8 – The Murder of John W. Stephens – 1870
The murder of John W. Stephens was one of the most controversial and reprehensible acts carried out by the first incarnation of the Klan. Born in 1834, Stephens served in the Confederate Army during the Civil War but did not see action as his role involved commandeering horses and helping the South find draftees. After the war, he worked as a tobacco trader and became known as ‘Chicken Stephens’ for shooting a chicken that ventured on to his property. He spent a night in jail for the incident and allegedly confronted the chicken’s owner when he got out of prison.
Upon his move to Yanceyville in 1866, Stephens became involved in politics and joined the Republican Party and Freedman’s Bureau. Part of his work resulted in politically organizing the black population of the state of North Carolina, activities that earned him a lot of enemies. Stephens’ popularity amongst the state’s black population helped him to win election to the North Caroline Senate. The white population of Caswell County ostracized him, and because of the threats to his life faced during that time, Stephens took out a life insurance policy reportedly worth $10,000.
North Carolina’s Klan was enraged with Stephens, and they held a ‘trial’ where Stephens was found guilty in absentia and sentenced to death. Before the fateful day, Stephens was warned that his life was in danger, but he ignored the advice. The Klan had already lynched four black men, but when these actions didn’t gain the attention they craved, they knew it was time to carry out their ‘death sentence’ on Stephens.
On May 21, 1870, the Klan confronted Stephens in a backroom in Caswell County Courthouse. He was there to attend a Democrat meeting and was trying to get one of their party to run as sheriff as part of the Republican ticket. The man he was trying to ‘turn’ motioned to follow him downstairs and Stephens complied, not realizing that he was walking into a trap. Up to 12 Klansmen were waiting for him and carried out a particularly gruesome murder.
According to the story, Stephens asked if he could look out the window to see his home and children playing in the distance. Then, the Klan attacked, stabbing and choking their victim before holding him down and slashing his throat. Stephens bled to death on the floor although the KKK caught his blood in a bucket. As you’ve probably guessed, no one was charged with the murder.
