Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-12-28
FORMER MAYOR Of
MER ROUGE: FIGHTS
To GAIN FREEDOM
Hearing on Habeas Corpus
Writ Set for Thursday
DR., McKoin's Counsel to
Contest Extradition

BALTIMORE. Md, Dec. GA
writ Of habeas corpus, to obtain free
dom for Or. i. NJ McKoin, former
mayor Of Mer Rouge, La, arrested
here Yesterday on Il charge Of muir
der, WIS taken out this morning.
The writ, which was issued by
Chief Judge James P. Gorter. in the
city court, WAS made returnable i'm
med.ately.
At abort the same time DR.. Nc
Koin was arraigned before Justice
Stanleigh in central police court, but
at the request of the detectives on
the case the justice adjourned the
examination until January s. This
was in compliance to a telegram from
Governor Parker. of Louisiana, re-
questing that DR.. Mckoin be held
for ten days and saying that eXtradi-
ton papers would be forwarded.
DR.. McKo.n was then taken to the
office of State Attorney Leach pre-
liminary to the habeas corpus hear
ing before Judge Gorter.
Hearing Is Postponed
Upon the request of Attorney
Carman, Judge GGrter postponed the
haEeas corpus hearing until tomor-
row.
Former United States District At.
tcrney Robert Carman, who is coun-
sci for DR.. McKoin. said that he
would fight any effort at extradition
on the part of the governor of Louis.
lara Mr.. Carman declared that he
believed that there was no prima
facie charge of murder against the
former mayor; and he expressed the
belief that the Louisiana. officials
called for his arrest here because
they wanted him more as a witness
or for the purpose of obtaining pos
sible information from him.
DIR. McKoin did not flee from
Louisiana after the trouble at Mer
Rouge" said Attorney Carmah. HE
remained there for many weeks aft
er the death of the two men. He
was with his father, thirty miles
away from Mer Rouge. from August
until October. when he came to Balti-
more at the request of DR.. Hugh
Young, who offreed to permit him
to associate with him at the Johns
Hopkins hospital.
Nothing to Hide
1.-The mayor placed himself at the
disposal of the district attorney Of
his county seat. and was in consulta-
ton with him for long time before
he left.
There was nothing for him to
hide, and he gave whatever informa.
ton he had at his command"
Contrary to reports that DR.. Me-
Koin was taking d postgraduate
course at Johns Hopkins university,
Brady institute, university officials
declared that McIAoin had no official
connection with the institution and
that he was a guest of DR.. Hugh II.
Young head Of the Brady institute.
DR.. Winford II. Smith, superinten-
dent of the hospital said:
''His work was in connection with
private patients of DR.. Young and
was carried on in DR.. Young's
private office at the institute"
DR.. McKoin yesterday denied
knowledge of the murder of 7. F.
Richards and Watt Daniels, whose
mutilated bodies were found in Lake
La Fourche. He said, however, that
the men were on the bad side
the side of the bootleggers, gunner
and others of bad repute.
He also stated yesterday that al
though he was not a member of
the Ku klux Khan, he praised their
methods in helping rid Mer Rouge
of its lawlessness.
FEDERAL AND STATE SLEUTHS
= PUSH PROBE OF MURDER
BASTROP, La, Dec. 27.-There
was an air of expectancy here and
around Mer Rouge early today as
department of justice agents and
representatives of the state govern.
ment renewed their activities in the
investigation Of the Morehouse kid
mapping case and widened their efforts
to run down the persons responsible
for the dynamiting of a nearby lake
which gave up the bodies Of two
men identified as Watt Daniels and
Thomas Richards, abducted by a
masked mob last August. 1t was
declared that additional arrests were
imminent.
Secret service men are reported
) to have located the place where the
dynamite, said to have been 1900
pounds, was sold, and some of the
men suspected of being implicated
in the dynamiting are under surveil-
lance. The investigators indicated
that arrests may occur soon.
The arrest in Baltimore yesterday
of DR.. b. M. Mckoin, former mayor
of Mer Rouge, at the request of
Governor John NJ. Parker, caused
considerable excitement.