New Bern, Aug. 11—A dramatic incident occurred at Swansboro yesterday afternoon during the burial services of Cyrus Jones, a rural mail carrier, who died as the result of assaults inflicted upon him by four negroes, when 14 members of the Ku Klux Klan, in full regalia, suddenly appeared and placed a large floral cross across the coffin.
No one knows from where the Klansmen came. They arrived in Swansboro in three automobiles and left immediately after the service. The funeral was the largest attended ever held in Swansboro. People came from miles around to pay final tribute to Mr. Jones. The floral tributes were unusually beautiful and included over 100 different pieces. The pastors of the Baptist and Methodist churches of Swansboro, Rev. Siler and Howell, conducted the services in an impressive manner.
Citizens of Swansboro today consider the incident as closed and no further developments are expected to follow, with the exception of the trial of the four negroes, who are lodged in jail in New Hanover County. The date for their trial has not yet been determined.
From the front page of The Goldsboro News, Saturday morning, Aug. 12, 1922
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