New Britain herald., 1922-01-21
MEMBERS OF XXX.
 ON MURDER TRIAL
Eleven Prominent Citizens in
 Oklahoma to Be Tried

Ardmore, Okla, Jan, 2u,-A case which, in the words of State Attorney General s. r. Freeling, will mean the life or death of the Ku kulX Kan In Oklahoma" will be called here to- day when eleven of Carter eounty's most prominent citizens are to De arraigned before Judge Thomas J. Champion in district court for trial on charges of murder.
 The defendants. all well known business and professional men or the county, were among seventeen arrest ed following an attack by nine mask cd men upon Joe Carroll at his home In Wilson the night of December 10 when three men, one of them Carroll was fatally shot.
 Originally, fifteen were held for murder and two as witnesses for the state but at subsequent sessions oi the joint examining trial of seven or the men before Justice D. w. Butcher, the case against four, one of them a Baptist minister were dismissed on motion of the prosecution that no evidence was at hand to connect them with the affair
 On this night in mid-December, the state charges, more than 100 men from Ardmore and the surrounding county, all masked and with buckets of tar and pillows of feathers, gath cred in a pasture just five miles south of Wilson and later sent eight of their number in two automobiles under the leadership of c. q. Sims, Ardmore police detective, to "get" Joe Carroll. A statement to authorities by one of the defendants shortly after his ar rest was to the affect that Sims had persuaded the band of men to accom- pany him that night ito round up seV- eral wet car dealers and bootleg gers.''
 Unable to find Carroll's residence, the eight men then called at the home of John Smith in Wilson and one of their number, relative of Smith, made him leave sick bed and guide them to Carrolrs house, telling him, according to the testimony of Smiths wife at the preliminary hearing, that you are forced to do it as l have been forced.'
 When the men called at Carrol's
 
 the front door and at their command to throw up his hands drew his re- volver and wounded one of the men who attempted to wrest it from him.
 Then amid the screams of women and shouts of men, a gun battle en- sued, also participated in by Carrolfs brother, who lived next door. When the fierce exchange of rifle and pistol shots subsided and the masked men had fled in their automobiles, Car rolls lifeless body was picked up off his doorstep and John Smith. few minutes later, was found on street in Wilson not far from the scene ot the engagement suffering from bullet wounds which within two hours caused his death.
 The following day, shortly before roon, Sims dead body, clad in a suit of khaki unionalls, was found lying ill the pasture where twelve hours before, he had planned to administe: punishment to Carroll for his d. leged activities as bootleggec.
 Jeff Smith, the man who was wounded in the affray, guided the an-
  body was disco> cred and told them 1t was brought out at the pr r,'inun- ary trial, that the place had frequent ly been used as meeting place fol the "Citizens' League or ku klu, Klan." He is one of the defendants in the case.
 The custodian of local lodge hall in which the Ku Klux Klan rents rooms, testified at the hearing that or the night of the killings, one of tho defendants and another man whom he did not recognize, left the prop erty" room rented by the Ku klu' Klan with bundles under their arms The defendant admitted in signed statement to authorities that he Wal one of those who later met in thu pasture.
 Efforts of the prosecution thel were directed toward establishing tn Ku Klux Klan's connection with thu incident and the examination of wit nesses ended abruptly when Franl Bourland, who, the lodge hall custo dian testified, paid rent on the K, Klux Klan rooms, refused 7to testif. as to his connection with the organi zation.
 He also declined to answer tn prosecutors query as to what larg box in the property room contained Nineteen questions, all pertaining t the Ku Klux Klan, were asked hin and he refused to answer all but one
 A sensation was produced at tn first day of the hearing when Waite Carroll's brother arose while on tn witness stand and accused Ray l Beede, local automobile dealer, an one of the defendants, of killing hi brother during the fight.