Fiery Cross, Volume 2, Number 44, Indianapolis, Marion County, 31 August 1923 — Page 1
GROSS
INDIANA STATE EDITION -1L JJL ' THERE IS NO FAILURE EXCEPT FAILURE TO SERF E THE PURPOSE' VOLUME II, NUMBER-44. INDIANAPOLIS, END., FRIDAY, AUGUST 31, 1923 PRICE FIVE CENTS
INDIANA-STATE EDITION
eward In Fittshu
rgh Crime
MOB MURDERS AND INJURES 100 KLANSMEN
FATHER OF TWO BABIES IS SHOT IOW AS HE MARCHES IX PROCESSION
G
annot it1 orce man -
irr
Four Men Held After Riot Started by Aliens, Who Assaulted Americans Following Meet
IRE OF LAFAYETTE CITIZENS AROUSED BY MAYOR DURGAN
City Now Vacating Street for Parochial School Is Not the First Time
An official statement issued by Dr. H. W. Evans, Imperial Wizard, following the riot of murder by alien forces, will be found on page 9.
Catholic Paper Advocates Durgan for Governor Anti-Visor Ordinance Is Amended
APOLOGY FOR
RAG INSULT IS OFFERED
CHIEF OF POLICE O'BRIEN TRIES . TO PLACATE PATRIOTIC ORGANIZATIONS
'NO LAW TO STOP THEM BUT I'LL DO FT ANYWAY,' SAYS THE MAYOR
(By Staff Correspondent)
PITTSBURGH, Pa., Aug. 28. Patrick McDermott, an undertaker, and a reputed member of the Knights of Columbus, is today being held, together with three others, in connection with the cold-blooded murder
of Thomas R. Abbott, Klansman, of Atlasburg, Pa., on last Saturday, (luring a riot instigated by the alien
by a fanatical mob. McDermott is declared by witnesses to have been seen discharging a gun in front of
me piace vmero aouuii, as no iuu part in a parade being held by the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan in Carnegie, a suburb of this city, was kflled. The three other men are W. K. Flaherty. Joseph Joyce and George Kimmell. all of whom are said to belong, to the same organizaVon of which McDermott is believed A be a member. ' The murder took place when 20,000 Klansmen in full regalia attempted
to parade the streets following a sta,te Klonklave. Wizard Posts Reward Dr. Hiram W. Evans, Imperial Wizard for the Knights of the Ku JCIiit ICIan fnllnwinfr a qfntp lTipnt-
Ing of the Pennsylvania Kleagles at - Fort Pitt hotel here Sunday, at .l,1.Vi AhKnlt'a fln.itVi an1 tYia vlAtinir
were discussed, offered a reward of $5,000 to the person giving information which would load to the arrest and conviction of Abbott's "murderer or murderers." Statements made by the Imperial Wizard and the King
rweagie oi rennsyivnma concerning this disgraceful affair are published elsewhere in these columns. Klansmen. their families and friends had guthered in Carnegie through the day for the state meeting which was held a mile out offthe cltySaturday evening. The Klavern was formed on the hillside. Strings of electric lights illuminated the scene. An address by Dr. Evans, state officials of the Realm of Pennsylvania and local speakers filled (Continued on Page 11)
j (By Wingfoot) i LAFAYETTE, Ind., Aug. 27. It
! doesn't take a Solomon to reason
out just what is really behind the wild, arrogant and blatant stand taken by Mayor George R. Durgan, of this city,, against the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan. He is merely the
1 instrument through which the wrath 1 of an organization with headquar-
i ters in Rome is poured out on the j heads of American citizens in Lafay
ette. At each opportunity Mayor Durgan speaks before Catholic gatherings in Lafayette, and just recently he appeared in Indianapolis to speak before the un-American Unity League. Now comes the Indiana Catholic Record and "names" him for the next
Democratic . candidate for governor.-
BHt-wny. sliouidn t the Record feel kindly toward Mayor Durgan? Right at this time" the city of Lafayette Is vacating a street to permit the building of a Catholic parochial school
and this in the faceof the fact that
Charges of "Disorderly Conduct" Against Klansmen Will Be Dropped
Citizens of Jeff ersdnville Await
September 1 Most Impatiently-
Instead of Plans to Protect Free-
Born Americans Mayor Voices Fear of Hoodlums
Kin the opposite direction there is all
the property necessary for the school. But the school authorities wish to acquire the street and thereby secure more untaxed land and they are getting it despite the fact that citizens in Lafayette are beginning to kick up a rumpus about it. Other Streets Are Blocked Had this been the first time this had happened tire citizens probably
would not have protested so loudly. But it is not the first time. In one
part of the city streets are "shut off for three blocks in two directions and two blocks in two other directions because of the fact that a Catholic institute wished to' build a high brick wall about its property. The streets were "vacated'' to do it. There is little vyonder attached to the editorial in the Indiana Catholic Record "advocating" Mayor Durgan for governor. , The Tippecanoe County Democrat,
"mouthpiece" for Mayor Durgan, draws attention to how Mayor Durgan has kept down expenses in the street department. In view of the fact that he is not only cutting down expenses in the street department, but cutting down the streets as well, (Continued on Page 7)
(By Staff Correspondent) SPRINGFIELD, O., Aug. 27. An
apology for insults placed against
the Holy Bible and tho American
flag, for taking them into the Clark county jail when seventy-two Klans
men were arrested here on July 6
while attending the funeral of a. deceased brother, was made here last
Monday by Chief of -Police R. E. O'Brien to thirteen patriotic and fraternal organizations, who were seeking his removal from office. While the apology is considered a weak one, it was accepted by Edward James, chairman of the- committee . representing the fraternal organisations, and Saille-, of the Disabled. War Veterans, who has
taken a - prominent .part ja forcing the city commission. to take'actlon TKe apology comes at the time when the people of this city were at the limit of their endurance for such
negligence" and disrespect. The chief evidently realized this. Monday evening a delegation of citizens, including the committee, waite.l upon the council with the request that they remove from office City Manager William A. ?Iahoney, for "passing the buck" in his report on tie alleged investigation ho is said to have conducted to fix the blame for the nvrests and insults to the Bible and flag.
Manager "Passed Buck'' Mahoney's report was that the (Continued to Page 8)
SILENT MOVE
TOWARD COAL
TO CONTINUE
"THE MYSTERY CAR" AND "THE
LOCKED ROOM" WILL BE BUT MINOR DETAILS IN SMASH
Commissioners Ride Over Desires of Voters
GIVE LIQUOR TO GIRL;
BONDS HXED AT $1,000
Information by Klan Results in Filing of Affidavits Stills and Mash Confiscated
(Special to' The Fiery Cress)
(By Staff Correspondent) BROOKVILLE. Ind., Aug. 28. Overriding the desires of the citizens of Franklin county and tWTTverlng 'a slap in the face to those-who signed petitions requesting that the widow of former Sheriff William Van Camp, murdered by bandits, the county commissioners last week ap
pointed John Beckman, twice defeated at the polls In his efforts to become sheriff, to fill the vacancy created by the death of Mr. Van Camp. The appointment was hurriedly made and Is said to have been planned before the burial of the late sheriff last week. The board of commissioners is composed of Wm. D. Moore, who is an alleged agent of the un-American Unity League, and who is quoted as saying, "a Klansman will never hold another
FREE SPEECH UPHELD
Owensboro, Jfy., Angast 28. E. H. Longher, who went on trial this afternoon after having: been arrested when attempting to deliver a speech In favor of the Ki Klax Klan, Was acquitted for lack of evidence. The verdict was received with high approval by a crowded courtroom and a remarkable demonstration eniued.
office In Franklin county;" Jacob Klein, who was not present at the meeting at which Beckman was appointed, and Thomas Wachter, a Catholic. ' Beckman Creates Scene Beckman, it is alleged, went to the Lutheran church a few months
ago and attempted to tear- the visor from one of a body of Klansmen who had just made a large donation to the church. He is reported to have said that 'Mt ltook Klan votes to elect him, he didn't want to be elected. It remains that he wasn't elected. It is also quite plain why the two commissioners placed him In the office that the citizens had denied
him and the office in which they asked the widow of the late sheriff be placed. Public sentiment Is at fever heat here following the actions of the commissioners who. It is claimed, are not acting in accordance with the desires of the people, but with those of the un-American Unity League. Beckman was defeated once at the primaries and once at the election when he ran for sheriff. It
is quite evident that the people of Franklin county do not want him as sheriff. A persistent rumor has It that Commissioner Moore was overheard to say before the funeral of
the sheriff was held, "You see Beckman." This is reported to have been said to Commissioner Moore. In ad(Continued on Page 8)
MONTICELLO, Ind., Aug. 27
That the Ku Klux Klan has been
very active in aiding ttie officials to round up bootleggers and other law violators ithis county is seen in
the arrests and confiscation of liquor and a still recently. Several men
have been held over- to the circuit court. In one case two men are charged with giving liquor to a girl during an alleged joy ride around White county during which she became intoxicated, the girl testified at a preliminary hearing given John Hand and Ted Murray, of Monon. The affidavit was filed against the two men after investigation by members of the Klan. Hand's and Murray's trials will come up in September. They are now at liberty on $1,000 bonds. Still and Mash Located On information furnished bv the
Klan, Sheriff Myers and his deputy, Marshal Rothrock, raided the home of Carl Johnson in Cass township
and confiscated a complete still and six gallons of "white mule." About (Continued on Page 7)
(By "Radio")
JEFFBRSONVILLB. Ind., Aug. 27. Jefferson ville today : faces the
spectacle of a mayor declaring that, "So far as I know there Is no statute to prevent it (a Klan parade with
visors down) but if one is attempted in Jeffersonville, I will find means to
prevent it." . , ;
If there is no law to stop Jt (and
there is not), just what' means will
Mayor Joseph H. Warders-find- to
stop the supposed-to-be parade? iIf there are no lawful methods to stop it, It can only be supposed that -the mayor will resort to unlawful methods! ' -'411' -H: Mayorr Warder says-suchra parade is un-American. - But he doesn't ay why it is. tin-American, Juat what
does n e -cons ider his: $$tion& sSBXk be
anomq na aTtempi-i aiep- j w.gv.'ft
tnertnr- no taw taat save tnp ram e
Is unlawful t'-MayorJWarder sayi H,
"might be productive of disorder Therefore, instead of giving Americans protection when exercising
their rights under the law, and using his police department to throw tTie
gangsters and law violators into jail
chat would interfere with the march
ers, he is planning tcr tina a way to
prevent peaceful Americans exercis
ing their rights as such. Chief Cole Ready
Chief of Police Cole, who grew.
very indignant when The Fiery Cross furnished him a long list through.
the columns of this paper where
bootleg liquor could be purchased
and who is alleged to have grown so
infuriated that he said he would
"throw all the Protestants in Jeffer
nonvillc in the river," will no doubt
be on hand should the Klan parade.
Just what he will do is not certain If there is no law to stop the Klans
men, it may be possible that he will arrest them anyway. A Chief O'Brien
did that in Ohio while the Klans men were returning from burying f
deceased Klansman-and is now tryr ing hard to hold his job. The public
finally got tired of the tactics of
O'Brien.
Mayor Warder evidently holds the same view as a reader of a Louisville paper who, while condemning the
Tklansmen for kesrlng their ident'ty
secret, writes the paper a Ion? let ter and does not sjgn his (or Irr) name. This, however, ! In keeping (Continued on Page 7)
Limber Lunged Lew, Rubber Stamp
of Indianapolis, "Feels It Coming On"
L OFFICERS TO
SPEAK HWPOLIS Klansmen to Have Day at the State FairMembers of Patriotic Organization From Every Nook and Corner of State Preparing to Gome to Capital on Magic Date Huge Geremonial Planned
Charles ("Tom Keene") O'Donneft, city detective; who resigned his position in the police department Tuesday afternoon, is alleged to have quit his position after having been caught with silk socks in his sleeve at the Lincoln Hotel branch of the L. Straass Company. John ("Green-
lawn") Mullin, inspector of detectives, refused to give out a state
ment as to why O'Donneil quit. It Is being kept very quiet. O'Donneil te a Catholic. .
Strength of Klan to Be Shown All t)oubting Thomases Petty Politicians and Arrogant Police to Find Claims Are Not Fanciful Dreams Gala Day Planned Indianapolis to See Biggest Crowd in History Excursion Rates on All Interurban and Steam Roads. - BULLETIN The following telegrams were received by The Fiery Crosi
laie luesaav: s Steubenville, Ohio, August 28, 1923. Milton EIrod, Editor, Fiery Cross,
Indianapolis, lnd
I pledge you on my oath my attendance on Klan dav nt th
Indiana State Fair Grounds, September 7th, and further pledge you speech of my life from the center of the race track on thr evening of that day. Arrange grandstand accommodations and invite all bands and drum corps throughout the state of Indiana. With regards to Limber Lunged Lew.
(Signed) "THE OLD MAN.
(By Wingfoot)
Despite the fact that "irreEularl-
ties"- in "the administration of Limber
Lunged Lew. rubber stamp ot Indi
SnapcfflBTaTb piling apthe Kit Klux
Klan jrefHsea. hava Its hand forced,
Tils' Klan ,is Bilently moving .toward.
the goal set early this summer when
Limber Laaged Lew, valet of Bill ArmitagS. who holds a police record
longer than- the pedigree of the rub
ber stamp's almost race horse, joined
forces., with the un-American Unityf-
League to "bust" the Klan.
The Klan will crack down on Lim
ber' Lunged Lew when it gets ready. And when it does let loose the flood
gates of evidence now under lock
and key Limber Lunged Lew will not
be the only one who will feel the tor
rent. And when the Klan does strike
in the interest of the citizens and
taxpayers of Indianapolis, and in favor of good government wherein a (Continued on Page 7) -
Atlanta, Ga August 28. I will be glad to join the old man in the welcoming of the hosts of Indiana Klansmen at the State Fair September-7th. I am sure it will represent the militant body of Protestant American Hoosiers and it will be a source of great joy ancT gratification to participate in the doings of the day and to observe Klandora al play. .May it be a eiaonstratioa never to, be forgotten,J nil of orderly procedure and representa-
w lacsptrit ui. ivuwcraii.. -r V: ? : -r: r- - -wsai WESLEV. EVANS, (By Eyewitness) " '
juansmen i ... - - September Seventh is Klan Day at the State Fair! '
September Seventh is also Klan Day in Indianapolis; it it the magic date on which all Doubting Thomases, who, in th faceof associated press reports out of Kokomo on July 4.
aouutea xnai mere were zuv.uuu Klansmen m tnat city on that day, will be shown that the crowd of 200,000 Klansmen. wa$ just a whisper in advance of. the crowd that was to gather in
inaianapons on September Seventh! . -
LAW ENFORCEMENT .
DEMONSTRATION HELD
Marion, Illinois, Stages Mam
moth Meeting Protestant Churches' Active
ILLINOIS 'TO 1IAVE
FIERY CROSS PAPER 1 Sucker State Is Added to List
and Follows Ohio, Michigan and Kentucky
in keeping with itspolicy -an
nounced several months ago, The
Fiery Cross is and has been expand'
inc its field and at the present time
has four separate state editionsthose of Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan and Ohio. The last named state edition.
and which was the first of the four, is now being printed at Columbus, owing to the magnitude to which it has grown. The Ohio Fiery Cross,
(Continued on Fage 8)
ORPHAN PROPAGANDA , Anonymous letters signed "Fiery Cross," purporting : to 4vance, .- the patriotic cause, but actually retarding it by reason of their '- anonymity, have recently been sent broadcast from . New York. Borne recipients have mistakenly' attributed them to ttk offica -of The Fiery Cross. j V We wish it understood that this office7 is In no way responsible for, nor In sympathy with, their circulation. Editors leara from . experience that contributions usually may best be Judged by their source. Anonymous writers advertise the low appraisal of their j product by refusing to assume responsibility for it Discriminate
Ing people accept it at this valuation.
VALPARAISO PLANS M0VINGJF0RWARD Trustees' Meeting Js Delayed One Week on Account of Snarled Mass Found
MARION, 111., Aug. 27. Following sermon on "Law Enforcement" in
every Protestant - church in this
county on Sunday night, August 19,
7,000 persons gathered in the downtown square .on last. Monday morning and hell-one of the greatest
demonstrations for good citizenship
ever held in southern Illinois. The entire project was brought about by
the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan and it is believed that five of the seven thousand persons who at
tended the big demonstration were
Klansmen.
The crowd gathered at the court
house, shortly before ten - o'clock. Hundreds of cars came In from all directions, and the crowd continued i ' I - , if rr.!l. ....... nM
lo grow. zvBir. a. ivi. i3i.Lvn.iiKj, yaaiui of the M. E. Church, South, of Marion, was first called to the platform. He said: "Men, I'm here, but I don't
know what for. I heard somebody
was to make a speech. Who is he?" Mayor Clarida was called for, .but was not located. Chief of Police Thanked Rev. Stickney then thanked the
chief of police for stopping traffic on
the sqaare and for his control ot the large number of cars. "Give him a gbod, warm band," meaning "cheer
the police." A round of applause-
was the answer. Holding aloft the American flag,. Rev. Stickney said:
This is Old Glory, fellows," and the
crowd wildly applauded. It was some little time before he could go
on. "This flag stands for a free
press, tree scnoois, protection or
women, protection of childhood, and all that Is noble In mankind.. I will
now Introduce to you a man who will
tell us et the national hydrophobia
with which our country is afflicted."
: ? - Pastor Is Cheered ' Rev. Qlotfelty, pastor of the Her
frin, Methodist Church, was greeted
(Continued to Page 7)
Legal problems covering a period
oteveral years require adjudication
Plans of the Klan to perpetuate Valparaiso university are moving forward as rapidly as possible according to announcement made here today. - The affairs of Valparaiso university over a period of the last few years have become a tangled, snarled mass of deals and counter-
deals, and legal technicalities, requiring considerable time and some (Continued on Page 8)
. On one week from next Friday, o September 7, the biggest crowj that ever gathered in Indianapolis will swoop down on this city, each auto carrying an American flag. With excursion rates on all steam and interurban roads, thousands upon thousands will enter the city by those routes. Regardless, however, of the mode of transportation used, the tens of thousands Of
Klansmen will make their way to the Hoosier capital. Already parties are organizing to come to IndlanapoHa on that day. ' ' ' Delegations Being Formed "From Terre Haute, Evans ville, Vincennes, South Bead, Fort Wayne, Richmond, Hammond, Michigan City, Gary and Madison, the bigger cities which border the state, word has been received that delegations have already been formed in addition to the hundreds in each city who have (Continued on Page 7)
Jesuit Trick Flies Back In Face of Perpetrators
(Special to Fiery Cross) WASHINGTON, D. C, Aug. 28.
The attempts of the Knighta. of Columbus to get from under the ca
nard perpetrated by them when the. nation was in deep mourning as the body of the late President Harding
was being returned irom tne west for burial, is approaching the ludicrous. That the despicable trick did not set well In the White House is not to be doubted. The attempt by
this organization to make It appear that the first official ac of President
Coolidge was to send the Knights of
Columbus a message declaring tnem
a great patriotic body of Americans
meeting In a foreign country is
looked upon here as merely one oi the contemptible Jesuit tricks prac
ticed in this country by the alien Influences that would make it ap
pear to the world at large that the
United States or America is a yatnoHo country. f Message Bead by Mlsta'ke'
The first official statement from
the Catholic organization, when it
was seen that ft had "pulled a Doner'.' In tacking on to President Coolidge this stigma, came from William C.
Knights of Columbus, in which he' stated that the message "was read at the convention by mistake." Mr. Prout it- was explained, made the
explanation "because of " the criti
cism ot the message attributed to President Coolidge." Just how it could be possible for such a "mistake" to happen has not been made clear.
However, today the members of
the organization are busy eoncocting
excuses-, ior tnis despicable trick and get out ot the hot water in which they, precipitated . themselves t when they used the name of the President of the United States-tn an effort to further their propaganda and cause.
L Immediately after ''the now ac
knowledged : fake message . was printed In the press throughout the United? States, The . Fiery JSross received hundreds of cliDDlntrs' mailed
from all parts of the country. . Acting In accordance with. Its osual policy of investigating before taking
anything tor granted. ;The, Fiery Cross did not condemn President Coolidge. As a' result, this paper Is not now in the position of having attacked a man without cause. .