Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1924-08-21
BREACH IN RANKS
(continued from Page one)

sue between the king kleaSIeS anu tHo
rank and file, with the rank and file al
ready in the strategic position.
District kleagles and kleagles from
| every district in Vermont, New Hamp-
shire and Maine have signiied their
intention of withdrawing from the or
| ganization unless the imperial palace
| officials at Atlanta, Ca, take immedi-
| ate steps to GUST the king kleagles
| charged by the kleagles with response
/ bility for the present situation In
| which the khan as an organization is
| charged with un-AmericaniSm and Sc
| cret efforts to tie the hands of the
| states law officers.
f The first withdrawal in large num-
ers, announced today in this city, was
| in the realm embracing Bennington and
Windham counties in this state. Ches-
hire and Sullivan counties in New
Hampshire and several local klans not
yet affiliated with the realms of either
| state. Reports from Maine and other
districts in this state and New Hamp-
shire are that meetings are to be held
| during the next several nights to de-
eide the issue of withdrawal.
The complete breakup Of the ku
Klux Khan as at present directed in the
northern New England domain is pre-
| dicted by the kleagles already signed
up with the opposition to the further
reign of E. w. Gayer and Paul Black
burn, king kleagles who exercise mon
| archial powers over the realm.
The uprising of the klansmen fol-
lowed announcements from the king
kleagles at Rochester, n. H, that they
would not aid the state in bringing to
justice the fugitive kleagle, William
| c. Meyers. who is accused of despoii-
ing the Catholic church here in an ef-
fort to incite anti-llan feeling against
| Kleagle Edward L. Rash, as well as to
! stir up religious strife to forward the
! sentiment of hate which some of the
kleagle organizers have instilled in the
minds of khan prospects.
i Tuesday a khan investigator APP
peared and and approached State
Atty. Ezra NJ. Horton with a request
that the state grant permission TO
the khan to interview several state
witnesses in the case of the church
outrage. He came from the king
kleagles at Rochester, n. H. The
state attorney refused him permits
; sion to approach the witnesses and
declined the proffer of khan aid in
running down Meyers in such man
; ner.
The state authorities charge that
khan officials at Rochester man.
oeuvred Meyers escape from law Of
ficers who were hot on his trail, and
demands were made on them by 9TH
err khan officers for his delivery into
the hands of the state officers.
Like other khan matters. only
those high in the councils of the do
, main are informed as to the organi-
zation's attitude in the matter, but
the announcement that nearly $4,000
klansmen have followed the orders
of their kleagles to withdraw from
membership was followed by further
revelations of "kinklave confer
, ence" at Concord, n. H., when May
er's probable guilt in the church
; despollatiOn was reported to the king
. kleagueS and they refused to hold
| him for delivery to state law officers.
Later, when the state officers, in
Guiding Atty.-Gen. Archibald, State
| Atty. Horton and Detective James r.
Wood of Boston made demands on
: the khan, as an organization, to up
hold the law and order it preached as
its principles, and assurances were
given that every agency of the I\rI
. 1\luX Khan would be directed toward
experimenting him to the law for
legal trial, the high kleagles, 1t is
charged were scheming to conceal
= Meyers and aid him in his fight, and
they afterward notified the law Of
ticers of change of mind,
, In every khan meeting scheduled
for the next ten days the kleagles
will notify klansmen that the king
kleagles have violated the letter and
I spirit of the khan law in opposing
the duly constituted officers of the
!
late withdrawal from the organiza-
l ton, and because the kleagle is the
authority within his own area, the
klansmen will obey his orders.
1t is explained that the kleagle
is like general of an army. The
Khan is organized on a military basis
and the kleagles are the generals
Klansmen have no voice in the af.
fairs of the khan, no Say-so in selec-
ton of the kleagle, and their only
privilege is to obey the order of the
kleagle.
Klansmen who Joined the organi.
cation in belief that it was a strict
ly patriotic, American institution
have been informed through their
kleagles that the King Kleagles GAY
er and Blackburn, both holding ap-
pointments from khan officers al
Washington, declined to practice
what they preached in the way OF
aiding the duly constituted law off.
/ GERS and instead aided an accused
fugitive in evading the law officers
who accepted the klans challenge
to find Meyers for themselves.
The kleagles have also notified
klansmen within their Jurisdiction
that the king kleagles do not repre-.
sent the principles of Ku KIuy
Klanism and have commercialized
the proposition entirely, issued or.
ders in direct violation of khan by.
laws and asserted supreme power in
making or unmaking the laws.
The word has been sent forth tc
every khan within the domain that
the accusation against the fugitive
kleagle Meyers. charged with desc.
Grating the Catholic church, was re.
ported to the king kleagles at the
Concord conference and demand was
made at that time that he be sur
rendered to the chief of police al
Concord, to be held for extraditior
TO Vermont to face the charges
pending against him. and the kine
(. kleagle refused to surrender Meyers
and concealed him and aided him tc
Q escape.
n N~-,z I