Description:

KLANSMAN IS BANISHED FOR "SODOMY"
A most unusual and eyebrow-raising set of internal Ku Klux Klan correspondence, related to the banishment of one Stiles E. Gilliford of the Altoona, Pennsylvania branch of the Klan for committing an act of sodomy. The group opens with a retained copy of a unsigned typed letter from Altoona "Kligrapp" (secretary) John F. Marshall, 1p. 4to., Altoona, April 24, 1923, to Sam D. Rich, "King Kleagle" (chief organizer) of Pennsylvania, in part: "...Stiles E. Gilliford, No. 244... Age about 50 years old, employed as a Clerk in the Works Accountant''s Office of the Pennsylvania R.R. Co., Altoona... This man was reported on the 20th day of December 1922 by another of our members and since that date he has been under investigation by a secret committee. Sometime in the first part of April 1923 he was reported to the Inspector of P.R.R. Police who assigned a Special Officer to watch Gilliford and during the noon hour of the 12th of April he was caught in the act of committing sodomy in the Works Accountant''s Office by the officer assigned to his case. The other party who took part in this crime was a Messenger employed in one of the nearby Offices. When the report of the investigating officer was turned into the office of Inspector of Police this man Gilliford was automatically dismissed from the service of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company thus losing 30 years service with the Railroad... Our investigating committee reported this matter to me. I arranged with [Altoona "Exalted Cyclops"] Tipton for a special meeting of the Officers of Altoona Local and discussed the cold facts of Gilliford''s case after which it was decided that we should gather together all the information which we possibly could and forward same to your office and at the same time ask that you inform him that he has been banished from the Organization, for we feel that the fact of him being a member of the Organization will cause more or less trouble in the ranks and furthermore he has violated one of the laws of the State of Pennsylvania, that is covered by the Penal Code of Pennsylvania, Title IV - Section 32 - Sodomy - $1000.00 fine or 10 years solitary confinement or both..." Appended to this letter is a 12mo. page of notes in Marshall''s hand, a shorthand recording of some of the facts of Gillibrand''s case, as well as the registered mail receipt recording his sending this information to Rich. Also present is Rich''s terse T.L.S. in response, 1p. 4to., Pittsburgh, May 2, 1923, in part: "... regarding Stiles E. Gilliford, who is a member of your Klan. Banish this party without delay and take his name from your roll." This correspondence is housed in an envelope bearing several inscriptions in Marshall''s hand, recording the date of Gilliford''s banishment, the state statutes that he violated, and also noting that the charges against him were not pursued by the Altoona authorities. Each of these pieces shows paper clip marks and slight toning, else very good.

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April 18, 2018 10:00 AM EDT
Elkton, MD, US

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