The White Patriot Party Proudly Presents...
...by F.Glenn Miller
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November 20, 1983 is a day I'll never forget and one that has caused me much emotional pain ever since.
My friend David Edward Wallace, was shot dead by a shotgun blast fired at close range by James Holder, following a CKKKK rally outside Siler City, North Carolina.
That incident more than any other prior to that, gave me regret for ever having started the CKKKK.
David was one of the first to join my new group in early 1981, and from that day 'til his death, he worked hard, starting his own den, signing up dozens of members, and even holding full CKKKK rallies in his own back yard.
I could call David anytime, day or night, and he would do as I asked, even when it required making the 130-mile round trip to my house in Angier from his in rural Chatham County. He and I became very close friends as did our wives and families, and we were together on a hundred or so occasions.
I just liked the man. No, I loved him. He was the epitome of the devoted proud Southern fighter I wanted millions of. He made no apology to anyone for what he believed in, and he believed strongly in the CKKKK. And I must admit he felt much the same about me. David greatly respected me and what I was trying to do. He once told me that if I had been leading the Klan back in the 60's, the Black Civil Rights Movement would not have succeeded. Of course, that was a gross exaggeration, but it shows how much David thought of me personally.
David was also a devoted father and husband, and he worshiped his mother, speaking about her frequently in glowing terms. I had the honor of meeting her, but only briefly and under the unfavorable circumstances of the murder trial of James Holder in Tarboro, NC.
I found her just as David had described, a proud and gracious Christian lady in the traditional Southern mold. And, though she could understandably blame me in part at least for the death of her son because I was the leader of the CKKKK, she never did and spoke friendly to me there and at the funeral, saying that David had always spoken highly of me, and that she appreciated me coming.
Myself and 50 or 60 other Klanspeople attended the funeral. During the church service, the minister taking note of me and the large Klan contingent, made insulting comments directed at us in his sermon by telling short loving stories about Jews and Blacks. His comments were so obviously intended to make us feel ashamed, that rather than make a scene, I walked out of the church and waited outside for the burial ceremony. I thought he used extremely bad judgment and taste, and I was embarrassed for the Wallace family and especially for David Wallace.
James Holder and David Wallace just plain didn't like each other. Both were highly successful den leaders, and understandably there were some competitive feelings, both working very hard to attract new members into their respective dens.
On the day David was shot, I had planned to stage a motorcade demonstration through Sanford to protest the rape and brutal beating of an eleven-year-old White girl by a Black man. This demonstration was scheduled to take place in the afternoon before the CKKKK rally that night at Siler City, some 25 miles away. But, at the last minute, I canceled the motorcade demonstration, due to mix-ups in the planning of it, and decided to just go with the rally.
David was very much upset about the cancellation, and during the rally that night, made no secret of his displeasure as he complained loudly to myself and other members.
I don't know for sure if that anger played a big part in his death, but I always felt that it did.
The rally that night was a success, drawing 300 or so people, resulting in a dozen or so new members, and above average financial donations.
I left about 9:00 p.m., right after the rally, which was early, but not unusual when Marge and our three little boys were with me, which was the case that night. The boys were especially unruly. Marge was having difficulty with them, and I was tired of hearing her complain.
After the rally, many CKKKK members stayed to talk or drink beer, or both, and while standing around a fiery barrel to keep warm in the November air. A little after midnight, David and James got into an argument, and James shot him with a 12-gauge shotgun from a distance of about six feet, killing David instantly.
At the trial, James testified that he was terrified of David and had been threatened by him just before the shooting, and on many other occasions during the preceding two years or so.
Thirty or forty CKKKK members, including myself and Steve Miller, attended the highly publicized trial each day. Steve and a few others were called to testify as eye witnesses. Five or six of them had stood only a few feet away and had seen the shooting clearly and heard the argument.
James Holder was found guilty of second degree murder, and sentenced to 18 years in a North Carolina penitentiary.
During the eight months or so following David's death, I called and spoke with his widow several times offering money or whatever other help the CKKKK could provide, but she always declined, politely and kindly thanking me for my concern and offers. After that, I made no attempt to contact the Wallace family, though I did run into David's young son a few times, David Jr., a clean cut young, and he let me know he had no hard feelings toward me, and went on to say, "Glenn, you'll always be my main man."
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