Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1921-10-14
Light ON The KU KLUX
House Begins Investigation Of ACti'
YitieS.
Much MONEY IS Being COLLECTED


Edward Young Clarke the Real Head
and Col. Simmons a Figurehead-
Mrs. Tyler Furnishing Most of the
Brains.
Digging into the activities Of the Ku
Klux Klan, says a Washington dis
patch, the house rules committee de-
veioped by testimony Tuesday that the
organization had taken in $l,4SS,71O
since its foundation, that the depart
ment of justice was still conducting an
investigation of its own and that ac-
cording to the klan's confidential in
formation to field agents, the chief OF
police OF Norfolk, Va, was a member.
Through news letters said to have
been sent from kan headquarters and
not intended for general publication
the statement also was made that the
Norfolk chief had promised 26O rifles
to the local order in time of trouble
and that Representative upshaw
CDemocraD of Georgia, in whose home
district the khan was born, had been
put to it to deny membership in the
khan and at the same time square his
conscience as a preacher and church
member"
The imperial wizard Of the Ku Klux,
William j. Simmons Of Atlanta, sat all
day in the crowded committee room
and heard witnesses declare that he
was not it's actual head, that all powers
seemed vested in Edward Young
Clarke. head of the publicity or propa-
ganda bureau, and Mrs. Elizabeth
Tyler, his assistant. AL OF the evil
dence was by witnesses demanding an
inquiry and those who had conducted
independent inquiries for the postoffice
department and newspapers.
Inepector Visited Atlanta.
O. Il. Williamson, a postoffice In
spector. told of a seven day prelmi-
nary investigation at and around the
ir1perial palace at Atlanta. Mr.. Will
hanson, who presented the news
letters in evidence, declared their
transmission established improper use
of the mails and that they had been
sent out for the purpose Of stimu.at-
ing the membership drive at $40 a
head. Asked by Chairman Campbell
if any part Of the funds collected by
the kan had been spent for the needy,
the witness replied:
IF you call Colonel Simmons needy
then some thousands were spent for
him but none for charity. Colonel
Simmons salary is $1,000 month
Then telling of what he had dis
covered in connection with disposition
of the fund, the inspector said that the
imperial palace, in the fashionable
Peachtree section of Atlanta, had been
bought partly with Ku kluX funds ana
listed in the name Of Clarke. and that
the same system had been followed in
purchasing a more pretentious home
for the wizard; that 1900 of Ku Klux
funds had been turned over to Lanicr
university in Georgia, without security
and that when anybody joined the klan
he got a receipt showing the funds
had been accepted in trust for the
order.
Conflict in Testimony.
There was sharp conflict between
the testimony of Williamson and that
of C. Anderson Wright, formerly
klansman, and who recently published
what purported to be an expose or the
order concerning "a place" at Atlanta
owned jointly by Clarke and Mrs.
Tyler. Wright said he had often been
entertained within its hospitable por-
tails and that it cost upwards OF Si5'-
600, but Williamson said if it was there
he could not get track of it.
Wright, who testified that he quit the
kan because ne objected to the meth
DDS of management by Clarke and Mrs.
Tyler was pressed by committeeman
to say whether acts of violence COM
mitted by alleged klansmen actually
could be charged to them. He declared
he had no knowledge Of such affairs,
nor was he able to state whether men,
bers Of congress belonged to the or
ganiZation, but he added that Simmons
had Openly boasted" Of a congression-
al membership list.
There was a buzz in the room, with
nearly 100 members of the house Sit
ting and standing around, when Chair
man Campbell called William j. Burns,
director of the department of justice
bureau Of investigation, to the stand.
But he was there only a moment.
merely stating that the department
was still at work investigating the ku-
KluX. that it was not ready to report
and that its inquiry had not been stop
ped or held up by the committee hear
ing
To Probe Congress.
Representative Gallivan DemocraO
Of Massachusetts, mad plea TO the
committee to consider his resolution
providing for appointment of a joint
committee of the senate and house to
ascertain if members of congress