Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1922-10-13
DEFIES THE klAN.
Fayetteville, N. c., Man Says ku Klux
Are Bunch Of Cowards.

man, who is a tobacco salesman by Vo'
cation and batter of the Ku Klux klar
by choice, has once more deficd the
lightning and is very we'll this morn
ing. Harrison, who beat up the or
ganizer of the local khan few months
ago, published an open letter to the
klansmen yesterday afternoon, II
which he urged, even begged them tc
come and take him out last night. He
spent the early hours of the night
around the hotels and cigar stores on
Hay street, where he was seen and
spoken to by hundreds Of persons, but
was not molested. 1t is said that II
took Mr.. Harrison more than an hour
to get up town on account of the num-
Der of people who stopped him to con-
graduate him on writing the letter in
which his opinion of the klan was eX-
pressed in unvarnished terms.
Harrison broke into the limelight
last April when he had the encounter
with E. c. Stevenson, the X. K. K. or
ganizer. During the fray Stevenson
pulled a pistol and Harrison barred his
breast and dared him to shoot, when
Stevenson dropped the gun to the
ground.
Harrison's letter was brought out by
an incident which occurred last Friday
night when the Ku KluX held a big
parade here, during which one Of the
robed and masked horsemen drew up
at the home of one of the most es-
teemed ladies of this city, who wos
i'll in hospital at the time, and left
a missive for young lady boarder. 1t
is said that a leading member of the
local khan had been turned out Of this
boarding house.
After telling how he had been ap-
preached by Stevenson last fall and
asked to join the khan, and had seri-
ously considered doing so, but decided
not to because he did not believe their
principles were in keeping with the
American spirit, Harrison concluded
his letter thus:
Now, we will take the scene that
was staged on our streets last Friday
night, that will go down in history as
a damnable disgrace to our town. Were
they murderers, thieves, robbers or
gamblers? Their faces were covered;
so we have no way to tell, but we do
know one thing-not one drop Of gen.
tlemanly blood flows through their
veins, for no gentleman would pull off
such stuff as they carried on Friday
night.
Here Is their claim: That they are
100 per cent American and 400 strong
in Fayetteville.
"In regard to the 100 per cent Amer
lean that they claim to be, during the
World war 10000 mothers sons of
North Carolina gave up their homes
and loved ones and sailed across the
sea and fought on foreign soil to sup
press just such principles as the X. X.
K. stands for, and today have friends
and loved ones that sleep in unmarked
!, .taves in Flanders fields, from whose
blood the lilies of France have grown
richer and sweeter. Ask these fathers
and mothers whose sons made the su-
preme sacrifice if they were one hun
dred per cent American. Now, you
may have to be a 100 per cent Ameri-
can to be X. X. X; but thank God,
you don't have to be a X. X. K. to be
a 100 per cent American!
Now, in conclusion, you claim to be
400 strong in Fayetteville. l am one
single man that makes this suggestion
to you. Thursday night is your meet
ing night. After your meeting Thurs
day night, you take me out and give
me a good whipping. Now, don't be
towards and say, as you did to the
minister of the Gospel over at Laurin-
burg, who refused your money, we
will see YOU later / am aware that
you can overpower me and do what
you want to do, but please me, men,
one time, and take me this Thursday
night and do what you are going to
do or admit to the public of Fayette-
vile that you are 400 common coward
ly ours"