Artifacts

RICHMOND ISSUED CONFEDERATE STATES OF AMERICA $100 BILL
With slaves depicted working

SHIP SLAVE BRANDING IRON

19th Century Used to mark the free Africans as slaves before they were places on board the ship

RUNAWAY SLAVE BRANDING IRON

BIRTH OF A NATION POSTER

Moore Theatre, Seattle Although William J. Simmons’ relaunch of the KKK was timed to coincide with the debut of “The Birth of a Nation,” D. W. Griffith’s cinema adaptation of “The Clansman,” the new Klan drew few members in its first five years. Only after Simmons hired professional publicists in 1920 did Klan membership take off, peaking at millions of members in 1925.

TOBACCO LABEL I.D STAMP “RICHMOND”

ALLEN & GINTER
The Richmond Mixture tobacco tin

KU KLUX KLAN COIN 1920s
ONE COUNTRY, ONE FLAG, ONE NATION

“KIGY” – “Klansmen I Greet You”

AKIA (in the center of the cross) – “A Klansman I am” – these were code words for Klansmen meeting in strange surroundings. They would be inserted into common conversation, for instance: “Does a Mr. Ayak live in this neighborhood?” The response would be, “No, but a Mr. Akia does.” The password would then be accompanied by a secret handshake or other sign of recognition.

Other Clan Code: S.A.N.B.O.G. or Sanbog – “Strangers are near, be on guard”

O.R.I.O.N – Our Race Is Our Nation.

L.O.T.I.E or LOTIE – Lady Of The Invisible Empire. (the women)

A.Y.A.K. or Ayak – “Are you a Klansman?”

DOUBLE LYNCHING IN COLUMBUS POSTCARD

A Mob at Columbus, Ga., Does Bloody Work.

At 10:45 o’clock, Monday morning, a scene unparalleled in the history of Georgia was enacted in the city of Columbus. At that hour a mob of fully 600 armed men broke into the Webster building during the trial of Jesse Slayton, charged with assaulting Mrs. Howard Bryan last week and took the prisoner from the officers. Slayton was carried to the building at an early hour by a strong guard of men and the trial had already begun behind locked doors and a heavy armed guard of men to protect the prisoner from any demonstration of violence. The mob rushed down upon the building, forced the doors and with resistless rush swept back the spectators and guards and seized and carried the negro out on the street. Resistance was utterly useless. A rope was placed around Slayton’s neck and he was dragged up Broad street, the crowd shooting him as they went. Near the bell tower they swung the negro up and perforated him with bullets. After this the mob, as coolly and deliberately as in the first instance, went immediately to the court house and, overpowering the jailer, took Will Miles, a negro charged with assaulting Mrs. Albright, two years ago, and marched him slowly to where Slayton’s lifeless body was hanging from a tree. The trembling negro was made to look upon the fate of his brother victim, and then a rope was placed about his neck and he was slowly suspended in the air and his body perforated with shot. Right in the heart of the city for three and a half hours, riddled with bullets the two bodies swung from one of Broad street’s shade trees. It was a gory spectacle – below the two swinging, horrible bodies, filled with leaden missives of death, was an excited crowd shouting in wild exultation. Slayton’s gory body was placarded as follows: “All cases of this kind shall be treated likewise.” Miles’ body was adorned with the following legend: “Both cousins. This one convicted twice; mistrial once. Father hung for same offense.” Coroner Martin finally cut them down and held an inquest. The verdict rendered by both juries was to the effect that both persons came to their death at the hands of parties unknown. The military was in readiness to protect Slayton but was not out because it was agreed Sunday, after a conference with civil authorities, that their presence would not be needed, no lynching being anticipated, as the negro had been unmolested so far as his trial was to take place immediately.

Savannah Tribune
Saturday, 6 June 1896 — pg. 4

Vengeance of Law Visited on Culprits in Broad Daylight

Another article, published four days earlier in the Macon Telegraph, shares more harrowing detail: …The terrified negro [Jesse Slayton], when he saw the crowd rushing in, crawled behind the judge’s stand, but was dragged out and a noose put around his neck. Winchesters and pistols flourished in the air, but no shots were fired in the court room. …The bodies [of Slayton and Will Miles] presented a gory spectacle and were an awful warning that the lives and honor of women will be protected and all outrages avenged at all cost. Two brutal crimes had been avenged.

The Negro Beast or in the Image of God (Door to door abridged version)

By Charles Carroll

First Edition 1900

The author spent fifteen years of this life, and $20,000.00 in its compilation. Chapter II. Biblical and Scientific Facts Demonstrating that the Negro is not an Offspring of the Adamic Family. “The White, the highest, and the Negro the lowest of the so-called “five races of men,” present the strongest contrast to each other in their physical and mental characters; and in their modes of life, habits, customs, language, manners, gestures, etc.” “The long, fine, silken hair of the White, finds its strongest contrast in the short, coarse, woolly hair of the Negro.” “The prominent chin of the White finds its strongest contrast in the retreating chin of the Negro. This is another character of the ape which the Negro presents. Winchell says, “The retreating contour of the chin as compared with the European, approximates the Negro to the chimpanzee and lower mammals.”