Knights of the Golden Circle
An account from a History of Honor
From the records of the Knights of the Golden Circle
As told by Jesse Woodson James of The Kentucky James’s
And recorded by this grandson Lee Houk aka Jesse Lee James III
KGC Epitaph
They drew a circle and shut us out.
In vain, they thought they’d won by rout.
But men of God, with wit to win.
Drew a larger circle and shut them in.
If one grew up in the south near the turn of the century, there were many stories told by men of old to their sons and grandson about a very elusive, secret organization that many a southern man had belonged to in their youth.
The secret organization, which could more likely be described as a underground army or better still, the underground Confederate Government. The name of the organization(s) was known as the Knights of the Inner and Outer Circle of the Knights of the Golden Circle.
The obsessive purpose of this secret organization and other secret organizations was the revival of a second Civil War by a very influential group of southerners. These men had discovered that an international group of very influential bankers had conspired and financed the Northern Government of Abraham Lincoln; during the Civil War to help over throw the 13 Confederate States of America. This time they wanted to plan a well finance winning strategy. A southern strategy.
The reason for this treachery was very simple. This group of Bankers, the international ones and their northern conspirators had not figured a way to fully profit from the very controlled cotton trade, which had developed in the south.
Even though these men had been instrumental in delivering slaves for profit to the Southern States, the successful ideal of free labor by the South, the southern control of the cotton trade and prices, was just too much for them to bear. Their desired was simple; they wanted all the money derived from cotton. Besides from experience they knew that there could be more money made with war, than with cotton anyway.
It’s not unlike it is today, in our time, except cotton is passé and military weapons are now in fashion. Especially obsolete ones. The new cotton so to speak.
These southern gentleman were truly men of honor and tried initially to retain some dignity and honor but it didn’t take long to figure out that their chosen enemy was very cunning, greedy and terribly treacherous. It became obvious that they to had to become very much like their chosen enemy.
Through this web site I will try to tell the true story of post Civil War history as told by the Southerners who fought in it. The same men who conspired, plotted, plan and executed what was to become an abandoned attempt around 1914 to rejuvenate the Southern call to arms.
There will be an attempt to show how these great patriotic men who live by a very moral code of honor, dedicated to the Republic of the United States of America, proceeded with a plan to over throw the forces of evil. These same evil forces, which still exist today, have now almost succeeded in over throwing the morality of good men. Hopefully this story will open a few men’s eyes to that treachery and help to ignite a new, deep quest for all that is perceived as good and honorable, for the benefit of all mankind.
“The south WILL rise again”
A Poem
An account from a History of Honor
From the records of the Knights of the Golden Circle
Men of Quantrill
Written by: Col Jesse W. James
aka Col. J. Frank Dalton “1947” Lawton, Oklahoma
When the civil war was over,
and the south laid down her arms,
They came back to their wives and sweethearts,
To their villages and farms.
Quantrill’s men were classed as criminals,
They had not been mustered in.
To the Regular Southern Armies,
A known band of outlawed men.
Hunted down and shot like Wild Things,
Like Coyote, Wolf or Bear.
Chased from one state to another,
Hunted, hounded everywhere.
Not a crime so dark or fiendish,
Not an act so mean or low,
But t’was charged to men of Quantrill,
Yes, it must be them you know.
And when the war was over,
And they scattered o’er the land,
Here and there arose a rumor of men who did lay low,
Careful what you speak, he’s was a Quantrill man you know.
Some were chased and killed or captured,
Others ran and hid away,
But it’s time the truth was spoken,
They are feeble, old, and gray.
Let us tell a simple story,
How they fought to shield their home,
From the thugs and border ruffians,
They had to fight alone.
Some made good while other didn’t
Some gained wealth and honor too.
Others took the Hoot Owl trail,
There was little else to do.
But no matter what their station,
Or how well they became renown.
The cloud of “65” was present,
And their names were not their own.
But the secret was well guarded,
By the men who knew them well.
Quantrill’s oath took care of that,
“WHAT YOU KNOW DON’T EVER TELL.”
THE COMING OUT
A very strange thing happened on May 19, 1948 at Lawton, Oklahoma. A very old gentleman who was going by the name of Colonel J. Frank Dalton claimed to be over 100 years old came public and released an incredible, almost unbelievable tale regarding a very secret Southern underground organizational known as the “Knights of the Golden Circle”. Frank Dalton claimed to be the original, famous outlaw and desperado known as “Jesse James”, who’s Christian name was Jesse Woodson James of Kentucky. Mr. Dalton claimed that as a result of his legendary past as Jesse James it was necessary for him to stage a fake death way back in1882 so as to be free of the mystic and legendary tales for which he was becoming famously known and wanted. He claimed in truth that over the years he assumed over 73 different personalities or aliases, some of which had a great impact on the history of this great country.
One of the more mysterious things about this time period is the fact that there seemed to be many Jesse and Frank James’s running around different parts of the county causing all type of mischief. Many of these other murderous unscrupulous individuals took advantage of their assumed namesake’s reputation to do many dishonorable acts, including unmanly murders and other outrageous crimes, all in the name of the “James Gang”. This is not meant to presume that the real Jesse and Frank James were angels, no, not by any stretch of the imagination. The real James gang killed many of these imposters and actually staged the accepted cowardly murder of Jesse James in St. Joseph, Missouri.
They had to spin and work it so the history books today read quite differently than what actually happened; but given the times, circumstances, and the fact that a number of these thugs, border ruffians and downright dishonorable backstabbers were using and hiding behind the fear and fame of “Jesse James” at the time. It was conflicting considering the important, vital work of the Confederate Underground Army which he Jesse, along with Quantrill, headed. So what actually happened is quite understandable.
It was said that the so called James Gang, Quantrill’s Guerillas led by the famous William Clarke Quantrill, and the Missouri Confederate Irregulars under General Marmaduke or General J. O. Shelby, where nothing more than a secret underground Confederate Army operating secretly throughout the South and Southwestern United States. This was the same Gen. Shelby that led his troops into Mexico to help the proclaimed French foreign leader, Emperor Maximilian. Unfortunately Gen. Shelby’s expedition proved to be a disaster and it was necessary for the Knights of the Golden Circle to send in an experienced guerilla force under Col. Jesse W. James and William Quantrill to rescue what was left of Shelby’s Army around 3,200 men. It was also said that the Hapsburg Jewels and heirlooms entrusted to Maximilian by Napoleon Bonaparte including the Emperor’s personal wealth and a great Aztec treasure vault, were secured by the Confederate’s and moved into a cavern in a very large and famous peak in the San Andre’s range of New Mexico. Benito Juarez, the liberator of Mexico and his so-called patriots captured Emperor Maximilian and executed him and his entire staff by firing squad.
After the close of the Civil War the Knight’s of the Golden Circle moved very quickly to establish a foothold in very profitable businesses throughout the country. They set up movies houses, livery stables, a clever ploy, mining companies, timber companies and railroad contracting operations. They even started a chain of drug stores, not to shabby as it’s hard to fight a second civil wall without a good source of drugs. Later on they moved into the banking business; wall street brokering, money laundering and manufacturing. They would deposit large sums of money in K.G.C. banks, insure the deposits thru Wall Street Brokers and Bankers and turn around, rob the money back and of course collecting the full amount from the surety insurance companies.
They even continued the practice that they were most famous for which was stealing illegal contraband and of course more sophisticated forms of robbery, a trade that they had perfected into a science.
Every venture had a military responsibility and specific purpose. A grand plan, so to speak.
Does all this sound like a bunch of hicks running around trying to stir up trouble, or does this sound like a group of well trained military men who are planning a grand battle adventure to again fight their enemies, who defeated them badly in the first American Civil War.
All they had to do was to figure a way to finance it themselves.
It’s a little known secret that the Knights of The Golden Circle established major treasure and goods depositories in every state in the United States plus Canada, Mexico and other places in Central and South America.
A list of many of the treasures and depositories buried by the Knights of the Golden Circle was listed in the book ‘A Jesse James was one of his Names’, by Del Schrader and his co-author Lee Hauk a.k.a. Jesse Lee James III. All of the information for this book was provided by Lee Hauk including the specific names and list of treasures provided in code.
The KGC had a very prescribed and detailed method to burying large treasure depositories; also leaving a very sophisticated and overlapping methods of signs, clues, and many other types of locating devices. Every treasure has a name that may or may not give a clue to where the treasure is located. Remember, these treasures were not to be easily found by weekend treasure hunters but were meant to be located and opened by the right person or group of people.
It should be also divulged that the KGC buried smaller treasures in the vicinity of large depositories in an effort to conceal and divert attention away from the major treasures or depository. They also knew better than to keep all their eggs in one basket.
