Tabor City tribune. (Tabor City, N.C.) 1946-1991, 1950-08-30
Klansman Killed In Horny Gun Fight

Editors note: In keeping
4pith The Tribmc'S statement
of August 10, ne WiH cypress
opinions on the III klur kian
eScdpudc ut Myrtle Beach last
Saturday night because 1t lr0S
not t0.ihih the TABOR City COM
nluntty. HoWercr, the basic
nCuS RUOWed With comment is
contained IN the article belOW.
Despite the fact that three days
haze elapsed since the shooting
occurred, no statement Of con-
sequence has been issued by
auy iar enforcement channels.
To get any information on the
WUuy, newspapers hare had to
resort to their OlCH hclrS
Suu,c1S, eye WitneSScS and
SmattcringS Of details that aciH
not he ueriticd or denied by
investigators.
Details OF a ku KluX Khan
Negro gun fight in Myrtle Beach
Saturday night during which a
Conway policeman, wearing d
khan loDe over his uniform was
shot to death, remained Sketchy
tonight" the Associated press
saiu tuesday in an article date.
lined in Conway. Details on We'd
nesday remained just as Sketchy
with neither state, county or To-
cal law enforcement Officers re-
leasing any information on the
events that took place.
Killed during the gun fight,
which took place in the colorcd
section Of Myrtle Beach about
midnight, was James Daniel
Johnson, AZ, who was shot under
the left shoulder blade with
what is believed to be d .3S cali
brc pistol. Johnson was carried
to the Conway Hospital but died
a few minutes after being adj
mitted. 1t has been impossible to
find the names Of the persons
carrying Johnson to the hospital.
Horny County Sheriff c. Elm
est Sasser, according to the As
ISOLATED Press report, said th:.t
300 shots were fired by about
20 robed klanSmen and an Uni
known number of negroes il
front of a dance hall and tOuri:t
court"
Johnson was wearing both h'5
police uniform and A klanSman =
robe a the time the was shot.
Held in an undiscloscd jail.
said to be the hospital section OF
the State Pcnitentiary IN Colur!.
bia, S. C. by unofficial sources,
lis Charlie Fitzgerald, Myr,.-
Beach Neglo who owned and
operated the business in which
the shooting took place. No
charges had been filed against
Fitzgerald in so far as is known.
First reports stated Fitzgerald
was being held for safe keep
ing
Sheriff. Sasser said in the
Tuesday article that he under
stood that another Negro was
wounded, but he did not give any
names involved. No official re-
port has been issued on TINS
to date but reliable witnesses say
that Gene Nichols, 80 year old
Negro, was shot in the foot; that
Charlie Vance, also colorcd ana
about 80 received internal MUIR
les; and that Cynthia Harrcll,
brother of Fitzgerald, was hit
l. in the back several times ana
required medical attention.
In so far as official statements
are concerned, it has not been
determined whether Johnson was
killed by bullet fired by fltZ'
gerald or by some one else. nc
was arrested about 3 A. M. Sun
day morning after having under
gone medical treatment Tor
severe beating presumably al
ministered by the khan alter the
shooting occurred.
Eve witnesses to the khan pa
rade say that q cars were in'olv'
cd That all but one bore oouth
Carolina license plates. That one
was a North Carolina car
Thomas L. Hamilton, graho
dragon of the xxx in South Gar,
DINA, has announced that ne VIII
saw nothing until the In'"S'lE
ton had been cleared up, accord
; ing to the Associated Press -
port. .:,,o,.
Chief Highway Commissioner
. ClauQo II. MdSNbii ,,.L
emphatically that no STATE ilIsn =,
way patrol cars partl2iPateu II,
the parade, as was previously
reported to the Myrtle Bcacn
notice. He declared that II d pa
trolman ever took part IN hial
.paradc 1T will be the last 'l'i'c
hc would ever wear uniform or
draw check"
No official word has h"ch re-,
leased as to why the khan Star,cu
t the demonstration at tltZsera,u
place. However, persons III 'nh'
I area say that Fitzgerald , p"oi
nesses included the operation ol
a taxi fleet, the operation OF a
dance hall, where the violence oc'
Cured, and the operation OF sew
cral tourist cabins. The caoir
nhase of his operations was gen
orally believed to be some WIZ.
of shady nature. However no
. aff;o;ol roportS have been 1OTln-