WHAT POLICE RECORDS SHOW
Investigation of the police and court records of Atlanta disclosed that Clarke and Mrs. Tyler were arrested in their night clothes in a house that Mrs. Tyler owned at No. 185 South Pryor street, Atlanta. This occurred in October, 1919. Clarke gave the name of "Jim Slaton" and Mrs. Tyler gave the name of "Mrs. Elizabeth Carroll."
The cases were on the book of the Recorder's court as City of Atlanta versus E.Y. Clarke and City of Atlanta versus Mrs. Elizabeth Tyler, page 305 of the docket of 1919, case numbers 17,005 and 17,006. The police were put on the trail of Clarke and Mrs. Tyler by Clarke's wife.
In addition to the charge of disorderly conduct, a charge of possessing whisky illegally was placed against Mrs. Tyler and Clarke. This was an amazing charge against Clarke because he had been known as one of the leaders of the anti-saloon movement in Georgia. The whisky charge was dropped when J.Q. Jett, son-in-law of Mrs. Tyler, claimed ownership of the whisky and was fined $25.
The Klan is supposed to stand for respect of women and children. The records of the Atlanta courts still contain charges against Clarke that he deserted and abandoned his wife and child. He never has denied the charges. Mrs. Clarke went to work to support herself and her little son. A suit for divorce was filed in October, 1919, by Mrs. Clarke, who charged that her husband had deserted her three years previously. After his arrest with Mrs. Tyler Clarke agreed to pay his wife $75 a month. Since Clarke has become prosperous in the Ku Klux Klan he has bought his wife a $10,000 house.
RECORDS ARE STOLEN
When newspaper men began to investigate Mrs. Tyler and Clarke, they discovered that the official records of the Atlanta police department and the Recorder's office had been mutilated. Somebody had stolen the pages from the books containing the records of the cases. Members of the Ku Klux Klan are numbered among the police and official attaches of the city and newspaper comment indicates that they helped smother the case in behalf of their leaders.
SCANDAL OF "CHAPLAIN" RIDLEY
Another leader of the Ku Klux Klan is "Rev." Caleb A. Ridley, who is the "Imperial Chaplain" of the order. He is a right-hand assistant of Mrs. Tyler and helps her to edit The Searchlight.