Fiery Cross, Volume 3, Number 46, Indianapolis, Marion County, 12 September 1924 — Page 5

Friday; September 12, 1924

RLANSMAN IS SLAIN AFTER THEFT OF LIST (Continued from Page 1) kind of a weapon on them and they were the victims of bullets from Obertean's gun. Obertean, when Jumping out. of an automobile, is reported to have declared: "Well, we might as well settle this thing right here and now," and he began shooting at the Kiansmen who had called to him to atop, that they wanted to talk with him. Sturm and Bryant were hit first. In self-defense. Austin pumped ' four bullets into Obertean's body as the latter shot him. It was while Obertean was lying on the ground and ia death's struggle that he suddenly raised up on his elbow and sent his last bullet through Austin's heart that killed the Klan investigator, lloth men fell within two feet of each other. Cause of the Trouble On the night of July 3 the Buffalo Klan office was entered, the safe opened, all records of the Klan taken, $268 in money stolen, robes, hoods and Klan literature removed. The' Klan officials were known to be out of Buffalo at that time for two days as they were attending a big meeting and demonstration at Binghamton. The Janitor of the Calumet building in . Buffalo, where the robbery took place, reported the matter the next day and on July 5 the robbery was reported to the police department and two plain clothes detectives were assigned to the case. They did not accomplish anything at all. On the following day, July 6, Thomas J. Austin, special investigator for the Klan. arrived in Buffalo to undertake to ferret out the guilty parties and he was Joined a little later by another special investigator for the organization, and the two men worked on this case until the murder was committed. After the Klan records, money and literature were taken the safe was partially mutilated. In a few days the Buffalo newspapers began carrying all sorts of Klan stories, the nature of which, were known to be divulged from the stolen material. According to Buffalo newspapers, Mayor Frank X. Schwab reported that he had boon mysteriously called on the telephone and was told by someone, whom lie pretended not to know, to have his policemen go to the basement of the Calumet buildr ing anil hunt around among old sacks and they would find the missinn records and papers, cards, literature, etc. This was done aud the police recovered the records and papers. The police took everything Real Klan FIREWORKS! Klan Pageants in Fireworks FOUR HORSEMEN FIREWORKS COMPANY Des Moines, Iowa Independence, Kan. 12-2G lOO i Rinq 14 Om FbiA tin fw- aao Solid platinum Huli sllrsr rlrx. Look! and prt Ilk platinum. Mt with flair rl Hon, with our AKIA klan tmblera. It' hnuty : It mt Us plowing others. W -r 1111111 thouurll of then. Our attrrts arili dor.rns and dvxrns rarti weak. Mnnpy clodlT refund! if not mora than pisaasd. Oet tkre at them for 110. Bee . tm (juu-K ihr irll. Kwclil whole! pric on doneri He. We- are H Juuartora for (11 kinds loo;, cuou Catalog KRKK. TWK. NAT 1 01 AL EMBLEM CO. Box 524, Dept. 81, Omafcf , Neb. tf K x AMERICA'S Greatest Klan Photoplay en Keady for Release, "The Traitor Within" For particulars write or wire Hoosier Distributors 10:t-J01 National City Bank Bid. g Indianapolis " J. D. GOLDSBERRY Chiropractor MAin5697 556 Massachusetts Avenue FIERY CROSS l'Utlnum finish sllrer. Look and wears like platinum. Het WIUl ft err rrrl afone. Mart In scsrf pi. Uoaft biitt'tri. ptj for ktalles er peodsnts. ?1.2S seek. Wholesale. J 13.50 doaao. arger size, IS Inches long, for ttisrm or itfmlant. $2.M each. $18.00 dosen. Agents ami dealers, taa oasr wrnrl for It. it's a hi eefler. Qet draea at srh and ee how qalrk they sell . Other aflent making high a $S a hour selling them. Calling FBKK NATIONAL CMM.EM CO. tf

they found to police headquarters and the Klan organization secured an attorney and began a legal fight to recover their own property. District Attorney Moore, when he learned the facts, ordered everything turned over to the proper Klan authorities. This was done but not until after the police department made an accurate copy of all the records, membership list, and everything they wanted. Major Starts Fight At that time friction arose between Mayor Stnwab and his chief of police, Mr. Zimmerman, over the course to be pursued by the city officials with respect to the Klan case. Mayor Schwab ordered thaUthe entire membership list of the Klan, as the police had it, be read out loud to the public and also posted in Police Station No. 1, where any one could inspect it. Crowds of people flocked to the police station, anywhere from fifty to 100 at times, when the list was made public. "Chief of Police Zimmerman protested tills action on the part of Mayor Schwab and said that no other citizens were treated in such manner, let alone making public a copy of stolen property of a secret order. About that time Mayor Schwab is reported In ihe Buffalo papers as having received an anonymous communication from Cleveland, Ohio, signed "Klansman, I am not." With that communication he claims to have received a new list of 4,000 cards purporting to be a correct list of Buffalo Kiansmen, and he proceeded to give these to the public. Masons Act Considerable pressure was brought to bear at that time upon Chief of Police Zimmerman, who, it is learned, is a thirty-second degree Mason, by all the Masonic orders of Buffalo to put a stop to the mayor's activities in giving to the public the list of Kiansmen. Notwithstanding this pressure, Mayor Schwab bulled the matter through, went ahead and had every Klan card photographed and then proceeded to send out letters to every Klansman whose card he held that said Klansman could recover his card if he would come in to headquarters, acknowledge same and sign up for his card. This action' brought another tilt between the chief of police and the mayor. The Buffalo Klan about that time moved its headquarters from the Calumet building to another location. Leak Discovered At this stage of the proceedings

a man in the employ of Mayor Schwab (it was not Edward C. Obertean) tipped Buffalo Klan officials off as to all the facts in the case. The "tipping" was done at a conference held in a Canadian city not so very far from Buffalo. The Klan officials were told that Mayor Schwab had given secret employment to Edward C. Obertean to obtain inside information about the Klan; that Obertean, who was a Roman Catholic, had perjured himself and obtained admission to the Buffalo Klan for the purpose of giving to Mayor Schwab all the information he could get about the Klan and its members; that Obertean joined' the Buffalo ' Man on June for that purpose; : that Buffalo city money paid his inij tiation and dues for one year in adI vance, and that Mayor Schwab was paying Obertean a salary of $5 per day and all expenses out of a secret i fund belonging to the city. It is now recalled by Buffalo Kiansmen ! that Obertean, flfter joining the organization, was denounced by someone who knew the facts, and that he I was never seen around Klan meetings or mixiner with KlansmAii in any of their affairs. Not being able to get the mayor information in a regular way. Klan officials were told that Obertean was the man who pulled the robbery job,' he having obtained knowledge that the Klan officials were going to spend two days out of the city at Binghamton. He then committed the romHry and got for Mayor Schwab what the mayor wanted, the Kiansmen were told. City Official G nitty Another thing Klan officials learned in that Canadian conference was that the man who took, the records to Cleveland, Ohio, and expressed them back to Mayor Schwab is today employed in the city health department of Buffalo. So he was in on the robbery deal, too, at least to the extent of handling stolen property and getting it to the mayor. Thomas J. Austin, the special Klan investigator, now dead, 'came in, possession of the above facts on Thursday before he was murdered on Sun day night. He and other Klan officials then began a hunt for Edward j C. Obertean for the- pox-pose of talk-, j ing with him and extracting a confession from him that would imptij cate Mayor Schwab for his alleged i part in the whole affair. It was the j man higher-Hp. the mayor of the city of Buffalo, the head of the Roman i Catholic order. Knights of St. John, who had called upon Roman Catholics to arm themselves and prepare for war with the Knights, of the Ku KIux Klan. Hence, it was necessary to talk with Obertean and get a confession as to the facts. Three Bays' Hint On Friday Austin asd his crew drove to a little town np in New York state to" locate Obertean, but he was not found. They returned to Buffalo and went to 15 Kensington avenue where Obertean jaa living with a sister. The blinds of the Obertean apartment were drawn and to all appearances no one was at home. That was about 11 o'clock Friday forenoon. No one came to the door in response to knocking. Inquiry was made of a woman donwstalrs as to Obertean's habits, coming and going, and the woman said that she did not know when he came in and oat, that she very seldom saw him. The Klan official's looked around Buffalo that day with no success. They were given a clue that he might be found on a farm' neajr Attica, Y., thirty-five miles from Buffalo, and some Klaaamen. drove there ia an automobile. Ofeertean

was not found. They remained in and around Attica until midnight, as they had a tip that he would come in about 10 o'clock that night hut he did not. All day Saturday Austin looked for Obertean but did not catch up with him, driving out to Shelby, N. Y., to see Obertean's mother and found that he was not there.

Sunday morning at 9:30 o'clock Austin and his men again drove to 159 Kensington avenue, Buffalo, and found the blinds up, showing that some one had been there or was there. No response came to repeated knocking on the door."1 .It was learned-that Obertean kept a dog at a certain saloon and they went there ostensibly to see the dog. Austin went in the saloon anrl fim,crv,f cigarettes while Bryant and Sturm airea. iney went back to Obertean's home and did not find him. The Klan men had dinner together and in the evening took up the trail once more. One of the Kiansmen left the others at 5:45 o'clock that afternoon and that Sunday night only three men were on the job, viz., Austin, Bryant and Sturm. They drove back to Obertean's home and parked their car some distance below his house. About 10 o'clock a Ford coupe drove up in front of Obertean's home and stopped. Obertean suddenly came oat of the door and got in the car, which drove away. The Klan car soon caught up with the coupe and accosted the occupants of the Ford. Battle Begins Obertean jumped out of the coupe when it stopped and was heard to say: "Well, we might as well settle this thing right here and now," and he began shooting. The first shot hit George . C. Bryant, Klan leader, in the groin and he went down. He did not have a gun with which to defend himself. The second shot fired by Obertean hit Carl Sturm, another Klan leader, in the leg and 'he went down. He likewise did not have a gun. The only guns in the crowd were held by Obertean and Austin. The latter had a state pistol permit. It was then a battle to the death between Obertean and Austin. The latter pumped four bullets into the body of Obertean and he was jjown but not quite out. He had hit Austin with one bullet and in his death struggle Obertean raised himself up on his elbow and caught Austin with a bullet straight through the heart. Austin died instantly, falling within two feet of Obertean. The latter died on the way to the hospital. Bryant was taken to a bnonHni and Sturm managed to get home. Both will recover. A man by the name of Victor was driving the Ford coupe in which Obertean was riding. The F-fliierals The funeral of Edward C. Obertean was held Thursday morning at 9 o'clock at St. Vincent's Roman Catholic church in Buffalo. His sister claimed the body and issued the following statement: "My brother is a martyr to his religion and his death has not been in vain. My brother 'is a Roman Catholic and so am I. He will be buried from a Roman Catholic church. It is the only consolation I have that he has served his church and his country and that he sacrificed his life in doing it." Before Obertean's body was removed to the morgue the police inspected his clothing. They found his membership card in the Ku KIux Klan. Takes Body Home Mrs. Thomas J. Austin, who was in Buffalo with her husband, claimed his body and had it taken to the home of a friend in Buffalo where it was prepared for burial. Mrs. Austin and friends left Buffalo with the body on Wednesday night for his boyhood home, Monroe, North Carolina, where it was buried, his parents still residing there. Mrs. Austin will probably return to her former home, Youngstown, Ohio, for residence. MARION COUNTY KLAN TO HOLD (MEM0NIAL (Continued from Page 1) dens may reach the grounds by driving out Pendleton Pike to Thirtyeighth street and east to the Gardens. Ample parking space will be provided for automobiles. Klans From Entire Stat Klans from the entire att win send representatives to the openair meeting, which wiJJ he the Hoosier Klansmen's first public demonstration near Indianapolis since the gigantic Jarade through, the streets of the capital city last spring, when 40,600 members of the organization participated in the evening's ceremonies. According to officials of the Marion County Klan. more than 1,000 candidates will be admitted to the order .at Hiawatha Gardens Friday night. LARGE CROWD BEARS WHITLEY KLAN TALK (Special to The Fiery Cross) WHfTLET, Ind., Sept. 8. Pat Emmons gave an interesting address on the principles of the Ku KIux Klan a half-mile south of here yesterday. Despite threatening weather a large crowd gathered to hear Mr. Emmons. 1TOLD OUTDOOR MEET PERRWILLE, Md. Cecil Klan No. 4r held an open-air meeting at Charleston recently, Klan Representative Henry Brandon, Rev. Sutcliffe, of Webster Christian Church, Harford county, and Rev; Bickford, of North Fant, Md., speaking. Second Lieutenant H. T. McCormick, air- service, at Brack Held, San Antonio, spent 630 hours and twenty-five minutes in the air during 1922. Thic ia beiievrd to be s record tor total flying tla

THE FIE IS Y CROSS

RHSMATRWOPGAL LJGAN. IS DEMANDED (Continued from page 1) causes of that lamentable affair. Law at that time was-not supreme and the will of the majority- was not finding expression. Since then it has seemed impossible to re-establish the supremacy of law and order in our county. Derelict in Duty "A sheriff was elected who allowed the bootleggers, the gamblers, and the houses of ill-fame to operate openly. Our state's attorney made little or no effort to curb this wholesajlaw breaking. The resulting situation was unbearable to lawabiding citizens. An effort was made by the law enforcement league to get some action by local officials. Lack of organization made impossible any visible results. "Prominent men, many of them reputed. Kiansmen, then took the matter up with the federal authorities, and independent of the local officials, raids by federal deputies, on information, furnished oftentimes by Kiansmen, resulted in. the conviction of scores of lawbreakers who thought themselves safe. They brought on the bitter feeling between the sheriff and his colleagues and federal authorities, many, or all of whom were Kiansmen. This has given rise to the popular belief that our controversy is Klan and antiKlan. Sheriff Opens Fire "Last Saturday afternoon, according to the best information available, the sheriff went to Smith's garage! as he says, to take possession of the automobile placed there by other legal authorities. While there Harry Herrin, president of the board of health, and a companion came along and were attacked by the sheriff and his men. In, a few minutes Charles uennam, a dry alderman, who had assisted in raids, came along with three other men in an automobile. They were stopped by the sheriff and his men, who opened fire. "In the fight which followed the three occupants of the rear seat were killed, the ten others were wounded and three of the men who came with the sheriff were killed. A fourth deputy was wounded. As above indicated, we do not make this as a positive statement of the facts, but it is only our belief after careful investigation. "What is the remedy? The imprisonment of innocent men upon unfounded charges must cease. The persons guilty of these outrages rrrast be brought to justice without favor or partisanship. Honest witnesses must not be so cowed that they will fear to give evidence. The courts must dispense justice, punishing the guilty and protecting the innocent. To do that we need n state's attorney who will enforce the itw ana a snerm who will appreii If la

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at Hiawatha Gardens Friday Evening, Sept. 1 2th Eight o'clock , A new and novel feature for Indianapolis and vicinity sponsored by Marion County Klan No. 3 Band Concert National SPEAKERS Everybody Welcome HIAWATHA GARDENS How to get there Drive out Pendleton Pike to 38th Street and go East

head the real criminals. We Have neither." The statement issued by the pastors of the Protestant churches of Williamson county does, in the opinion of many, sum up the situation in this county. Deputies Hold Kiansmett At the. inquest it was testified that three- of the sheriff's deputies held Green Dunning, one of the Kiansmen killed in the outrage, while a fourth shot him. This testimony was given by Dave Sisk who is employed in a garage, in front of which the trouble waj started by antiKlan thugs. Sheriff Galligan was charged at the inquest held following the murder of the Kiansmen with having fired into a passing machine in which were riding a number of officers who had taken part in dry raids. The car was then passing the garage in which Sisk is employed. Two weeks ago, the caseo the Shelton brothers, accused of killing Caeser Cagle, was brought up in court. Sheriff Galligan, according to the statement of the police chief and the ministers, armed about 150 men, including a number of Roman Catholic thugs and" gunmen, known as members of "Eagan Rats," of St. Louis. Further information as to the character of his deputies is given in the statement that Ora Thomas was sworn in as a deputy the day following his release from jail where he had been serving a ternj for bootlegging. Bud Allison, an ex-xonvict, also became an officer of the law. Witnesses Threatened It is charged that the gunmen, armed with shot guns, machine guns and pistols, threatened all witnesses who were there to testify and drove away many who would have appeared against the Sheltons. When the case was called, States Attorney Duty informed City Judge Bowen that he lacked sufficient evidence "to go ahead with the trials" and asked that the charges be dismissed. Judge Bowen quashed the charges and the men were released. Sheriff Galligan then started for the Smith garage to seize the carfull of evidence, upon the orders of Prosecutor Duty, he declares. Arriving there, he sought rn lain,

the car, ordered held there by the legal authorities. In the absence of Smith, one of the men in charge permitted the sheriff to take away the car. Then, according to Chief Walker's signed statement, finding no resistance, Galligan began with a lot of profanity to seek trouble. It was at this time that he is said to have opened fire on the machine and which act percipitated the fight in which three Kiansmen were murdered and a fourth seriously wounded. It is understood here that Sheriff Galligan and his deputy Ora Thomas, are now in Pontiac, Illinois. The yearly per capita consumption or sugar in the United States increased from eighty-nine pounds in 1914 to ninety-nine pounds in 1924.

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12 it Dion

FINAL STEPSTAKEN

MONDAYFOLLOWMI (Continued from Page 1) tracts. An agreement on this suit was also reached without goin into court. Keichard Snrreiiders Slock The stock held by Mr. Reichard was surrendered at the time of his resignation. Neither Mr. Stephenson nor Mr. Bover held srrwlr " " AM LUC company. With the settlement of mese sums me fiery Cross is found to be in excellent condition. Contraryto a belief prevalent in many parts- of the state, The Fiery Cross has never been operated by a receiver. On June 28, a receiver was appointed, in connection with the suit brought by Mr. Reichard. On June 30, however, an appeal was filed and a bond given with the result that the appointed receiver never took charge of the paper. At this time, despite the many attacks made upon it, The Fiery Cross is in a prosperous condition and Kiansmen throughout the state are taking advantage of the special subscription offer. The Fiery Cross has successfully withstood the many and varied attacks made upon it and in so doing has- builded a faith among its readers stronger, if possible, than held before the series of incidents brought about to reflect discredit upon it. Staffs Unimpaired With the settlement of all suits filed against it and enjoying an excellent j financial condition. The Fiery pross wilj continue to serve its readers with the latest news concerning all things of interest to true American. Despite the opposition to The Fiery Cross paper, the news gathering staff and editorial staff remained unimpaired during the bitter fight centered against it. Skunk skins create about $3,000,800 worth of business in the United States annually. 100

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All Day Affair at HERRING GROVE 2 Miles North and West of Brownsburg SATURDAY, SEPT. 13, 1924 Speaking Forenoon and Afternoon Parade and Speaking at Night. Good Music and Entertainment

Dinner Served by Ladies of

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' PAGE F1TE

PUBLIC SCHOOLS WILL SOLVE BIG PROBLEM (Continued from Page 1) wise can not grow flp with opsn minds. They have been taught what to think, he said, rather than how to think. Memnnr hoc v.. a , oped at the expense of reason. vraauuar.es or such schools can not be so well fitted for public life as those who grow up with minds keenly trained to reasoning, who can race problems and decide them free of bias or prejudice, he pointed out. Immigration Bill Praised He praised the immigration bill, which has placed a stone wail around the country stopping the flood of illiterates and undesirables from foreign countries. This menace has been steadily sweeping over the country, and in many sections the foreign-born far outnumber the native stock. This condition could not but bring a gradual decay, Dr. Evans declared, and the immigration bill came none too soon. " CHrRCHES AGAI5ST WALTOX GUTHRIE, Okla., Sept. 9. Jack Walton in effigy was hurled headlong from the session of the armual Epworth League convention, Oklahoma district, here by a pantomimjst arrayed in the regalia of a Klansman, while 1,500 Methodist church, people applauded. This performance came as the closing act of "stant night," at an entertainment session and was staged by Methodist pastors" of the Enid district. Only 15 per cent of Russia's population before the revolution lived in towns. SHOCK TROOPS The advertisers of the Fiery Cross are the Shock Troops of KJandem. They expect and doserr) the patronage of alt Protestant Americans. PICNIC Churches in Brown Township IIHI I, II llJIJfciwt, mwj