Evening star., 1925-08-26
D. c. GUARD PROBES
BURNING Of CROSS
Officers Seek to Learn if Or
der Against KIan Demon
stration Was Ignored.
BY WILLIAM j. WHEATIEY,
staff Correspondent of The Star.

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va, August
26.-The wheels of military investiga-
ton started turning early today to
fix the responsibility for the burning
of a fiery cross on private property
Just across the border line of the
camp last night and to determine
whether the act was a direct violation
of the verbal orders passed through
the 121st Regiment of Engineers last
week against the staging of any such
demonstration by the Ku Klux Klan.
Following a report to him some
time after midnight that cross was
burned. Col. John w Oehmann, COM
manding the regiment. issued instruc-
tisns to Lieut.. Col. Harry f. Glad
man. executive officer. to institute Hn
immediate and thorough investigation
and to make prompt report.
Permission Is Necessary.
Following the issuance OF these in
structions Col. Oehmann informed
newspaper men that he would have no
objection to a demonstration by the
members of the Klan, but they must
obtain permission. He recognized the
right of this order to hold meetings in
the same manner that other fraternal
Pitch darkness, accentuated by low
hanging rain clouds, had just settled
over the area, wiping the District Ma
tional Guard camp and it's khakiclad
inha bitantS from view, when, directly
in line with the regimental headquar-
ters, but about a quarter of a mile
distant, there shot from the ground a
great tongue of flame that swept sky
ward, shooting out horizontally in two
directions, its burning rays announc-
ing to the camp that the klan was
signaling to it's members.
In it's flaming light were reflected
the shadows of moving figures with
left arms upraiSed in klan greeting,
their bodies covered in white, which
investigation showed were not the
formal robes of the order, but those
improvised from nettings used over
the cots of troops to protect them
from the onslaught of mosquitoes, ac-
cording to eyewitnesses of the dis
play. Spectators had no doubt that
they were troops. because of their
hobnailed shoes and khaki wrapped
leggings of enlisted men, showing be-
meath the folds of white. The guard
on the boundary post sounded the
alarm a few seconds after the first
tongue of flame leaped skyward, and
Regimental Sergt. Maj. Coffman rush
ed for the scene. klan outer guards
apparently gave the alarm, for the
figures went scampering for the fields
and woods.
Cross on Private Property.
Observers, however, said that the
cross was brought up the road by
troops and the khan ritual started
when it was interrupted by the rush
of men from regimental headquarters,
who, when they saw there was no one
around and that the cross was on
private property took no further steps.
1t was more than an hour and a
half before the last burning ember
died away.
Still chatting under the efforts of
prohibition authorities to stamp the
District engineer troops as a bootleg
agency. members of the command.
proud of their record and shouldering
the full responsibility of their oaths,
have worked necessarily to ferret out
in the guard as spies at this camp
Suspicion has pointed to one man of
the regiment, now recognized as an
agent and stool pigeon of Washing.
tons former vice squad, and a man
who made many of its cases for it.
Since the discovery he has found hard
living, troops threatening violence If
he appeared in any of their quarters
1t has been noticeable to the troops
that the suspect has failed to perform
regular duty with the organizatio to
which he has been assigned, but has
been quite active in shopping around
all the company streets and mess