A Fever in the Heartland: The Ku Klux Klan's Plot to Take Over America, and the Woman Who Stopped Them

Upwards of 50,000 Klansmen—unmasked and unafraid—marched on the nation’s capital with 200,000 spectators cheering for them. The vast majority were from Northern states. As the parade reached its endpoint at the Washington Monument, a heavy rain scattered the crowd and precluded the lighting of an enormous cross. The success of the parade burnished the Klan’s image in the eyes of many Americans and an uncritical press.

In the Hamilton County jail, Stephenson’s incarceration more closely resembled a stay at a luxury hotel—the sheriff brought him “[c]igars, good liquor, and treats” (252), plus gifts, cash, and personal notes from prominent politicians. Press coverage was generally favorable, although Evans’s presence in Noblesville was a reminder that Stephenson’s standing within the national KKK had faltered. Responding to charges that the Klan was on the decline, Evans claimed, “If the Klan is dead […] then America is dead” (255).

Meanwhile, a third judge was appointed to Stephenson’s case, and the trial date was pushed back to October 1. With the defense’s motion to dismiss the charges denied, Stephenson had to spend several more months behind bars.

As Remy prepared his case against Stephenson, the stress took its toll—he barely slept and lost nearly 30 pounds. He knew the jury pool would be populated with Klan members, so he crafted his argument carefully so as not to put the jury on trial as well. When the jury was finally selected, Remy’s co-counsel, former judge Charles Cox, discovered that at least three members were likely Klansmen. Local Noblesville octogenarian William Stern, a veteran of the Civil War, was outraged by the presence of the Klan in both his state and his Republican party. He urged his fellow citizens to see through the charade of “Americanism” to the hypocrisy beneath.

In his opening statement, Cox cited Oberholtzer’s dying words, careful to portray the victim as beloved and “chaste.” Stephenson, on the other hand, he depicted as a drunkard and sexual predator, a man with a charming exterior but a “debauched” soul. Following the prosecution’s strategy, Cox never mentioned the Klan. On the other side, the defense offered no opening statement. Inman believed he could get the case dismissed with no proof of murder, or that fellow Klansmen would close ranks to protect one of their own. The prosecution focused on Oberholtzer’s injuries sustained while in the company of Stephenson. The defense tried to taint her character, but the judge disallowed it. Then Remy suggested the cause of Oberholtzer’s death was actually an infection from the bite wounds. The doctor on the stand claimed, “It most certainly hastened her death” (271).

Asa Smith, a World War I veteran, testified for the prosecution. Experiencing ongoing trauma from the war, Smith was fragile, and Inman aimed to take advantage of it. He accused Smith of trying to extort money from Stephenson, a charge Smith denied. The following day, the judge declared that Oberholtzer’s dying statement—still in legal limbo—could be admitted as evidence, a win for the prosecution.

The following day, Remy read Oberholtzer’s statement. The final witness of the day was a Black train porter who identified Stephenson as Oberholtzer’s alleged captor. As Stephenson tried to manipulate the local election from his jail cell, he encountered unusual resistance: a candidate not interested in his bribe.

Stephenson had paid off the sheriff and several reporters, but with the trial uncertain, he decided to destroy Oberholtzer’s reputation. He planted stories in the press about her party lifestyle. The poison, he claimed, was an attempt at a self-induced abortion. He then paid off loyal Klansmen to perjure themselves on the witness stand, to lie about Oberholtzer.

Evans, meanwhile, raced across the country to contain the ever-widening fallout from the Stephenson trial in an attempt to assuage disenchanted Klansmen. For his part, Stephenson’s mounting legal bills threatened to drain his wealth.

Remy’s medical expert testified that the poison alone wasn’t enough to kill Oberholtzer, but the massive infection from Stephenson’s bite wounds coupled with the toxins proved fatal. The next day, Inman made some headway against another of Remy’s medical witnesses, and Stephenson was pleased when the Klan swept Indiana’s local elections.