September 9, 2010

In 1868, an agent sent by Governor Powell Clayton to investigate Ku Klux Klan activity in White County was murdered. Former Confederate general Dandridge McRae (pictured here) was implicated and fled to Louisiana with a $500 reward on his head. In 1872, an apparent deal was struck by the Democratic Party. In exchange for the support of a certain candidate, McRae would be tried and guaranteed acquittal. He returned, was tried, and was duly acquitted. The general died in 1899 and is buried in Searcy (White County).