| Frank Cooper was a child when he spoke to his mother about her time in enslavement. Here, he recounts a tale she told him of the Ku Klux Klan coming into her town and the measures the men in town took to protect themselves and their families from the potential cruelty the KKK would bring. *“Historically-used terms that are offensive, marginalizing and/or disparaging have been removed from the transcripts and replaced with [victims]. |
Excerpt:
My mother related some experiences she had with the Paddy-Rollers, later called the Ku Klux, these Paddy-Rollers were a constant dread to the N***oes. They would whip the poor victims unmercifully without any cause. One night while the N***oes were gathering for a big party and dance they got wind of the approaching Paddy-Rollers in large numbers on horseback. The N***o men did not know what to do for protection, they became desperate and decided to gather a quantity of grapevines and tied them fast at a dark place in the road. When the Paddy-Rollers came thundering down the road bent on deviltry and unaware of the trap set for them, plunged head-on into these strong grapevines and three of their number were killed and a score was badly injured. Several horses had to be shot following injuries.
When the news of this happening spread it was many months before the Paddy-Rollers were again heard of.
| Interviewee Formerly enslaved person | Birth Year (Age) | Interviewer WPA Volunteer | Enslaver’s Name |
| Frank Cooper | Unknown | William R. Mays | Good, Burton, Cooper |
| Interview Location | Residence State | Birth Location |
| Franklin, IN | Indiana | Kentucky |
| Themes & Keywords | Additional Tags: |
| Violence | First person, whipped, Klan/mob violence |
Cooper_F_2