Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-08-09
XII KLUX KHAN IS FRAUD,
SAYS FORMER N. {. CHIEF

GREENSBORO, n. c., Aug. g
THE new organization of the hu
Klux Khan, as at present conducted
in North Carolina is an organization
engaged exclusively in collecting mi
tiation fees under false pretenses
without any legal standing in the
state, and is in my opinion failure
and a fraud
This is the keynote of the inter-
view given to the Greensboro DAILY
News. in Greensboro, Friday by
Major Bruce craven, lawyer, fna1-
cier and writer, of Trinity, and until
noon today the grand dragon of the
realm, supreme head of the khan In
North Carolina.
Major Craven's connection with
n the movement has for some time
4 been an open secret in this city
where the alleged secrecy has been
more or less joke, even to the ones
inside. He was influential IN the
organization in Greensboro ana IN
High Point.
Local officials of the Khan to-
day said they would ignore MaJot
a
he had been only the tentative head
of the organization, and has no au-
\ thority to disband it. In the mean
time they are awaiting instructions
from the imperial wizard.
Major Craven was in Greensboro
on professional business: and imm ne,
diately after the interview LETT Tor
Bridgecrest, where he is spending
his vacation While here, tele-
gram reached him from New YORK
newspaper, asking him as gfano
dragon of North Carolina, Wnat me; ne
terview This precipitated his state
ment. Continuing, he said:
Colonel Simmons Notified
"I have never yet, directly or IN
directly, mate anything out of this
thing; 1 shall keep this record pc
yond question. and refuse even d
newspaper article, for pay. ! nave
times recently. and the fact tnat
1t Is known in New York news
paper offices that / occupy the po-
sition 1 do in the organization makes
it foolish for me any Longer 10 at
tempt to keep up the bluff Oh Sc
crecy. 1 have never been more than
the titular head in the state, and
while the whole thing is sore sub
ject to me, and will remain a pain
full memory. 1 have no apology TO
My name has been used to collect
money under false pretenses. l,
myself, have made promises that
cannot be fulfilled. They were based
on my faith in the high OFFICIALS
That faith has been broken, and |
have no way of making amends but
"Before giving out this interview,
notified the imperial wizard, Col
onel Simmons, i'll Atlanta. exactly
Lilo n asked
him if there was anything to snow
my present ideas erroneous, to show
me in advance of this publication.
He made no attempt to answer 1t,
for the simple reason that it cannot
be answered. Everything here
stated has been repeatedly said to
him for the past month. [ have
given him every opportunity to pre-
vent this, and he ,:a:,."i meet the
ssue.
Every person befoTe admission Is
guaranteed she right to sever the
connection at any time. Accordingly,
have made my resignation direct
TO the imperial wizard, to whom only
am answerable, both as grand
ra gon and as klansman, this to
be effective at noon of August b. At
he time of this interview l am the
supreme head of the order in North
Carolina. subject only to the i'm
berial wizard, and | now declare the
Iu Klux Klan in North Carolina dis
banded and abandoned, every organ
zed khan ended, and every klansman
eleased from his connection. his re-
possibility and his obligations. I
hall not violate the obligations, and
shall give out no secrets of any
lind and neither shall [ use the
knowledge I possess of the member
hip and all other operations up to
ate, but because of these things
tate should realize that when / say
he thing is ended, it is ended. To
make this result certain every in
orporated city and town in the state
hould pass an ordinance prohibiting
ny persons from appearing on the
treets or in any public place wear
hg any mask or other thing to con-
cal his identity.
1.-THE secrecy is nothing at all, be
huse there isn't any. The imperial
lizard has sent kilograms to me in
by official capacity to High Point
be from the telegraph office. In this
Interview, [ am disclosing nothing
Fhatever that isn't already known
he only secrets of consequence
nown to me concern a multitude OF
wless acts, which I was unable tc
articulars of which / know, but
hich I am not likely to tell, since
was sworn to fraternity with the
'iminals, and am therefore morally
not technically legally, a particeps
Himinis. Because Of these things
Is now the organization, SO far as II
r. ands for any high purpose, is anC
i'll remain failure; being failure
is as per Sc a fraud.
There is no possibility of keeping
be organization from unlawful out
ages, nor out of politics. L was il
be presence of the imperial wizard
hen another high official made the
atement that he wanted everything
rged toward the contamination o
national organization which coulC
ect a president of it's own, and there
as general agreement with the sen
- ment expressed.
Denounces "Search1ight''
ct have revolted from the first a
hese tendencies, at the anonymou
otter writing, and at the mess o
es about the greatness of the thin
md its power, etc. l had been led t
elieve I could control the affairs i
orth Carolina, but this has not bee
rue. The newspaper organ in At
anita, The Searchlight,' is an insul
any intelligent man, and about o
he same plane with the inflam
batory negro papers and the Bol
hevist propaganda. This paper pub
shes in big headlines that 1000
eople heard Colonel Simmons i
reensboro, and the statement is pub
shed in anonymous letters tina
here are $4,000 members in Mort
arolna 5000 in Greensboro, an
hat they are organized in every stat
the union. There are at the pres
M hit time perhaps 5000 in the stat
no have paid their initiation fee!
ne-fourth of them within thirt
lilies of Greensboro. and most c
HON as soon as they got in, an
- floni
poney good-by and quit.
Some of the best citizens i
Greensboro have joined, and. findin
here was no restriction whatever
limiting members except the none
pnsideration, they left never to re
Urn, and were labeled traitors to til