How did the Ku Klux Klan attack the student marchers in Montgomery, Alabama?

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During the student march to the state capitol in Montgomery, Alabama, to protest the actions of Governor John Patterson, members of the Ku Klux Klan assaulted the students using bats. While this violence occurred, state and Montgomery police stood by and did not intervene. The attack remained unpunished despite the fact that the Montgomery Advertiser published photographs of the incident that clearly identified several members of the mob.1