Klan Terror in York County SC: 11 Murders in One Month

York County, South Carolina experienced systematic Klan terror from 1870-1871. Congressional testimony documented 11 murders in a single month. Black men were whipped for owning property, voting Republican, or belonging to the Union League. A Congressional Joint Select Committee took testimony in 1871; Grant suspended habeas corpus in York and eight other SC counties in October 1871, leading to mass arrests. Some Klan leaders fled to avoid prosecution.