Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1922-12-23
Additional Troops Are Or
oered To Scene Of
Fatal Kidnapping. :
ARRESTS PLANNED
Two Victims Partially Identified By
Relatives-Were Captured While
Returning From Ball Game Last
August.

Mer Rouge, La, Dec. 23.-Mem-
ebrs OF masked mob who took the
lives ftwo men here last August
ARE hunted today by state and fed
eral officials.
Indications following the finding Of
the bodies of Watt Daniels world war
veteran and Thomas Richards, mob
victims. in La Fourchs Bake, were
that wholesale arrests would be made
Immediately. Officials were said to
have previously identified tho night
riders.
Additional militiamen were ordered
into the Mar Rouge section as the
round up Of members of the mob be-
gan.
A pathologist was expected here
TODAY TO aid in determining whether
Daniel and Richards were murdered
and their bodies thrown into the lake
or whether they were drowned. ;,
The state attorney general, several
assistants and two physicians,
guarded by machine gun company
from New Orleans, was due here dur
ing the day to aid in solving the mys-
terry surrounding the death OF the
two men.
Daniels and Richards were in
party of five men kidnapped last
August, as they were returning from
"a baseball game. The other three
after being beaten were released but
according to information gathered by
investigators, Daniels snatched the
mask from the face Of one and was
promptly shot down by one OF the
mob mebers. Richards was killed 10
prevent his description OF the affair.
Mer Rouge, La, Dec. 23.-Com-
pany A National Guard of Alexan-
dria, was en- route last night TO More
house parish, while at New Orleans
a machine gun company WIS .prepar-
ing to leave for here to reinforce a
company of National Guardsmen. OF
Monroe. The troop movement tol-
lowed the recovery today in Lake La
Fourche, near here, of bodis Of two
men.
Relatives and friends late today
partially denied the bodies as watt
Daniels and Thomas Richards, miss
ing since kidnapped by hooded men
four months ago. it was reorted here
TODAY Buckles and bits Of clothing
were said to have been recognized
by several who viewed the bodies.
+ TIL order for the mobilization OF
the additional troops came shortly al
ter the establishment of the authen-
ticity of the report that Lake La
Fourche had given up the bodies, at.
ter having been dynamted by men OF
unestablished identity.
Governor Parker at Baton Rouge,
directing operations of the military
forces. refused to divulge the signifi-
cance of the call for reinforcements
or the next move of the State in the
program he has outlined to ferret out
and punish he members of the hood
cd mob responsible for the abduction
of five Mer Rouge citizens last Au-
gust and the alleged murder OF TWO
of them.
Martial law in Morehouse parish
was considered by those in touch with
the situation as n possibility, large
stocks of guns and ammunition hav-
ing been reported stored in residences
and stores by citizens of Mer Rouge
and the surrounding community. re-
sulting from reported establishing
of hostile camps during the four
months since the kidnapping.
Special Investigators Of the De-
partment of Justice working under
the direction Of the Governor are said
to have a partial list of members OF
the hooded mob. Many names were
secured several months ago when
the investigators reported an attempt
was made by group of men TO reach
a SPOT on Lake La Fourche regarded
as the probable resting place OF the
bodies.
The opinion is advanced that these
same men returned last night and
placed the charges of dynamite that
released the decapitatd, wire-bound
bodies from the weight that Tor
four months had held them at the
bottom of the lake. Divers scent the
afternoon seeking 10 locate the %sg-
on wheels that were missing from
the banks of the lake simultaneously
with the disappearance of the men,
the only missing link in the cnain
Of evidence the investigators had suo-
mitted to the Governor as their soiu-
ton Of the mystery.
While La Fuorche was beng blast.
cd what was believed as a deeoy OF
eight or ten men were active in Laks
Cooper. 20 nils away, drawing the
Are of the State guards and bringing
The entire military company rom
Mer Rouge to the banks OF the lake,