KGC on "Coast to Coast"
27th december 2007
First hour guest, author Warren Getler spoke about the Knights of the Golden Circle (KGC) and the conspiracy to kill Lincoln. The new film, National Treasure: Book of Secrets (for which Getler served as historical consultant) deals with this grand conspiracy. The secretive KGC, composed of Confederates and Masons, were said to bury gold and financially support Lincoln's assassination. Getler shared an 1865 political engraving from the magazine Harper's Weekly with us.
knights of the golden circle part 1 of 3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPyGVG28Xp0&feature=related
coast to coast knights of the golden circle part 2 of 3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTnbSHQ24vo&feature=related
coast to coast knights of the golden circle part 3 of 3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NO7M9wUee5M&feature=related
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Knights_of_the_Golden_Circle/
http://knights-of-the-golden-circle.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Friday, April 23, 2010
Jesse James and the Knights of the Golden Circle: Jesse Outside of Missouri (Conclusion)
Jesse James and the Knights of the Golden Circle: Jesse Outside of Missouri (Conclusion)
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 21, 2010
http://treasuretrovegold.blogspot.com/2010/04/jesse-james-and-knights-of-golden_21.html
PHOTO: The First National Bank of Northfield, Minnesota, the "overripe plum ready for easy picking" by the James and Younger Gangs.
I stated in the previous post on this topic that I’d provide you with more dates and locations that show Jesse James’ (and in some instances, Frank James’ and the James Gang’s) activities outside of the state of Missouri. So here you are:
Evidence of Jesse’s Presence in Other States (continued)
Minnesota: Perhaps the single most famous (or infamous) heist that the James and Younger Gangs attempted to pull off was what is often called “The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid.” The Boys rode all the way up to Northfield, Minnesota in September 1876 thinking that the First National Bank of Northfield was an overripe plum ready for easy picking. Instead, Jesse, Frank, and the Youngers rode into a veritable hornet’s nest.
Things went wrong in Northfield almost immediately. A bank cashier named Heyman (rather bravely or stupidly, as the case may be) refused to open the cash drawer. Jesse, impatient and angry, promptly shot Heyman in the head dispatching the unwise cashier forthwith. Townsfolk, hearing the shot in the bank and the resultant bank alarm, began arming themselves with shotguns, pistols, and hunting rifles.
As the James and Younger Gangs saddled up to flee the ire (and the guns) of the good citizens of Northfield they had to run a gauntlet of bullets fired from every vantage point. Gang members Charley Pitts and Bill Chadwell were killed instantly while Bob and Jim Younger were seriously wounded but still managed to make it out of town. Jesse and Frank skeedaddled on back to Missouri unharmed, but probably much wiser after their run in with the Minnesotans.
Tennessee: A man calling himself Mr. B.J. Woodson rents a small house on Fatherland Street in Nashville, Tennessee in February 1881. Mr. Woodson turns out to be none other than Frank James, while one of his long-term visitors (a certain John D. Howard) is actually his brother Jesse.
Texas: In April 1874 Jesse decides to tie the knot with his first cousin Zerelda Mimms. The newlyweds then take a short honeymoon along the shores of the Gulf of Mexico at Galveston, Texas.
Texas: Surprisingly enough, a stagecoach is robbed of $3,000 just outside Austin, Texas in April of 1874 as well. Evidently Jesse decided to pay for his honeymoon the “easy way.”
West Virginia: To celebrate his 28th birthday, Jesse (along with the James and Younger Gangs) robs the Huntington Bank in Huntington, West Virginia on September 5, 1875. Although one of their party is slightly wounded in the ensuing shoot out the Boys still make a pretty nice score, riding off into the sunset with nearly $20,000 in cash, silver, and gold.
That’s all on this particular topic. I hope you learned something new about Jesse, his whereabouts, and his likely link to the Knights of the Golden Circle (KGC).
Remember, the theory is that Jesse’s presence (and some of the robberies he committed) in those other states were the source of no small number of KGC caches and troves. Either way, I’ve presented some of the evidence of Jesse’s presence outside of the state of Missouri.
Good hunting.
© J.R. 2010
Questions? E-mail me at jr872vt90@yahoo.com
Posted by J.R. at 1:52 PM
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Knights_of_the_Golden_Circle
http://knights-of-the-golden-circle.blogspot.com
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 21, 2010
http://treasuretrovegold.blogspot.com/2010/04/jesse-james-and-knights-of-golden_21.html
PHOTO: The First National Bank of Northfield, Minnesota, the "overripe plum ready for easy picking" by the James and Younger Gangs.
I stated in the previous post on this topic that I’d provide you with more dates and locations that show Jesse James’ (and in some instances, Frank James’ and the James Gang’s) activities outside of the state of Missouri. So here you are:
Evidence of Jesse’s Presence in Other States (continued)
Minnesota: Perhaps the single most famous (or infamous) heist that the James and Younger Gangs attempted to pull off was what is often called “The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid.” The Boys rode all the way up to Northfield, Minnesota in September 1876 thinking that the First National Bank of Northfield was an overripe plum ready for easy picking. Instead, Jesse, Frank, and the Youngers rode into a veritable hornet’s nest.
Things went wrong in Northfield almost immediately. A bank cashier named Heyman (rather bravely or stupidly, as the case may be) refused to open the cash drawer. Jesse, impatient and angry, promptly shot Heyman in the head dispatching the unwise cashier forthwith. Townsfolk, hearing the shot in the bank and the resultant bank alarm, began arming themselves with shotguns, pistols, and hunting rifles.
As the James and Younger Gangs saddled up to flee the ire (and the guns) of the good citizens of Northfield they had to run a gauntlet of bullets fired from every vantage point. Gang members Charley Pitts and Bill Chadwell were killed instantly while Bob and Jim Younger were seriously wounded but still managed to make it out of town. Jesse and Frank skeedaddled on back to Missouri unharmed, but probably much wiser after their run in with the Minnesotans.
Tennessee: A man calling himself Mr. B.J. Woodson rents a small house on Fatherland Street in Nashville, Tennessee in February 1881. Mr. Woodson turns out to be none other than Frank James, while one of his long-term visitors (a certain John D. Howard) is actually his brother Jesse.
Texas: In April 1874 Jesse decides to tie the knot with his first cousin Zerelda Mimms. The newlyweds then take a short honeymoon along the shores of the Gulf of Mexico at Galveston, Texas.
Texas: Surprisingly enough, a stagecoach is robbed of $3,000 just outside Austin, Texas in April of 1874 as well. Evidently Jesse decided to pay for his honeymoon the “easy way.”
West Virginia: To celebrate his 28th birthday, Jesse (along with the James and Younger Gangs) robs the Huntington Bank in Huntington, West Virginia on September 5, 1875. Although one of their party is slightly wounded in the ensuing shoot out the Boys still make a pretty nice score, riding off into the sunset with nearly $20,000 in cash, silver, and gold.
That’s all on this particular topic. I hope you learned something new about Jesse, his whereabouts, and his likely link to the Knights of the Golden Circle (KGC).
Remember, the theory is that Jesse’s presence (and some of the robberies he committed) in those other states were the source of no small number of KGC caches and troves. Either way, I’ve presented some of the evidence of Jesse’s presence outside of the state of Missouri.
Good hunting.
© J.R. 2010
Questions? E-mail me at jr872vt90@yahoo.com
Posted by J.R. at 1:52 PM
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Knights_of_the_Golden_Circle
http://knights-of-the-golden-circle.blogspot.com
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Knights of the Golden Circle Treasure Maps 9
Knights of the Golden Circle Treasure Maps 9
Underground Discovery
By Dr. John Melancon
http://undergrounddiscovery.com/18/knights-of-the-golden-circle-treasure-maps-3/
Excerpt:
"Knights of the Golden Circle Treasure Maps varied greatly in the methodology of hiding. In the last KGC article (#8) I included a photograph of one of the location items from an actual KGC site.
As you view this sign, it is clear that it is a pointer. Upon finding such an item, most treasure hunters would go the direction of the upper point of triangle, believing that the point between the keys would be the directional indicator. While this is true, you will have a most difficult time retrieving the treasure. Whenever the KGC sends me directly to a location I become very wary. I have had enough experience with death traps to proceed cautiously. Going directly to a large cache will get people killed. In this case, the keys unlock the secrets. The thinking of the Knights of the Golden Circle while constructing their treasure maps was pretty straightforward but they were still deceptive. The pointer takes you immediately to the treasure complete with death awaiting you. The distance was not the length of the bar as explained in article 8, the length of the bar gave the distance to the locations the keys were pointing! The locations that the keys pointed to gave away the interpretation of distance and gave more ‘keys’ to opening the ‘vault’. So the thinking was straightforward as I said. Keys unlock things. They did here too. But they were deceptive, knowing the average person would ignore the keys and go straight to the location. This would ultimately protect their treasure through death traps and get rid of the person attempting to take it without their permission. I have seen this type of indicator used primarily in the Southwest U.S. and as of yet not elsewhere.
Of special interest, I was just given a photograph copy of a Knights of the Golden Circle treasure map template and I have been asked to resolve what was carved into stone. It is very unusual to see such a template carved on stone and left in a place that is easily discovered. This KGC treasure map is in the Southwest once again and has two crossed arrows with a pointer immediately between the arrows. Similar to the photo of the sign we just discussed. One of the arrows does not have a tip, but rather a short dialogue in place of the arrowhead. Stay tuned, hunters, I am thinking of working this treasure map template through and explaining parts of this as we resolve this one. This Knights of the Golden Circle treasure map template “in stone” is just a few miles from a major repository that has already been discovered."
http://knights-of-the-golden-circle.blogspot.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Knights_of_the_Golden_Circle
The Great Seal of the Knights of the Golden Circle
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Knights_of_the_Golden_Circle/
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
THE TREASURE OF THE FOUR KINGS Story Written By: COSMOWOLFF
THE TREASURE OF THE FOUR KINGS
Story Written By: COSMOWOLFF
http://www.knightsofthegoldencircle-kgc.com/index.html
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 A list of of many of the treasures and depositories buried by the Knights of the Golden Circle was listed in the book 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 treasure 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. I will indulge myself in this article to describe some very public and well protected methods of communication left by the leaders of the Knights of the Golden Circle.
It should be also divulged that the KGC buried smaller treasures in the vicinity of large depositories in an effort the conceal and divert attention away from the major treasures or depository. They also knew better than to keep all their eggs in one basket.
If you should happen to find a locating device please do not destroy it as it may prove valuable later on as you understand the KGC method of location intelligence. Sometimes a locating sign besides pointing to something local, can also be a locating device for other treasures many miles away and in some cases hundreds of miles away in other states. I have heard of locating devices or treasure signs (symbols) strung along a chain of mountain tops covering over 120 miles. Its important to know that the exact distance between the locating devices as they can be very important and should be plotted on the oldest U.S. topographical maps that you can obtain.
In this article I will begin to list and describe certain signs and symbols which will provide a great deal of history and information on a set of of KGC treasures buried using the four corners region of the United States. It is the apex or starting reference point for one major KGC treasure known as AThe Treasure of the Four Kings@. Please keep in mind that there are also hidden KGC treasures known as The Four Queens, The Four Jacks, and The Four Aces, and possibly The Four Tens. If you can find the area where the Four Kings are located, you will start to pick up locations and clues to the other Royal Deck of Card Treasures.
The 4 Kings Treasure was listed in the book under KGC code F. The treasures listed in category code F are all located in the State of Colorado and New Mexico with locations in Arizona and Utah ie......the four kings, the four states, the four major depositories, marked by four major petroglyph sites and, with the major depositories located near or around four special mountain peaks.
Please keep in mind also that the KGC organization used numerology in many of its ciphers and if your not familiar with numerology you should know that the number four is a very dangerous and mysterious number. If I had to describe it in a few words I would describe it as a bad code or bad number.
Confederate or KGC codes utilize many variations of numbers usually associated with Masonic Symbolism and Biblical stories. A good example would be King Solomon who would be associated with the number 666, which is the amount of gold that was given to him by the Queen of Sheba. Well now, you already have a hint about two very important people associated with the KGC, a King and a Queen. I wonder if they are depicted as one of the Four Kings in the Salt Creek Canyon petroglyph site in Canyonlands National Park in southeastern Utah.
Also, did you know that there is or was a road in central Arizona listed as route 666, which by the way terminated in a town called Solomon in Southern Arizona. The old route 666 is a very important reference point for anyone trying to locate KGC treasure in Arizona.
Are you familiar with the Old Route 66 which of course today is Route 40, running east and west across the United States.
Have you heard of the Vanishing Wagon Train Treasure located in a famous pass between Leadville and Fairplay, Colorado. It just happens to be 66 tons of Gold carried by 33 oxen carts.
You might note that other bad KGC numbers might be 2's, 4's, and 8's . Also multiple of these numbers such as 16, 32, 64, and 128
Most KGC or confederate codes are deciphered using multiples of 3's, 5's, and 7's, and of course the multiples there-of, such as 12's, 24's, 48 and 96.
You probably won't find to many 10's, 15's and 20's or even 11's,14's, 21's and 28's associated with Confederate secret codes. If you do, you better be careful as you may be in eminent danger.
If you find a number 13 B make a camp on a trail.
Many of these referred to treasures are primary depositories and should contain many different types of goods necessary to stock a marching army. They are very heavily booby trapped and many false entrance were developed that may not be good for your health if you locate and attempt to enter one. Besides Gold and Silver they probably contain uniforms, food stuffs, saddles, livery supplies, guns, ammunition and black powder. It should be mentioned that black powder turns to nitroglycerin with age, so be careful.
Please remember that when searching for buried KGC treasure that some of the clues are very sophisticated and can have double meanings. Although I will not give you every clue, I will provide enough information to get you started in the right location and direction.
The rest is up to you.
One has to keep in mind that even though these old timers were fairly smart and clever. The one thing that they had that we don't today is a lot of idle time.
It takes many hours, days and weeks to travel across this country by horseback or wagon. There=s lots of time to think of a lot of different things and you didn't have to watch out for crazies on the road with you.
Happy Trails.
Cosmowolff
K.G.C. Home Page By Floyd Mann
K.G.C. Home Page
http://www.knightsofthegoldencircle-kgc.com/
By Floyd Mann
KNIGHTS OF THE GOLDEN CIRCLE
What ? You have never heard of them ? That's OK !
Actually, only a very small percentage of "treasure hunters" have heard of the KGC.
I first heard of the KGC about 7 years ago and I have been "collecting" ANY and ALL info on the KGC----as I come across it.
This website will give you about 99% of my knowledge on the KGC. A few things I am holding back---until a later date.
MOST of my knowledge about the KGC is from "research", BUT: I do have field experience in trying to find their treasures.
The KGC were ( or ARE ? ) a very mysterious and secretive group. As you visit the MANY links I have provided on this website, you will become MUCH more knowledgeable on the Knights of the Golden Circle. There are THOUSANDS of pages of info for you to read on my listed links.
Supposedly ( rumor has it ! ) the KGC has hidden BILLIONS---mabe even TRILLIONS ? of dollars in caches around the United States and other countries. And we all want to find some of that loot---right ?
Take a month , or more, to try to visit most of the links on this website. Think it over and please give me some feedback and let me know YOUR thoughts and ideas about the KGC. OK ?
SO: Why am I going to share my accumulated knowledge and research with YOU ? Why not keep ALL of the treasure for myself ? Well---I'm NOT greedy. I can only spend so much money. I would absolutely LOVE it if you were to learn some valuable information from this website and go recover a KGC treasure !
I give you this information for FREE. I really do not expect anything in return. BUT: if you would care to share any of YOUR knowledge and ideas with me---that would be fantastic!
Anything you give me---or tell me---will be between you and I-----unless you are submitting the info to be added to this database for others to enjoy. Just let me know ! If you need help on one of your KGC projects---just contact me. I don't want to know where it is----not even the state it is in ! I'm not out to take your treasure !
This website will not have a lot of photos, graphics, etc. to slow down your learning process . You do not need the distractions. Consider this website as a "plain Jane" encyclopedia. A lot of info in an easy-to-read format. Link after link after link of GOOD knowledge !
A lot of the information you will learn from this website will be "mind-boggling". WARNING: you WILL lose sleep, because some of this stuff is almost unbelievable. But, why CAN'T it be true ? You will learn that the history books are wrong---we have been lied to !
There are 9 "BUTTONS" at the top on the left of this page. You are reading the HOME page right now. On each of the other 8 BUTTONS you will find a LOT of other informational links to other websites. I might have a few comments , now and then, throughout the website, but why "re-invent the wheel" ? These websites will speak for themselves. Somewhere on each link is SOMETHING that I believe to be somehow related to the KGC.
I have tried to divide my files into the proper 9 categories/aspects of the KGC. I realize that some of you researchers will think I should have put a certain link ( or more ! ) under a different BUTTON---but: if you will read every link on this website---it won't matter !
Who am I to give you this website and info ? Nobody, really. Just a guy who seeks knowledge and is also very willing to share.
I am FLOYD MANN. 50, retired, living in Utah. I also have another website: www.LostTreasureUSA.com .
I also have a FREE twice-monthly newsletter for treasure hunters---at the same website. This website is structured very similar to the LOST TREASURE USA website and newsletter.
Over the next few years I will add additional links, stories and information---as it is submitted to me---OR: as I learn of it ! If you have something to submit, please send it to me at: AKGCKNIGHT@AOL.COM
Now I realize that there are two or three of you out there that wishes I had not made the KGC so publicized. BUT: there are FAR more people that want to learn, SO: Majority RULES ! Democracy wins AGAIN ! I'm not going to tell the world where the site that you are working on is, BUT: in upcoming months I will be giving out some GOOD clues on some sites.
If the big bad boys of the KGC ( IF they exist ! ) feel threatened by my displayed info, they will realize that I'm really not telling any big secrets---just telling people what is already out there on the internet. Public knowledge.
OK !! Let's start learning all about the KGC ! I suggest that you click on the BUTTONS in the arranged order. This page is HOME. Next BUTTON is KGC. Have FUN !
PLEASE CONSIDER THIS SUGGESTION: PRINT this website--right now ! ---ALL of the pages ! Then you have the info & links---if this website "mysteriously" disappears !
http://www.knightsofthegoldencircle-kgc.com/
By Floyd Mann
KNIGHTS OF THE GOLDEN CIRCLE
What ? You have never heard of them ? That's OK !
Actually, only a very small percentage of "treasure hunters" have heard of the KGC.
I first heard of the KGC about 7 years ago and I have been "collecting" ANY and ALL info on the KGC----as I come across it.
This website will give you about 99% of my knowledge on the KGC. A few things I am holding back---until a later date.
MOST of my knowledge about the KGC is from "research", BUT: I do have field experience in trying to find their treasures.
The KGC were ( or ARE ? ) a very mysterious and secretive group. As you visit the MANY links I have provided on this website, you will become MUCH more knowledgeable on the Knights of the Golden Circle. There are THOUSANDS of pages of info for you to read on my listed links.
Supposedly ( rumor has it ! ) the KGC has hidden BILLIONS---mabe even TRILLIONS ? of dollars in caches around the United States and other countries. And we all want to find some of that loot---right ?
Take a month , or more, to try to visit most of the links on this website. Think it over and please give me some feedback and let me know YOUR thoughts and ideas about the KGC. OK ?
SO: Why am I going to share my accumulated knowledge and research with YOU ? Why not keep ALL of the treasure for myself ? Well---I'm NOT greedy. I can only spend so much money. I would absolutely LOVE it if you were to learn some valuable information from this website and go recover a KGC treasure !
I give you this information for FREE. I really do not expect anything in return. BUT: if you would care to share any of YOUR knowledge and ideas with me---that would be fantastic!
Anything you give me---or tell me---will be between you and I-----unless you are submitting the info to be added to this database for others to enjoy. Just let me know ! If you need help on one of your KGC projects---just contact me. I don't want to know where it is----not even the state it is in ! I'm not out to take your treasure !
This website will not have a lot of photos, graphics, etc. to slow down your learning process . You do not need the distractions. Consider this website as a "plain Jane" encyclopedia. A lot of info in an easy-to-read format. Link after link after link of GOOD knowledge !
A lot of the information you will learn from this website will be "mind-boggling". WARNING: you WILL lose sleep, because some of this stuff is almost unbelievable. But, why CAN'T it be true ? You will learn that the history books are wrong---we have been lied to !
There are 9 "BUTTONS" at the top on the left of this page. You are reading the HOME page right now. On each of the other 8 BUTTONS you will find a LOT of other informational links to other websites. I might have a few comments , now and then, throughout the website, but why "re-invent the wheel" ? These websites will speak for themselves. Somewhere on each link is SOMETHING that I believe to be somehow related to the KGC.
I have tried to divide my files into the proper 9 categories/aspects of the KGC. I realize that some of you researchers will think I should have put a certain link ( or more ! ) under a different BUTTON---but: if you will read every link on this website---it won't matter !
Who am I to give you this website and info ? Nobody, really. Just a guy who seeks knowledge and is also very willing to share.
I am FLOYD MANN. 50, retired, living in Utah. I also have another website: www.LostTreasureUSA.com .
I also have a FREE twice-monthly newsletter for treasure hunters---at the same website. This website is structured very similar to the LOST TREASURE USA website and newsletter.
Over the next few years I will add additional links, stories and information---as it is submitted to me---OR: as I learn of it ! If you have something to submit, please send it to me at: AKGCKNIGHT@AOL.COM
Now I realize that there are two or three of you out there that wishes I had not made the KGC so publicized. BUT: there are FAR more people that want to learn, SO: Majority RULES ! Democracy wins AGAIN ! I'm not going to tell the world where the site that you are working on is, BUT: in upcoming months I will be giving out some GOOD clues on some sites.
If the big bad boys of the KGC ( IF they exist ! ) feel threatened by my displayed info, they will realize that I'm really not telling any big secrets---just telling people what is already out there on the internet. Public knowledge.
OK !! Let's start learning all about the KGC ! I suggest that you click on the BUTTONS in the arranged order. This page is HOME. Next BUTTON is KGC. Have FUN !
PLEASE CONSIDER THIS SUGGESTION: PRINT this website--right now ! ---ALL of the pages ! Then you have the info & links---if this website "mysteriously" disappears !
Monday, April 19, 2010
THE KNIGHTS OF THE GOLDEN CIRCLE. New York Times August 30, 1861
THE KNIGHTS OF THE GOLDEN CIRCLE.
New York Times
August 30, 1861
Under this head an article appears in the London Spectator, of Aug. 17, which is of especial interest, as the journal in which it appears is well known to be American property and under American inspiration. It has a prominent place among the articles on the leading topics of the day, which forms a conspicuous and valuable feature of the Spectator, and will be read with interest by men of all hues in politics on this side of the Atlantic;
Just before the descent of LOPEZ on Cuba, the American papers were full of allusions to an association called the Order of the Lone Star, said to be organized for the purpose of conquering Cuba and Nicaragua. M. SOULE was said to be its President, and the appointment of that individual as Minister to Madrid was regarded by the Court of Spain, as a wilful discourtesy. LOPEZ himself belonged to the society, and it was from the ranks of the Order that WALKER obtained his most ardent recruits. After the failure of WALKER's first expedition, the rumors of the society died away, and though its members, under the quaint title of "Precipitators," were supposed to be active in the work of disunion, the society itself, as such, ceased to play any prominent part. The more violent members, however, saw in it a power which might be effectively used, and on the first symptom of the predominance of the Free-Soilers, they organized a new association, under the name of the Knights of the Golden Circle, with new and better defined objects, and an obligation of secrecy. The secret of the Order, however, has been betrayed during the intestine strife raised by disunion in Kentucky, and the revelation exposes a plot which, for audacity, ability and wickedness, has rarely been surpassed in the long history of conspiracy.
The object of the Order may be briefly stated. It is nothing less than to raise an army of 16,000 men for the conquest of Mexico, and the establishment in that vast Territory of a strongly organized monarchy, resting on a basis of slave institutions. The precise mode of accomplishing this object has already been settled. As soon as the internal warfare is over, all members of the Order, under their secret leaders, are to repair to Guanajuato, with the Governor of which province of Mexico, MICHAEL DOBLADO, the Order has concluded a formal treaty. By the provisions of this precious document the Governor is to add 16,000 men of his own, and the entire army is to march forward under his command to the permanent subjugation of the country. Means are found from the revenues of the province, and its State property is "mortgagad" for the payment of the soldiery, at one-eighth above the American rates.
To secure the necessary cohesion, the Order has been organized after this fashion. Every applicant for admission is first sworn to secrecy under the penalty of death, and then the design of the Order is revealed. If he assents to its propriety, and is, moreover, an American born, and a slaveowner, or can produce proof that he is imbued with Southern sentiments, and is a Protestant, he is admitted as a soldier of the Order, and informed of its signs, pass-words, and organization. On the recommendation of the chiefs of the Order he is admitted to the second degree, informed that the stores and ammunition for the Army are collected at Monterey, and acquainted with the names of the officers to whom he is to look for pay. He is also supposed to be on active service, and the President has, we perceive, summoned all Kentuckian members to attend a rendezvous, where they will be drilled and organized by regular instructors, and whence they are, for the present, to control the Kentucky elections in favor of Southern men. If influential enough, he is next admitted to the third degree, the council of the Order, which under the Presidency of Mr. GEORGE BICKLEY, the future monarch, regulates the affairs of the Order, without communication, except through GEORGE BICKLEY, to the other degrees. He swears in this degree to obtain all the neophytes he can, to support his colleagues the Knights of the Columbian Star in all efforts for office, to conquer Mexico and "Southernize" its institutions; to drive all free negroes into Mexico, there to be enslaved, and to reduce the peon population of Mexico to slavery, dividing them as chattels among the members of the Order, and to recognize for the present monarchical institutions, as tending to strong government. Moreover, after the conquest of Mexico, he is to contend for the exclusion of every Roman Catholic from office and from the priesthood, and to support a system of passports enforced by the penalty of death. He again swears to a scheme of government which, from its utter want of resemblance to any American idea, we give entire:
13. The successor to GEORGE BICKLEY must be over thirty years of age, of Southern birth, liberally educated, Knight of the Columbian Star, sound of body and mind, and married, and Protestant. He shall swear to carry out this policy, and to extend Slavery over the whole of Central America if in his power. He shall try to acquire Cuba and control the Gulf of Mexico. No one else will I sustain. But for such a one, who must be proposed by the Cabinet Ministers and elected by all Knights of the Star, or a majority of them, I will sustain here, there, or elsewhere. When the Knights cross the Rio Grande, I will do all I can to send in recruits for the Army, and if I should ever cease to be an active worker for the Star, I will keep secret what I know of the real character of the organization, and I promise never to confer this degree in any other way than in the way I have here received it, and I will forward to GEORGE BICKLEY, or to the Governor-General of this State, the name and fees of every candidate whom I shall initiate as Governor. In witness, I do voluntarily, here and in these presence, sign my name and address."
He is then informed that Mexico can provide any amount of means, that funds to the extent of a million of dollars are lying at Matamoras, and two millions more at Monterey; that the Governor of Guanajuato is rapidly organizing his province for the reception of the Order, and that the march of the invading Army will commence on the 6th of October, 1861.
It reads, all this, rather like a dream of some mad slaveholder than a grave and definite project, which, nevertheless, we believe it to be. The Order is already powerful in the South, the alliance with the Governor is sufficiently probable, and the whole plan is strictly in accordance with the views known to be entertained by the most prominent slaveholders. Nor is the execution of the plan so difficult as to create any prima facie suspicion of falsehood. The South is full of men without slaves, with no place in society, and hungry for profitable adventure. They have been accustomed for years to regard the immense republic to their south, with its vast territory, its real and imaginary wealth, its disorganized government, and powerless white population, as a certain and easy prey. The successful annexation of Texas is a proof of what may be accomplished by a few unscrupulous and resolute men, and the laws of the Order tend directly to secure effective cohesion among its members. Quarreling and seduction are absolutely forbidden, every member is responsible for the orphans of those who fall, and societies released from the law are apt to protect themselves by somewhat effective guarantees for their own extra-legal code. The Order has men at command, so numerous that they are said to be objects of terror in Kentucky, Missouri and Arkansas, and the bribe offered is of stupendous magnitude. It is nothing less than to bestow on 16,000 men a body of slaves equal to the whole slave population of the South, and slaves, too, more easily controlled than the negro race. To men thirsting for ownership, and convinced that Slavery is lawful, the temptation must be almost irresistible, more especially as every American overratesthe case with which Mexico might be subdued. The pure Spaniards and the landed proprietors, utterly weary of anarchy, would probably bail a strong Government of any sort, while the native and quadroon population have never been able to resist the hated and dreaded "North." Of the awful increase of human misery which would follow the conquest it is unnecessary to speak. Slavery, as it exists, is bad enough, but the deliberate addition of 3,750,000 people and their children forever to the ranks of a slave population, is a crime from which the imagination itself recoils. It seems from its very magnitude impossible. CORTEZ, however, conquered these people with far inferior means, and there is no evidence that the Mexican peon of to-day is better able to resist a rifleman than his ancestor was to defeat CORTEZ's heavy armed cavalry. The only element of effective resistance would be the religious fanaticism the laws of the Order are so well adapted to arouse. These laws, however were obviously intended to serve only a tem porary purpose, the exclusion of Catholics being rendered essential by their friendly feeling for Mexico. A priest informed of the design in the confessional would be certain to put the Mexicans on their guard, perhaps cause the arrest of the Governor who is so coolly selling his country. Mexico once conquered, the necessity for the restriction would disappear, and though one of the laws of the Order, an obligation to dissolve all monasteries and open all convents, seems dectated by a real religious dislike, it is difficult to believe that it would endure in spite of the political advantage of tolerance. The whole scheme may be unreal, and the Knights of the Golden Circle as little disposed to fulfill their promises as Masons are to preserve the obligation of Christian brotherhood. But it must not be forgotten that this whatever the truth as to this society, is one of the designs of the South, and that the plan, which thus boldy stated seems incredibly atrocious is part of the permanent policy of the Government which has just won its first battle in front of Manassas Gap. The design, we fear, if the North succumbs, is at once as possible of execution as it is remorselessly wicked in concention.
New York Times
August 30, 1861
Under this head an article appears in the London Spectator, of Aug. 17, which is of especial interest, as the journal in which it appears is well known to be American property and under American inspiration. It has a prominent place among the articles on the leading topics of the day, which forms a conspicuous and valuable feature of the Spectator, and will be read with interest by men of all hues in politics on this side of the Atlantic;
Just before the descent of LOPEZ on Cuba, the American papers were full of allusions to an association called the Order of the Lone Star, said to be organized for the purpose of conquering Cuba and Nicaragua. M. SOULE was said to be its President, and the appointment of that individual as Minister to Madrid was regarded by the Court of Spain, as a wilful discourtesy. LOPEZ himself belonged to the society, and it was from the ranks of the Order that WALKER obtained his most ardent recruits. After the failure of WALKER's first expedition, the rumors of the society died away, and though its members, under the quaint title of "Precipitators," were supposed to be active in the work of disunion, the society itself, as such, ceased to play any prominent part. The more violent members, however, saw in it a power which might be effectively used, and on the first symptom of the predominance of the Free-Soilers, they organized a new association, under the name of the Knights of the Golden Circle, with new and better defined objects, and an obligation of secrecy. The secret of the Order, however, has been betrayed during the intestine strife raised by disunion in Kentucky, and the revelation exposes a plot which, for audacity, ability and wickedness, has rarely been surpassed in the long history of conspiracy.
The object of the Order may be briefly stated. It is nothing less than to raise an army of 16,000 men for the conquest of Mexico, and the establishment in that vast Territory of a strongly organized monarchy, resting on a basis of slave institutions. The precise mode of accomplishing this object has already been settled. As soon as the internal warfare is over, all members of the Order, under their secret leaders, are to repair to Guanajuato, with the Governor of which province of Mexico, MICHAEL DOBLADO, the Order has concluded a formal treaty. By the provisions of this precious document the Governor is to add 16,000 men of his own, and the entire army is to march forward under his command to the permanent subjugation of the country. Means are found from the revenues of the province, and its State property is "mortgagad" for the payment of the soldiery, at one-eighth above the American rates.
To secure the necessary cohesion, the Order has been organized after this fashion. Every applicant for admission is first sworn to secrecy under the penalty of death, and then the design of the Order is revealed. If he assents to its propriety, and is, moreover, an American born, and a slaveowner, or can produce proof that he is imbued with Southern sentiments, and is a Protestant, he is admitted as a soldier of the Order, and informed of its signs, pass-words, and organization. On the recommendation of the chiefs of the Order he is admitted to the second degree, informed that the stores and ammunition for the Army are collected at Monterey, and acquainted with the names of the officers to whom he is to look for pay. He is also supposed to be on active service, and the President has, we perceive, summoned all Kentuckian members to attend a rendezvous, where they will be drilled and organized by regular instructors, and whence they are, for the present, to control the Kentucky elections in favor of Southern men. If influential enough, he is next admitted to the third degree, the council of the Order, which under the Presidency of Mr. GEORGE BICKLEY, the future monarch, regulates the affairs of the Order, without communication, except through GEORGE BICKLEY, to the other degrees. He swears in this degree to obtain all the neophytes he can, to support his colleagues the Knights of the Columbian Star in all efforts for office, to conquer Mexico and "Southernize" its institutions; to drive all free negroes into Mexico, there to be enslaved, and to reduce the peon population of Mexico to slavery, dividing them as chattels among the members of the Order, and to recognize for the present monarchical institutions, as tending to strong government. Moreover, after the conquest of Mexico, he is to contend for the exclusion of every Roman Catholic from office and from the priesthood, and to support a system of passports enforced by the penalty of death. He again swears to a scheme of government which, from its utter want of resemblance to any American idea, we give entire:
13. The successor to GEORGE BICKLEY must be over thirty years of age, of Southern birth, liberally educated, Knight of the Columbian Star, sound of body and mind, and married, and Protestant. He shall swear to carry out this policy, and to extend Slavery over the whole of Central America if in his power. He shall try to acquire Cuba and control the Gulf of Mexico. No one else will I sustain. But for such a one, who must be proposed by the Cabinet Ministers and elected by all Knights of the Star, or a majority of them, I will sustain here, there, or elsewhere. When the Knights cross the Rio Grande, I will do all I can to send in recruits for the Army, and if I should ever cease to be an active worker for the Star, I will keep secret what I know of the real character of the organization, and I promise never to confer this degree in any other way than in the way I have here received it, and I will forward to GEORGE BICKLEY, or to the Governor-General of this State, the name and fees of every candidate whom I shall initiate as Governor. In witness, I do voluntarily, here and in these presence, sign my name and address."
He is then informed that Mexico can provide any amount of means, that funds to the extent of a million of dollars are lying at Matamoras, and two millions more at Monterey; that the Governor of Guanajuato is rapidly organizing his province for the reception of the Order, and that the march of the invading Army will commence on the 6th of October, 1861.
It reads, all this, rather like a dream of some mad slaveholder than a grave and definite project, which, nevertheless, we believe it to be. The Order is already powerful in the South, the alliance with the Governor is sufficiently probable, and the whole plan is strictly in accordance with the views known to be entertained by the most prominent slaveholders. Nor is the execution of the plan so difficult as to create any prima facie suspicion of falsehood. The South is full of men without slaves, with no place in society, and hungry for profitable adventure. They have been accustomed for years to regard the immense republic to their south, with its vast territory, its real and imaginary wealth, its disorganized government, and powerless white population, as a certain and easy prey. The successful annexation of Texas is a proof of what may be accomplished by a few unscrupulous and resolute men, and the laws of the Order tend directly to secure effective cohesion among its members. Quarreling and seduction are absolutely forbidden, every member is responsible for the orphans of those who fall, and societies released from the law are apt to protect themselves by somewhat effective guarantees for their own extra-legal code. The Order has men at command, so numerous that they are said to be objects of terror in Kentucky, Missouri and Arkansas, and the bribe offered is of stupendous magnitude. It is nothing less than to bestow on 16,000 men a body of slaves equal to the whole slave population of the South, and slaves, too, more easily controlled than the negro race. To men thirsting for ownership, and convinced that Slavery is lawful, the temptation must be almost irresistible, more especially as every American overratesthe case with which Mexico might be subdued. The pure Spaniards and the landed proprietors, utterly weary of anarchy, would probably bail a strong Government of any sort, while the native and quadroon population have never been able to resist the hated and dreaded "North." Of the awful increase of human misery which would follow the conquest it is unnecessary to speak. Slavery, as it exists, is bad enough, but the deliberate addition of 3,750,000 people and their children forever to the ranks of a slave population, is a crime from which the imagination itself recoils. It seems from its very magnitude impossible. CORTEZ, however, conquered these people with far inferior means, and there is no evidence that the Mexican peon of to-day is better able to resist a rifleman than his ancestor was to defeat CORTEZ's heavy armed cavalry. The only element of effective resistance would be the religious fanaticism the laws of the Order are so well adapted to arouse. These laws, however were obviously intended to serve only a tem porary purpose, the exclusion of Catholics being rendered essential by their friendly feeling for Mexico. A priest informed of the design in the confessional would be certain to put the Mexicans on their guard, perhaps cause the arrest of the Governor who is so coolly selling his country. Mexico once conquered, the necessity for the restriction would disappear, and though one of the laws of the Order, an obligation to dissolve all monasteries and open all convents, seems dectated by a real religious dislike, it is difficult to believe that it would endure in spite of the political advantage of tolerance. The whole scheme may be unreal, and the Knights of the Golden Circle as little disposed to fulfill their promises as Masons are to preserve the obligation of Christian brotherhood. But it must not be forgotten that this whatever the truth as to this society, is one of the designs of the South, and that the plan, which thus boldy stated seems incredibly atrocious is part of the permanent policy of the Government which has just won its first battle in front of Manassas Gap. The design, we fear, if the North succumbs, is at once as possible of execution as it is remorselessly wicked in concention.
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