Just as the Northern Occupation varied greatly from one MILITARY DISTRICT to another( after the actual war ceased ), so to the Klan varied dramatically, county by county as well as state by state. It reflected the character of the men who formed each unit ( klavern ). My own father was six, perched on his father's sholders when he watched his grandfather address a meeting to DISSOLVE their county ( Lowndes,Ms ) unit when, in his words, it had become too politicized by the state officials ( these same men would later continue to enforce law & order, despite a crooked sheriff ) & my father has related at least one major kidnap of a BLACK man & summary capture, trial ( Judge John Stennis ) & execution of the SURVIVING white culprit ( the ransom was being delivered when they found the murdered black farmer & at least one kidnapper did not return that night-his trial may have occurred in the woods along the Tombigbee ). There is a great deal more therein, & i heard other reports ( as my father often selected a court case in lieu of school ), but suffice to say every living soul in that county either attended or tried to attend the funeral of that former leader of the Klan. My father commented that no movie scene or other event has eqauled the epic wave of grief from thousands of people, as he witnessed that day.
Since some on this thread seem confused, I point out the above to explain, in addition to the extreme variance during the Northern Occupation, area by area, the so-called Klan of today has absolutely no legitimate relation to the original-post the 1920's.