By Parker Anderson
It has been no secret that Prescott once had a local chapter of the Ku Klux Klan. The photos of a Klan funeral march through downtown have been published many times. But back in the early 20th century, the racial makeup of Prescott was not very different than it is today. There were not many African-Americans in the area, so Prescott Klan No. 14 had to vent its rage at other targets.
In a file folder at the Sharlot Hall Museum Archives, there is an un-indexed Klan publication. Although it is not dated, it's clearly from the mid-1920s. In it, anonymous Klansmen authors discourse on the state of law enforcement in Yavapai County, including Prohibition, or the ban by law of the manufacture and sale of alcoholic drinks for common consumption set out by the Eighteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution during the period from 1920 to 1933.
The publication's opening paragraph, chilling in its prose, reads in part: "In the year of 1922, on a dark night there appeared on one of the mountain tops near Prescott, a large cross to which was added fire to signify that Christ is the light of the world! As the light drives away the darkness and gloom, so a knowledge of the truth dispels ignorance and superstition. So by the fire of Calvary's cross we mean to purify and cleanse our virtues with the fire of His word. There is no doubt in our minds that many people who saw it and those who were told of it, did not appreciate its meaning as we have just explained in part. For the benefit of those who do not understand, we wish at this time to let the people of Prescott and Yavapai County know that we are here to stay as long as a Church of God will stand and as long as any human being remains here for a cause worth while. We have been cursed and damned all over this Country, and still we grow and will continue to grow."
The pamphlet then turns to local issues: "We receive many inquiries regarding law enforcement such as, why or by what authority does Sheriff Ruffner take upon himself the right to go out and destroy a bootlegger's still and turn the bootlegger loose. Was Sheriff Ruffner elected to office by the people to also act as the Justice of the Peace, County Attorney, Judge of the Court, and tell the people he is saving the County money? Can Sheriff Ruffner prove to the people of Yavapai County that he has lived up to the oath of his office to the best of his ability?"
Sheriff Ruffner remains one of the giants in Yavapai County law enforcement history. He served as Sheriff during two vastly different eras. His first term, from 1894 -1898, was in the days of train robberies and horseback posses. In 1922, ge decided he wanted his old job back and was re-elected. He served until his death in 1932, in the era of automobiles and bootleggers.
It's a Prescott legend that Ruffner did not support Prohibition and would often go as easy as he could on moonshiners. if this is true, history has backed him up solidly. Prohibition is remembered with derision today, while bootleggers are remembered as simple men who sold liquor primarily to feed their families during this period of economic depression. George Ruffner undoubtedly realized this and took it into account when forced by the law to go after them.
The Klan pamphlet continued to rant: "One man would like to know why Government Officers had to come to Yavapai County and arrest all the bootleggers when it is against the State laws to sell bootleg whiskey, as well as, against the United States Government laws and in view of our having a Sheriff and other County officers under him? Another man said he considered it a disgrace to the people of Prescott and Yavapai County when U.S. Government officers brought search warrants from Phoenix to serve in Prescott to make arrests in cases where bootleg whiskey was stored." "...Regarding the foregoing inquiries which were made to Klansmen by citizens from time to time, we feel that it would be well for Mr. Ruffner, Sheriff, to answer them if he could find it consistent to do so that the public would better understand him and his position along these lines."
There is no evidence that Sheriff Ruffner responded to this ridiculous tirade. He undoubtedly knew that the Klan did not have the influence in Prescott that it did in southern United States. In the end, he was vindicated by the people, who continued to re-elect him every two years until his death. The fact that the Klan opposed him is simply another testament to his character. It is truly a badge of honor.
The Klan pamphlet in the museum archives makes for fascinating historical reading. It is much longer than the paragraphs excerpted here. The Klan no longer thrives in Prescott, making their words ever more incredible when read today.
The pamphlet's wrap-up paragrap reads in part: "All Klansmen of Prescott No. 14 take this occasion to recommend to the good people of Prescott that there is no better time than right now to clean up Prescott and Yavapai County (so) that we will be free of bootleggers and the vice conditions... To the bootlegger and dope peddler we have this to say: we are here to stay and Yavapai County is not large enough for all us, so you may just as well make up your minds to leave or secure honest employment and be a real man or we shall do all in our power to see that you have free board and lodging with someone to watch you while you sleep."
Parker Anderson is an active member of the Sharlot Hall Museum's Blue Rose Theatre.
Sharlot Hall Museum Photograph Call Number:() Reuse only by permission.
During Prohibition, the Ku Klux Klan was misguided in its understanding of Sheriff Ruffner (shown here front and center with his deputies in the early 1930s). The KKK felt Rufner was much too harsh on the local bootleggers, when, in fact, he was better known for "looking the other way."