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Las aventuras de Sherlock Holmes
The Five Orange Pips
Capítulo 5, Página 17
“But
of
what
society?”
“Have
you
never—”
said
Sherlock
Holmes,
bending
forward
and
sinking
his
voice—“have
you
never
heard
of
the
Ku
Klux
Klan?”
“I
never
have.”
Holmes
turned
over
the
leaves
of
the
book
upon
his
knee.
“Here
it
is,”
said
he
presently:
“‘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.’”
“You
will
observe,”
said
Holmes,
laying
down
the
volume,
“that
the
sudden
breaking
up
of
the
society
was
coincident
with
the
disappearance
of
Openshaw
from
America
with
their
papers.
It
may
well
have
been
cause
and
effect.
It
is
no
wonder
that
he
and
his
family
have
some
of
the
more
implacable
spirits
upon
their
track.
You
can
understand
that
this
register
and
diary
may
implicate
some
of
the
first
men
in
the
South,
and
that
there
may
be
many
who
will
not
sleep
easy
at
night
until
it
is
recovered.”
“Then
the
page
we
have
seen—”
“Is
such
as
we
might
expect.
It
ran,
if
I
remember
right,
‘sent
the
pips
to
A,
B,
and
C’—that
is,
sent
the
society’s
warning
to
them.
Then
there
are
successive
entries
that
A
and
B
cleared,
or
left
the
country,
and
finally
that
C
was
visited,
with,
I
fear,
a
sinister
result
for
C.
Well,
I
think,
Doctor,
that
we
may
let
some
light
into
this
dark
place,
and
I
believe
that
the
only
chance
young
Openshaw
has
in
the
meantime
is
to
do
what
I
have
told
him.
There
is
nothing
more
to
be
said
or
to
be
done
to-night,
so
hand
me
over
my
violin
and
let
us
try
to
forget
for
half
an
hour
the
miserable
weather
and
the
still
more
miserable
ways
of
our
fellow
men.”
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Las aventuras de Sherlock Holmes — C1 Inglés | Cuentana