Bloodied KKK robe may offer clues to past

Bloodied KKK robe may offer clues to past

Since April, a bloodied KKK robe from the 1950s has become part of a historical investigation. An anonymous donor who discovered it in an attic gave it to the Civil Rights Museum. Members from ITT Technical Institute's Criminal Justice program, TBI, and Memphis Police Crime Scene investigators have joined forces to conduct tests on the robe. They're hoping to unravel clues as to who may have worn it. "It's always possible the individual could be living right now and living in that same area. It is a possibility we could have a cold case", says Aaron Chism of ITT Technical Institute. A team of teachers from Indiana who were taking part in a tour of the museum got a first hand glimpse at the artifact. "To be able to get this up close and personal with this kind of artifact, especially this unusual of an artifact because normally you don't get a chance to see something that is this personal or controversial," says Kendra Clauser of Teaching American History Grants. "Artifacts have life and there's a history. We don't just collect things that are static. I just want to make sure we put a face to it," says Marian Carpenter representative of the National Civil Right's Museum.