The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1922-12-21
Troops Sent to Find Fact
in Regard to Louisiana
Kidnapings.
BLAMED ON KU KLUl
Social and Business Rivalr!
Said to Have Been RespOn-
sibIe for Disappearance.
(By Associated Press Leased Wire. !


Monroe, lathe celebrated Ne,
Rouge kidnapping case, which for fou.
months has taxed all of the legal ma
chinery of the state of Louisiana il
its efforts to solve, moved forward
another chapter yesterday when ma
tional guard troops were sent to Bias
trop, La, near Mer Rouge. The cas-,
originated, according to we'll informed
observers as a result of feud between
rival factions of Morehouse parish.
Although the Ku Klux Khan organi
cations of Louisiana, Arkansas anC
Mississippi have been charged witt
| being involved in the mysterious dis
appearance of Major Watt Daniel;
and Thomas F., Richards, citizens Of
Mer Rouge, following the kidnapping
of these and three other Mer Rouge
| citizens on August ri, the conserva.
tive citizens of northeast Louisiana
believe that the case goes much deeper
and is more or less racial.
Although the feudal fight was sale
to have been brewing for quarter OF
& century Involving some of the lead.
ing families of Mer Rouge and other
parts of Morehouse, q climax was
reached August "a, when J. L, Daniels
70 years old, former prominent Mel
| Rouge merchant; Watt Daniels, his
son; Thomas T. Richards; Watt Dav.
export, scion of leading Louisiana
family, and w. C. Andrews, planter
were kidnapped by forty or fifty masked
men when on their way from BastroI
to Mer Rouge,
| A big highway celebration and fes,
tival was held at Bastrop on August
"a and thousands of people from all
parts of northeast Louisiana attended
The five victims of hooded riders at
tended the celebration, witnessed the
baseball game between Monroe and
Bastrop and then started home in the
evening in two automobiles. When
they were midway between Bastrop
and Mer Rouge, the hooded men gal
Hoped up on horseback, or appeared on
the highways in automobile and seized
the five Mer Rouge citizens.
Watt Davenport was released with
in an hour after he was taken and the
rumor became current that the masked
men were mistaken as to his Identity"
Searchers for twenty-four hours
tried to find the men who were kid
mapped and the day following the af-
fair the elder Daniels and Andrews
found their way back to their homes
at Mer Rouge in a serious condition.
Their stories gave little information
in regard to the kidnapping.
For while neither Daniels nor
Andrews would discuss the case, but
they finally told of how they were
kidnapped on their way to Mer Rouge
by masked men and severely beaten.
For several weeks Daniels was in a
precarious condition because of his
| injuries which, in his case, were
augmented by age.
Neither Daniels nor Andrews was
able to identify any person in the
mob, nor could they give any infor-
nation in regard to Daniels son, Watt
and Richards.
Daniels declared he recognized Ar
kansas and Mississippi automobile
license tags.
Following the kidnapping the More
house parish grand jury was organized
at Bastrop, the parish seat of More
house parish, and made an investiga-
tion of the kidnapping, bug no indict-
ments were returned.
1t was claimed many persons in a
position to testify, were afraid to sub
nit testimony. Then Governor Parker
announced his determination to use all
| the power of the state in the case.
For the last three months detectives
and other investigators have been in
terrogating citizens and m aking
searchse for the bodies of Richards
and Daniels, which were believed by
some to have been cast into a lake
in the vicinity of Mer Rouge.
That the bodies Of both of the miss
! ing men have been located Is the re-
port current in East Louisiana. The
! finding is said to have been the cause
for the sending of the national guard
into Morehouse parish.
Unconfrmed reports reaching here
declare detectives to have discovered
the bodies bound down by heavy
wagon wheelsin one of the lakes near
Mer Rouge and soldiers were sent to
guard the work of dragging the lake
for the bodies.
Petty jealousies among influential
families, arising through trade rival
ries and social conditions, are believ-
ed to have been the origin of the trou-
BILE between various Morehouse parish
clans. Recently DR.. B. NJ, McKeru,
prominent physician and then mayor
of Mer Rouge, sought to "clean up"
Mer Rouge Of lawlessness. Mayor
McKern, it is claimed, aligned himself
with one faction and served notice on
a number Of alleged lawbreakers that
he and his officials proposed to enforce
the law McKern received warnings
by letter that If he cid not cease, he
would be assassinated. Later he was
called from his home at midnight, os-
tensibly to go to sick patient, and
his automobile was riddled with buck
she, but he escaped. Friends advised
McKern to leave the community, and
! he did so. He is now taking a post
graduate course at Johns Hopkins
university, Baltimore.
The annual Christmas dancing party