county of Spartanburg, as a graduate from the University of Georgia, at Athens. Every celebration of the "Battle of Cowpens," every Fourth of July occasion, every public reception of distinguished visitors -in fine, every occasion calling for the orator or the ready speaker within reach, claimed his name as most prominent on the list. He had not been long at the bar, before the Legislature elected him "Commissioner in Equity," for his native district, which office he held for many years. Forced out against his will, as a candidate for Congress, he carried his own district almost unanimously, though unsuccessful in the congressional district.

He also served as Judge of the Inferior Court, established soon after the war, in the first or Johnsonian reconstruction.

After the second, and now existing reconstruction, he, unfortunately, permitted himself to be elected. Judge of one of the Circuits, sheltering himself under the examples set by Orr and Thomas, natives, who had already taken other Circuits. Very soon afterwards, his unswerving integrity checked many of the local schemes of the party, and he became obnoxious to cliques and rings. They soon determined to get rid of him, and on a charge of "intemperance," his impeachment was already determined upon. His habits were no worse than those of many of his associates on the Bench, and certainly no worse since his election than before. He knew enough of the party to be assured, that a little yielding on his part, and a few pledges for the future, would cause all these clouds

to vanish into thin air. In the cases then before him, he knew, that remanding these Laurens prisoners to jail, would reinstate him with the party; and, on the other hand, his releasing them would be equivalent to signing his own deposition. He nobly decided on self-sacrifice in behalf of principle; and to disappoint their triumph and revenge, he resigned his commission before the day fixed for his trial.

CHAPTER SEVENTH.

MARTIAL LAW IN LAURENS.

About the close of the year 1870, and the beginning of the next, the attention of the whole country was called to this naughty word-Ku Klux-by its appearance in an important State paper, no less dignified than the "Annual Message" of the President of these United States.

Upon this subject, it would be supposed, that the writer would be good authority, from what the reader will learn of his career in the sequel of this narrative. But he must confess, at the outset, that he has no personal knowledge of the mystic organization whatever-never having attended any of their meetingsnever having witnessed any of their exhibitionsnever having been associated with them in any way, or in any place, excepting in-the common jail.

That such secret conclaves did exist in certain counties in South Carolina, and that they were sometimes guilty of flagrant acts of lawlessness and outrage, cannot be denied; but the writer has good reason to know that these very acts were nowhere else more regretted than among all the respectable classes, in the very communities where they occurred.

There had been a time, in the history of this State, when the existence of such conclaves would have been a moral impossibility. The higher law of pub

lic opinion would have crushed them out at their very inception. But in these days, the times seemed sadly out of joint, and lawlessness and outrage became the order of the day, much more on the part of the oppressor than the oppressed; and to discountenance one set was only to encourage the other.

There is no doubt, that what afterwards became "the Ku-Klux," were, in their origin, simply organizations for self-defence-similar to those in Laurens, just before the outbreak on October 20th, 1870.

When all immediate danger of actual conflict was over, from the disarming of the militia and the withdrawal of the constabulary force, the more prudent and respectable withdrew from them, and they fell into the hands and under the control of those lawless and reckless spirits, to be found in almost every community-particularly after a protracted and dis

astrous war.

They have now run their career, and are heartily denounced by both friend and foe; but in the same category, may not something be said of the "Freedman's Bureau," the "Union League," and even those United States garrisons so often prostituted to the vilest and most reckless purposes? Take Major Merrill, in York County, as a notable instance, who degraded the uniform he wore, by such acts of cruelty and tyranny towards unprotected and helpless families, as the lowest Ku-Klux would have blushed to have acknowledged against the most obnoxious negro. The chief difference between them would be, that while the K. K. would try to justify himself, on the

ground of self-defence, the gallant Major could only smirk at his superiors, and utter the overpowering argument," there is MONEY in it!"

Bad as they were, the Ku-Klux became terribly magnified in their proportions, and their outrages were amazingly multipled by those "wicked who flee when no man pursueth." Their fame had so spread abroad in the land, that they were not only specially noticed in the President's message, but became the subject of grave deliberation in Congress.

Early in 1871, the very strong legislation, known as the "Ku-Klux Acts," was already maturing at Washington, and rumors came thick and fast, that martial law was to be proclaimed in certain counties in South Carolina, including Laurens, of course.

Under this feeling of uneasiness and apprehension, a public meeting was called at the court-house, and a committee was appointed to go on to Washington. This committee was instructed to wait on the President, and make such representations of the true state of things, as to cause ours to be excepted from the list of the proscribed counties. Three of this committee, Hon. W. D. Simpson, chairman, R. S. Goodgion and J. A. Leland, promptly proceeded on their mission. But they soon found that the political machinery at the National Capital, was far too complex for them. There were rings and cliques, and "wheels within. wheels," very available and exciting to the initiated, but exceedingly perplexing and disgusting to plain, blunt men. One of their number, Mr. Goodgion, armed with the truth and righteousness of his cause,