Primary Sources: The Day the KKK F*cked Around and Found Out
A firsthand account of the gun-toting sharecropper who went John Wick against 50 armed Klansman
Instead of untold stories from Black history, ContrabandCamp’s Primary Sources series shares pure, uncut and rarely told stories from the past straight from the primary source. After all …
Some stories don’t need whitewashing
In 1870, a white supremacist militia overthrew the government of North Carolina in what would become known as the Kirk-Holden War. As the insurrectionists became bolder, Congress formed a joint committee to investigate the militia movement behind the surge in racial terrorism. The findings were eventually compiled into a 13-volume publication.
The following are unedited excerpts from Essex Harris’ July 1, 1871 testimony as recorded in the Report of the Joint Select Committee to Inquire into the Condition of Affairs in the Late Insurrectionary States, followed by newspaper reports of the outcome.
Question: What case came next under your observation?
Answer: The case of Essie Harris, a colored man, who lived in Chatham County, who was employed by a gentleman named Finch; his character, as given to me by Finch, was good. He had been living with him ever since the close of the war, and was an honest, industrious laborer. He had a gun in his possession, which he used for hunting purposes sometimes. The Ku-Klux had been in the habit of going down and taking the guns away from all colored people in that county.
He said he was not afraid of them, that he had his gun, and did not think he would be disturbed.
Soon after that, a band of some twelve or thirteen, as the evidence appeared on the trial, went to the place where Harris lived. Just before getting to his house, they passed a place where a colored man by the name of Sampson Perkins lived; they took Sampson Perkins out from his house and told him he must go with them to Essie Harris's; that they were going down there to take his gun from him; that they were going to commence another war, and they wanted all the guns in that neighborhood; that Essie had a gun; that they would have to break down the door probably, and they wanted him (Perkins) to break down the door, so that if any one was killed by Harris it would be him, and there would be one more radical out of the way.
ESSIE HARRIS (colored) sworn and examined.
By the Chairman, (Mr. Poland) :
Question: Where do you live?
Answer: In Chatham County, North Carolina.
Question: What is your business when at home?
Answer: Farming
Question: Have you a family?
Answer: Yes, sir.
Question: A family of how many
Answer: A wife and six children
Question: Do you and your family live in a house by yourselves?
Answer: Yes sir. It is right close to the house of the old white man that I rent the land of.
Question: You rent some land from him and work it?
Answer: Yes, sir.
Question: State to the committee whether some men called upon you in disguise; tell the whole story about that.
Answer: Well, sir, they came the first time about last Christmas — the Wednesday night before Christmas — to take my gun.
Question: State what took place on that Wednesday night.
Answer: They came to the door and knocked. I was asleep when they came. My wife, when they commenced knocking at the door, said, " Essie, Essie, there's somebody at the door." I jumped out of bed. By the time I got out of bed, they had knocked both my doors open. They asked where my gun was. By the time I understood what they said, they had my gun out of the rack. They asked me if I have ever seen the Ku-Klux. I told them, "No, sir."
They said: "Here they are; we are the Ku-Klux. Did you ever see them before?” I said: " No, sir." They asked me where my shot and powder were. I told them up in my little bag. They took the shot and powder and walked right out, and never said anything more.
Question: They took your gun?
Answer: Yes, sir.
Question: And your powder and shot?
Answer: Yes, sir.
Question: How many of these men were there?
Answer: I do not know.
Question: How many did you see?
Answer: Some said they reckoned there were about fifteen of them. They sort of scared me at first. Some of them had on some women's clothes. I was just awake, and they came right in and went right out.
Question: What did they seem to have over their faces?
Answer: It looked like a sort of paper or sheep-skin ; it was a sort of black thing; some had one thing and some another; it was not all of one sort.
Question: Were they armed? Did they have guns or pistols?
Answer: Yes, sir; they had guns and pistols.
Question: Have you stated all that they said?
Answer: I have told all that they said to me that night. They came back again. My wife said that they said they were going to fetch the gun back, but I did not understand them to say that. They went to another place about a quarter of a mile out and took another fellow's gun; he lived on the same land, and this was on that same night.
Question: Another colored man?
Answer: Yes, sir. They took his gun and ate something there. Some of them played a fiddle and danced awhile. They took another man's gun after that. They took about four guns from that settlement that night.
Question: From four different colored men?
Answer: Yes, sir.
Question: Is that all they did that night?
Answer: Yes, sir; pretty much all. They went over to another hill. Some of the girls said they ravished them. I do not know anything about it. They said they were ravished that night.
Question: More than one?
Answer: Only one was ravished.
Question: Who told you that?
Answer: She told me that.
Question: Did these men come to see you again?
Answer: Yes, sir.
Question: State what took place then.
Answer: I had been cutting new ground that day, working very hard, and I was sitting by the fire; I had not laid down but was nodding. I could sleep sitting up as well as lying down, if I had been working hard.
My wife woke me and said, "Essie, you had better go to bed instead of sitting here by the fire in the way." I went to bed. Stirring up the tire I had got sort of awake; I was lying on the bed awake. After while she came and laid down. As she laid down she thought I was asleep. I have got a dog that hardly ever barks at anybody, but he has barked every time these men came; he doesn't bark at anything else. He made about three barks. She said, " Essie, the Ku-Klux is coming." I never said anything but bounced out of my bed, and went to the door…
They cried, "Hello!" I peeped out and saw that my yard was full of men. I jumped against my door and fastened it. I had a bucket of water sitting beside the door on the pavement. As soon as I shut the door I took the bucket of water and threw it on the lire, and put it out. My gun was at the head of my bed. As soon as I put my tire out I went back to the head of the bed and got my gun. By the time I had got my gun, they had knocked my window open. I had to fall on my knees, then, to keep from being shot. My wife was lying in bed. After they got the window open, they commenced firing in the window. Some of them said they were going to come in at the window and get me out. As soon as they came, or by the time I could shut my door, Ned Finch, the man I stay with, a white gentleman, came out among them. Said he: "Gentlemen, what do you all want ?"
Question: He came from his house?
Answer: Yes, sir; I heard him. I did not see him from my door. He said, "Gentlemen, what do you all want? What are you going to do? Let this nigger alone. He is a nigger that I have here to work my land. He has a family, and is a hard-working nigger, and don't bother anybody. Please let him alone." He kept on talking and going around pleading, and begging them to let me alone. They were all round the house. After a while, they got sort of vexed and told him that as soon as they got through with men, they would fix him. He for very much scared then…
They kept on knocking at my door, saying that they had killed me. It was half an hour before they kicked the door down, I reckon, but as soon as they got the door down so that they could shoot in, they commenced firing in the door, though they had been shooting in the window all the time. I don't reckon there was five minutes' time when they were not shooting... They stayed so long that the moon turned over, and that gave light in my house like the sun when it turns and comes in at the window when it is going down.
Question: The moon had got around so that it shone in?
Answer: Yes, sir. They kept shooting and saying, "We have killed the old man, boys; let us go in and fetch them out." One would say to another, "Well, you go in." One would come around and say, " Yonder he is; I see him," and then he would shoot. Another would say, " Boys, let us go in; I have killed him; I saw him fall; he is dead." But they didn't come into my house. These fellows, when they were getting my door down, got very hot; they were shooting all the time. One had said that one was dead. They came to my window and pulled off their caps. Some of them I knew, and some I would not know in the daytime if I was to see them…
They were there, I reckon, an hour and a half… I felt it to be life and death anyhow. I thought my wife and children were all dead; I did not expect anything else. The shots just rained like rain. I raised my gun once to shoot; when I raised it, I saw Miss Sally, Mr. Finch's sister, come along, and I laid my gun right down. I had my ax; it was lying on my right hand; my arm was shot so I could hardly lift it; I drew it to me; and when Miss Sally passed I got my ax to me after a while. It was mighty heavy and my arm was sore so that I could hardly use it. Then, I took aim at Clark's head…
They always said in my country that a man could not kill a Ku-Klux; they said that they could not be hit; that if they were, the ball would bounce back and kill you. I thought, though, that I would try it and see if my gun could hit one. It had no load in it to kill a man. I never loaded it to kill anything except squirrels. It had only a common load with one or two big shots, such as I always put in…
I shot this man, Joe Clark, and Mr. Burgess.
Question: Were they both at the door together?
Answer: Yes, sir…They said they were going to set my house on fire; that they did not intend to leave there till they had done it. I thought they were going to do it. I was just as certain they were as that I was in there.
I have often heard people talk about a man being so scared that he could not shoot people, but they had been there so long my fear was over; I had no fear at all by that time — not a bit. I went to my little wallet, where I kept my shot and powder. The men were standing behind the chimney waiting for them to carry off this shot one, I reckon. He had time to get half a mile or a quarter of a mile before they left. Some eight or ten of them stayed after the rest had started, saying they were going to set my house on tire.
By the Chairman, (Mr. Poland):
Question: A part of them went off?
Answer: Yes, sir; carrying off the shot one.
I loaded my gun again; I put an uncommon load in it — a dangerous load. I was expecting them to come back to the door, and maybe shoot me. While I was loading they could hear me cramming the wadding down. After I had got it almost loaded, I said: "Give me hold of my five-shooter."
They said, " Boys, the old man is calling for his five-shooter and loading his gun; let us leave." Upon that, they went off.
Question: Have you any idea how many shots were fired into your house?
Answer: Well, sir, I reckon there were nearly fifty guns.
Question: Do you mean they fired fifty times in all?
Answer: Fifty guns. They were there an hour and a half, and there was not five minutes when they were not shooting.
Question: Were you hit anywhere except in the arm?
Answer: Yes, sir, I was hit in nine different places.
Question: Was your wife or any of the children hit by the firing?
Answer: No, sir; no one was liit but myself.
Mr. Finch said to me, " Essie, don't walk about tonight, because some of them may shoot you, and maybe kill you." Said I, "Mr. Finch, the moon shines bright, and I do not think they can get to me fairly." I walked about all that night. I was guarding the place; they said they were going to burn up everything on the plantation.
Question: Did it turn out that Clark had been shot?
Answer: Yes, sir.
Question: Where was he shot?
Answer: Right in the left breast.
Question: He had the shot in him?
Answer: Yes, sir; he had my shot in him.
Question: What was the name of the other man?
Answer: Burgess.
Question: Where was he shot?
Answer: He had his eye shot out…When Sunday came, Mr. Finch came to my house and said, “I am afraid they will come back here tonight; they know you are shot and not using your arm, and they may come back and kill you."
… I got my gun; my wife put my shoes on; I told them how to set the door up till next morning, and then I went and staid outside till he left… Then I went back into my house because I could not leave my little children there to be killed.
Question: Had you had any quarrel with any of them?
Answer: There never was any quarrel between us. I never had a falling out with a white man in my life…When I became free, my boss said, " You are a free man; go and work and behave yourself, and you will always have protection."
Question: You were formerly a slave?
Answer: Yes, sir; I belonged to William Harris, and I stayed with him until after the rebellion. He told me then I was as free as he was. He gave me enough provisions to last for nearly twelve months, and he said, " You can stay on my land, or you can go where you please." He said to me, "Most of the negroes do not think they are free until they leave the plantation on which they were raised." And he told me I might do as I pleased.
That year, I left him.
Question: While you were a slave, were you ever accused of stealing or anything of that sort?
Answer: No, sir; when the Yankees came in, my master and I hid pretty nearly all he had to keep the Yankees from getting it, and I never told them anything about it. I didn't have anything to say to them anyhow. I would run off to keep from telling them, not that I had anything against the Yankees, but I did not want to go against my master.
Question: Do you know anything about the Ku-Klux doing any violence to any other people than yourself?
Answer: They have whipped and shot some people about there, right bad, and burned some houses.
Question: Have they killed anybody?
Answer: I have heard of them killing them here and yon, but not close to me. There was a black man not far from me named Anthony Davis. They went one night and got hold of him and whipped him very bad.
Question: What did they whip him for?
Answer: He did not say what they whipped him for. They whipped him and shot two of his children.
Question: Have you heard any reason why they did that?
Answer: All I know is that Anthony was a mighty man to talk about his manhood. He had been talking of what he had heard, and he had said he would hate to see a man come and butcher up his wife like he had heard tell of their butchering other people. That was all that I ever knew about it. They got hold of that and came there.
Question: Have you had much to do with politics?
Answer: No, sir; I am no man for politics.
Question: You vote?
Answer: Yes, sir; I always try to vote.
Question: Which party do you vote with?
Answer: The Republican. That is the way I have always been voting.
Question: You do not make political speeches, do you?
Answer: No, sir, I never did.
Question: Have you anything to do with politics except going to vote?
Answer: No, sir; I never did. I have said to a good many people since that affair that I do not expect to vote anymore.
Question: Why?
Answer: The way things are we cannot vote. That is just the way it is. It is not worthwhile for a man to vote and run the risk of his life.
Question: State whether the same feeling of fear prevails among the colored people generally in your vicinity.
Answer: I think it does. I have heard a good many of them talk.
Question: Suppose they should make up their minds to vote the democratic ticket, would they be afraid to do that?
Answer: Well, I do not know, sir; I have never heard much talk about that.
Question: Do they feel that there is more danger to them in voting on the republican side than there would be in voting on the other side?
Answer: Yes, sir; a good deal more.
Question: You say that you are not going to vote anymore?
Answer: No, sir, I have said that I did not expect to vote anymore. But within the last two years, I just moved my voting place to Pittsborough.
Question: You named other men whom you recognized. Do you know their politics?
Answer. Well, sir, I do not know for certain. They voted the conservative ticket. That is all I can tell you. I do not know what sort of a ticket Mr. Clark and Mr. Burgess voted.
Question: Have you not been informed since this thing happened that a portion of the men who were at your house counting these outrages upon you were republicans, belonging to the League; that it was a mixed crowd of both parties?
Answer: I do not know so much about that. I never inquired much about it…
In fact, I never inquire much about such matters in regard to white people because I am not concerned about them; in colored people, I am.
The men who Essex Harris shot were eventually arrested.
The Klansmen were tried in federal court under the Enforcement Acts, better known as the Ku Klux Klan Acts. A federal judge delayed the case multiple times after the defendants repeatedly refused to appear.
Then, this happened:
.Following the imprisonment of the star witnesses to the atrocities, “radical preachers” Essex Harris and Sampson Perkins, federal prosecutors dismissed the case against the klansmen.
This is history unwhitewashed.
America is not a racist country.
Midway through the story I was feeling glad and hopeful, only to have that ripped right out of me with the ending. Should have known. Damn. Thank you for sharing truth.
Thank you always Michael.