This event at Locust Gap, Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, was part of a pattern on intimidation that took place in the coal regions, where the Ku Klux Klan “announced” its presence in the area by setting off an explosion which was followed by the burning of a cross in one of the highest points in the area. The reaction of some was that the event was conducted by pranksters. Others suggested that the Klansmen would have “fared badly had they been caught by the townspeople.” But in this reported incident, the never-answered questions was “who fired the cross?”
From the Mount Carmel Item, November 7, 1924:
There was considerable excitement at Locust Gap last night when residents witnessed the burning of a large cross on the mountain near the washery dirt banks and many are of the opinion that it was the work of members of the Ku Klux Klan from some other section of the county. Others, however, say that it was a practical joke, perpetuated by some of the cut-ups of the town.
As soon as the blaze of the fiery cross was seen a crowd of Gap citizens armed themselves with firearms and made haste to the scene but when they arrived no trace of the supposed Kluxers could be found. Three large Ks were constructed by armed Gap people and set on fire and this added to the horror of the men, women and children of the town. If the burning of the cross was the work of hooded knights they would have fared badly had they been caught by the townspeople. The question uppermost in the minds of the citizens is, “Who fired the cross on the hill?”
This post is a continuation of the reporting on hate groups that were active in the Lykens Valley area. It was a widely known fact that the Ku Klux Klan had a significant presence in the Lykens Valley and adjacent valleys during the early years of the 20th Century. This iteration of the Klan was strongly white supremacist and was opposed to equal rights for African Americans, Catholics, Jews, and immigrants.
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News article from Newspapers.com.
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