解説　場面 35「百科事典の頁」

"'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 terrorising 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 recognised 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 organisation 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 organisation 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.'

「『クー・クラックス・クラン。小銃の撃鉄を起こす音に似ているという、想像上の類似から生まれた名称。この恐ろしい秘密結社は、南北戦争後、南部諸州の旧南軍兵士の一部によって結成され、各地、特にテネシー、ルイジアナ、南北カロライナ、ジョージア、フロリダに、急速に支部を作った。その勢力は政治目的に使われ、主として黒人有権者を脅し、自分たちの見解に反対する者を殺害し、あるいは国外へ追い出すために用いられた。暴行の前にはたいてい、奇妙だが広く意味を知られた形で、標的となる者へ警告が送られた。ある地方ではオークの葉の小枝、ほかではメロンの種やオレンジの種であった。これを受け取った被害者は、以前の生き方を公然と捨てると誓うか、国外へ逃げるか、どちらかを選べた。あえて逆らえば、必ず死が訪れ、しかもたいていは奇妙で予想外の形であった。結社の組織はあまりに周到で、その手口もあまりに組織的だったため、逆らって無事だった事例や、その暴行が実行犯まで突き止められた事例は、ほとんど記録にない。アメリカ合衆国政府や南部社会の上流階級の努力にもかかわらず、組織は数年間栄えた。ついに一八六九年、運動はかなり突然に崩壊したが、その後も同種の事件が散発的に起きている』