Madge Oberholtzer

Madge Augustine Oberholtzer (10 November 1896 – 14 April 1925) was an American schoolteacher who worked and lived in Indianapolis. Kidnapped and raped by D.C. Stephenson, Grand Dragon of the Indiana Ku Klux Klan, she died of a staph infection from wounds inflicted upon her by Stephenson. It was speculated that she suffered and died from self-inflicted poisoning but it was the infection shortly thereafter that was evidence in the indictment of Stephenson . She named Stephenson as her assailant in a deathbed statement that is on Indiana Record as one of the most provocative and thorough deathbed confessions . Her testimony was key to his conviction at trial and to the decline of the 1920s KKK in Indiana.

Early life

Oberholtzer was born in Clay City, Indiana to German-American parents and grew up in Fulton County, Indiana. After college, she taught in an Indiana state program for literacy. Like many young single women, she continued to live with her parents, then in the Irvington neighborhood of Indianapolis.

Events of the case

One evening in 1924, she attended a dinner at the Governor's mansion, where she met David Curtiss "D.C." Stephenson, who was instantly attracted to her. Madge would go on two dates with Stephenson; on the second date, he revealed he was Grand Dragon (state leader) of the Indiana Branch of the Ku Klux Klan. Incensed, she immediately broke off the relationship.

On 27 March 1925, Stephenson called her and asked her to come to his home about a new job. When she arrived at his home, he overpowered her and forced her to drink several glasses of alcohol (she was a teetotaler), until she became sick and nearly passed out. Stephenson ordered two of his bodyguards to carry her into a car, where she finally fainted. She awoke on Stephenson's private train on its way to Chicago. He then raped her while the train went towards Chicago. Stephenson also chewed and bit Madge all over her body. One of her nipples was literally bitten off and her genitals were severely mutilated. A doctor who examined her later on said these injuries and the resulting infection could have itself been fatal. He said it looked like Madge had been attacked by a pack of wolves. One historian described her condition as akin to having been "chewed by a cannibal". On the second day of her ordeal in an Indiana hotel, Madge attempted to shoot herself, but was foiled by Stephenson. In Hammond, Oberholtzer convinced Stephenson to let her go to a drug store to purchase feminine hygiene items. Despite the presence of Stephenson's bodyguards, she purchased mercuric chloride tablets, and, when no one was watching, she swallowed six of the poison tablets. Oberholtzer threatened Stephenson, saying “The law will get their hands on you!” He laughed and said, “I am the law in Indiana.” Stephenson's Klan connections gave him tremendous political power in the state when the KKK was at a height of membership and influence.

Discovered vomiting blood that night, Stephenson waited until the next afternoon (nearly 24 hours), and when she didn't recover, he had his two bodyguards rent a car and drive her back to her parents' home in Indiana, where they dropped her off late that night. While in the house the bodyguard was approached by a boarder who asked what was going on. The bodyguard, while hiding his face with his hat, said that Madge had been in a car accident and then quickly exited the home. Her parents immediately called a doctor, but there was little the doctor could do. With what strength she had left, she accused Stephenson in a deathbed statement on 28 March that detailed her treatment at his hands. Oberholtzer died on 14 April 1925 from an infection and kidney failure from mercury poisoning.

Trial

Stephenson was indicted on charges of rape and second-degree murder. At his trial, the doctor who had examined her testified that the injuries she received during her rape would be sufficient alone to kill her. He described her wounds as similar to having been "chewed by a cannibal."

Stephenson's defense was that Oberholtzer had committed suicide. The prosecution demonstrated Oberholtzer vomited so violently that prompt medical attention may have saved her. During closing statements, Stephenson was decried as a “destroyer of virtue and womanhood”. The court found him guilty of second degree murder and sentenced to life in prison.

Aftermath

Stephenson's assault of Oberholtzer so outraged many members of the Klan that entire lodges left the organization. The scandal destroyed the KKK in Indiana. Within the following two years, the Indiana KKK lost more than 178,000 members, becoming virtually non-existent. Indiana and other states stepped up efforts to publicize Klan members (who had depended on secrecy to hide their activities) and prosecute infractions. By February 1928, Indiana Klan rosters had decreased dramatically from a peak of more than 250,000 members to approximately 4,000.

Stephenson was paroled on 23 March 1950, but violated parole by disappearing on or before 25 September 1950. On 15 December 1950, he was captured in Minneapolis. In 1951, he was directed to serve a further 10 years in prison. On 22 December 1956, Stephenson was paroled again on condition he leave Indiana and never return. In 1961, he was arrested on charges of sexually assaulting a sixteen-year-old girl, but the charges were dropped on grounds of insufficient evidence. He died in 1966.

Madge Oberholtzer was buried in Memorial Park Cemetery in Indianapolis.

Legacy in popular culture

Actress Mel Harris portrayed Oberholtzer in the TV mini-series Cross of Fire (1989).

See also

• Indiana Klan

References

• Brummel, Bill; Ku Klux Klan: A Secret History, aired 31 May 2003 on the History Channel.
• Crais, Robert; Cross of Fire, 1989 television miniseries.
• Lutholtz, M. William; Grand Dragon: D.C. Stephenson and the Ku Klux Klan in Indiana.
• Newton, Michael, and Judy Ann Newton; The Ku Klux Klan: An Encyclopedia, New York & London: Garland Publishing, 1991.
• "D.C. Stephenson Collection, 1922-1978", Indiana Historical Society
• "Ku Klux Klan Resources", Indiana State Library
• "STEPHENSON v. STATE - Supreme Court of Indiana", State University of New York at Buffalo