Perth Amboy evening news. [volume] (Perth Amboy, N.J.) 1903-1959, 1923-09-26
|MATAWAN HAS
KLAN MEETING
One Man Attacked by Anti
KIan Sympathizers While
Passing Through Keyport

MATAWAN, Sept. 26.-As the re.
suit of a Ku Klux Klan meeting In
this borough last night one mar
was attacked and cut about the face
and several shots were fired by those
not in favor cf the organization. AL
though the meeting here went off
quietly the trouble occurred as the
klansmen were returning to theii
homes, when they were cornered by
men said to be from Perth and South
Amboy, as they were passing through
Keyport.
The meeting of the khan, which
was a lecture without masks, hac
been rumored for several days In
advance although definite informa-
ton that a meeting was to be held
was not obtained until early in the
evening, when word went forth that
it was to take place in the First Bap-
tist church lecture room. Shortly
before o'clock men began to gather
at the church, some coming from
distant points as the street was lin
ed with cars numbering more than
hundred. Although admittance
to the church was not by card, IL
was necessary for one to be passed
in by some one who knew him.
Many sought entrance to the lee
ture room and before the time for
the meeting to start, the room be-
came crowded to such an extent that
the main auditorium of the church
was opened and the audience moved
into more comfortable quarters. II
is estimated that between 800 and
400 persons were present.
Before IL o'clock over 500 people
were standing around the church
yard and sidewalks. Many found
places at the windows which hao
been opened, where they could hear
considerable of what took place in
side,
The speaker, it is said, was a Col
onel Sherman from Atlanta. Three
borough officers and members of the
borough council mingled with the
crowd outside the building and there
was no disorderly conduct.
Before the meeting came to a
close two cars of men, said to be
from either South Amboy or Perth
Amboy, arrived in the borough. They
did not attempt to disturb the gath
ering in the church and 1t is under
stood they informed the officers they
would create no trouble in the bor-
orgh. Shortly after the arrival OF
these people the meeting came to a
close and while some left the church
by the main entrance, others dis
persed by the rear and side doors
as did also the speaker and other
cut-of-town persons who attended
the meeting.
In an effort, it is said to get at
the speaker traffic jam was started
at the intersection of Main and
Church streets, but officers John
Mulsoff and William H. Stillwell
succeeded in opening up the thor
oughfare. Before leaving the bor-
ough, and while on the way to Key
port, some shots were reported fired
at the klansmen.
No attempt was made to stop the
cars again until the intersection of
Front and Broad streets, Keyport,
was reached. There more shots were
fred and the anti-klan cars were run
across the street, blocking the pass
age of the khan vehicles. Some of
the Amboy men left the cars and
proceeded to administer a beating to
the klansmen. Before the arrival of
the Keyport police, one of the llans-
men had been 7truck in the face and
his face cut.
The Keansburg man refused to
give his name or make charge of
assault against the man who had
struck him. The police of Keyport
succeeded in separating the two fac
tions and the klansmen continued on
the way to Keansburg, while the two
cars from Amboy returned in that
direction. It is said that the men in
the two Amboy cars were looking for
the speaker of the evening.