Holmes turned over the leaves of the book upon his knee.
福尔摩斯一页一页地翻阅着放在他膝盖上的书。
"Here it is," said he presently: "Ku Klux Klan.
"瞧这儿，"随后他念道："克尤·克拉克斯·克兰。
A name derived from the fanciful resemblance to the sound produced by cocking a rifle.
是一个名字。它来源于想象中那种酷似扳起枪的击铁的声音。
This terrible secret society was formed by some ex-Confederate soldiers in the Southern states after the Civil War,
这个可怕的秘密团体是南方各州的前联邦士兵在南北战争以后组成的，
and it rapidly formed local branches in different parts of the country,
并迅即在全国各地成立了分会。
notably in Tennessee, Louisiana, the Carolinas, Georgia, and Florida.
其中在田纳西、路易斯安那、卡罗来纳、佐治亚和佛罗里达各州尤为引人注目。
Its power was used for political purposes,
它的势力被用于实现其政治目的，
principally for the terrorizing of the negro voters and the murdering and driving from the country of those who were opposed to its views.
主要是对黑人选民使用恐怖手段，谋杀或驱逐反对他们观点的人们出国。

Its outrages were usually preceded by a warning sent to the marked man in some fantastic but generally recognized shape
他们将施加暴行时通常是，先寄给受到敌视的人某种形状奇怪但尚可辨的东西，
a sprig of oak-leaves in some parts, melon seeds or orange pips in others.
例如，一小根带叶的橡树叶、几粒西瓜籽，或几个桔核，作为警告。
On receiving this the victim might either openly abjure his former ways, or might fly from the country.
受到敌视的人接到警告以后，可以公开宣布放弃原有观点，或逃奔国外。
If he braved the matter out, death would unfailingly come upon him, and usually in some strange and unforeseen manner.
如果置之不理，则必将遭受杀害，而且往往出于某种奇怪的和意料不到的方式。
So perfect was the organization of the society, and so systematic its methods,
那个团体的组织是如此严密，所使用的方法又是如此有系统，
that there is hardly a case upon record where any man succeeded in braving it with impunity,
竟致在有案可稽的案件中，几乎从未见有哪个与之抗衡的人能够幸免于祸，
or in which any of its outrages were traced home to the perpetrators.
也从未能追查到暴行的作案人。
For some years the organization flourished in spite of the efforts of the United States government and of the better classes of the community in the South.
尽管美国政府和南方上层社会的努力阻止，这个团体在几年时间里还是到处蔓延滋长。
Eventually, in the year 1869, the movement rather suddenly collapsed,
最后，到了一八六九年，这个三K党运动竟突然垮台，
although there have been sporadic outbreaks of the same sort since that date."
虽然此后还不时发生这类暴行。"