LIFE magazine published coverage, and newspapers carried the event across the country.

The national audience that Cole wanted suddenly saw him in the least flattering possible frame.

The Klan’s theatrical strategy had backfired.

This is one reason Hayes Pond became more famous than many other local confrontations with white supremacist groups.

It produced unforgettable visual evidence.

A written report could say that the Klan was routed.

The photographs showed it.

Media coverage transformed a local defense of community into a national symbol.

Letters and messages of support reached Robeson County from around the United States.

People who had never heard of the Lumbee now knew the name.