Report from J. J. Gainey to L. M. Hall; July 30, 1870

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Report from J. J. Gainey to L. M. Hall; July 30, 1870

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Each transcribed document contains links that connect it to other documents on the same topic in the collection.

People

Alcorn, J. L. (James Lusk), 1816-1894 Armstead, John Armstead, Kim Boone, Mrs. Unknown Brown, William Clayton, Powell, 1833-1914 Conkle, John Ford, Unknown Forrest, Nathan Bedford, 1821-1877 Gainey, J. J.Gouldsby, Mat Hall, L. M.Kimmons, Edgar Lorentz, Newt Mahon, Unknown McFarland, Billy McFarland, Daniel Newell, Sam Watson, Mrs. Unknown Westbrooks, Joe Wilson, C. N.Woods, Thomas Woods, Unknown

Events

Crime Crime--Affray Crime--Murder Crime--Shooting Criminal Procedure Criminal Procedure--Arrest

Military Units

Confederate States of America--Military Service (Branch Unspecified)Mississippi. Militia

Organizations

Clubs and Secret Societies Clubs and Secret Societies--Ku Klux Klan (19th century)Courts and Judicial Systems Courts and Judicial Systems--Chancery Courts Courts and Judicial Systems--Circuit Courts Mississippi--Secret Service Bureau Plantations

Occupations

Clerks Law Enforcement Law Enforcement--Detectives Law Enforcement--Police Law Enforcement--Sheriffs Legal Profession--Lawyers Mayors

Places

Arkansas--Jefferson County. Pine Bluff Mississippi--Hinds County. Jackson Mississippi--Lafayette County. Oxford Mississippi--Lafayette County. Yocona

Social Identifiers

African Americans African Americans--Historically free and newly freed Enslavers Marital Status--Widows

Page 1

Jackson Mississippi
July 30^th 1870

L. M. Hall, Esqr
Chief of Secret Service Bureau
State of Mississippi
Jackson Miss

Sir

I have the honor to submit for your information the follow--ing report together with the enclosed affidavits.

On the night of the 18^th of July I left Jackson, and arrived in Oxford, the County seat of Lafayette County.on about noon of the 19^th, next morning I went to the office of Mr C. N. Wilson, Circuit Clerk of the County and formerly Mayor of Oxford, from whom I received information which at once gave me clue as to ^whom were^ the perpretrators of the outrages mentioned in the enclosed affidavits ~~more~~—

After remaining in Oxford for two days I left for the plantation of Mr Thomas Woods, about 14 miles from Oxford, where I remained for seven days in the meantime I so worked into the confid-ence of Mr Woods, and his son a young man about twenty years old that I had every hopes of being able to break

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the organization of the three K.s in said county had not a communication appeared ^in^ the Oxford Falcon to the following effect. Damn rumor has it that one of J. L. Alcorn,s' detectives has been in town, from this I should Judge that Mr Wilson the Circuit Clerk, or Mr Ford the Chancery Clerk, the only persons whom I ~~intrusted with~~ informed of my business there betrayed my confi-dence, on the receipt of this news they appeared to get very shy of me, and although I done every thing ^in^ my power to make it appear that said ~~dective~~ detective was in search of me, they would not treat me as freel^ly as before. seeing that my hopes of getting into the organization of the three K.,s' would be a failure I determined to leave, although previous to this intelligence in the paper Tom Woods informed me that they would inetiate me~~me on~~ into the organization in a short time, and ^I^ had been introduced to twelve of the organization who reside in that section of the County, in fact I had worked myself into their confidence as well that they even carried me to where a couple of them were running an illicit still, and endeavoured to persuade me to

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remain in the county.

I still was on best of terms with Tom Woods, from whom I learned the names of the perpretrators of the outrages mentioned in the enclosed affidavits after pumping the young scoundrel out of all the inform-ation I could, I asked him to accompany me to Oxford where we arrived about 9 Oclock. P. M. after reaching town I gave him some money to go and buy some wine and other things in town tilling^him^ that as I was afraid of arrest I would not go in any place, but told him to get those things and meet me on the road. after he left me I went to the house of Mr Wilson and requested him and Mr Mahon the former Sheriff of the county to hide themselves under a certain bridge ~~and~~ on the road ~~and~~ so that they might hear the confession which I would draw out of young Woods. after seeing them I went up the road and met Woods returning we both went down the road and upon reaching the bridge we sat down and after plying him with the bottle I ^~~had~~ drew^ him on to make the following statement. while on the bridge he acknowledged to being a member of the three K.,s' and at the same

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^time that he was in the gang that done the shooting on the Widow Watsons place, and he named the following persons who were there with him, John Conkle Mat Gouldsby, and John & Kim Armstead, he stated that then Mat Gouldsby was aiming his gun at one of the colored men he the colored man knocked him down and while struggling John Conkle shot him the colored man in the back with a double barrelled shot gun, forty seven buck shot entering into him. and that on the day proceeding the party who done the shooting went to Yokana, about seven miles from the Widow Watsons place so thinking it would throw ~~persons~~ any person who would endeavor to investigate the matter of of their track. After drawing the above information from him we left the bridge and in going to the Rail Road Station I learned from him that N. B. Forrest, late Major General C. S. A. organized ~~that~~the Klan in Lafayette County. they organized April 1867

The uniform or disguise of the Klan is white with exception of the mask, which ^is black and^ and achieves very tightly to the feelings, ~~Nothing has been done in the above~~

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Mr Wilson ~~w the former~~ on the 17th of May ~~endevouved to~~ endevoured to investigate the affryy at the Widow Watson place and was compelled ^to get out to the Widow Boones place, about half a mile from the Widow Watsons, to get the parties to appear and then but one of the three who were summond appeared. Joe Westbrooks, and he it seems is not a member of the organ-ization nor was he in this affair. nevertheless he is a bad character and it is my impression that he is the murderer of four colored men who were killed at a store in Pine Bluff Arkansas in the year 1868 ~~and if~~ at least it seemed to strike me that I had seen his discription before, and from him I learned that he did at one time live in that state but where I could not learn. I would ~~advise the opening of that~~ suggest that the Governor of that State be applied to for information. nothing more was done in this case by the civil authorites. I did not inform the Sheriff of my discoveries. Nothing has been done as yet. Would suggest that the Sheriff be instructed to arrest Tom Woods—

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John Conkle, Mat Gouldsby, ~~and~~ John and Kim Armstead, Daniel M^cFarland, Edgar Kimmons, Sam Newell and Newt Lorentz Billy M^cFarland and William Brown, and that ^hebe instructed to search the ~~premises~~^store^ of John Armstead well and there he will find some w disguises belonging to Tom Woods, John & Kim Armstead, and others unknown.

In conclusion I would state that affairs in Lafayette Co. are truly lamen-table, almost every young man in the County is a member of the organization or in sympathy with those who are in it. colored men dare not go to see their friends in the county during the night except at the risk of their lives. the Klan fear not, they say that if one of their member is arrested they will take him out of the hands of the officers, and if the Militia are organized they will have more than half members of the organization who are sworn to assist them

I close with the request that action be taken on those cases at once

Very Respt J. J. Gainey
Ne Blank

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Report of J. J. Gainey in Lafayette County K K. K case

of J. J. G—in the cases in Lafayette Co.

JJuly 30th 1870