Wilmington's Lie: The Murderous Coup of 1898 and the Rise of White Supremacy

by David Zucchino

The Klan devised secret signals of recognition. Touching the head above the right ear was supposed to prompt a fellow Klansman to touch his own head above the left ear, signifying Klan membership. Another sign was thrusting the right hand into a trouser pocket with the thumb exposed. In response, a fellow Klansman was to jam his left hand into a pocket with only the thumb exposed. The nighttime password was: “I say.” The response was: “Nothing.” When challenged: “Who goes there?” The proper response was: “A friend.” When asked: “A friend of who?” The correct reply was: “A friend to his country.” Whether such parody was performed with any regularity is debatable, but the terror instilled by the Klan was not. One North Carolina Klansman distilled the essence of the organization: “To keep down the style of the niggers.”