Evening star., 1925-08-07
$4,000 WILL MARCH
IN 9-HOUR PARADE
OF KLAN, SAY HEADS
Headquarters Ends Secrecy
as Vanguard Pours Into
City in Caravans.
PROCESSION, is ABREAST,
TO LAST TILL MIDNIGHT
Ceremonies to Be Held at Monu-
ment and Arlington-S0-Foot
Cross to Be Burned.

Abandoning tnelr characteristic Sc
crecy today as the vanguard of the
Knights of the Ku Klux Klan poured
into the Capital, klan headquarters
estimated that on the basis of latest
reports $4,000 robed members of the
order would march up Pennsylvania
avenue tomorrow afternoon. Sixteen
abreast, the marchers will require
from o'clock until, midnight to pass
given point, it was stated.
Meanwhile, dust-covered motor cara
vans, emblazoned with the klan greet
ing "KIGY,' came into the District
internationally over all the principal
highways. Other delegations arrived
on regular trains, Haunting the ban
ners of the organization to a more
or less mystitied public.
With the Police Department on the
outlook for any display of open an
tagonism which might lead to dis
order, Capt. Thomas L. Avaunt, lead
er of the Protestant Knights of
America, an anti-klan organization,
and Sam Hart Brackney, an assist
ant, were arrested early in the day
by police of No. l precinct and held
for investigation. They had been dis
tributing pamphlets in the downtown
district, leaving many of them in
parked automobiles, asking that the
parade tomorrow be stopped After
questioning the pair for several hours
the police released them without
placing any charges. Otherwise every
thing was peaceful.
Bring Families Along.
The advance guard of the Klansmen
were not alone. Virtually all of them
brought their families. There was
nothing mysterious about their move
ments-they We're Klansmen and
wanted the public to know it.
Klan headquarters, which were
hastily moved from their cramped
suite in the International Building to
more commodious rooms in the VIII
lard Hotel as hundreds of members of
the hooded order reported to the OFF,
GERS for information, could not fur
ntsh an estimate,qf~the number al
ready in the Capital. Camping
grounds of the motor caravans. al
ready overflowing, and the scores Of
machines bearing the Klan insignia
on the streets, indicate that probably
more than 5000 came in today to
visit the points of historical interest
before joining the procession tomor-
row.
The full force of the multitudes ad-
Vancing into the city will not be re-
f1ected impressively on the Capital,
however, until tomorrow noon. when
the last Of the special Klan trains is
scheduled to pull into the Union Sta
tion. BY that time those at Klan
headquarters confidently expect more
than 150,0 200 visitors. All of them will
not take part in the parade.
Women and Children to March.
While Klan officials assured the po-
lice about a week ago that not more
than 5000 would be in the line of
march, they expressed the opinion to-
day that this number would be swelled
to at least 10000. The procession will
include women and children, as well
as men. all in regalia, with their
visors lifted in accordance with the
orders of the Police Department.
Sixteen abreast, these hooded
knights" and their wives and children
will march down Pennsylvania avenue
from Peace Monument, at the foot of
the Capitol, to the Sylvan Theater,
where the parade will end with a
celebration. This vast throng of un-
drilled marChers, those in charge of
arrangements point out, probably will
take about nine hours to pass a given
point. In other words, they do not
expect the parade to end much before
midnight, If it starts promptly at 8
o'clock, as scheduled
Adequate preparations have been
made for the comfort and protection
of those who will form the grotesque
procession. A number of motor trucks,
loaded with ice water and other cool
ing refreshments. will be stationed at
frequent points along the line of
march for the men, women and chill
dren who become fatigued. Tall Texas
rangers. members of the order, will
patrol the Avenue
Other Events OH Program.
The parade is the chief event on the
Klan program. There are numerous
subsidiary events, however, to keep
the visiting klansmen occupied almost
continuously until Sunday midnight.
A service will be held at the Sylvan
Theater at the conclusion of the pro-
cession. There will be speeches by
visiting grand dragons and other high
officials in the organization, as well
as music by klan bands. Simulta-
neousy there will be a demonstration
in the Arlington horse show grounds
at the Virginia end of Highway
Bridge.
The program for Sunday contem-
plates a brief religious service in the
horse show grounds at 10 o'clock, after
which the klansmen will go to Airing
ton Cemetery and place a wreath on
the tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Ru-
NOR has it that a service also will be
held over the grave of the late Will
liam Jennings Bryan, said to have
been one of the first prominent figures
in the Nation to join the hooded order.
Klan leaders would neither deny or
affirm this report.
Cross to Be 80 Feet High.
The final and probably the most
spectacular event on the Klan pro-
gram is mammoth open-air religious
service in the horse show grounds At
this time it is planned to burn what
is expected to be the highest fiery
cross that has ever been seen since the
origin of the klan. 1t will stand more
than so feet out of the ground, while
the cross will be 80 feet wide.
Amplifers will be scattered through
out the horse show grounds so that
every feature of the service will be
carried to the throngs, who are unable
TO crowd about the speakers platform
The giant tree from which the fiery
cross has been made came from the
mountains of Virginia and now Is un
der heavy guard in Arlington Coun
ty, Va. 1t will not be placed in ten
foot pit in the horse show grounds fol
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