The church lesson of March 26, 1922—front-page news in Evansville—was not lost on D. C. Stephenson, who pored over a half-dozen papers a day looking for clues on what made modern America tick. “It was the first public appearance by the Klan,” the fledgling order announced to the press, “but it won’t be the last.” Money changing hands in a house of God was usually viewed with skepticism. But this bribe of a soul merchant was part of a pattern: the new Klan would build its foundation with the blessing of Protestant clergy.
