The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1928-03-07
Former KIafff of KIuxers
in Delaware County
Tells Story.
FOUR OTHERS TESTIFY
Graft and Fraud Revealed
in Dispositions Made
to GiIIiom.

during the reign of D. G. Stephen
son and his successor grand dragons
in Indiana today are in possession
of Attorney General Arthur l.. Gill
liom.
Gilliom will use the dispositions in
his suit to cancel the Indiana Khan
charter.
The first, that of Hugh (Pat) En-
mons, former South Bend Cyclops,
taken two weeks ago, revealed how
the Khan conducted espionage, rec
commended violence and made pup
pets Of political parties.
Tuesday, four witnesses gave teSti-
mony to corroborate these points.
Sam Bemenderfer, former Klailiff or
vice president of the Delaware Klan,
told how the members in his own
Klavern were indicted of more
than $4,000, of which they in
return received 5000 to be distrib-
uted in charity in the form OF
Christmas baskets
Tells Of "FIeecing"
With eyes inScrutable behind dark
glasses, Bemenderfer painted pic
ture of ,deluded men "fleeced of
money for one purpose or another"
1--WE were charged klecktokens, or
initiation fees, overcharged for
robes, paid for the very chairs we
sat in, and then asked to join clubs
for which we paid additional initia-
tor fees. Then came the demand
to contribute to buy D. G. Stephen
son a car. This was to be State
wide.
"The Muncie organization con-
tributed $4,000. Other Klaverns
also paid thousands of dollars. The
car given Stephenson was a Pack
ard" he testified.
Then when the Klansmen OF
Muncie, in revolt against the ex-
tortion, found their Kleagle, w. E.
Cahill, had been found short in his
accounts, Bemenderfer charged, and
complained to Imperial Wizard Hi
ram Wesley Evans, through repre-
sentatives sent to Atlanta, they
were told to mind their Gown bust
ness" and Cahill was given an I'M
portant Khan post in Ohio.
He described how an inspection
of other States revealed "only cor
ruption" and "swindle on gigantic
scale" The Muncie Khan seeded
and founded the Independent Khan
of America, which later became the
existant order of Knights Of Amer
lean Professionalism.
War Veteran TeStifieS
Orion Norcross, captain IN the
World War, Kleagle OF Richmond,
Kligrapp of Muncie, and now secre-
tary of the new organization, cor
roborated all Bemenderfer'S state
ments. and described how Stephen
son. "The Old Man." sent him tele-
grams to block the appointment OF
a successor to Lawrence Lyons
chairman of the Republican State
committee, and ordered the hlaV-
ems In the State to force Lyons
It, ignation and "block the appoint
ment of Clyde Walb."
Documentary evidence III the
form of Imperial and Realm Man
dates" kilograms, letters ana noVes
we're introduced during the ques-
tioning of Norcross, to prove the
claims of Stephenson that ne mao
perfected q machine which VIII
challenge the admiration OF our
most overbearing and 1ntoleranV
enemies"
Norcross described how Evans
turned a deaf ear to the Klansmens
pleas that the "eXtortion OF his AIDS
cease"
3. A. Stilson of Anderson, regana
maker. told Of the contract made
with Stephenson whereby ne 1ur-
nished robes at 1910 apiece Tor the
first 10000 robes and 1888 for eacn
additional one, which the "Olo
Man" sold for $3.50 to Klansmen.
How E. S. Shumaker, Indiana
Anti-Saloon League superintendent,
lent legal aid to the Horse Thle1
detectives Association in its suits
against alleged law violators,
through the legal aids in his ONCE
was described by Thomas w: Swift
Kligrapp of the Kokomo hlaVern
from 1928 to 1926, and president OF
the Howard County Horse THIEF
Detective organization.
1--WE had our own search warrants
printed and then took them to
friendly Justice Of the peace, who
would sign them without examining
the affidavits.
FIXED" in Court
'UThe arrested suspect then was
brought before the same justice and
sentenced. Ted Hays, deputy prose-
cutor, would take charge of the case
for us.
"If. as in three cases out OF the
100. it was taken to Circuit Court,
Ethan A. Miles, Anti-Saloon League
attorney, would prosecute the case.
cat one time I came to see Miles
in Indianapolis at the Anti-Saloon
League headquarters and he was
out, but we met Mr.. Shumaker, who
said: you are doing fine work,
keep it up and turned us over to
j. E. Martin, another Antl-Saloon
League counsel"
Swift told how he was called to
indianapolis before the 1924 cleo
ton and was given several hundred
thousand copies of a supposedly
knights of Columbus four degree
oath by w. Lee Smith, Grand ORA
gon, to be distributed in northern
Indiana the night before the cleo
ton.
Smith told me that they would
be distributed In Marion County by
the local organization. The boys
would put them in clothes pins and
throw them on the porches of all
citizens, while the southern part of
the State would be handled by the
organization down there"