The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1922-12-22
BATTLE OF YEARS
BREWS IN SOUTH
National Guard Is Called
Out In Louisiana
RIVALS in PARISH
Khan Organizations Three States
Charged With kidnapping
Prominent Citizens.

tAssociated Press Dispatch l..
New Orleans, La, December
22.-Compah, 4, national guard
OF Monroe, has arrived at Mer
houge, la, and pitched camp,
according to a telephone dis
latch received here this morn
ING.
Monroe. La, December 20.-The
celebrated Mer Rouge kidnapping
case which for months has taxed
all of the legal machinery of the
state in its effort to solve, moved
forward another chapter yesterday
when national guard troops were
b sent to Bastrop, La, near Mer
Rouge. The case originated, ac-
cording to we'll informed observers,
as a result OF feud between rival
factions OF Morehouse parish.
Although the ku kIuX Khan or
CARNATIONS of Louisiana, Arkansas
and mississippi have been charged
with being involved the mysterious
disappearance of Major Watt Dan
h iels and Thomas Fletcher Richards,
citizens OF Mer Rouge, following the
kidnapping of these, and three other
Mer Rouge citizens on August "a,
the conservative citizens OF North
east Louisiana believe that the
cases go much deeper and is more
or less racial. y
Climax Reached In August
Although the feudal fight was said
to have been brewing for a quarter
OF a century. Involving some of the
leading families of Mer Rouge and
Other parts of Morehouse parish, a
climax was reached on August "a.
when J, l.. Daniels, seventy, former
prominent Mer Rouge merchant;
Watt Daniels, his son; Thomas +.
Richards: Watt Davenport, scion of
leading Louisiana family, and w.
G. Andrews, planter, were kidnap-
ed by forty or fifty masked meE
when on their way from Bastrop to
their respective homes in Mer Rouge.
A big highway celebration and
festival was held at Bastrop on Aug
ust "a, and thousands of people from
all parts of Northeast Louisiana at
tended. THE FIVE victims of hooded
riders attended the celebration, wit
messed the baseball game between
Monroe and Bastrop and then start
ed home In the twilight of the ey
ening in two automobiles. When
they were midway between Bastrop
and Mer Rouge, the hooded men
galloped up on horseback, or APP
peared on the highway in automo-
biles and seized the five Mer Rouge
citizens
Watt Davenport Released
Watt Davenport was released
within an hour after he was taken.
and the rurRor became current that
the masked men were mistaken as
to his Identity"
C<arrherS for tWapty faur hours
tried to find the men who were kid
mapped, and the day following the
affair the elder Daniels and An
drews found their way back to their
homes at Mer Rouge in a serious
condition. Their stories gave little
INFO. nation in regard to the kid
mapping.
For a while neither Daniels nor
Andrews would discuss the case. but
they finally told how they were kid
mapped on their way to Mer Rouge by
naked 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.
Unable To Identify Maskers
Neither Daniels nor Andrews was
able to identify any persons in the
mob, nor could they given my in
formation in reagrd to Daniels son
Watt and Richards. Daniels declar-
cd he recognized Arkansas and Mis-
sissfppi automobile license tags.
Following the kidnapping, the
Morehouse parish grand jury was
organized at Bastrop, the parish
seat of Morehouse parish, and made
an investigation of the kidnapping
but no indictments were returned
1t was claimed many persons IN a
position to testify were afraid to
submit 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 inter-
rogating citizens and making search
es for the bodies of Richards and
Daniels, which were believed by
some persons to have been cast into
a lake in the vicinity of Mer Rouge.
Claim Missing Bodies Found
That the bodies of both of the
missing men have been located is
the report current In east louisiana.
The finding is said to have been the
cause for the sending of the nation
al guard into Morehouse parish.
Unconfirmed reports reaching
here declare detectives have discov-
cred the bodies bound down by
heavy wagon wheels in one Of the
lakes near Mer Rouge, and soldiers
were sent to guard the work of
dragging the lake for the bodies.
Petty Jealousies Cause
Petty jealousies among influential
families, arising through trade rival
lies and social conditions. are be-
lieved to have been the origin of the
trouble between various Morehouse
Iarish clans. Recently DR.. B, M.
McKern, prominent physician, and
then Mayor Of Mer Rouge, sought to
"clean up" Mer Rouge of lawless-
ness. Mayor McKern, it is claimed,
aligned himself with one faction and
served notice on a number of alleg-
ed Iawbreakers that he and his Of
ficials proposed to enforce the law.
McKern received warnings by let
tor that If he did not cease. he
would be assassinated. Later he
called from his home at midnight,
cstensibly to go to see a. sick pa
tient, and his automobile was rid
died with buckshot 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, Balti-
more. & :.