Paragould soliphone., 1922-06-09
ILLINOIS KLANS
 CONDUCT GREAT
 NIGHT SESSION
Four States Said to Have Been Represented Near Joliet--Many Thousands Attend.

Joliet, H., June What was declared to have been the largest
 gathering of the lIu kluX klan ever
 held did not end until approaching dawn dimmed the fiery cross hiGl over the assemblage Sunday. itI was said that many points in Iowa, Wisconsin and Indiana, as well asI Northern Illinois, were represented While bonfires flamed from sur rounding hills, candidates said toI l humber several hundred were nat 1 uralized" into the Invisible Elm lpTe.' The meeting was held in a woods, nine miles west of Joliet and white robed and hooded figures guarded the roads while tho weird
 rituals were conducted by the light
 of flaming torches. The candidates were grouped before q throne while
 on the outskirts of the circle out posts stood to frustratc any curious persons who might have attempted toI view the proceedings.
 The ceremony was reported to bel that usually followed at 'naturali&a-
 kissed the Amreican flag, swore to obey the injunctions of the klan, 1 to uphold the supremacy of theI white race and to aid the defense | less. When the rites were co1nplet- , ed, long after midnight, the attend ant hosts melted quietly away, tho
 roads being damned for hours with Automobiles.
 Bugle Sounds at Midnight.
 The space where the ceremonies were held is surrounded by trees and formed natural amphitheater about a mile in diameter, around which several thousand automobiles were parked with their lights turn ed toward the altar where sat thei Grand Goblin of the Northern Dis trct Realm. of Illinois, and other principals of. the organization. At midnight a bugle was sounded, 1 the Grand Goblin mounted the plat
 form and spoke five words, then thei entire assemblage joined in singing America" and the "Star-Spanglcd Banner" Following an invocation, several brief speeches were made after which the candidates were uGh- cred into the arena and took the
 llan oath. Outposts then wcrcl called in and dismissed and thol gathering broke up. 4 representative of the klan sent an article to a Chicago newspaper
 last night describing the ceremonies and the preparations for the initia- ton. According to this article, auto mobiles carried the klansmen to the | initiation from radius of 200 miles. Each klan, the article said, was given a time and. point to start and Q card route. - The routes to the ceremonies were marked with Amer ican fl2G3. The owners of the prop erty on which the initiation was | held did not know who had leased it. according ot this article, until thel white-robed klansmcn appeared
 early Monday afternoon and sent
 out outposts
 Sandwiches Served.
 The first cavalcado of klansmen appeared at o'clock and from then
 until midnight a steady stream of
 automobiles brought them to theI gathering. Sandwiches, pie and soft
 drings were served to tho gather
 ing, ,and according to the article
 submitted by tho klansman, sand
 wiches were served at cents each. Outposts were stationed around thcI
 grounds and each arrival was forced
 to present credentials and give thc
 countersign and password before be- ling allowed to enter. The entire
 affair was conducted quietly and
 except for the immediate country
 side, few knew of what was taking DIocp i1Dfi1 fhn corptOCOine Vpra well