Evans Lays Blame on Deposed Pair. . . Makes Sensational Charges in Connection with Ku Klux Row
By the Associated Press
Atlanta, Ga., April 7—Sensational charges that the present legal battle to oust him from contr4ol of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, was conceived and is being engineered by Edward Young Clarke and Mrs. Elizabeth Tyler Crow, former associate in the propagation department of the Klan, were made early tonight by Dr. H.W. Evans, imperial wizard of the organization.
Clarke recently retired from the klan, tendering his resignation to the imperial wizard. Later a proclamation was issued from the imperial palace saying that “for the good of the order” Clarke was no longer recognized as an official of the klan. Federal authorities are now seeking him on an indictment charging him with white slavery in Texas, and another true bill charging him with using the mails to defraud.
Dr. Evans simultaneously made public a copy of a telegram he said he sent to Tom Akers, the imperial official from Washington, last Monday night before he was aware of court action being taken, instructing Mr. Akers to call a convention of klansmen from every state in the union to be held in Atlanta in the near future for the express purpose of considering the advisability of organizing a woman’s auxiliary to the klan.
Mrs. Grow, better known in klan circles as Mrs. Elizabeth Tyler, retired from the klan about two years ago after sensational charges had been preferred against her and Clarke. Her resignation followed an alleged attempt to assassinate her at her home near here.
This is the first statement issued by the imperial wizard since Emperor William J. Simmons’ coup de’etat in taking over klan affairs here last Monday. The emperor had no statement to issue tonight, but his followers regarded the court’s decision in appointing a commission t6o take over the affairs of the klan “a decided victory for our emperor who is also our imperial wizard.”
Dr. Evans also denied at length charges which have been made by members of the Simmons faction that he grossly had wasted funds of the klan in junketing expeditions throughout the country and in the formation of an extensive and elaborate espionage system.
“So far as I know, I have no personal enemies within the klan,” Dr. Evans said. The present opposition to my continuing as active head of the organization has developed because I cancelled a contract for propagating the order throughout the country held by Edward Young Clarke, under the terms of which he received $3 for each new member inducted into membership.
“Mr. Clark conceived the idea of ousting me as imperial wizard and substituting Colonel Simmons, so that he might take charge of the propagation department and reap enormous profits from his rake-off from every member who joined the klan.”
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Commission Is Named to Run Ku Klux Klan Pending a Settlement. . . Three Men to Have Charge of the Affairs of the Organization. . . Simmons, Evans and Municipal Court Marshal Named on the Commission. . .Now Up to the Court. . . It was the Second Order Issued by Judge Thomas During the Day—First One Dissolved Restraining Order
By the Associated Press
Atlanta, April 7—After a week of legal bickering between supporters of William Joseph Simmons, emperor, and H.W. Evans, imperial wizard, the affairs of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan today were placed in the hands of a commission of three men, to be administered by them pending further orders from the court.
Superior Judge E.D. Thomas in announcing his decision today appointed Mr. Simmons, Dr. Evans, and J.M. George, marshal of the municipal court, as the committee to carry on the operations of the klan. Sheriff James J. Lowry, who has been custodian under previous court orders for the past four days, will be relieved when he received the receipt of the commission for the headquarters of the klan, its monies, records and other properties.
Following the action in Judge Thomas’ court, T.J. McKinnon, chief investigator, or the klan, and N.N. Furney, cashier for the order, were placed on trial in municipal Judge T.O. Hathcock’s court on charges of larceny after trust. Both were dismissed for lack of sufficient evidence. McKinnon was alleged to have removed checks for approximately $20,000 belonging to the klan while Furney was charged with removing $100,000 of the organization’s money.
It now remains for the courts to act upon the original petition of the Simmons faction for a temporary injunction directed against Dr. H.W. Evans, as imperial wizard, and other officers of the klan, restraining them from interfering with Colonel Simmons as emperor and imperial wizard of the order he founded. This case is expected to reach a hearting within the next 10 days, attorneys stated today. There is also pending a petition for a receivership for the Ku Klux Klan, filed by attorneys for Harry Terrell and others of what is known as the “insurgent faction,” hearing on which has been set for April 14.
Judge Thomas . . . the second he made today on the case. The original order he made dissolved the temporary restraining order except in that Dr. Evans was restrained from interfering with Colonel Simmons as emperor of the klan. It meant that the imperial palace, or national headquarters, was restored to Dr. Evans and his adherents were jubilant. It was issued by Judge Thomas after he had declined to entertain an amendment to the original petition by counsel for the emperor making the Ku Klux Klan as a corporation a plaintiff in the litigation.
Just as the judge was preparing to sign his order J.V. Poole, as counsel for Colonel Simmons, offered another amendment to the original petition proposing to make the Ku Klux Klan a defendant in the case. Over the strenuous objection of aul Etheridge, imperial klonsel of the klan, representing the Evans faction, the court accepted the amendment and announced his order placing the affairs of the klan in the hands of the three-man commission.
To prevent any change in the affairs of the organization, until it is decided who is actually the legal imperial wizard, the courts’ order provide that the commission should “take charge of all affairs of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, monies, properties and records whatsoever, with full and complete authority to operate the affairs of the corporation as they were being operated and the corporation conducted prior to April 2, 1923,” each member of the commission was instructed to give bond of $5,000.
In the trial of McKinnon and Furney for alleged larceny after trust of funds belonging to the klan, it developed that the checks and money had been removed by the klan of ficials(?) to prevent it falling into the hands of Emperor Simmons and his adherents when they obtained control of imperial headquarters early in the week. The money and papers are now in the custody of the court, it was brought out.
Details of the so-called visit to the palace were given by W.H. McElroy, a member of the klan, and one of the Simmons adherents. He testified that “working under instructions” on the night of April 2, he obtained the keys to McKinnon’s desk and the combination to his safe. He said the papers were missing when he opened the safe. He said his instructions were obtained from H.J. Norton, king klegle of Georgia, and Colonel Simmons’ personal representative that night.
A question for counsel for McKinnon as to what he would do if he were in “charge of approximately $60,000 and you heard that a raid was going to be made on your place of business” was ruled out on objection of opposing counsel.
Emperor Simmons was placed on the stand in the Furney hearing and testified that on the night of April 3, he called on Mr. Furney to advance him a total of $9,000, which was his salary as emperor in order to meet personal obligations and that Furney refused to give it to him. On cross examination he could not recall that he had told Furney he was going to “rule the Ku Klux Klan or ruin it.” He declared he had not outlined for Furney his plans for taking over the klan.
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Dallas Treated to Unique Show. . . “American Women,” Auxiliary of the Ku Klux Klan Stages a Parade
By the Associated Press
Dallas, April 7—The downtown streets of Dallas were jammed at 8 o’clock tonight, traffic was at a standstill and police reserves were stationed at 50-foot intervals while near the county criminal court building members of the “American women” reported as being an auxiliary of the Ku Klux Klan in Texas, assembled for (a) parade, the first to be planned by the women’s order since its organization about a year ago.
The parade started at 8:15 o’clock, led by horsewomen, three abreast, carrying the American flag, the Lone Star flag of the Texas republic, and the “American women’s” flag, followed by a 75-piece band playing “Onward Christian Soldiers.”
The women in long line following the band marched two abreast, wearing long white robes with red crosses on the right sleeves. They wore a peaked cap with red tassel and were masked.
Women from all over the state were in the line and Sheriff’s deputies were on hand, following reports today that rats, snakes and mice would be turned loose.
It was reported that the organization is not in any way connected with the “Kamelia” or klan auxiliary, being fashioned by Emperor Simmons at Atlanta.
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All three stories from the front page of the Durham Morning Herald, Sunday, April 8, 1923. Although the editor of the Herald noted on the editorial page that the disputes over leadership of the Klan was taking up too much space on the front page of the newspaper, there are three articles on the front page on the Kluckers, as they were often referred to 100 years ago.
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