were attacked and forced to renounce their Republican Party affiliation in the local paper, the Yorkville Enquirer. Elias Hill was attacked on May 5, 1871. This was the first episode of Ku Klux Klan violence Merrill saw in York County first hand, and he was unable to immediately step in to protect the black citizens of York County. Eight days after the attack, Merrill met with community leaders demanding change, although violence continued over the summer. Merrill's efforts eventually led to the dismantling of much of the Klan in the county, although Bratton was never successfully prosecuted. Flight to Ontario Shortly after these events, Bratton and Avery were placed on the federal government's most wanted list for the murder of Jim Williams. Later in 1871, he fled York County to his sister's house, Sophia O'Bannon in Barnwell, South Carolina. He may have then fled to Selma, Alabama. He lived under the name of Simpson and became involved in coal mining. About the time he was purchasing a large tract for his coal business, he had to flee again, moving to Memphis, Tennessee, with his brother John, who was also a fugitive. On May 22, 1872, under the name of John Simpson, Bratton fled to the home of expatriate G. Manigault in London, Ontario. In London, he stayed at the Revere House on Richmond Street before he moved to the Sarah Hill Boarding House on Wellington Street, and was a part of a growing community of ex-Confederates in the city. South Carolina Governor Robert Kingston Scott sent Isaac Bell Cornwell to apprehend him. Cornwell applied to the United States Secret Service Department and received a warrant from President Ulysses Grant and was assisted by Joseph G. Hester of the department. They went to London and after a few days apprehended Bratton with some struggle. On the way to the train depot, Bratton convinced Cornwell to read the warrant for his arrest. It was claimed that the warrant was not for Bratton, but for James William Avery. Bratton was brought from London to Yorkville where he was jailed. He was granted a bail of about $12,000, which 13 local men raised. American newspapers and Canadian authorities called the apprehension a kidnapping, and the Canadian government called for Bratton's immediate release and return to Canada, as both the Canadian government and public were enraged at the violation of their national sovereignty. The Canadian