Mr Gober smiled at this document, but the sequel shew that it meant
something more than a threat. At midnight on the 13th of September, 1871,
his house was surrounded by about twenty of the Klan, armed and disguised.
He was then dragged out and whipped with great severity. Previous to the
infliction of the punishment he fought desperately with his assailants,
and succeeded in displacing several of their masks, and recognizing them.
He was left for dead by the Klan, but recovered his consciousness, and
secretly made his way to Atlanta, where he made an affidavit, upon which
six of the parties were arrested and held for trial.
Thousands of warnings, similar to the above, many of them obscene and
blasphemous, were sent to as many persons in various parts of the South.
One more is herewith appended, as showing one of the extremes to which the
Ku Klux went in their crusade against Radicals. It was found hanging to a
small dagger, stuck into one of the doors of the University, at
Tuscaloosa, Ala., with several others of similar import, addressed to some
of the students of the University, and read as follows:--
"K. K. K.