Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1905-10-20
SOUGHT To REGULATE Dixon
Spirit Of lS6S.7O Revived By "The
ClanSman."
SENSATIONAL INCIDENT In COLUMBIA

tho Ku KIux Play-Dixon Retaliates
by Calling Thorn sealawass, and
While They Camp About His Hotel
For an Apology, He Takes the Train
For Savannah.
Correspondence Sumter Item.
COLUMBIA, Oct. 17.-Thomas Dixon,
Jr.'s drama, "The Clansman," coupled
with a curtain talk from the author,
who does not seem to be able to. re-
frain from being extremely vitriolic
when gated with kissing, Is a dan
gerous thing to enact before an in
fiammable southern audience. The
two came near precipitating riot and
a panic with deadly results here Sat-
urday night. The theatre was crowd
ed several hundred beyond seating ca
pacity, is poorly equipped with exits,
and a panic would have resulted In
the death OF m;.ny Of the women and
children.
At the earnest solicitation Of Mr.. Dix
on, who pleaded that his troupe was
about to desert him for fear and who
said publication would ruin the sue
cess of his play, and in Difference to
the pleadings of the prominent young
society men involved. who acknowl-
edge now that they acted In hasty
manner in several respects, the news
paper people agreed not to go into
details Of this and also to withhold
reference to the incident which occur
red at Mr.. Dixon's hotel Immediately
after the play when three young men
endeavored to call him out for an
apology for referring to them as seal
awags, when they hissed him In his
curtain talk at the theatre. But the
thing is beginning to leak out, as was
to be expected, and in justice to the
public 1t as well to give an uncolored
account Of the incidents.
The young men involved in the ho-
tel incident, which would have ended
in a bloody affair had the over
wrought partisans of Mr.. Dixon known
what they were coming up to, come
from families which have produced
leaders in the commercial and indus
trial and political and intellectual de-
velopment Of the state for genera
tions back. And they are themselves
college graduates and socially promi-
nent, and should therefore, have had
better control of themselves. TheiI
conduct was due to impetuosity rath-
er than to any spirit of rowdyism. as
all are young men Of character and
high sense Of honor. They lost their
| heads, but 1t is evident that their mo-
tives were the best. Their names
therefore, will be withheld.
When Mr. Dixon, in response to re-
peated calls which were persistent
and general. appeared to give a cur
tain talk, the rendition Of the play
had been all but completed. Under
a state election held in the CLINT Of
Federal bayonets the scalawag ShrimT
had been elected governor and the
| mulatto Lynch lieutenant governor
of South Carolina by 100000 maj"rlt!
and had begun to issue proclamatioa'
and estates were being auctioned un'
der excessive taxation. The horrible
feature of the black brute sinking
| along a river bank almost In the ac
Of springing upon a little white CIR
at play, Of his subsequent confession tc
and execution by the Ku Klux klan
who threw his body on the doorstep
of the negro lieutenant governor. Th'
weazened Shrimp, who was putty II
| the hands of the powerful Lynch
threatened with exposure for stealing
and bribed with a promise Of thu
United States senatorship, had dis
banded the white military companies
Lynch grasping the gubernatorial au
| thority temporarily In the enforced
absence of Shrimp. had proclaimed
martial law and young Cameron, tn
| chief of the Ku Klux Klan and In low
with and loved by the puritan daugh
ter of Lynch's northern fanatical pa
| tron and supporter, was about to b.
shot by the orders Of Lynch, wh'
was rapidly and ably completing nj
| intrigue to realize his ambition t
marry the puritan himself. Through
| all this there had been many dramatic
scenes and incidents, revolver brand
ishing. and other intense situations
The upper gallery had been hootini
and yelling, and the few negroes ther
had been jeered and some had left
All parts Of the house had been hiss
ing Lynch and applauding others, ant
the gallery had been saying funn!
things under stress at intense mo
ments. The chivalric feeling in tn
men, the southern sentiment In tn
women and the deep race passions
all against the suggestions Of amalga
nation and black feet on white necks
had been lashed almost into a fur,
in many by the merciless, raspin
reality Of the drama.
When Dixon appeared a few me-
expressed their disapproval OF tn
propriety Of putting such a play ol
the boards by leaving. Others. amon
them the three young men who after
ward got into the difficulty at the no
tel, remained and hissed in derisiol
at Dixon, who stood erect, silent, un
fiinching, waiting opportunity t
speak. Immediately his partisans be
gan kissing the hissers. His rotor
about the scalawag element still NOR
clearly defined the line between hi
partisans and those condemning hin
and his play, but his oratory, direct
ness and brilliancy Immediately gain
ed him control of the major porto
If the house and he concluded ami
applause, and some kissing.
: When the kissing began there wer
some North Carolinians near the chile
hissers. 1t was afterward learne
, that threats came from half a doze
, Of these, and Dixon had his strong 10
cal partisans as well, he being a ma
|, who is quickly liked with intensity o
hated with warmth. All the element
Of serious trouble were present to tn
r eyes Of a man who has studied thes
, combustible South Carolinians.
When Mr.. Dixon alighted from hi
carriage at the hotel with his wife