The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Ku Klux Klan, by Annie Cooper Burton
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Title: The Ku Klux Klan
Author: Annie Cooper Burton
Release Date: October 9, 2012 [EBook #41007]
Language: English
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[Illustration]
The Ku Klux Klan
By
Annie Cooper Burton
_President, Wade Hampton Chapter, No. 763,
United Daughters of the Confederacy,
Los Angeles, California_
Cover Design by Howard Willard
Typography by Taylor's Printery
WARREN T. POTTER
PUBLISHER AND BOOKMAKER
511-12 Baker-Detwiler Building
LOS ANGELES, CAL.
Copyright, 1916, by
WARREN T. POTTER
All Rights Reserved
To Father
The Ku Klux Klan
The great Ku Klux Klan sprang up like a mushroom, a Southern
organization formed in a time when no other power in the world could
have saved the suffering South from the utter disorder which prevailed
during the awful period following the War between the States.
The stigma attached to the name Ku Klux Klan by the uninformed masses
has, at this late day, been practically removed, thanks to that Southern
author, Thomas J. Dixon, who through "The Clansman" swayed public
opinion the right way; and thanks again to that master director, David
W. Griffith, another Southerner, who filmed this wonderful story and set
the people to exclaiming, "Why, the Ku Klux Klan was a grand and noble
order! It ranks with the best."
Every clubhouse of the United Daughters of the Confederacy should have a
memorial tablet dedicated to the Ku Klux Klan; that would be a monument
not to one man, but to five hundred and fifty thousand men, to whom all
Southerners owe a debt of gratitude; for how our beloved Southland could
have survived that reign of terror is a big question.
The very name Ku Klux shows that the order was formed among men of
letters. It is a Greek word meaning circle. Klan suggested itself; the
name complete in turn suggested mystery. Originally the order was purely
a social organization, formed in Pulaski, Tennessee, May, 1866, and gave
diversion to the restless young men after the reaction of war. They
found vast amusement in belonging to a club which excited and baffled
curiosity; great sport, too, was found in initiating new members. But it
was when the Klan realized that it had a great, vital work to perform
that it rose majestically to the gigantic task.
When the order at the end of a year had grown throughout the South to
such a size that a master hand was needed to guide it, Nathan Bedford
Forrest, famous cavalry general of the Southern Army, he of the charmed
life, a man who was in "more than one hundred battles and had
twenty-seven horses shot under him," a leader famous for his military
strategy, was elected Grand Wizard of the Invisible Empire. Forrest
always stressed the order that no fighting would be allowed. If they
needed to fight they would throw off their disguise and fight like
soldiers. Their purpose was to scare into submission the unruly free
negroes and the trouble-making carpetbaggers; and this purpose they
accomplished, without one drop of blood being shed, except in the most
extreme cases. Whenever an undesirable citizen was not wanted, he
generally found a note tacked to his door saying that if he did not move
on within twenty-four hours he would be visited by the Ku Klux Klan.
Signed "K. K. K." The man generally "moved on" long before the
stipulated time.
The negroes, being naturally superstitious and imaginative, helped the
order to gain power. In Nashville, Tennessee, among the five dens, there
was one formed of medical students from the University. One of the
favorite pranks of these young doctors was to ask a negro to hold their
horse, and then place in his hand as he reached out to take the lines a
finger or a hand taken from a corpse. The negro generally went a mile
before he stopped running. Another effective trick practiced by the Klan
was, when they had a negro on trial, to sprinkle beforehand a little
powder on the floor--"hell fire," they called it--and when the negro
would be looking down at the floor one of the Klansmen would
surreptitiously run his foot over the powder line, and a fiery-looking
trail would show. The negro would be paralyzed with fright, and was
always careful in the future never to have cause to be brought before
the Order again.
The Klan practiced numerous clever devices. Fancy the impression made on
a negro when a robed Klansman asked him for a drink of water, to see a
whole pail go down without any effort (a rubber bag concealed in the
uniform aided in this deception), and then to hear a sepulchral voice
say, "This is the first drink I have had since I was killed at
Chickamauga!"
One never knew when nor where to expect a body of Ku Klux; they would
spring up out of the ground, to all appearances; their ghostly figures
multiplying like magic; they had a manner of forming their companies
which made a band of one hundred men appear like a thousand. Their
horses' feet were always muffled, making their approach completely
noiseless. But it was only the guilty who feared them; and fear was what
the Klan worked to effect. To kill was not their aim, and only where
absolutely necessary was it ever resorted to. A rare instance was that
of the hanging of a Northern spy by the Pulaski Klan. This man came to
Pulaski and took up carpentry; he made the people like him, and worked
himself into the Klan; got their pass-words, everything in fact that
they knew; then made ready to get away to the North and expose the
secrets of the Order. They found it out before he got away, and when he
boarded the train in Pulaski, a number of the Klan boarded the car as it
turned out of the city, took the man off the train and hung him at the
bridge, thus saving their Order a gigantic tragedy. It was never known
who did it, the government could find out nothing. The matter was never
discussed by any of the Klan, even long years afterward.
In preparing this sketch of the Ku Klux Klan, I have been most fortunate
in having Capt. H. W. Head, 9th Tennessee Regiment, now a popular
physician of Santa Ana, California, a former Grand Cyclops of one of the
Nashville dens, to draw upon for material, and through his generosity in
lending me his treasured Prescript, which has never been out of his
possession since 1867, I am enabled to give a verbatim copy of their
secret oath and ritual. When Mrs. S. E. F. Rose, Historian of the
Mississippi Division, wrote her interesting booklet on the Ku Klux Klan,
she was anxious to secure a copy of this oath. She wrote to a lady in
Tennessee who had one in her possession and asked if she would, for the
sake of history, give her a copy. The lady replied that she regretted
not being able to comply with her request, as she was not able to write
it herself, and prized it too highly to allow it out of her possession
for even an hour to have a typewritten copy made. She said that her Ku
Klux papers, together with her husband's parole of honor obtained at
Appomatox, Virginia, were to her treasures whose price was far above
rubies. So you see what a treasure we have secured through Capt. Head's
gallantry and generosity. I am sure the Daughters appreciate the
interest he has taken in helping compile this data. It was my aim to get
information first-hand.
My father, Capt. James C. Cooper, was Grand Cyclops of a den in Mt.
Pleasant, Tennessee, but I never saw his uniform, as it was burned when
the Klan disbanded. Capt. Head buried his uniform, and thus saved it. He
obliged me by posing for a photograph in this interesting outfit. It was
strange how the old feeling came back to him. He felt, he said, as if he
were breaking his secret oath in thus displaying his uniform. Certainly
he did look guilty and a little self-conscious as he emerged from the
funny-looking garment. The buttons you see so generously distributed are
made of tin; the cloth is of black calico with white trimmings; the only
color used is a touch of red around the mouth and over the eyes. A
woman, who was sworn to secrecy, was generally appointed by the dens to
make their uniforms, so that they would all be alike.
As in Masonry, no one was asked outright to join the Klan. If a man
happened to be talking to a Klansman and showed a kindly interest in the
Order and a desire to join it, the Klansman would talk around the
subject, and if the man was of good character, would suggest that they
might find out something about it, the Klansman hinting that he thought
he knew some one who belonged to it, and who might get them into the
Order. Capt. Head had a funny experience with his own father. They were
talking one day about the new Order when the father asked: "Do you know
who these people are who call themselves the Ku Klux Klan?" The son
replied that he might be able to take him to a place where they could
find out. At the next meeting of his den, Capt. Head asked his father to
go with him, an invitation which was accepted. The old gentleman was
blindfolded and plied with the regulation questions, all of which he
answered satisfactorily. When the blindfold was removed he was greatly
surprised and pleased to see two of his own sons members of the den,
Capt. Head himself taking his father into the Order.
The Ku Klux Klan lasted for three years; they disbanded as quietly and
as quickly as they formed. When martial law was declared, and the work
was done, Forrest sent out this order, through word of mouth, from den
to den, throughout the vast Empire:
"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."
Uniforms, oaths, and rituals were ordered burned, because it meant death
to a Klansman to have them found in his possession, so strong had grown
the feeling against the Order, due to unscrupulous outsiders who
committed horrible deeds in the guise of the Klan. But the grand old
Order had accomplished what it set out to do. Its work was nobly done;
and our rescued South still sings her gratitude to her heaven-sent
protectors, the mysterious K. K. K.
Exact Copy of the
REVISED AND AMENDED
PRESCRIPT
of the
ORDER
of the
*
* *
=Damnant quod intelligent=
(First page of The Ritual of the Ku Klux Klan.)
(The cover of the book has no writing, a simple, cheap, yellow paper
back; the book measures 3-1/2 by 5-1/2 inches.)
. . .
APPELLATION
This Organization shall be styled and denominated, The Order of the
(then follows three stars; no other name given).
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 peculiar 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 seire 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 Nighthawks; 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
=Amiei 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 such 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 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 Dragon
Sec. 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 other information or instruction 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
Sec 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 appointments, 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
Sec. 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, such appointments, 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, efficiency, 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 and established in his Province; 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.
=Quid faciendum?=
. . .
Grand Cyclops
Sec. 5. The Grand Cyclops, who is the chief officer of the Den, shall
have power to appoint his Nighthawks, 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 and initiate 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
Sec. 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
Sec. 7. It shall be the duty of the Grand Monk, who is the third officer
in authority of the Den, to assist and obey all the orders of the Grand
Cyclops and 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
Sec. 8. It shall be the duty of the Grand Exchequers of 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
Sec. 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 outposts, all candidates for admission into
the Order, and shall =there= administer the preliminary obligation
required, and then conduct such candidate or candidates to the Grand
Cyclops, and to assist him in the initiation of the same.
Grand Scribe
Sec. 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 no movere.=
. . .
Grand Sentinel
Sec. 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
Sec. 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;
the Goblins, that of the Grand Giant; and the Nighthawks, that of the
Grand Cyclops.
Removal
Sec. 13. For any just, reasonable, and substantial cause, any appointee
may be removed 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
Dragons present being 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.
Sec. 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.
Sec. 3. In the event of a vacancy in the office 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.
Sec. 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 be appointed by the Chiefs of these several
Departments.
Sec. 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.
Sec. 3. The Court at the Headquarters of the Realm shall consist of
three Judges for the trial of Grand Titans, and the Officers and
attaches belonging to the Headquarters of the Realm.
Sec. 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.
Sec. 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.
Sec. 6. The Court at the Headquarters of the Den shall consist of seven
Judges appointed from
=Nusquam tuta fides.=
. . .
the Den for the trial of Ghouls and the Officers belonging to the
Headquarters of the Den.
Sec. 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
Tribunal shall be organized and presided over by the senior Grand Dragon
=present=; and if they find the accused guilty, they shall prescribe the
penalty, and the senior Grand Dragons of the Empire shall cause the same
to be executed.
Sec. 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.
Sec. 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.
Sec. 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 Court-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 of
which shall go into the hands of the Grand Exchequer of the Grand Giant;
$2 into the hands of Grand Exchequer of the Grand Titan; $2 into the
hands of the Grand Exchequer of the Grand Dragon, and the remaining $4
into the hands of the Grand Exchequer of the Grand Wizard.
Sec. 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 the same.
Sec. 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.
Sec. 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
Giant shall deem such tax necessary and indispensable.
Sec. 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 his quoque finem.=
. . .
Sec. 6. The source of revenue to Dens shall be the initiation fees,
fines, and a =per capita= tax, whenever the Grand Cyclops shall deem
such tax necessary and indispensable to the interests and objects of the
Order.
Sec. 7. All the revenue obtained in the manner aforesaid, shall be for
the =exclusive= benefit 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 pressed for admission into the Order until he
shall have first been recommended by some friend or intimate who is a
member, to the Investigating 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.
Sec. 2. No one shall become a member of this Order unless he shall
=voluntarily= take the following oaths or obligations, and shall
=satisfactorily= answer the following interrogatories, while kneeling,
with
=Cessante causa, cessat effectus.=
. . .
his right hand 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
I 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
1st. Have you ever been rejected, upon application for membership in the
* * *, or have you ever been expelled from the same?
2nd. 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?"
3rd. 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?
4th. Did you belong to the Federal army during the late war, and fight
against the South during the existence of the same?
5th. Are you opposed to negro equality, both social and political?
6th. Are you in favor of a white man's Government in this country?
=Cave quid, dicis, quando, et cui.=
. . .
7th. Are you in favor of Constitutional liberty and a Government of
equitable laws instead of a Government of violence and oppression?
8th. Are you in favor of maintaining the Constitutional rights of the
South?
9th. 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?
10th. 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 initiating 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, grips, pass-words, or
mysteries of the Order of the * * *, or that I am a member of the same,
or that I know any one who is a 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 for membership.
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 be fined 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 severely 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 then a member.
5. Upon the expulsion of any member from the Order, the Grand Cyclops,
or the 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 extreme penalty of the law.
Admonition
Hush! thou art not to utter what I am; bethink thee, it was our
covenant!
=Nemo nos impune lacissit.=
. . .
REGISTER
I.
1. Dismal, 7. Painful,
2. Mystic, 8. Portentous,
3. Stormy, 9. Fading,
4. Peculiar, 10. Melancholy,
5. Blooming, 11. Glorious,
6. Brilliant, 12. Gloomy.
II.
I. White, II. Green, III. Yellow, IV. Amber, V. Purple, VI. Crimson,
VII. Emerald.
III.
1. Fearful, 7. Hideous,
2. Startling, 8. Frightful,
3. Wonderful, 9. Awful,
4. Alarming, 10. Horrible,
5. Mournful, 11. Dreadful,
6. Appalling, 12. Last.
IV.
Cumberland.
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 * * *.
=Ad unum omnes.=
=RESURGAMUS=
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