The trial was probably the biggest prosecution of the Ku Klux Klan since reconstruction days. In Birmingham, Ala., 18 men had been indicted for the brutal wave of floggings, cross-burnings and intimidation that swept Alabama's hill country last summer.
The atmosphere was informal. In the corridors of Jefferson County's big stone courthouse, the gossip and laughter were loud. There were strike-idled coal miners and old men who shave only once every three days and carry canes. Klansmen posed for pictures smiling broadly, friend-ly-like. Inside the courtroom, mild old Judge Robert J....
To continue reading:
or
Log-In
