As a young man, the acts of these lawless bands made a great
impression upon me. I saw one open battle take place at Malden
between some of the coloured and white people. There must have been
not far from a hundred persons engaged on each side; many on both
sides were seriously injured, among them General Lewis Ruffner, the
husband of my friend Mrs. Viola Ruffner. General Ruffner tried to
defend the coloured people, and for this he was knocked down and so
seriously wounded that he never completely recovered. It seemed to me
as I watched this struggle between members of the two races, that
there was no hope for our people in this country. The "Ku Klux"
period was, I think, the darkest part of the Reconstruction days.
I have referred to this unpleasant part of the history of the
South simply for the purpose of calling attention to the great change
that has taken place since the days of the "Ku Klux." To-day there
are no such organizations in the South, and the fact that such ever
existed is almost forgotten by both races. There are few places in
the South now where public sentiment would permit such organizations
to exist.
CHAPTER V
THE RECONSTRUCTION PERIOD
THE years from 1867 to 1878 I think may be called the period of
Reconstruction.
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