doomed man?
Answer. Well, sir, I don't know; it is possible that he might be in danger, but I can't
say, because I don't know. I am only giving you rumors, so far as anything I have
said in relation to this thing, not knowing anything myself personally, for I could not
and would not see them. I don't go where such things are done. It has been rumored
that parties, negroes, have been killed who were witnesses in some cases in this county.
I don't know that it is so. Some negroes that probably had said (whether as witnesses
or not, I do not know) that they knew the facts. There was another thing I did not
state in relation to Dr. Choutteau, in relation to the burning of his house and some cotton. It was reported that some negro, one or more negroes, had said that they knew
who it was that did it, and that those negroes had been killed; but I don't know it.
Question. That fact has been sworn to before this committee, I believe.
Answer. That may be so; I don't know. I can't say what danger a man would be in.
I know he would not be in danger from the community, nor would he fail of getting
the support of what we call the community generally-the masses of our people.
Question. Wouldn't he be in danger of this order, be it great or small, or whatever
its purposes; wouldn't he be in danger of a visitation from this order?
Answer. He might; I think he might.
By Mr. BLAIR:
Question. Are not witnesses sometimes in danger from the relatives and friends of
those guilty?
Answer. Yes, sir; I think so. If there be an organization, and it looks like an order
or combination, there are men certainly doing these things, and if a man would
go and report on that class of men. it is possible he might be in danger, if thereshould
be any danger of their being brought to punishment. I would not like to risk it if I
knew anything about it.
Question. Is not the reason why, when one of these great outrages, like the taking of
this man Zeke High out of jail and shooting him within sound of this town-is not the
reason why these outrages are not promptly followed up by the community a secret
fear that the active agents in bringing these men to justice will be singled out and punished?
Answer. I can't say what other men's feelings are on the subject; I am not going to
follow any of them up or hunt them up.
Question. Why?
Answer. Because I should expect, if I did go prying and hunting after them, I might
possibly be killed. I am judging them by myself. If I were to do that deed-take
men out and kill them-and 1 found a man lurking around, and there was a probability
that I should be brought here into court, I should not let him come around. If I was
killing men about, as men are being killed, a man should not fool around me and get
information to bring me to punishment. I wouldn't let him do it. I don't know how
other men would act.