Oklahoma City, Sept. 16—State wide martial law took a definite form tonight when Oklahoma City, leading the way for the remainder of the state, passed under the virtually complete control of the military. General orders embodying the sential regulations under which the state capital will live during the suspension of civil authority were issued by Lieutenant Colonel W.S. Key, in command of local troops. [The lieutenant colonel’s last name was spelled Keyes and Keys in the headline and Key in the article.}
Oklahoma City, Okla., Sept. 16—Imposition of martial law over Oklahoma moved slowly throught he preliminary steps today.
With the exception of Oklahoma City, the entire state waited the first evidence of the coming military rule, proclaimed by Governor J.C. Walton last night, as the climax in his fight on the Ku Klux Klan.
Here troops were mobilized, police authority taken over by the national guard, and a set of regulations governing the city was prepared by Lieutenant Colonel William S. Keys of Wewoka, commanding local troops.
Ray Frazier, chief of police, and Ed Nelson, assistant chief, were deposed by an order of Lieutenant Colonel Keys and Captain Nelson J.A. Moore, of the 160th supply company of Tulas was placed in charge of the department.
Captain Moore is a police captain at Tulsa.
Approximately 300 troops are under arms here tonight. At an early hour none had left the armory expect two men detailed to patrol duty at the central station.
In Sapulpa, county seat of Creek county, which, with Oklahoma county, was placed under “absolute martial law” by the proclamation issued last night by Governor Walton, no evidence of martial law had been seen after a day of waiting. Both the sheriff’s office and the police department were functioning normally and no troops had been mobilized.
In Muskogee, recently a center of Governor Walton’s anti-Ku Klux Klan campaign, the condition was the same. The national guard armory was deserted the city was following its usual Sunday routine.
District Judge George W. Clark of Olahoma City, in whose court a grand jury is scheduled to meet tomorrow, declared today that the imposition of military rule would not cause him to cancel his call.
Special interest has attached to the grand jury session, in view of the fact that it was called in response to petitions charging the governor with using state employees to check signature of an initiated petition for an election on a constitutional amendment to grant the state legislature specific authority to convene without call by the governor.
Governor Walton has issued a warning to the members of the legislature not to attempt to hold an extra session, and threatened legislators with jail “for the remainder of his term” if they ignored his orders.
Efforts today to communicate with leader of the Ku Klux Klan failed. Not one could be located.
Brigadier General Alva J. Niles, who assumed direction of the martial law enforcement in Oklahoma city last night, pending the arrival of Lieutenant Colonel Keys, surrendered command to the latter today.
Machine guns were mounted along the city hall, the police station and the county courthouse in Oklahoma City tonight.
Supervision of the sheriff’s office was assumed by the military but Sheriff Tom Cavnar was not removed. No other county officers were taken over.
A report that the Ku Klux Klan had removed all files from its state headquarters here to a place outside the state was current, but Klan headquarters were deserted, and the report could not be confirmed.
Crowds that braved a steady rain, milled about the streets, watching the few manifestations late in the day of the military occupation. They were not molested by the guards.
Streets and highways of Oklahoma county in which Oklahoma City is located, must be cleared between midnight and 5 a.m. according to the orders. Persons whose employment makes it necessary for them to be abroad during the interval between these hours must obtain passes. Carrying of firearms are forbidden unless by virtue permission by the commanding officer.
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First Disorders
Oklahoma City, Okla., Sept. 16—The first disorder growing out of the imposition of martial law here occurred tonight when Campbell, Russell, former chairman of the state corporation commission and a political opponent of Governor J.C. Walton was knocked down in front of a downtown hotel by Le Clar, son of W.J. Clark, former Oklahoma City chief of police under the governor’s administration as mayor oof the city.
When informed of the intention of the military to prevent the grand jury’s meeting tomorrow, District Judge George W. Clark asserted that the jury would be convened and the military authorities could then order its adjournment.
“The grand jury will meet,” Judge Clark declared. “The governor may deliver his order. Then I shall see what can be done about it.”
Across the street from the courthouse a machine gun, mounted on the roof of a restaurant is trained on the windows of the grand jury room.
Outside of Oklahoma county and Tulsa county, the latter having been for more than a month under military rule, there was no semblance of military activity. From all parts of the state the reports were the same—no troops had been mobilized and there was nothing to indicate that martial rule had been invoked.
Meanwhile, as preliminary plans for the state-wide military occupation moved apace, silence was maintained by Governor Walton and leaders of the Ku Klux Klan, the opposing figures in the unique situation.
In his proclamation of martial law issued last night the governor said plainly that his move was direct at the klan as an organization and that he would bend every effort to drive it from the state.
From the front page of the Durham Morning Herald, Monday, Sept. 17, 1923
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