Rockingham post-dispatch., 1922-12-29
tcontinued from Front Page)

| A00tSiuaS0 ttSbt Sustei&0Sl
men. Their bodies were found in
lake, their heads gone and bodies
strapped to wire sheets.
The Ku Klux Khan organization
I of Louisiana insists that the mob
responsible for the killing was not
the work of Klansmen, though they
were disguised and hooded The
Louisiana Governor is known to be
intensely vindictive against the Ku
KluX and has repeatedly annomc'
ed his purpose to stamp out the or
ganization in his state. Friends OF
4 the ku klux say that it is his malice
etc, that is behind the present ef-
fort to discover the identity of the
mob who killed the two men.
Two arrests have been made by
the military, with the trials to be
held next week.
DR.. B. NJ. McKoin, who resigned
as mayor of Mer Rouge last Au-
gust, was arrested at Johns Hop.
kins, Baltimore, Tuesday, where he
was taking a postgraduate course.
The following account of the arrest
of Dr. McKoin is taken from the
daily papers of Dec. 9th, sent out
from Baltimore:
The arrest followed receipt of a
telegram from Governor John NJ.
Parker, of Louisiana, requesting the
local police to arrest McKoin on a
charge of murder After question
ing by police officials, DR.. Mckoin
was locked up to await further ac-
ton by Louisiana authorities.
Other than requesting the local
authorities to arrest McKoin, there
was nothing contained in Governor
Parker's telegram. 1t read:
Important. Arrest DR.. McKoin
for murder. Hold him for Louisi.
ana authorities
DR.. McKoin denied knowledge OF
the killing of the two men. All I
know, he declared, is that both
men who were killed were on the
bad side-thc side of bootleggers
gunmen and men who associated
with negro women
The discovery of DR.. McKoin
here and his subsequent arrest
came about purely by accident.
Word was received here several
days ago that DR.. McKoin was a
student of Johns Hopkins and de-
partment of justice agents sought to
question him. However, university
officials denied McKoin was regis
tered as a postgraduate, and stated
several letters had been received
theFe for him, but unable to locate
him, the letters were turned over to
the pOstoffice department as 'un
known
EARLY today policeman was
found on the water front uncon-
scious. He was removed to a hos
pital. When the hospital report
reached police headquarters, it was
signed by Dr. McKoin. 1t was then
that local newspaper men rushed to
the hospital and interviewed him.
Up to that time the telegram from
Governor Parker asking for his ar
rest had not been received. DR.. Nc
koin spoke freely and insisted he
was not fugitive from justice, anC
that he had made no attempt to con
ceal his identity.
He stated he has been in Balti-
more since October /. and mad lett
Mcr Rouge after an attempt had
been made to aSsassinate him.
DR.. Mckoin insisted he was not
Il member oi the ku KluX Klan. He
praised the organization, however,
saying the members did much to
hold down bootIcgging Nnd immor-
ality while / was nlay& of Mer
Rouge He also stated that laWless-
ness IS common occurrence al
Mer Rouge and that he was among
those who started to clean up the
place. The result, he said, was a
hard battle with bootleggers, moon
sinners and men of bad repute.
Just before | left Mer Rouge a
boy of good family was shot in the
back. What did the sheriff and gov
ernor do! The case was dismissed
after a jury filled with bootleggers
and the vicious element declared
the alleged murderer innocent.
Nov, however, when a bootleg
ger and some one else is killed, the
1 governor joins in the investigation
This affair, in my opinion, will de.
eide whether the decent and good
element of the town will control
DR. McKoin stated he had receiv
ed threatening letters long time
before he left Mer Rouge and asked
the sheriff to investigate, without
success. Just as | left the mayor
ship, and the successful candidate
went into office, he continued
gangs that paraded the streets fir
ed shots around my house. l ask
ed the sheriff tn take matters in