Those who occupied state offices were not idle during this period. State officials condemned the Ku Klux severely, but would not or could not stop its activities. When the Legislature met in the autumn of 1869, Gov. W. W. HOLDEN urged the passage of a law that would give him greater power to control the situation. T. M. SHOFFNER, a resident of Alamance County, introduced a bill granting sweeping powers to the governor "for a better protection of life and property;" one power being that of declaring a county in a state of insurrection. The bill was passed and became law in January, 1870. During the same session, HOLDEN sent a company of militia commanded by a Raleigh saloonkeeper to Alamance County to investigate the whipping of Caswell HOLT. Nothing was accomplished in the county, but the expedition did much to secure the imimediate passage of a law which made going masked, painted, or disguised a misdemeanor, and made any act of trespass, force, or violence committed while so disguised, a felony. Early in 1870, the Orange County Ku Klux voted for the death of T.M. SHOFFNER, who had introduced the "for better protection" bill, and started to Alamance to carry out the deed. The news had preceded them, though, and a group ofAlamance Klansmen turned back the visitors. Eli EULISS, head of the Constitutional Union Guard personally escorted SHOFFNER to Greensboro. SHOFFNER was terribly alarmed by the incident, and soon moved to Indiana. Wyatt OUTLAW, the negro police officer who had fired upon the Klansmen at their first appearance in the county, was head of the Union Leauge, an anit-ku Klux group in the county. His death had been determined by certain members of one of the klan orders. A party of them rode into Graham on the night of February 26, 1870, seized OUTLAW in his home, and carried him to a tree in the courthouse square. Ther they hanged him, leaving on his breast the inscription; "Beware, ye guilty, both black and white." As the raiders went home, a semi-idiotic Negro named William PURYEAR saw some of them and reported the fact. He disappeared that night and was found dead some weeks later in a neighboring pond. All attempts to discover the perpetrators of these two murders were unsucessful. Though public sentiment in the county strongly condemned the hanging of OUTLAW, many believed that the Ku Klux Klan had nothing to do with PURYEAR's death. Shortly thereafter, Governor HOLDEN declared Alamance County in a state of insurrection, but sent no troops, despite his threats. A few days later, the governor notified the President of his action affecting Alamance, and asked for Federal Troops. He suggested that Congress authorize the President to suspend the writ of habeas corpus in order that the criminals might be arrested and, after trial by military tribunal, shot. He also notified the senators and representatives from North Carolina of his actions: STATEOF NORTH CAROLINA EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT RALEIGH, MARCH 17, 1870 HON. J.C. ABBOT, U.S. SENATOR WASHINGTON, D.C. What is being done to protect good citizens in Alamance County? We have Federal troops, but we want power to act. Is it possible the government will abandon its loyal people to be whipped and hanged? The habeas corpus should be at once suspended. Will write you tomorrow. W.W. HOLDEN, Governor. These were anxious times, indeed, for those people of Alamance who sought peace and quiet, but soon a louder rumbling echoed over the County. ==== NCORANGE Mailing List ==== Larry Noah - lrnoah@bigfoot.com - Listowner - NCORANGE mailing list Orange Co, NC USGenWeb site is at http://www.rootsweb.com/~ncorange