Evening star., 1922-12-26
SAW HOODED FACES
IN MER ROUGE MOB
Farmer May Identify Some
of Kidnapers Blamed for
Lake Tragedy.
DEPEND ON STATE CLUE
Secret Service Men Expect Louisi-
ana Authorities to Name
Perpetrators.
DEPEND ON STATE CLUE
By the Associa ted Press.

by the Associated Press.
BASTROP. La. December &c. -
Secret service men who have worked
on the case several months say here
that the state would be able to iden-
tify several members of the masked
mob which last August kidnapped five
Mer Rouge residents. Including Watt
Daniels and Thomas Richards, whose
decapitated bodies were taken from
nearby lake last week.
A farmer will testify at the open
hearing ordered by Gov Parker to
begin January that he witnessed
the seizure and spiriting away of
the quintet and recognized some of
the abductors when they lifted their
hoods to drink water they had forced
him to get for them, the investf-
gators said. The farmer was held up
by the band on the Mer Rouge-Bas-
trop highway, it was said, and sent
for water by the thirsty men.
The Investigators declined to dis
close the witness whereabouts, but
it was intimated he was somewhere
In Mississippi under protection of a
federal agent.
Plans to BE Formulated.
Plans for the open hearings here
will be formulated at a conference
In New Orleans next Thursday of
those conducting the inquiry. The
coroner's inquest over the bodies Of
Daniels and Richards and the report
Of the New Orleans pathologists who
conducted the autopsy will be dis
cussed.
Christmas dinners were served yes
terday to the troops stationed here
and at Mer Rouge. Officers of two
companies of militia here and news
paper men were entertained at a
dinner given by the chief of the De-
partment of Justice forces conducting
the investigation here.
A conference of those conducting
the inquiry was announced for Thurs
day at New Orleans. At that time
plans for the hearing will be out
lined and the findings of the coroner's
jury which held the inquest over the
bodies Of Daniels and Richards will
be discussed. The report of the pa-
biologists will be carefully weighed.
1t is regarded by the state as going
far toward clearing up the manner in
which the two men met DEATH
Tho bodies. lying at the bottom Of
the lake four months before being
shot to the surface by unidentified
midnight dynamiters, were said to
have been we'll preserved. The heads
and some limbs were missing The
pathologists claim to be able to state
whether these parts were hacked Off
by the executioners. or blown away
by the blast or eaten off by fish.
Bones Broken in Life.
The physicians disclosed that evil
dence indicated the men were beaten
and their bones broken before they
died. Department of Justice men are
seeking to locate DR.. B. NJ McKoin,
former mayor of Mer Rouge. wanted
for Interrogation. The mayor quit
Mer Rouge following an attempt
made to assassinate him. He went to
Monroe and then to New Orleans
later going to Johns Hopkins Uni
versity at Baltimore for a post-grad-
uate course. Efforts to locate him
there have failed and his whereabouts
are unknown to officials.
Sheriff Fred Carpenter. on the advice
of Attorney General Coco, early today
addressed telegram to DR.. B. NJ Nc
Koin. former mayor Of Mer Rouge, at
Johns Hopkins University, instructing
him to return to Louisiana. The sheriff
has not received an answer.
"SoN AT JOHNS HOPKINS"