Tabor City tribune. (Tabor City, N.C.) 1946-1991, 1952-07-23
] Hamilton Enters Guilty Plea

time ago, anything that Thomas L.
Hamilton says is not to be taken
as the truth.
Just this became publicly evil
dent Tuesday when the Grand
Dragon of the Association of Car
olinas Klans changed his plea to
guilty Of conspiracy to assault in
the case Of Evergreen Flowers,
Chadbourn Negroes, who was
brutally mistreated by the hooded
hoodlums last year.
Hamilton had entered a plea
of not guilty to conspiracy charges
when the special term of court
opened in Whiteville Monday with
Judge Clawson Williams presid-
ing. But Tuesday he was ready to
change the tune, and ex-Klansmen
told in no uncertain terms of the
way Hamilton directed the flog-
gings from his exalted Grand
Wizards position
Just a few days ago in a South
Carolina speaking, Hamilton had
boldly stated that "on1y God ard
me know I'm innocent But Tues
day he also became convinced.
Eight men who were at the
meeting when the hogging of the
Flowers woman was planned told
their story.
Hamilton's dream of building a
North Carolina Khan empire went
up in smoke at this term of cou
When he entered his plea of gull
ty in the Flowers case, he proved
to one and all that he had been
the guiding hand behind the CO.
lCmbus violence. He still faces
similar charges in three other
cases.
Accused Klansmen at Tuesdays
court told Of Hamilton's ambitions.
T. L. Enzor of Chadbourn Quoted
the grand dragon as having said
ne wanted to make the khan
strong enough to control the
State politically" -,
Sid Scott, of Tabor City, another
defendant, added that Hamilton
lad said IF you get enough
klansmen, no Klansrnan win be
convicted"
Horace Strickland, Of Cerro
Gordo, put the finger on Hamilton
when he said the Wizard told
them to "do a good job ION the
bsating) or you will have to 20
back and do it over"
Strickland also said that il was
Hamilton who sat the night and
picked the group to attend to viii
Flowers" Will Flowers went out
the back door when the Klans-
men arrived but the mob took his
wife Evergreen out, torn her slip,
gagged her with it and proceeded
to shoot up the house. She crawled
under the house at at least "1hu
shots were fired at the Flowers
farm"
Witnesses also testified that the
membership in XXI, had Clipped
in to pay Hamilton's fine when he
was fined $1,000 last year in fed
eral court for sending defamatory
messages through the mail.
The new grand jury which was
empaneled Monday considered IS
indictments in flogging cases this
week and returned IS true bills.
Cases involving 10 other victims
are scheduled for trial at this
term of court.
1t was not known exactly when
Hamilton would be sentenced
The court room was execution
ally hot this week and along with
the fact that most people were
busy in tobacco, prompted only a
small number of courtroom spec
tators. Hamilton himself has sat
through it all and occasionally
tugged at his tie or collar.
Only infrequently did he show
any emotion when witnesses testi-
fled against him. He stirred mom-
entarily when Ellzor said that
Hamilton had told him that he
wanted to make the khan strong
enough to control the state politi-
cally."
Solicitor Clifton Moore then
asked Enzor what State" and En-
zor said "Well he told us how
pretty South Carolina was work.
ing and how pretty he could MAKE
North Carolina work."
Solicitor Moore said of the
Hamilton case "The outcome of
this case upholds the dignity CT
the law and should be warning
to any group which seeks to vio-
late the statutes.'
State Senator Junius K. Powell,
who is assisting the prosecution,
had this to say: ut is my judge
ment that the end has come to the
movement in this State and that
Hamilton's admission of violence
conspiracy will have 3 deadly eff
feet on the Klan everywhere"