Show KlAN IS BlAM BLAMED fOR Of WOMAN AND SOW SON Victim Describes Describe's s How 82 Blows Were Dealt Across Bare B Back ck FOUR UNDER ARREST Three Others Be Beaten ten ReCently Re Re- Gently P Police lice Find TOCCOA Ga June 15 AP AP- AP Small mall town gossip thought to have originated ed with an old man man in itt the lie community finally reaped eighty eighty- two to blows blows' across a w woman womans woman's m ns n's s bare bareback back The story Mrs Apsley BoWers Bowers Bow BoW- ers cs told o of an attack on her and h her lo year old ear oId s led to the arrest of four me men men and nd tp a charge i of the Ku Rl Klux x lIan From a hospital bed in Gainesville Gaines Gaines- s- s yule ville Ga Gi near here Mrs Bowers told newspaper per men that twelve men in three automobiles called at ath ather ather h her r home late last Sunday nIght forced her ller er to accompany them to LO a lonely and then b beat at her het four times Her son Floyd was taken too Loo oo she saId and nd beaten when he cried out against her assailants WORE KLAN GARB These men are all members member's members of the Xu Klux Klan there is no doubt abo about t It If Mrs Bowers Boners declared to I newspaper per men They wore the Ku Klux Klan uniform and threatened threatened threatened threat threat- ened to 10 brand the letter hK K on my my back unless I 1 left town lown Nathan lathan Bedford Forrest grand dragon of the Ku El Klux x Klan in ip Georgia replied to tol Mrs Bowers Bowers' assertion as assertion 1 with a a. statement In which he said If If any member or of the Ku Klux Klan llan took part in the Toccoa flogging the klan Man will do Its utmost to send end him to the state state penitentiary Forrest said that there w was s a local klan in the vicinIty vicinity vicinity vicin vicin- ity of ot To Toccoa coa but that he thought that men who committed this dastardly das dastardly outrage posed as klansmen to throw the blame on the organization tion The old man manto to whom the gO gos gossip gossip sip was as charged r remained in the background A prominent business businessman m man n of the town told Investigators that so persistent was was this talker that the chief of bf police poUce took cognizance cognizance cognizance zance of oC the stories but that after aCter five daj days dag s dropped H the e matter as not worth worthy of con concern rn TW TWO DENY CHARGE Mrs Mrs- Irs Irs' Bow Bowers Bowers' ers husband from whom she has s been s separated two years Is isa a railroad man and two of oC the themen themen themen men men arrested on charges charges' of having participated ed in the tl flogging are railroad Elmer Clark and Charles Charl s Thomas surrendered to Sheriff Sherif 10 F F. A A. A Stowe of Stephens county late yesterday after completing ing a a. rUn riJn run from Greenville s 5 Ci Q Both denied the charge The two wo others arrested were cere WJ W W. J J. J Acree cree principal of a high s JI near ar Toccoa and T T. R R. Lowery towery sub- sub foreman forem ri d of a furniture factory All AU tou fou Waived preliminary nary hearing A grand Jury to consider Inc Is isto to be convened July 4 4 A band of ot robed and hooded men for forced ed entrance Into her home about 2 o ocl clock dk k last Sunday morning Mrs Bow Bowers ers told newspaper men They all were armed with sticks Continued on page 7 7 KLAN IS BLAMED FOR FLOGGING OF WOMAN AND SON Continued d from page 1 j. and pistols The man who vho seemed to be the leader Jeader entered my room and ordered me to remove all aU m my clothing I 1 told him I would no not and nd quickly put ut on a a. dressing gown They grabbed me ant and amP took me on onto out outto to an automobile When my son In Interfered it- it they put him In one o othree of three machines After they had taken us us out o othe of the automobile they took an automobile automobile automobile auto auto- mobile s seat sCat at from one one of the cars and forced me e to lie One man stood above me me and pinned m my head with his knees other men hel helmy held my feet and hands They pulled a amy all my clothing up over my head nead an anone and andone andone one began to strike me ne with a aleather aleath- aleath leather leath leath- er strap I screamed with pain an anone and andone andone one man thrust his fist into m my mouth They whipped me so hard I al almost almost almost al- al most fainted Then they pause paused an anone and andone andone one man man said I would have to t be ou out of Toccoa a by Monday night I I. I asked aske why they were vere whipping me If an any of my neighbors rs or anyone else ha had said anything against me She dont don't talk right about this thing give her some more on one of ot the men said They put me down dow on on the automobile seat and whipped whippet me again They cursed me and beame beat bea me again and again They ga gave e m my myson myson son a whipping but not so so severe a athe as the ones they gave rue fue They left us there and I fell fen t to the ground and my son went to a anear near nearby y house and brought back a am aman m man n. n who took us back to Toccoa Hospital physicians said th the lower part of Mrs rs Bowers Bowers' bod body was vas almost flayed The son wh who I was not severely hurt said he counted two eighty-two blows laid on onUs his Us mothers mother's body body- Three other persons were beaten recently here but not riot until the atack attack attack at- at tack tack ack on Mrs 1 Bowers Bowers- became generally gen gen- rally known did tie the victims disclose die dis- close lose details of their misfortune Police have four distinct whippings IlS as s a basis for their investigation Mrs Martha Finley Fin ley 55 vIas was whipped hipped and forced to leave the county and Elsie Williams V related to ov her by marriage mariage suffered the same ame intimidation moving on short hort notice to Seneca S S. S C. C Bert Singleton Ingleton a farmer was was beaten beaten so severely that hi his wife was called caned on n to remove remove- torn clothing from lacerated flesh A ho hooded ded band acted on stories connecting Singleton Singleton Sin Sin- gleton with bootlegging Stories s gossips and Insinuations are thought bought by authorities to have ha led ledo to o each attack |