Sherlock Holmes sat for some time in silence, with his head sunk

forward and his eyes bent upon the red glow of the fire. Then he

lit his pipe, and leaning back in his chair he watched the blue

smoke-rings as they chased each other up to the ceiling.

"I think, Watson," he remarked at last, "that of all our cases we

have had none more fantastic than this."

"Save, perhaps, the Sign of Four."

"Well, yes. Save, perhaps, that. And yet this John Openshaw seems

to me to be walking amid even greater perils than did the

Sholtos."

"But have you," I asked, "formed any definite conception as to

what these perils are?"

"There can be no question as to their nature," he answered.

"Then what are they? Who is this K. K. K., and why does he pursue

this unhappy family?"

Sherlock Holmes closed his eyes and placed his elbows upon the

arms of his chair, with his finger-tips together. "The ideal

reasoner," he remarked, "would, when he had once been shown a

single fact in all its bearings, deduce from it not only all the

chain of events which led up to it but also all the results which

would follow from it. As Cuvier could correctly describe a whole

animal by the contemplation of a single bone, so the observer who

has thoroughly understood one link in a series of incidents

should be able to accurately state all the other ones, both

before and after. We have not yet grasped the results which the

reason alone can attain to. Problems may be solved in the study

which have baffled all those who have sought a solution by the

aid of their senses. To carry the art, however, to its highest

pitch, it is necessary that the reasoner should be able to

utilize all the facts which have come to his knowledge; and this

in itself implies, as you will readily see, a possession of all

knowledge, which, even in these days of free education and

encyclopaedias, is a somewhat rare accomplishment. It is not so

impossible, however, that a man should possess all knowledge

which is likely to be useful to him in his work, and this I have

endeavored in my case to do. If I remember rightly, you on one

occasion, in the early days of our friendship, defined my limits

in a very precise fashion."

"Yes," I answered, laughing. "It was a singular document.

Philosophy, astronomy, and politics were marked at zero, I

remember. Botany variable, geology profound as regards the

mud-stains from any region within fifty miles of town, chemistry

eccentric, anatomy unsystematic, sensational literature and crime

records unique, violin-player, boxer, swordsman, lawyer, and

self-poisoner by cocaine and tobacco. Those, I think, were the

main points of my analysis."

Holmes grinned at the last item. "Well," he said, "I say now, as

I said then, that a man should keep his little brain-attic

stocked with all the furniture that he is likely to use, and the

rest he can put away in the lumber-room of his library, where he

can get it if he wants it. Now, for such a case as the one which

has been submitted to us to-night, we need certainly to muster

all our resources. Kindly hand me down the letter K of the

American Encyclopaedia which stands upon the shelf beside you.

Thank you. Now let us consider the situation and see what may be

deduced from it. In the first place, we may start with a strong

presumption that Colonel Openshaw had some very strong reason for

leaving America. Men at his time of life do not change all their

habits and exchange willingly the charming climate of Florida for

the lonely life of an English provincial town. His extreme love

of solitude in England suggests the idea that he was in fear of

someone or something, so we may assume as a working hypothesis

that it was fear of someone or something which drove him from

America. As to what it was he feared, we can only deduce that by

considering the formidable letters which were received by himself

and his successors. Did you remark the postmarks of those

letters?"

"The first was from Pondicherry, the second from Dundee, and the

third from London."

"From East London. What do you deduce from that?"

"They are all seaports. That the writer was on board of a ship."

"Excellent. We have already a clew. There can be no doubt that

the probability--the strong probability--is that the writer was

on board of a ship. And now let us consider another point. In the

case of Pondicherry, seven weeks elapsed between the threat and

its fulfillment, in Dundee it was only some three or four days.

Does that suggest anything?"

"A greater distance to travel."

"But the letter had also a greater distance to come."

"Then I do not see the point."

"There is at least a presumption that the vessel in which the man

or men are is a sailing-ship. It looks as if they always send

their singular warning or token before them when starting upon

their mission. You see how quickly the deed followed the sign

when it came from Dundee. If they had come from Pondicherry in a

steamer they would have arrived almost as soon as their letter.

But, as a matter of fact, seven weeks elapsed. I think that those

seven weeks represented the difference between the mailboat which

brought the letter and the sailing vessel which brought the

writer."

"It is possible."

"More than that. It is probable. And now you see the deadly

urgency of this new case, and why I urged young Openshaw to

caution. The blow has always fallen at the end of the time which

it would take the senders to travel the distance. But this one

comes from London, and therefore we cannot count upon delay."

"Good God!" I cried. "What can it mean, this relentless

persecution?"

"The papers which Openshaw carried are obviously of vital

importance to the person or persons in the sailing-ship. I think

that it is quite clear that there must be more than one of them.

A single man could not have carried out two deaths in such a way

as to deceive a coroner's jury. There must have been several in

it, and they must have been men of resource and determination.

Their papers they mean to have, be the holder of them who it may.

In this way you see K. K. K. ceases to be the initials of an

individual and becomes the badge of a society."

"But of what society?"

"Have you never--" said Sherlock Holmes, bending forward and

sinking his voice--"have you never heard of the Ku Klux Klan?"

"I never have."

Holmes turned over the leaves of the book upon his knee. "Here it

is," said he presently:

"Ku Klux Klan. A name derived from the fanciful resemblance to

the sound produced by cocking a rifle. This terrible secret

society was formed by some ex-Confederate soldiers in the

Southern states after the Civil War, and it rapidly formed local

branches in different parts of the country, notably in Tennessee,

Louisiana, the Carolinas, Georgia, and Florida. Its power was

used for political purposes, principally for the terrorizing of

the negro voters and the murdering and driving from the country

of those who were opposed to its views. Its outrages were usually

preceded by a warning sent to the marked man in some fantastic

but generally recognized shape--a sprig of oak-leaves in some

parts, melon seeds or orange pips in others. On receiving this

the victim might either openly abjure his former ways, or might

fly from the country. If he braved the matter out, death would

unfailingly come upon him, and usually in some strange and

unforeseen manner. So perfect was the organization of the

society, and so systematic its methods, that there is hardly a

case upon record where any man succeeded in braving it with

impunity, or in which any of its outrages were traced home to the

perpetrators. For some years the organization flourished in spite

of the efforts of the United States government and of the better

classes of the community in the South. Eventually, in the year

1869, the movement rather suddenly collapsed, although there have

been sporadic outbreaks of the same sort since that date.

"You will observe," said Holmes, laying down the volume, "that

the sudden breaking up of the society was coincident with the

disappearance of Openshaw from America with their papers. It may

well have been cause and effect. It is no wonder that he and his

family have some of the more implacable spirits upon their track.

You can understand that this register and diary may implicate

some of the first men in the South, and that there may be many

who will not sleep easy at night until it is recovered."

"Then the page we have seen--"

"Is such as we might expect. It ran, if I remember right, 'sent

the pips to A, B, and C'--that is, sent the society's warning to

them. Then there are successive entries that A and B cleared, or

left the country, and finally that C was visited, with, I fear, a

sinister result for C. Well, I think, Doctor, that we may let

some light into this dark place, and I believe that the only

chance young Openshaw has in the meantime is to do what I have

told him. There is nothing more to be said or to be done

to-night, so hand me over my violin and let us try to forget for

half an hour the miserable weather and the still more miserable

ways of our fellow-men."