Madge Oberholtzer facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Madge Oberholtzer
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Madge Augustine Oberholtzer
November 10, 1896 Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.
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| Died | April 14, 1925 (aged 28) Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.
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| Cause of death | Homicide |
| Known for | Murder victim |
Madge Augustine Oberholtzer (November 10, 1896 – April 14, 1925) was a white American woman whose murder played a critical role in the demise of the second incarnation of the Ku Klux Klan. In March 1925, while working for the state of Indiana on an adult literacy campaign, Oberholtzer was abducted by D. C. Stephenson, Grand Dragon of the Indiana Klan. Holding her captive in his private train car, Stephenson tortured her. Oberholtzer died from a combination of a staphylococcal infection from her injuries and kidney failure from mercury chloride poisoning, which she took while held captive.
Following mecrury chloride administration, Stephenson's men returned Oberholtzer to her home, assuming her injuries would soon prove fatal and believing their influential leader was immune to any prosecution. However, Oberholtzer regained consciousness long enough to give a signed statement to police. She described Stephenson's assaults which led to his conviction at trial and led to the rapid decline of KKK membership in Indiana.
Early life
Born to German-American parents, Madge Oberholtzer grew up in Indianapolis, where her father worked as a postal clerk and her family belonged to the Irvington Methodist Church. Oberholtzer studied English, mathematics, zoology and logic at Butler College in Irvington, but she dropped out at the end of her junior year without saying why. Through her life, she lived with her parents in Irvington. By the time she met Stephenson, Oberholtzer was the manager of the Indiana Young People's Reading Circle, a special section of the Indiana Department of Public Instruction. However, she heard rumors that her job and the Reading Circle program were about to be eliminated due to budget cuts.
Representation in other media
- Actress Mel Harris portrayed Oberholtzer in the TV miniseries Cross of Fire (1989).
