SECRET INVASION OF KLAN RESULTS IN A FILLED TO CAPACITY COUNTY JAIL
Mt. Clemens*, Michigan (JFK+50) On January 14, 1924, the Associated Press reports "the Macomb County jail today was filled to capacity as the result of a sweeping drive against alleged bootleggers, gamblers and keepers of disorderly houses following...a secret invasion of the county by agents of the Ku Klux Klan."
City and state police reportedly were bringing prisoners to the jail while the Klansmen gathered at the First Presbyterian Church, holding ceremonies including the burning of a cross.
*Mt. Clemens is the seat of government of Macomb County, Michigan. The discovery of mineral waters in the 1870s made the city famous as a health spa. The city had 23 major hotels at one time. MC was also once known as "The Rose Capital of the United States."
SOURCES
"Mount Clemens, Brief History of Mount Clemens, www.mountclemens.gov/
"Raids Laid To Klan Fill County's Jail," The Evening Star, Washington, D.C., January 14, 1924, Chronicling America, Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/
