in "stephenson v. state" (1925) stephenson was tried for and convicted of the abduction, rape, and murder of a young white woman, madge oberholtzer, a state education official. his trial, conviction and imprisonment ended the portrayal of klan leaders as law abiding. the case destroyed the klan as a political force in indiana, and significantly damaged its standing nationally. denied a pardon by governor jackson, in 1927 he started talking with reporters for the "indianapolis times" and released a list of elected and other officials who had been in the pay of the klan. this led to a wave of indictments in indiana, more national scandals, the rapid loss of tens of thousands of members, and the end of the second wave of klan activity in the late 1920s.