fully you can always find plenty of men around to do mischief. There are a plenty of them in Ben Smith's district, and in Tanner's district, and in Vinegar Hill district.

Question. Do you know whether those men suspected you people of having found that they were running those stills?

Answer. I should reckon they did. I have talked with men who I know were distilling, but I am a man who don't make use of spirits. Being very well acquainted in that settlement, they knew that I was very busy there; and I did not think they were particular about trying to keep it secret from me.

Question. What kind of men were those you identified as the men who abused you so; are they of the low class that you say are hanging about stills?

Answer. Pretty much.

Question. Of not much character in the community?

Answer. Well, as you put it to me, I do not think they are much.

Question. Are they of the class you have described as being low, worthless men? Answer. Well, about the same that I have just put up to you.

Question. You are quite sure you recognized them?

Answer. Yes, sir.

Question. You recognized them enough to say positively they were the persons? Answer. Yes, sir.

Question: You made that statement to the grand jury?

Answer. Yes, sir.

Question. Did your son and your brother-in-law and those other persons recognize the same parties?

Answer. All the same parties pretty much; I suppose they swore to some other men that I did not.

Question. Of how many did the parties consist that came to your house?

Answer. There were about ten or eleven. I aimed to count them strictly, but one of them commenced working on me and made me forget, and I could not count so well, for they stirred about all around there. I do not know how many were outside there.

By the CHAIRMAN :

Question. You say there was a captain; who was the captain ?

Answer. I will myself put up as captain Mel. Kennedy.

Question. Was there anything done about these men distilling; did anybody interfere with them?

Answer. Nobody interfered that I heard of.

Question. You never heard any talk about that?

Answer. Well, they took Mr. McMullen up for distilling; when the officers came down there they took him up for distilling.

Question. That was here lately?

Answer. Yes, sir.

Question. There was nothing of that kind before you were whipped?

Answer. No, sir; not before.

Question. Whose land were you living on?

Answer. On Mr. Chambers's place; or Mr. Chambers takes charge of the land.

ATLANTA, GEORGIA, October 27, 1871.

SAMPSON REED (colored) sworn and examined.

By the CHAIRMAN:

Question. What is your age, where were you born, and where do you now live? Answer. I am between forty-five and forty-six years old; I was born in Jackson County, and I live there yet.

Question. Have you any people there that they call Ku-Klux?

Answer. Yes, sir; there are some who go through there that call themselves by that

name.

Question. Have you ever seen any of them?

Answer. Yes, sir.

Question. Tell us all you know about them.

Answer. I know that a crowd of them came to my house one night.

Question. When was that?

Answer. To the best of my recollection, it was on Monday night, the 17th of July last.

Question. How many were there?

Answer. I do not know exactly; as well as I could notice I thought there were between twenty-five or thirty in the gang.

Question. How were they fixed up?

Answer. They were covered up with oil-cloth, or something that looked like that. Question. Were their horses covered up too?

Answer. I never saw the horses; they walked up to my house.

Question. What did they do?

Answer. They came up shooting, and cursing, and cavorting, and going on and hollered "Open the door." I told them to hold on until I could open the door, but they would not, and broke it down. They broke into the cabin where two of my younger sons were. There were two cabins; they could not find my son there. They broke into my cabin and asked where he was. I said that he had gone to Atlanta. They said it was a damned lie, and one of them struck me with his pistol. I said that I knew he was gone, that he was not there. Three of them struck me, two with pistols and one with a stick.

Question. Did they interfere with any of the rest of your family?

Answer. They struck my other son who is here now, they struck him and knocked him down with a pistol. He jumped up and ran away and they shot at him. Question. What was your son's name they were inquiring for?

Answer. Charles Reed.

Question. Did you know any of the men who were along?

Answer. Yes, sir.

Question. Who were they.

Answer. One was Milton Whitehead, and I knew Jim Finch. I saw enough of Milton Whitehead's face to know that it was him. I recognized Jim Finch first by his voice; I could tell his voice, for he could not alter it enough to keep me from knowing it.

Question. What reason did they give for treating you in that way?
Answer. None at all, not a bit, more than to just ask me for my son.
Question. Did you ask them why they were treating you so?

Answer. No, sir. I never asked them at all.

Question. What had your son been doing?

Answer. In April they whipped my eldest son, who was married and lived a piece from me and had set in to make a crop; they whipped him powerful bad.

Question. What was his name?

Answer. Mitchell Reed, and my next oldest son said that if he had been there he would have killed somebody, or 'somebody should have killed him. That was all they had against us; they set out with the resolution to whip us because he said that.

ATLANTA, GEORGIA, October 27, 1871.

ANDY REED (colored) sworn and examined.

By the CHAIRMAN:

Question. How old are you, where were you born, and where do you now live? Answer. I am now sixteen years old, going on seventeen. I was born in Jackson County, and I live there now.

Question Have you seen any people up there they call Ku-Klux ?

Answer. Yes, sir.

Question. How many did you ever see?

Answer. I do not know exactly how many I saw, I could not count them. They came to our house; I saw a great many of them.

Question. How were they fixed up?

Answer. They were dressed in black.

Question. What sort of dress?

Answer, They had on oil-cloth clothes, breeches, coats, caps, and veils to come over their faces.

Question. What did they do?

Answer. They hit me one lick with a pistol and knocked me down; and they hit my father three licks; they broke up a chest and threw everything out of it; and pulled everything off the clothes shelf, and took off three of our guns.

Question. What did they do with the guns?

Answer. I do not know.

Question. Did they carry them off?

Answer. Yes, sir.

Question. Yes.

Answer. Some were arrested; but they went home again.

Question. What had they against you that they were treating you this way for? Answer. They had nothing against me and my father. They went to my other brother's house and whipped him; and then my other oldest brother said that if he had been there in the time of it, "God damn them, he would have killed some of them;" and they were after him when they came to our house, but he was gone.

Question. Did you ever see them at any other time?

Answer. No, sir; I never saw them any other time.

By Mr. BAYARD:

Question. Have you and your father been here before the grand jury in this matter? Answer. Yes, sir.

Question. And you have given your testimony in there?

Answer. Yes, sir.

Question. You say all of these men were arrested?

Answer. Yes, sir.

Question. How many?

Answer. Eleven, I believe.

Question. Were they brought here?

Answer. Yes, sir.

Question. They were all disguised men?

Answer. Yes, sir; when they came to our house.

Question. Did you know any of them?

Answer. Yes, sir; one.

Question. Eleven were arrested, and you knew one of them?
Answer. Yes, sir.

By the CHAIRMAN :

Question. Was it understood that they had been doing any other mischief besides what they did at your house?

Answer. Yes, sir; they went to my other brother's house, and to Mr. Holliday's; that was all I knew of them.

Question. The same men that were at your house?

Answer. It was supposed so.

ATLANTA, GEORGIA, October 27, 1871.

MITCHELL REED (colored) sworn and examined.

By the CHAIRMAN :

Question. What is your age, where were you born, and where do you now live? Answer. I am about twenty-two years old, I reckon; I was born in Jackson County, and I live at Stone Mountain.

Question. When did you leave Jackson County?

Answer. I left about the 1st of April.

Question. Why did you leave?

Answer. Because the Ku-Klux got afoul of me and whipped me; and I was afraid to stay there.

Question. How long before you left did they come upon you ?

Answer. I left right straight, as soon as they come on me.

Question. How many were there?

Answer. About fifteen or twenty.

Question. How were they fixed up?

Answer. They were disguised up.

Question. In what way

Answer. They had on these masks, whatever you call them, over their heads and faces, most of them. Some of them had just blacked up the biggest part of the face. Question. Go on and tell us all that they did.

Answer. They came to my house; I was lying in the bed, but was not asleep. I was sort of expecting them; I heard that they had put out threats that they were coming there, and I was expecting them all the time. I was awake when they came. They called to me to come out, and I told them I did not want to. They said that I should come out. I said that I did not want to come out, that I had done nothing to come out for. They said, "Come out, we want to talk with you a while, and the quicker you come out the better it will be for you." I opened the door and came out. They talked with me a few minutes, and one of them said, "There he is, boys." Two of them took

me and carried me down the road about fifty yards from the house. One of them told me to take off my shirt; I did so, and they whipped me. They said they had heard I had been sassing some white man, and they came there to make me a good boy. I and a white man had had a falling out at a corn-shucking, and I had been expecting them for some time.

Question. What did the white man say to you when you had a falling out with him ? Answer. He said he would pay me out for it.

Question. What was his name?

Answer. Ab Pendergrass.

Question. Was he along that night they whipped you?

Answer. Yes, sir.

Question. Who was the man who said, "There he is, boys ?”

Answer. Jim Finch.

Question. Who was the captain of that crowd?

Answer. I cannot tell who was captain.

Question. How much did they whip you?

Answer. I do not know; I reckon they hit me about fifty.
Question. With what?

Answer. With the staff end of a big whip. I caught it in my hand at the time they were whipping me; they jerked it out of my hands and said, "God damn you, if you catch hold of it again we will kill you." I did not take it any more. They said they were Ku-Klux, and came out of the ground, and did not want to be talked about.

By Mr. SCOFIELD:

Question. That is, that they were dead men ?

Answer. Yes, sir.

Question. And they said they did not want to be talked about?

Answer. Yes, sir; they said they were not to be talked about, and told me to keep in my house.

By the CHAIRMAN :

Question. Did they do anything more to you?

Answer. No, sir. They said that they supposed I thought I had had a whipping, but that if I left the place where I was, I would get one sure enough.

Question. You came away?

Answer. Yes, sir.

Question. Have you been back since?

Answer. Yes, sir; a time or two.

Question. Did you see any of these men when you went back?

Answer. Yes, sir.

Question. Did they say anything to you?

Answer. No, sir; I just sort of slipped in a time or two. When I got money enough I went there to move away my wife.

Question. Have any of these men been punished for whipping you?

Answer. Not that I know of.

Question. Have any of them been arrested?

Answer. They arrested some and brought them up here. They were all pretty much

the same men that went to Mr. Halliday's. They brought up all of that crowd that I know but two; Ab Pendergrass and Tom McElhannon they did not bring up. Question. Did they do anything in Jackson County toward punishing them?

Answer. Not that I know of.

By Mr. BAYARD:

Question. You have been before the grand jury here and given the same testimony that you have given here now?

Answer. Yes, sir.

Question. And your father and brother have done the same?

Answer. Yes, sir.

Question. That was the case of Mr. Holliday?

Answer. Yes, sir.

Question. You were one of the witnesses in that case?

Answer. Not exactly; they came on me before they came on him.

Question. You testified about the same band of men?

Answer. Yes, sir.

By the CHAIRMAN :

Question. They attacked you in April, and attacked Mr. Holliday in the July afterward?

Answer. Yes, sir.

ATLANTA, GEORGIA, October 27, 1871.

PRINCE MCELHANNON (colored) sworn and examined.

By the CHAIRMAN :

Question. What is your age, where were you born, and where do you now live? Answer. I will be thirty-eight years old next May. I was born in Jackson County, and live there now, in Chandler's district.

Question. Have you any people there called Ku-Klux?

Answer. Well, I think there are.

Question. Have you seen any of them?

Answer. I have seen them in this form: this man Charles William Finch told a ma by the name of Floyd, who used to live with him, that if old man Prince did not mind, the first thing he knew his body would be cut as fine as dog's hair. I then began to watch out for myself. In about three weeks or a month I lost my mare, and went out hunting for her. They did not want me to hunt for her, but I did it. At Mr. Jack Haney's house I walked out to the back lot. I saw men clustering up there and I thought I would notice what they were doing. They fetched their horses in, about sixteen of them, and carried them inside of the lot and hitched them. I thought perhaps they were fixing to get my mare and carry her off. Directly one of them met me and said, "Who is that?" I said, "Prince." I then said, "Mr. Haney, I saw something to-night that seemed to frighten me." He said, "What is it?" I said, "Nothing much; I want to see further." I commenced looking at the nag, and I said, "Whose nag is this?" He said, "John Reynolds's nag." I said, "H'm-h'm! You are fixing to have a party here to-night; I did not see but one woman in the house." He was below the gate and he turned the nag around right quick, and went into the house as quick as he could. By the time he stepped two steps into the house, every man's tongue stopped just that quick; they were talking before. They all broke up and went away from there. He came to me twice and wanted to talk with me again. I was mad and said, "Never mind; I am a know-nothing; let it pass on." Then maybe in two weeks Joe Jones came to my house, and complained of being lame. I asked him more particularly about it; "Where did you take this pain at?" He said, "Right up by the side of the fence yonder." I said, "H'm-h'm!" He said, "Maybe something struck He said, "I went over there to get your brother-in-law;" he tried to get me to go with him. But I was dubious to go on for they threatened me. When he found that I would not go he began to get better. I said, "Come into the house, I will give you as good a fire as I can." I gave him two sticks to get into the house with, and thought while he is in there I will be out. He sat down in the house and pulled off his right shoe. When he was sitting there I walked out, and thought I would go up the road by the fence, and see if there was any men there. Two men dressed in black, with something down over their faces, came walking along. They sidled around mé very easy and went on. I went on over to my brother-in-law's, and saw him, and told him what I had seen. These two fellows came down the road, and as I turned to go back I saw this man Jones going back. He said, "I have got a little better." I said, "You have." I talked a little bit with him, and then I said, "Well, you are better, are you?" He said, "Yes." I slipped off both of my shoes and followed him ; and as soon as he got over the hill he dropped the stick and walked as good as any man I ever saw. When he got along the road about a mile the horses could be heard riding up and down the road, but they did not get me.

me."

Question. How many were there, as well as you could judge?

I

Answer. As far as I could judge, seven or eight went to John Haney's that night. I thought they were seeking for me, because they went to no other house. Question. Was Jones supposed to belong to the company?

Answer. I thought from the way he was acting that of course he was fixing for them. Question. Is he one of the men that they said belonged to the company?

Answer. Yes, sir.

Question. Was that before or after the attack on Mr. Holliday?

Answer. Before.

Question. How long before?

Answer. I reckon it was about a month maybe, or such a matter.

Question. Did you see anything of them at the time Mr. Holliday was attacked? Answer. Mr. Holliday said to me: "I think I will be the next fellow they go upon." Mr. Holliday talked mightily against this thing, and they got against him about it. I said, “I think they will have better sense than to go on you." He said, "I do not know; if you see anything, give me notice." The night they came to Mr. Holliday's I heard the horses coming up the road. I crawled along and got close by the fence. They were not in their disguise, and Mr. Parkes Whitehead and Mr. Ab. Pendergrass came right along without saying anything. Presently, I heard another horse come along, and I thought it was William Jones, but it was Jack Jones, riding hastily and trying to overtake those fellows. Then Todd. Kinney came riding by, going up to Richard Johnson's. I asked him why these men were riding about so for at night.