The Courier
Only $1.50
Per Year
VOL IX—NO. 19.
CHARGE Of ILLEGAL AGTION REFUTED
BY DR. A. G. DUNGAN IN STATEMENT
Says Seal and Paraphernalia sf Asheville Klan No. 40
Was Placed in His Car By Regular Authorities.
WARRANTFOR LOCAL PHYSICIAN HAS NOT BEEN SERVED
• Dr. A. C. Duncan, of Forest City,
prominent physician and Great Titan
of Province No. 3, Ku Klux Klan,
has been undesirable pub
licity in different newspapers of the
state, following statements made that
a warrant had been issued for him
for the alleged unauthorized larceny
of robes, hoods and other paraph
ernalia from the hall of Klan 40 at
Ashe villa, Tuesday night of last week.
Doubtless all of The Courier read
ers have read some of the charges
and counter charges made against Dr.
Duncan, all brought about through
dissention in Klan 40 and possibly
other sources.
Dr. Duncan makes the following
signed statement, absolutely denying
any guilt in the matter:
The editor of this paper and many
of my friends have asked me to
make a statement regarding the pub
licity I have been receiving in sev
eral of the daily papers of this State
during the past few days.
At first, I hesitated, as I felt that
it needed no explanation, especially
to those who know me, and since I
was born and reared in this county
and have practiced my profession
here in the county for several years,
I am known by the majority of the
people of Rutherford county, and
hope my actions in the past have
I not been such as to lead any one +o
" beHeve me to be so ignorant or un
thoughtful as to do the things that
the articles in some of the papers
might lead you to believe I was guil
ty of doing.
1. I was invited to Asheville by the
officers and members of former
Asheville Klan No. 40; was met by
a large delegation and received every
kindness and courtesy a reasonable
man could expect.
2. The seal and paraphernalia of
the Klan was carried from the hall
by them and placed in my car of
their own free will and accord. That
was 7:30 p. m. My car was parked
in the same block in which the hall
is located and I did not leave until
10:45 p. m. If there had been any
disgruntled members who wished to
see me it appears that they had ample
time to do so.
3. Tf there is a warrant for me
it has not been served. If they think
my actions gave them cause to war
rant an arrest, why don't they have
me arrested. They know where I live.
4. Those that are agitating *the
matter are not members of any
Klan, nor have not been members
o* any Klan in good standing for
several months. I could give the
reason but it is not necessary.
5. Everything that I did was in
due and legal form, according to the
by-laws and constitution of the Klan
arid I bope this explanation is suf
ficient to get the matter straight in
the minds of those who did not un
derstand the details of the situa
ticn.
> A. C. DUNCAN.
*, * *
Saturday's Asheville Citizen car
ried the following article, relating to
the removal of paraphernalia from
the hall of Klan 40 in that city on
Thursday evening:
The robes, hoods, and other lodge
paraphernalia that disappeared
Thursday night from the hall of
Klan 40, parent Klan of the Knights
of the Klu Klux Klan here, were
turned over legally to Dr. A. C. Dun
-can, of Forest City, great titan of
No. 3 according to the op
inion of T. D. Grimes, presiding of
ficer, cyclops, of Klan 40, who de
clared last night that the incident
which resulted in a warrant being
sworn out for Dr. Duncan by R. W.
Henderson, a member, was catteed by
a misunderstanding by all concern
ed.
Mr. Grimes declared further that,
while the charter of "Klan 40 was
p" "revoked some time ago, plans are
FOREST CITY COURIER
now under way whereby another
charter will be granted and when this
| is done the property turned over to
i Dr. Duncan will be returned. He
! said that this property is only be
ing held in trust by Dr. Duncan pend
ing the granting of a new charter.
! According to the cyclops, the cus
todian, trustees, and the kilgraph
i all officers of Klan 40, were pres
' ent when the property was turned
lover to Mr. /Duncan and under the
Klu Klux constitution this made the
transfer legal. This was authorized
however he said at a regular meet
ing last Tuesday at which he was not
present whereas the meeting held
; Wednesday night when the action of
j Tuesday night was repudiated was
not a called meeting by him and
would not be legal from a Klan
: standpoint.
"At a conference last night of
those who initiated the warrant
charging larceny against Dr. Duncan,
i including Mr. Henderson, it was de-
I clared by those present that the
! transfer of the property was not
legal and that Dr. Duncan, assisted
by seven other members of Klan 40,
went to the hall over Smith's Drug
store unauthorized and took the
robes, hoods, seals and filing cabi
net.'The robes and hoods, they claim,
belong to members individually and
not to the imperial office acting
through Judge Grady, grand dragon
i of the State..
I Klan' 40 has been torn with dis
t
, senion and factionalism for sever
al years and about a year ago severe
i friction arose, resulting in the char
! ter being withdrawn and another
klan, known as Buncombe Klan 151
being organized here. Klan 40 con
tinued to function however, and, ac
cording to its members, was promis
ed another charter, on surrender of
the old one which was turned in at
the time. No new charter has been
forthcoming, the members in last
night's conference said, and at times
there have been repeated requests to
turn over the Klan property to the
great titan, representing the imperial
office, and the state organization
headed by Judge Grady.
| This week at a regular meeting
jby 13 members it was voted to turn
j over the property, and later in the
week, last Wednesday, 25 of the
members met and rescinded the
previous action, notifying the great
titan of this action. On Thursday nigh
several of the members claimed to
have seen Dr. Duncan and others
take the property from the hall and
disappear in an automobile with it
and the warrant against the great
titan was then sworn out before
Magistrate L. L. Froneberger. It has
been forwarded to Forest City, the
great titan's home, for service.
Dr. Duncan in a formal state
ment yesterday denied that he had
taken the Klan property illegally or
in a raid on the hall, saying it was
turned over to him by the legal of
ficers. He declares he is ready to
face the charge brought by Mr. Hen
derson in the magistrate's court and
will accept service of the warrant
( at his home when it reaches that
place.
A. & P. BANQUET
Mr. W. P. Chaney, local manager
of the A. & P. Store, was a guest at
a banquet given by the company at
Hotel Charlotte, Tuesday evening.
He reports the occasion a most en
joyable one. With a large and enthus-
I iastic attendance of A. & P. man
| agers.
j The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea
Co., is celebrating "Founder's Week,"
and according to their ad in today's
i Courier, are making th£~occasion one
i of great value giving to their cus
tomers.
! Mr. Chaney has just recently tak
en charge of the local store, and is
making a splendid showing in his
new location.
i
PUBLISHED IN TH£ INTEREST OF FOREST CITY AND RUTHERFORD COUNTY
FOREST CITY, NORTH CAROLI NA, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 1927.
| ; If l
WHa > * .Mr, fl|
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JH^HI
j^MS^^^BW
PROF. KAUFMAN
SIOO REWARD
FOR A SMILE
Prof. Kaufman to Give Inter
e3ting Exhibition at Sin
koe's Friday and
Saturday
Prof. Kaufman, world's famous
mechanical man, who is conducting a
February Clearance Sale at the Sin
, koe's Department Store, will be seen
demonstrating his ability as a wax
figure Friday 3:30 to 4:30 and Sat-
to 6 p. m. in the window of
Sinkoe's Department Store. He is
offering SIOO.OO reward to any one
who can make him smile during his
demonstration in the window.
Newspaper clippings from most
all large cities show that Mr. Kauf
man was formerly moving picture
stuntman, magician, hypnotist, and
claims he is the only man, who has
perfect control of the beating of
his heart making it appear on either
side of his body at will. As the me
chanical figure is the first time on
exhibition in our city, a large crowd
will be expected, to gain the SIOO.OO
he is offering.
RUTHERFORDTON WOMAN'S
CLUB TO GIVE PLAY
Member of the Rutherfordton
Woman's Club will present the play:
"Cupid up-to-date" on Tuesday night,
February 22, beginning at 8:00
o'clock. The play is supported by a
strong cast of Rutherfordton peo
ple, twelve in number, beside thirty
children and chorus girls.
SPINDALE FIRE
TRUCK ARRIVES
Volunteer Fire Department to
Be Organized Soon. Will
Build Fire Department
and Police Head
quarters
■ %
Spindale, Feb. 16.—The Chevro
let fire truck, recently ordered by
the town, arrived yesterday. It was
purchased through the Lake Chevro
let Company, of Rutherfordton, and
is equipped with Boyer fire appara
tus.
The fire department will be organ
ized at an early date. It will be organ
ized 'on a volunteer basis, and will
be under supervision of chief of po
lice Yates Duncan.
A building will be erected soon
for housing the truck, and for use
as police headquarters. It will likely
be built close to the Spindale House.
Plans for this building are not com
plete, it is understood, however it is
expected that definite steps will be
taken in reference to the matter this
week.
The Spindale Girls Basketball
team defeated the Ellenboro girls
team in a game played on the Spin
dale House court here Tuesday eve
ning. The final score was 22-24 in
favor of Spindale. The Spindale line
up was Clarke, Shropshire, Freeman,
Keeter, Setzer and Green. The Ellen
boro girls playing were Bean, Wright,
iamrick, Culbreth, Philbeck and Bail
ey.
Miss Mellie McConnell has returned
from a visit to her home in Kings
tree, S. C.
MRS. THOS. BRYANT
DIESATUNION MILLS
SUNDAY MORNING
jjpnerU Services for Young
Woman, Formerly Miss
Lucile Tate, Held at
Brittain Tuesday
y
/ ■
Union Mills, Feb. 16.—Mrs.
Thomas Bryant, age 22 years, wife
of Rev. Thomas C. Bryant, of Mul
lins, S. C., died at the home of her
parents here, Mr. and Mrs. Frank
Tate, Sunday morning at 6:45, of
complications. She. had been in ill
health since November.
| Mrs. Bryant had only been mar
ried four months, and was formerly
Miss Lucile Tate.
Mrs. Bryant was a graduate of
j Flora McDonald College and was pop
i ular and universally loved by all who
I knew her.
The funeral was conducted from
j Brittain Presbyterian church Tues
j day afternoon, Rev. Baker, her pas
! tor being in charge, assisted by Dr.
Cook and her father-in-law, Rev.
Bryimt.
Iler husband is pastor of the Pres
byterian church in Mullins, S. C.,
and Mrs. Bryant had been living there
since her marriage in November.
She is survived by her husband,
Rev. Thos. Bryant, of Mullins, S. C.,
father and mother, Mr. and Mrs.
Frank Tate, of Union Mills; two sis
ters, Miss Margaret Tate, teacher
in Spindale elementary school and
Miss Mary Willie Tate, teacher at
Gastonia, two brothers, Mr. Holt
Tate, of Erwin, Tenn., and Harvey
Tate, of Arizona. The latter was un
able to attend the funeral.
The large crowd that attended the
funeral and the huge bank of flow
ers attested the high regard in which
she was held.
The supreme tragedy of life is
death. Leave-taking is inexpressibly
tragic when the friend overtaken is
on the threshold of young woman
hood and is looking forward by all
laws of probability to maturing years
of happiness and usefulness.
The tragedy of departed youth is
all the more overwhelming when the
dead was a young person, high of
character and full of radiant prom
ise. Providence (then places man's
ability to sustain bereavement to the
severest test.
Speaking from his pinnacle of
years Dr. Cook offered consolation
to the bereaved when he said that
the best was yet to be.
BUGGY CAUSE OF
SERIOUS CRASH
Forest City Woman Injured
When Cars Collide Near
Harris Oil Company
Friday Night
Mrs. Jonathan P. Whitesides of
Forest City, who was seriously in
jured in an automobile wreck mid
way, between Spindale and Forest
City last Friday night about 7 o'clock
when the sedan in which she and Will
Owens were riding collided with a
car driven by a Mr. Hobbs of Char
lotte, was reported in a critical con
dition at the Rutherford Hospital
Monday.
The Owens sedan was going to
wards Rutherfordton and met a bug
gy with no lights. Mr. Owens did not
see the buggy until he was close to
it. When he turned to miss the buggy,
he met the Hobbs car in a head on
collision. The Hobbs car was going
toward Charlotte and only had one
occupant. Mrs. Whitesides went
through the glass of the door and
lost several teeth. She suffered a
compound fracture of the jaw and
lacerations of the arm. She was un
conscious all Friday night but ral
lied Saturday and continues to im
prove. Physicians say she has chance
of recovery.
She is 30 years old and is the moth
er of two children. The other oc
cupants of the car were unhurt, save
for minor injuries. Both cars were
badly damaged.
The wreck occurred directly in
front of the residence of Mr. T. J.
Cole, between the Harris Oil Com
pany and West End.
Ft?-' - - '•• •
J. A. WILKIE
| __ __ _ * |
TO BUILD NEW !
SUE-DIVISION
!.. . j
J. A. Wilkie Begins Prelimi
nary Work on New Devel
x*
opment i' or r orest
City . J
i
Knowing real estate values in For
est City as well, and perhaps better,
! than any one whom we could name,
| The Courier is pleased to announce
that Mr. J. A. Wilkie, well known
| developer and senior member of the
Cyclone Auction Co., has begun the
preliminary work on a handsome new 1
sub-division for Forest City.
A saw mill is now busily cutting
timber on his thirty-acre tract, north
side of Caroleen road and opposite
his former residence here. At once
the work of grading, laying out
streets and other work will be got- j
ten under way. Provision will be
made for water, lights, sewerage and
all city conveniences, and the work
rushed to enable theVopening of this
splendid sub-division at an early date.
Mr. Wilkie will begin the construe- j
tion of several real nice five and six
room houses in a short time, and ex
«
pects to follow with others.
Aside from its splendid location, j
the new sub-division will lay claim i
to one of the finest mineral springs
in the state, where, doubtless a ho- !
tel will be erected later on. The
property is located close in and in '
close proximity to the Graded School, j
It should prove a most desirable res- i
idence location and should develop
rapidly, thereby taking care of the ,
city's fast growing population. Lots
in. this desirable location will be
placed on sale at an early date.
Mr. Wilkie has done a great work
in past years in developing our city,
and his latest enterprise will re
ceive hearty encouragement from all :
sides. The city is fortunate in having
men of this type investing in our
community, while the successful de
elopment of this property means that
Mr. Wilkie will be ready and able to
take up some other project in the
upbuilding of our city.
MR. WALTER MOORE NOW
WITH F. C. MOTOR CO.
Mr. Walter Moore, well known au
tomobile salesman, and one of For
est City's foremost young business
men, has accepted a position with the
Forest City Motor Company and be
gan on his new duties last week. His
many friends are delighted that he
has made this connection in his home
town.
In January, 1925, Mr. Moore be
came associated with Tate's Garage,
Rutherfordton, since which time he
has made rapid strides in the auto
mobile business, being rated as one
of the foremost and most popular
salesmen in the county. His friends
expect him to make a great record
in handling the well known and pop
ular Buick.
CAR STOLEN
A Ford touring car, belonging to
Mr. B. D. Calhoun, of Avondale, was
stolen from him late Friday after
noon, February 11th at Avondale.
The car was a 1925 model, and when
stolen carried a state license tag
number X-3. It was equipped with
Diamond cords on the rear wheels
and Goodrich tires on the front, and
the fencers on the left side were new.
Mr. Calhoun is offering a reward of
$25.00 for the recovery of the car.
$1.50 per Year in Advance.
COUNTY CLUB HAS
GOOD MEETING AT
SPINDALE HOUSE
Judge Raymond -Parker of
Winston-Salem, Address
es Club at February
Meeting
!
i
Spindale, Feb. 15. —The Febru
ary meeting of the Rutherford Coun
ty Club was held at the Spindale
House, Spindale, Tuesday noon.
About sixty members were present.
I An excellent luncheon was served by
the ladies of the First Baptist
i Church.
i Invocation was by Rev. T. C.
: Jordan. Several vocal selections were
j rendered by Messrs. G. E. Howard,
D. C. Cole, J. W. Starnes and T.
O. Hendrix, as a quartette.
Dr. E. C. Branson was unable to
j attend the meeting, as announced,
| and Judge Raymond Parker, now
holding court at Rutherfordton,
; brought to the club an inspiring and
, beneficial, message on the tax situa
| tion in North Carolina. Consolida
• tion of government departments and
I agencies and co-operation between
: those same bodies will remedy the
situation, says Judge Parker. By way
of illustration Judge Parker said
that of the dozen or more of state
departments, one would ask for an
appropriation which might not neces
sarily be needed, yet*other depart
ments would lend their assistance to
I
the passage of the proposition in
exchange for the influence of the
first department in having some spec
. ial measure pertaining to the others
passed. Another example is the re
cent "swapping'' of votes in Legis
j lature, in which eastern Carolina
statesmen offered to vote for the
| National Park measure if the west
-1 era Carolina solons would vote for
the extension of the bridge sysetm
of Eastern Carolina,
i This is deplorable situation, as what
, will benefit one section of the state
, benefits all sections, and the mem
! bers of the Legislature should keep
in mind the importance of the bill
i and vote accordingly. All of these
measures require money, and the
; only method of securing this money
is by taxation. If sectionalism is elim
j
! inated and the departments and
! agencies of the government consol
: idated or were put on a cooperative
, basis, it would mean that a big step
; had been taken in remedying the
tax situation, in the opinion of Judge
Parker.
James G. K. McClure made a
short talk on the work of the Farm
ers Federation. He stated that $13,-
200 of the $31,000 stock *n the
Federation in this county had been
raised, and made a plea for the
members of the club to subscribe
this week for the remainder.
Mr. B. A. Buff stated that Mr.
O. J. Holler was willing to present,
through the club, a purebred Jersey
calf, to the farmer that won in a
contest in planting legume crops, de
tails to be given later. The matter
was referred to Messrs. B. A. Buff,
O. J. Holler and County Agent F.
E. Patton, as a committee.
A proposition in reference to a
state railroad was brought before
the club for endorsement, and re
ferred to a committee.
Mr. G. W. Rollins was elected
sergeant-at-arms to fill the vacancy
caused by the recent death of Mr.
C. D. Geer.
The names of Messrs. Grover Har
rill, A. D. Mills, Milton Apperson,
Dr. R. R. Howes, and Rev. M. F.
Moores were presented for member
ship and Mr. James G. K. McClure
as honorary member.
MISS LOUISE WILKIE
MADE ASSISTANT ORGANIST
Miss Louise* Wilkie, of Charlotte,
formerly of Forest City and one of
the County's most promising young
musicians, has recently been appoint
ed assistant organist at St. Peter's
Episcopal Church, Charlotte. Lenten
services were broadcast from this
church last Sunday night.
Miss Wilkie was teacher of music
at the Ellenboro high school last year,
but remained at home this year on
account of her health. Her many
friends here expect her to attain dis
tinction in her musical profession.
16 PAGES
96 COLUMNS