Evening star., 1925-11-15
STEPHENSON GETS
70 YEARS IN PRISON
Found Guilty of Second.De-
gree Murder. Carrying
Automatic Sentence.
BY the Associated Press.

NOBLESN1LLE. Ind. November IA
Life Imprisonment in the Indiana
State Prison at Michigan City Is the
price which a jury determined today
that ID. G. Stephenson, former grand
dragon OF the Indiana ku Klux Klan.
shall pay for the death of Madge
Oberholtzer.
1t took a panel composed of ten
farmers, one business man and a
truck driver Tess than six hours to
reach verdict Earl Klenck and
Earl Gentry, bodysuards of Stephen
son. charged Jointly with the abduc-
ton and attack of the girl last March
Is, were acquitted.
Miss Oberholtzer took poison in a
Hammond, Ind, hotel after the al
legged mistreatment and died at her
India Ma polls home % days later. The
men were charged with responsibility
for her act.
Murder in the second degree was
the finding of the jury. 1t calls auto
matically for 20 years servitude
which the Indiana law calls life i'm
prisonment. Good behavior can re.
duce the term by several years.
Laughs at Verdict.
Stephenson took the verdict without
fiinching. A short laugh and a shake
of the head were his only manifesto
tions.
"Surrender?" he said as he Law on
his bunk a few minutes later in the
cell that has been his home for seven
months. Il am just beginning to
fight. The last chapter has not been
written
Floyd Christian of defense counsel
notified Judge VIII NJ. Sparks that a
motion of appeal would he filed.
The judge left the court immediate
ly after the verdict without indicat-
ing when sentence will be pronounced.
Stephenson will be removed to the
State prison pending appeal.
Gentry was most affected of all the
defendants when they were summoned
into court early this evening to learn
their fate. When his friends crowded
around him minute later he could
only shake hands-his voice was gone.
Gentry Is Indignant.
why acquit me and convict Steve?"
Gentry demanded Indignantly of the
coterie which accompa MED Stephenson
back to the Jail.
1T is the most ridiculous verdict 1
ever heard Of" klenck spoke up. 1T
it is not a Nindication of any law,
but persecution of the best man that
ever lived. He has been the best
friend thousands of Indiana people
ever had"
In a statement Stephenson said:
Every one knows that under the cir.
cumstances and in the atmosphere
which surrounded the jury during
the entire tria:, and under the un-
usual procedure before the court. the
jury expressed noble courage in ac-
quitting Gentry and klenck, against
whom 1 doubt if the pernicious hate
which manifested itself was at any
time directed.
This has not been a law suit. II
has been an expression OF envy,
jealousy and malice interviewer with
campaign of propa ganda which
was pursued with feverish intensity
and designed for no purpose except
to WELD an unsavory influence upon
the public mind The last chapter
has not been written"
Gentry was alleged to have been
with Stephenson on the trip to
Hammond, and to have slept in
drawing room berth above that In
which the girl was held captive by
Stephenson. Klenck was alleged to
have procured the Pullman tickets
for the ride to Hammond and to have
carried Miss Oberholtzer home after
her return to India napolis.