Omaha daily bee., 1921-08-07

Iv2IIIuCu
Neigh Holdrege
McCook Sioux City
North Platte Nebraska City
The reporter met the King
Kleagle by appointment early Fri
day evening.
He was introduced on Farnam
street to a man with whom he drove
to Lincoln.
Such was the experience of the
camera man, only in a separate car.
On arrival in Lincoln, the reporter
again was met by the King Kleagle
and led to a building in the heart or
the business section OF the city.
Men sat around the room, smoking
and talking.
Knock at Door.
A knock at an inner door, and the
reporter was told the ceremonies
were to start. The men filed through
the door and the reporter and camera
man were left outside--to wait.
No sound came from the closed
room and after short wait, the King
Kleagle appeared. said the initiation
was over and invited the camera man
INTO the lodge room to take posed
pictures of initiation ceremonies.
Then the King Kleagle allowed the
reporter the first interview ever
made public north of the Mason and
Dixon line.
Active in Lincoln.
The Klan has been active in Lin
coin for several weeks and already
the city numbers more than SOC
klansmen, according to the Kleagle.
Friday night the ALIENS" as candi-
dates are called, took the same oaths
of allegiance to the United States, its
constitution and the Invisible Empire
as did the original Klansmen in the
caves and pine forests of South Caro-
Ina in 1863.
Ceremonies were to have been con-
Quoted in Robbers cave, huge un-
derground cavern south of the city,
but at the last moment the plans
were changed and the "aliens" were
"naturalized" in building in the
heart of the business district of Linz
coin. King Kleagles of North Da-
kota and Nebraska officiated with
Omaha and Lincoln Kleagles.
This is the first ceremony held in
the north to be followed by official
statements regarding the inner work.
ings of the Klan.
Lawlessness Forbidden.
On the statement OF the King
Kleagle of Nebraska in the oath to
which the Klansmen swore last
night, there is nothing which per-
n1its violence or lawlessness.
"The Klansmen swear allegiance to
the United States, its constitution and
the Invisible Empire" the King
Kleagle said.
"The order is open to any man
born on American soil, gentle. and
who owes or has taken no oaths OF
allegiance to any foreign ruler or
power, civil, military or ecclesiasti-
cal.
"The Klan does not sanction vio-
lence or lawlessness of any nature.
Any Klansmen found guilty of such
misdeeds is immediately banished and
the Klan helps the officers of the law
in bringing them to justice" said the
King Kleagle.
There are many humorous state
ments made in application" he con-
tinued.
No Need for Horse.
"Recently / received an application
from a man who stated his qualifca-
tions as horsenlan. / Immediately
told him there was no need of horse
manship in the order, that if he was
looking FOR or expected to do any
night riding on fiery steed he
would have to join an order that did
such things"
\ According to the description of
last nights ceremonies by the King
Kleagle Of Nebraska, they are pro-
foundly impressive with deeply re-
ligious and patriotic strain through
out.
"The aliens are brought before
the flag-draped altar and The fiery
cross from an adjacent room. There
they are confronted by the Kleagle
in robes, the exact replicas of those
worn in reconstruction days. They
kneel before the altar. on which is
a Holy Bible opened at the 18th
chapter of Romans, across which
rests a sword"
The robes of the Kleagles are
white, trimmed in various colors. red,
3 black, yellow and purple. On the
breast of each is the fiery cross.
A tall white cap of eonical shape
trimmed in various colors from
which long white mask descends,
s5scures completely the face.
A majority of the ceremonies is
conducted in a semi-darkened room,
Illuminated only by the light of the
fiery cross. No names are spoken
and no Klansman reveals his identity
to another. After Kaverns or
lodges have been established, all
Klansman wear the white robes.
sNVhen real Americans discover
the real purposes and hopes OF the
Ku Klux Klan and how il combats
un-American influences emanating
from foreign and domestic radicals
they all will want to don the regalia
of a Klansman," the King Kleagle
declared.
Define Purpose Of Order.
Under objects and purposes ol
the order" contained in q pomphie'