shall, Kosciusko, Elkhart, LaGrange, Noble, Whiteley, Allen, Dekalb, and Steuben.

And it is hereby ordered that the great titan in charge of a province in the realm of Indiana shall be the operating chief for the grand dragon in his province, and shall be in supreme charge of the work in his province, and it shall be the duty of the great titan to enforce all rules, regulations, usages, and customs, as well as to direct the methods of procedure in all matters relating to the activity of the Knights of the Ku-Klux Klan in his province in order that the work may go forward in harmony with the spirit and methods of procedure authorized and justified by all the rules and regulations and constitution of the order. The great titan is vested herewith with all the necessary authority to carry out the purpose and intent of the work of the Knights of the Ku-Klux Klan in his province, and is the general supervisor and directing chief of all the forces of the Ku-Klux Klan in his province.

Fourth. Effective from and after May 18, 1924, and until further ordered, the great titans shall have as part of their duties the specific work of keeping all klans in their province in good standing with the imperial palace so far as the payment through them to the imperial palace of all the just and constitutional funds due to the imperial palace from the various klans in their provinces in order that the imperial palace may be assured of the financial returns from all the klans in the realm of Indiana to which the imperial palace is constitutionally entitled.

Fifth. In order to facilitate and accelerate the progress of the work in Indiana from May 18, 1924, and until further ordered, the imperial klabee of the order shall transmit to the grand klabee of the realm of Indiana the sum of one-half of the imperial tax received from each klan. The said amount to be sent to the grand klabee as fast as reports are received from the various klans in the realm of Indiana. The said contribution to the said funds of Indiana being made by the imperial palace for the purpose of assisting the realm of Indiana financially in the preliminary stage of the work in the realm of Indiana.

Sixth. The funds accruing from all sources in the realm of Indiana for the work of the order shall be under the direction, supervision, and in the custody of a finance committee, composed of the grand dragon and the great titans, or the operating chiefs of the work in the realm of Indiana. The grand klabee shall pay out no funds placed in his hands except by order of the abovementioned finance committee, and the said committee is authorized to make such distribution of the funds at its disposal as may be deemed best for the interest of the work in the realm of Indiana.

Seventh. Authority is herewith given for the great titans to arrange for all necessary local assessments in their various provinces for the purpose of carrying forward the work in their province, but full and complete details showing amounts of assessments and reason for same, a proposed budget of expenditures of same must be submitted to the imperial palace for information and approval by the imperial palace.

Done in the executive chambers of his lordship the imperial wizard, in the imperial city of Atlanta, Commonwealth of Georgia, on this the 21st day of the fifth month of the year of our Lord, 1924, and on the doleful day of the wonderful week of the bloody month of the year of the klan LVIII.

Attest:

(Signed by his lordship.)

H. W. EVANS, Imperial Wizard.
BROWN HARWOOD. Imperial Klazik.
H. K. RAMSEY, Imperial Kligrapp.

The CHAIRMAN. At the present moment I think I will excuse you, but I am going to ask you to remain until I have examined another witness or two, and I may then want to recall you.

Mr. EMMONS. All right.

The CHAIRMAN. These papers you have left with me I will look over and see if they are pertinent to this case.

Mr. EMMONS. All right.

The CHAIRMAN. Is Walter Bossert here?

TESTIMONY OF WALTER F. BOSSERT

(The witness was sworn by the chairman.)
The CHAIRMAN. What is your name?
Mr. BOSSERT. Walter F. Bossert.

The CHAIRMAN. Where do you reside?

Mr. BOSSERT. Indianapolis, Ind.

The CHAIRMAN. How long have you lived in Indiana?

Mr. BOSSERT. All my life.

The CHAIRMAN. And you are about what age?

Mr. BOSSERT. Forty-one.

The CHAIRMAN. What is your occupation, sir?

Mr. BOSSERT. Attorney at law.

The CHAIRMAN. You practice in what city?

Mr. BOSSERT. Indianapolis; and I also have an office with my brother in Liberty, Ind.

The CHAIRMAN. Are you a member of a firm in Indianapolis or do you practice by yourself?

Mr. BOSSERT. We practice under the name of Bossert & Bossert. The CHAIRMAN. You and your brother?

Mr. BOSSERT. Yes.

The CHAIRMAN. Mr. Bossert, I am proceeding with you as I have with other witnesses who have testified. I have talked with none of them. Therefore, I may ask you some questions about matters with which you have nothing to do. If I do, you will set me right.

Did you take any part in the last senatorial primary in Indiana ? Mr. BOSSERT. You mean this spring primary of 1926?

The CHAIRMAN. Yes.

Mr. BOSSERT. I did not.

The CHAIRMAN. Did you take any interest in the senatorial contest?

Mr. BOSSERT. No, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. You are a member of the Ku-Klux Klan, I believe it is called?

Mr. BOSSERT. I was.

The CHAIRMAN. What was the position you held?

Mr. BOSSERT. I was what is known as vice president of the national organization; and the official title in the organization in Indiana was "Grand Dragon of Indiana."

The CHAIRMAN. Did that throw you in contact with Doctor Evans to some extent?

Mr. BOSSERT. It did.

The CHAIRMAN. Was any effort made to have you take any part in the Indiana primary election?

Mr. BOSSERT. I do not know just exactly how to answer that question, because I resigned my connection with the organization in January, 1926.

The CHAIRMAN. How did you come to resign? What was the occasion?

Mr. BOSSERT. I had asked to resign in September of the year previous, and my resignation was accepted in January, 1926.

The CHAIRMAN. Was your resignation demanded by anybody for some political purpose just getting to this thing frankly, Mr. Bossert?

Mr. BOSSERT. I never had anybody directly come to me and ask me for my resignation. The reason I say that, I might explain to you. They could remove you as head of the organization in Indiana, but they could not remove you as a national officer, under the constitution and by-laws of the organization.

The CHAIRMAN. Who could remove you as a State officer?

Mr. BOSSERT. That is within the duties and regulations of the man at the head of the national organization. He has that right.

The CHAIRMAN. Mr. Bossert, you are a lawyer, and an intelligent man, and I think a fair man. Štatements are made to me that you held this office in Indiana, and that you were practically forced out for political reasons, and because you would not support a certain man for United States Senator. I wish you would tell me frankly about that.

Mr. BOSSERT. I do not know that that statement would be a fair statement as to any candidate, Senator. My policy in the klan has always been to stand for principles rather than individuals, and, of course, I have had more or less disputes in regard to the position which I had taken. Now, as I said before, there is nobody who can force your resignation. They could remove you, but they could not force your resignation.

The CHAIRMAN. What was the trouble about over there, Mr. Bossert?

Mr. BOSSERT. I do not know that you can say that there was any trouble, because, as I say, I asked to be relieved in September, and finally got out the last of January.

The CHAIRMAN. Go on and tell me all about it.

Mr. BOSSERT. I am trying to explain to you, Senator, my position, and the position that I have always taken, and I would like to get that position clear in your mind; that I believed in principles, and never believed in advancing the cause of any individual, be he constable or United States Senator or governor or what not.

The CHAIRMAN. How does that get you into any disputes, holding to that theory? You say it has been your policy. How did that get you into any disputes?

Mr. BOSSERT. I had a great many of them.

with

I had a dispute The CHAIRMAN. What was the dispute about? Why did this get you into disputes, because you supported principles and not men? Mr. BOSSERT. That seemed to be the early policy of the institution. The CHAIRMAN. Yes?

Mr. BOSSERT. I mean, we had a man at the head of the organizathat he laid down. I naturally disagreed with him. tion at one time by the name of Stephenson, and that was the policy

The CHAIRMAN. What was the policy he laid down? To take care

of men?

Mr. BOSSERT. It seemed to be to single out the indorsement of

certain men.

The CHAIRMAN. For political office?

Mr. BOSSERT. It seemed to be; yes.

The CHAIRMAN. Let me see if I understand you.

Your theory

was that the business of the klan was to promote certain principles

that you believed in?

Mr. BOSSERT. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. And you did not think that the klan ought to be employed to support particular candidates for public office, but that the members should be guided by their principles?

Mr. BOSSERT. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. You came to a time when you had some disputes, which were occasioned by the fact, if I get you right, that Mr. Stephenson, among others-at least Mr. Stephenson-wanted to have certain men supported?

Mr. BOSSERT. That has always been his policy. Understand, he was head of this organization previous to my being employed. The CHAIRMAN. But you did not agree with the policy of Mr. Stephenson?

Mr. BOSSERT. I surely did not.

The CHAIRMAN. That the klan should be called upon to vote for certain particular candidates?

Mr. BOSSERT. No, sir; I never have, and do not now.

The CHAIRMAN. Very well. Mr. Stephenson did undertake to use the klan in that way; am I right in that?

Mr. BOSSERT. I so judge from the instruction sheets that I have seen, that he sent out.

The CHAIRMAN. Were those instruction sheets to that effect, Mr. Bossert?

Mr. BOSSERT. As far as I remember them now. I have none of them in my possession. I turned the records all over, and I can only give you my best recollection.

The CHAIRMAN. When did Stephenson cease to be in active control of the klan?

Mr. BOSSERT. As far as the klan was concerned, his resignation was accepted in October, 1923.

The CHAIRMAN. When Stephenson went out, who succeeded him? Mr. BOSSERT. I do not think anybody did for some time. They ran along without any head except what they called an imperial representative; and I directed the activities with the secretary that I had in the office.

The CHAIRMAN. What was your position?

Mr. BOSSERT. At that time I was handling legal work, national extension work, which consisted of dissolving small corporations that had started up, like little newspapers that the klan originally had. It consisted of

The CHAIRMAN. I do not mean the particular work. I mean what was your position in the klan?

Mr. BOSSERT. I held the position of vice president, or what they called the klaliff of the klan.

The CHAIRMAN. Afterwards, were you given a different office? Mr. BOSSERT. Afterwards I took the head of the Indiana organization officially.

The CHAIRMAN. And that head was called what?

Mr. BOSSERT. That is called grand dragon of the klan.

The CHAIRMAN. When did you become a grand dragon?

Mr. BOSSERT. In May, 1924.

The CHAIRMAN. Am I right in saying that the grand dragon is the head officer of the klan in the State and has general supervision and direction of its affairs?

Mr. BOSSERT. Yes, sir; you are right.

The CHAIRMAN. After you took this position, what, if any, efforts were made to have you use your office in the promotion of candidates? Mr. BOSSERT. I discussed it, I suppose, maybe as many as twenty or thirty times.

The CHAIRMAN. With whom?

Mr. BOSSERT. With the different officials; our own State officials, and the national officials.

The CHAIRMAN. What national officials?

Mr. BOSSERT. The man who always handled the national policy, or the political policy, was the attorney, who originally came from Kansas City, an attorney named William Zumbrunn.

The CHAIRMAN. Did he come over from Indianapolis to see you? Mr. BOSSERT. Not very many times. I do not know that he ever did come to Indianapolis to see me.

The CHAIRMAN. He saw you at Indianapolis, did he?

Mr. BOSSERT. I met him there. I met him most of the time in Washington.

The CHAIRMAN. What interest did Zumbrunn take in the Indiana candidates?

Mr. BOSSERT. I do not know that he was interested in any single individual. He was interested in a great many men that he had met, from Indiana, at Washington.

The CHAIRMAN. Did you ever discuss Senator Watson or Senator Robinson with Zumbrunn?

Mr. BOSSERT. I have discussed Senator Watson with him, but I never discussed Senator Robinson.

The CHAIRMAN. When did you discuss Senator Watson with him? Mr. BOSSERT. Well, I think that I was the man who introduced Mr. Zumbrunn to Senator Watson.

The CHAIRMAN. When was that?

Mr. BOSSERT. I am not sure, but I think possibly in the year 1924. The CHAIRMAN. What was the occasion of your introduction? Mr. BOSSERT. He told me he was employed to defend Senator Mayfield of Texas, and wanted to be introduced to the different Senators. I think I introduced him to Senator Watson, Senator Weller, of Maryland, and possibly-I can not recall; one or two

other men.

The CHAIRMAN. What took place?

Mr. BOSSERT. Well, on the first occasion that I remember, it was just a social visit. After that I possibly was there with him a few times, but I do not remember anything that took place on those

occasions.

The CHAIRMAN. Do you remember anything that took place on any

occasion?

Mr. BOSSERT. I can not now, Senator, everything that was disThe CHAIRMAN. Did you discuss the Mayfield case?

Mr. BOSSERT. I think just generally; that Mr. Zumbrunn actually asked something about it, but I do not remember just exactly the details of what was discussed.

The CHAIRMAN. I am not asking you about the details. asking you for the general import of the conversation-what you

talked about.

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