D.C. Stephenson conviction and the collapse of the Indiana Klan (1925)

In 1925, D.C. Stephenson, the Grand Dragon of the Indiana Ku Klux Klan, was tried and convicted in Marion County for crimes arising from the abduction and assault of Madge Oberholtzer, whose subsequent death led to his conviction for second-degree murder. The highly publicized trial and conviction took place in Indianapolis and is widely credited with precipitating the rapid decline of Klan power in Indiana. The case drew national attention to corruption and criminality within the Klan's Indiana leadership. The trial and sentencing were conducted in Marion County courts in Indianapolis.