The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1928-03-06
PLAN RAID
OHIO CONVENT
LAID TO STEVE
Ordered KIanSmen Army to
Free Girl in Distress,
GiIIiom Told.
'EMPERoR' IS VISI0NED
Bemenderfer, Ex-0ffiCiaI of
MunCie, Tells How Dragon
Controlled Vote.

The Ku-KluX Klan was pilloried
today as a gigantic swindle," by
Samuel Bemenderfer, former klaliff,
or vice president, of the Delaware
Klan.
Bemenderfer, now president Of
the Protestant Knights of America,
testified in the second deposition
taken by Attorney General Arthur
Gilliom in his suit to cancel the
klan charter in Indiana.
With meticulous detail, Bemen-
derfer painted the picture of D. G.
Stephenson aspiring to make him
self Emperor of Indiana" through
use of the political machinery of
the Klan, and then the witness de-
scribed Stephenson the Conquer
or" who would raid an Ohio con-
vent to free an unwilling captive"
behind the stone walls.
Planned Raid on Convent
Not a city block in the State OF
Indiana was without it's agent of
the Klan, who sought to control
the votes of his neighbors, said the
witness.
Stephenson sat before his gigantic
map of the State which carried
counties, township and cities divided
into blocks with the name and
telephone number of his representa-
tive written in so that within thirty
minutes by private and direct wire
Stephenson could change the vote
of the State, according to Bemen-
derfer.
The march on the convent located
in ''a little town over the Ohio line
from Portland" was planned by
Stephenson in 1928, Bemenderfer
said.
The Muncie Klan received letter
from a California woman saying
that her daughter was kept prisoner
in the convent and that only by
force could she be set free.
Ordered to Recruit Army
The Muncie officials forwarded
the letter to Stephenson and in a
few days the grand dragon, accom-
panied by the woman and piloted by
''Terrible Tommy his chauffeur,
came to Muncie for conference,
the witness declared.
The Klan chief at Muncie was
told to recruit a strong force Of men,
about IT'S, and Stephenson warned
him that they were to be properly
armed" and that they would march
on the convent and take the girl by
force, The date of the attack was
set for two weeks ahead.
In the meanwhile, Bemenderfer
says, he found out that it was a
frame-up by organizations opposed
TO the Klan through kilograms sent
by the alleged mother to California,
and he warned Stephenson that it
was a frame-up, but the grand
dragon would not believe it, and said
that in few days he would give
Che order for the assault.
Muncie KIan Recedes
The order never came, however,
and the march on the convent was
bot staged.
Bemenderfer described how State
national Klan offices received more
than $130,000 from the Delaware
County Klan and turned back but
$500 to be used for Christmas
baskets.
The Muncie Klan seeded when
financial difficulties with the State
office arose, he said.
Bemenderger told Of making an
Investigation in several States
which convinced him Catholics had
TOO much to do with controlling the
k<lan and he wrote letter to Hiram
Wesley Evans, imperial wizard, de-
handing a cleanup. When no salts
factory answer was received and
Evans issued a mandate barring Be-
k71enderfer from visiting other Klav-
ernS. the Muncie Klan seeded, Be-
paenderfer said.
KIan Opposed Walb
He described how in 1924 Stephen
son sent mandate from his Co
lumbus (Ohio) headquarters urging
the Klansmen to oppose the selec-
ton of Clyde Walb as State chair
man of the Republican party.
Bemendeffer also told of being
urged by Stephenson to organize a
Horse Thief detective association IN
Muncie, (which would do the WORK
that the county officers refused to
do" but he said he refused to or
ganize such an organization.
Practically every Protestant
preacher in Delaware County joined
the Klan in 1928, Bemenderfer testi-
fed.
E. r. Stilson of Anderson, regal1a
manufacturer, said Stephenson or
dered 482,00 robes for Klan members
in the fall of 1922. Stilson told
Gilliom he received $3.50 each for
the first 10000 robes and $3.50 for
each additional one.
The Klan was represented at the
taking of the dispositions by Charles
Orbison, indianapolis attorney, and
j. H. Connaughton of Washington.
Gilliom was assisted by Judge Fred
Cause.
Meanwhile, Circuit Judge Harry
o. Chamberlin had under advise
ment the demurrer of the Klan to
Gilliom's petition for revocation of
the charter, following three-hour
argument Monday,