 His vile behavior caused a sharp drop in Klan membership, which decreased further with his exposure to the press of secret deals and the Klan's bribery of public officials.Denied pardon, in 1927 Stephenson began to talk to the "Indianapolis Times", giving them lists of people who had been paid by the Klan.Their press investigation exposed many Klan members, showed they were not law-abiding, and ended the power of the organization, as members dropped out by the tens of thousands.