Bar- Do- Ben-nv CEDMHURST Fight Over Klan Wreath at War Dead Memorial Called Outrageous. Prominent citizens of Cedarhurst today branded the battle between the Ku-Klux Klan and the American Le gion at the memorial monument ded icatory services yesterday afternoon as an inexcusable and outrageous procedure which never should have happened." Sentiment Is strong Cedarhurst against the scrimmages between Klansmen and veterans when the Legion members tried to keep a Klan wreath away from the foot of the memorial. No one expected the slightest trouble when arrangements were made for the Thanksgiving Day service to dedicate the monument to the nine soldier dead from Cedar hurst and A large crowd had collected at the foot of the monument and' Col. Cornelius Wicker- sham, local Legion head, was about onen the ceremonies when three men stepped torwara ana piacen a wreath among; the others In the In-closure. Wreath Demolished. It bore a white card which said. "From Klan No. 4, N. The floral tribute occupied a conspicuous position and its beauty caught the ryot every one. Like wildnre word spread through the crowd that It was a token of the Invisible Empire. There was a buzz of excitement In the crowd and a veteran stepped forward and suggested that the Legion put the matter to a vote should the wreath remain? Representatives of the Legion carried the motion to remove the wreath. A Boldjer and a sailor In uniform broke from the crowd and started for the monument. No sooner had they touched the floral piece than a group of men surrounded them. Over the protest of Colonel Wlcker-sham the struggle waged. After a brief clash one of the Klansmen broke away and carried a wire framework strung with a few bits of cloth and placed It back in the enclosure, but not against the monument. Bits of flowers torn to scraps strewed the ground. The demolished wreath waj still a conspicuous figure, but not for Its beauty. Rabbi's Speech Cheered. The crowd became quiet the service was started by Colonel Winker-sham and the first speaker, Rabbi Landman of Temple israei, Far Rockaway, steppea iorwa.ru. Before he could speak a man Jumped up and shouted: "My boy died in the war as well as vours and I demand that the Klan wreath be put back on the monument." There was another tense moment and the rrowd surged forward, pack ing closely around the two speakers. Rabbi Landman nesitacen a moment, and then said: "I tell you that neither your son nor any of those boys whom we honor today dried that American should be torn by racial hatred and religious conflict. These boys of heroic and hallowed memory gave their lives not for race nor creed nor color, but for the perpetuation of the American democratic ideal which knows only, citizens, not narrow sectarians." Before the cheers died away an other concerted dash was made for the foot of the monument. The crowd was converted In a mass of fighting humans and the local po lice were swept along in tne rusn. Blows were exchanged and the pleading voice of Colonel Wicker-sham for order fell on deaf ears. The ceremony, though disorderly from the start to finish, was crammed with dramatic moments, and one of the most striking incidents occurred when a Gold Star Mother, white-faced but determined, stepped from the crowd and loudly protested the presence of the Klan wreath. Her words were drowned in the rush toward the monument but did much to precipitate crisis at the outset. While varying estimates of size of the crowd are given, the the number is placed at about 500. Services End in Disorder. The services broke up in disorder and both Klan sympathizers and Legion men left the scene. The grass in Cedarhust Park was sadly trampled and soil at the base of the monument was heavily trodden with many footsteps. Three police officers stood guard and all through the night the Klan wreath lay in the inclosur-3 Just a few feet ahead of the other floral tributes. Colonel Wickersham says he feels with every right minded citizen that the entire procedure was outrageous. He says that If anybody wanted to remove the wreatn he should have waited until night. "The incident was inexcusable," he declared. The same expression was given by J. Hows Burton, prominent citizen of Cedarhurst.
