I read this "historic account" somewhat differently-
The way that I sees it, the Tennessee "Grand Kleagle" disguised hisself as "the Russian Jew", at which point he gave "the negro" some watermelon as "bait"...
This is because everybody knows that the watermelon would cause "the negro" to remain in the same place chomping down and spitting seeds...in a state of semi-delirium brought on by the very sight of the watermelon!...so completely delerious that he would actually believe the "Grand Kleagle" of the KKK was not only a "Russian Jew", but his
friend !
Then, just as "the negro" was smacking his lips dreaming about the day 100 years into the future when KFC would be invented, the KKK burst in, the "Grand Kleagle" removed his Groucho Marx nose and glasses he was wearing (his "
Jew" disguise - revealing hisself to all concerned for what he really was - and "another one done bit the dust".
Then, the "good 'ole boys" went back home and concocted some
bubbemeiseh story to make it look like "the Jew did it!"
Now..tell the truth...doesn't
my version of Southern History seem the more plausible one?