REDCAR – Ku Klux Klan – Meeting Behind Closed Doors

Accreditation Cleveland Standard 01/02/1936

Redcar’s Ku Klux Klan

MEETINGS BEHIND CLOSED DOORS

(SPECIAL TO THE STANDARD)

   Has Redcar a secret society? On Sunday night, a mysterious meeting was held secretly in a room above the Redcar railway station, and exhaustive enquiries have failed to reveal the reason or meaning behind it. About eight people men and women, sat behind closed doors and talked for an hour or more, but what they talked about is known only to themselves.
   It seemed like a meeting of a Secret Society (writes our reporter who found his way into the room and took the party unawares) for when he entered their meeting all the talk, which before my arrival sounded to be progressing enthusiastically, stopped suddenly. Believing it was an ordinary meeting at which my privileges allowed one to be present I sat down, all ears and eyes. But it seemed that I was an unwelcome stranger, they looked at me suspiciously, but barely a word was spoken.
   I recognised a few people as belonging to the Redcar Labour Party and asked boldly, “Is this a Labour meeting?”
   “No said a voice sounding rather sinister because of the silence. “It is not a Labour meeting.”
   I gazed at the odd dozen eyes which stared so mistrustfully into mine and began to feel rather uncomfortable. “Curiouser and curiouser.” I thought to myself, remembering my “Alice in Wonderland,” but in spite of my growing uneasiness I ventured another question.
   “Something to do with the Labour League of Youth.”
   “No! It is nothing to do with the League of Youth,” they said coldly.
   “Well, what’s it all about then?” I inquired, mentally calculating the distance to the door.

“BEST IF YOU GO”

   “We cannot tell you,” said another voice, followed by a deeper one, which said, “It is best if you go. We cannot tell you nothing just yet.”
   Such pen pictures do seem very nice amid the pages of “The Arabian Nights” but when an editor is expecting half a column report of a meeting and things like this happen that sense of adventure does seem to fade.
   “Well what are you doing here tonight?” I asked. “What is the meeting about? Least you can do is to tell me your objective? If you have any reason for your objective not being made public, that is alright, but let us drop all this mystery. You seem like a Secret Society.”
   One man grinned; another winked, but a third seemed determined that “there was no room for laughter here” and said “We cannot disclose our objective even to you. We can tell you nothing at all. It is all very, very private at the moment, but maybe if things turn out as we hope, you will hear about us some day.”
   How informative I thought, but realised that this was no place for bravado or obstinacy and I left. After the door had closed behing me I listened and the voices began again.
   What is this strange society? What is their object in meeting together? Who are they anyhow?

          H.P.