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1Sherlock Holmes sat for some time in silence, with his head sunk forward and his eyes bent upon the red glow of the
2fire. Then he lit his pipe, and leaning back in his chair he watched the blue smoke-rings as they chased each other up
3to the ceiling. "I think, Watson," he remarked at last, "that of all our cases we have had none more fantastic than
4this." "Save, perhaps, the Sign of Four." "Well, yes. Save, perhaps, that. And yet this John Openshaw seems to me to be
5walking amid even greater perils than did the Sholtos." "But have you," I asked, "formed any definite conception as to
6what these perils are?" "There can be no question as to their nature," he answered. "Then what are they? Who is this K.
7K. K., and why does he pursue this unhappy family?" Sherlock Holmes closed his eyes and placed his elbows upon the arms
8of his chair, with his finger-tips together. "The ideal reasoner," he remarked, "would, when he had once been shown a
9single fact in all its bearings, deduce from it not only all the chain of events which led up to it but also all the
10results which would follow from it. As Cuvier could correctly describe a whole animal by the contemplation of a single
11bone, so the observer who has thoroughly understood one link in a series of incidents should be able to accurately state
12all the other ones, both before and after. We have not yet grasped the results which the reason alone can attain to.
13Problems may be solved in the study which have baffled all those who have sought a solution by the aid of their senses.
14To carry the art, however, to its highest pitch, it is necessary that the reasoner should be able to utilise all the
15facts which have come to his knowledge; and this in itself implies, as you will readily see, a possession of all
16knowledge, which, even in these days of free education and encyclopædias, is a somewhat rare accomplishment. It is not
17so impossible, however, that a man should possess all knowledge which is likely to be useful to him in his work, and
18this I have endeavoured in my case to do. If I remember rightly, you on one occasion, in the early days of our
19friendship, defined my limits in a very precise fashion." "Yes," I answered, laughing. "It was a singular document.
20Philosophy, astronomy, and politics were marked at zero, I remember. Botany variable, geology profound as regards the
21mud-stains from any region within fifty miles of town, chemistry eccentric, anatomy unsystematic, sensational literature
22and crime records unique, violin-player, boxer, swordsman, lawyer, and self-poisoner by cocaine and tobacco. Those, I
23think, were the main points of my analysis." Holmes grinned at the last item. "Well," he said, "I say now, as I said
24then, that a man should keep his little brain-attic stocked with all the furniture that he is likely to use, and the
25rest 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
26one which has been submitted to us to-night, we need certainly to muster all our resources. Kindly hand me down the
27letter K of the American Encyclopædia which stands upon the shelf beside you. Thank you. Now let us consider the
28situation and see what may be deduced from it. In the first place, we may start with a strong presumption that Colonel
29Openshaw had some very strong reason for leaving America. Men at his time of life do not change all their habits and
30exchange willingly the charming climate of Florida for the lonely life of an English provincial town. His extreme love
31of solitude in England suggests the idea that he was in fear of someone or something, so we may assume as a working
32hypothesis that it was fear of someone or something which drove him from America. As to what it was he feared, we can
33only deduce that by considering the formidable letters which were received by himself and his successors. Did you remark
34the postmarks of those letters?" "The first was from Pondicherry, the second from Dundee, and the third from London."
35"From East London. What do you deduce from that?" "They are all seaports. That the writer was on board of a ship."
36"Excellent. We have already a clue. There can be no doubt that the probability--the strong probability--is that the
37writer was on board of a ship. And now let us consider another point. In the case of Pondicherry, seven weeks elapsed
38between the threat and its fulfilment, in Dundee it was only some three or four days. Does that suggest anything?" "A
39greater distance to travel." "But the letter had also a greater distance to come." "Then I do not see the point." "There
40is 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
41their singular warning or token before them when starting upon their mission. You see how quickly the deed followed the
42sign when it came from Dundee. If they had come from Pondicherry in a steamer they would have arrived almost as soon as
43their letter. But, as a matter of fact, seven weeks elapsed. I think that those seven weeks represented the difference
44between the mail-boat which brought the letter and the sailing vessel which brought the writer." "It is possible." "More
45than that. It is probable. And now you see the deadly urgency of this new case, and why I urged young Openshaw to
46caution. The blow has always fallen at the end of the time which it would take the senders to travel the distance. But
47this one comes from London, and therefore we cannot count upon delay." "Good God!" I cried. "What can it mean, this
48relentless persecution?" "The papers which Openshaw carried are obviously of vital importance to the person or persons
49in the sailing-ship. I think that it is quite clear that there must be more than one of them. A single man could not
50have carried out two deaths in such a way as to deceive a coroner's jury. There must have been several in it, and they
51must have been men of resource and determination. Their papers they mean to have, be the holder of them who it may. In
52this way you see K. K. K. ceases to be the initials of an individual and becomes the badge of a society." "But of what
53society?" "Have you never--" said Sherlock Holmes, bending forward and sinking his voice--"have you never heard of the
54Ku Klux Klan?" "I never have." Holmes turned over the leaves of the book upon his knee. "Here it is," said he presently:
55"'Ku Klux Klan. A name derived from the fanciful resemblance to the sound produced by cocking a rifle. This terrible
56secret society was formed by some ex-Confederate soldiers in the Southern states after the Civil War, and it rapidly
57formed local branches in different parts of the country, notably in Tennessee, Louisiana, the Carolinas, Georgia, and
58Florida. Its power was used for political purposes, principally for the terrorising of the negro voters and the
59murdering and driving from the country of those who were opposed to its views. Its outrages were usually preceded by a
60warning sent to the marked man in some fantastic but generally recognised shape--a sprig of oak-leaves in some parts,
61melon seeds or orange pips in others. On receiving this the victim might either openly abjure his former ways, or might
62fly from the country. If he braved the matter out, death would unfailingly come upon him, and usually in some strange
63and unforeseen manner. So perfect was the organisation of the society, and so systematic its methods, that there is
64hardly a case upon record where any man succeeded in braving it with impunity, or in which any of its outrages were
65traced home to the perpetrators. For some years the organisation flourished in spite of the efforts of the United States
66government and of the better classes of the community in the South. Eventually, in the year 1869, the movement rather
67suddenly collapsed, although there have been sporadic outbreaks of the same sort since that date.' "You will observe,"
68said Holmes, laying down the volume, "that the sudden breaking up of the society was coincident with the disappearance
69of Openshaw from America with their papers. It may well have been cause and effect. It is no wonder that he and his
70family have some of the more implacable spirits upon their track. You can understand that this register and diary may
71implicate some of the first men in the South, and that there may be many who will not sleep easy at night until it is
72recovered."
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