Raleigh, Sept. 23—No part of Wake’s official machinery could get any sort of clue on which to proceed against unmasked men who Thursday night took Joseph Turner Pulley, Wake county farmer, from his home and carried him into Franklin county, where he was mercilessly beaten.
The case was reported to Solicitor Herbert Norris yesterday evening, but Mr. Norris hadn’t a syllable on which to make a start. Neither did Mr. Harrison, the sheriff. Pulley expressed the opinion to other Raleigh people that the men who were unmasked did not belong to the Ku Klux Klan, but that faith is not generally shared.
Coming from Franklin, the men did not need their masks. There is a klucker language in Franklin which breaks out in spite of the strictest prohibitions. They do not call themselves klansmen over there; they are “boll weevils” and it is said that Pulley recalls the use of that word by the men who beat him. And they did a job of it. The fellow’s back was gashed in countless places, apparently every contact of the switches were used breaking the skin and bringing blood. The worst whipping ever inflicted by he county road boss didn’t match this piece of brutality.
The supposed sin of Pulley was “interfering with the church” which was the holy ground on which the pious hoodlums executed the higher law against Pulley. It is understood that the specific allegation against him was blockading and, of course monkey rum made near the church is objectionable. Pulley denies blockading as everybody expected him to do.
The farmer carried his pistol to the door when he was called; but he evidently lost his nerve before he could shoot any of the 10 men who carried him out. They took his weapon from him and after carrying him across the Franklin line, escorted him to the church where they laid on the lash.
Adjournment of Congress before Dr. Ike Campbell of Norwood could bring again before the lower house the contest with Farmer Bob Doughton, leaves the physician at a disadvantage not anticipated two weeks ago when announcement was made that for the first time the state Republican organization appeared to be solidly with Dr. Ike.
The organization received the word that Dr. Campbell was going to Washington on the hope of a reopening of the contest and fighting it out on the floor through minority report, all members, save one, being against favorable action. It was not seriously hoped to make Congress more hospitable to Dr. Campbell than the committee, had been, since Dr. Campbell had greatly disgusted the Republicans by making an appeal in the name of race prejudice. But the evidence which the physician had to offer was a keen hope of the organization which would have enjoyed an advantage in presenting for home consumption the facts on which Doctor Ike based his contest.
From page 3 of the Greensboro Daily News, Sunday, Sept. 24, 1922
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