The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-08-21
MARTIAL LAW ISTHREATENED. BY GOVERNOR
Members Of Band Captured
 In Act Of Whipping Negro
 Expected To Give Evidence Of Large Group Of Outlaws
WRITER'S ARE FINANCED BY SOME ORGANIZATION
Federal Government Enters Into Probe In Effort To Find GangsterS Who Held Up Mail Truck Saturday
BULLETIN


 NEWMAN, Ga, August 20-John W. Minter, father-in-law of Willard Trouton, who was Kidnapped and killed fortnight ago, tonight made & com plete confession, the police announced to having slain Trouton. Minter told the police he shot Trouton five times through the head after he had been 6idnaped by Winters friends for that purpose.
 Eight men who are being held here in connection with the case are in- vofVed in the confession of Minter, the police say, with the exception of Ben Freeman whom, Minter claims. was victim of circumstances in that he happened to be in company with w. M. Feltman at the time of the Kidnapping. Feltman, according to the confession, was to receive SIS for his part in decoying Trouton from his home and into the hands of the other members of the kid naping band.
 MACON. Ga, August 20.-From in- formation obtained from the three Hudson brothers, arrested last night in the act of flogging two negroes, the police tonight were preparing to round up an organized floging band which has been terrorizing Macon for several weeks, according to the police.
 During the last fortnight, several men have been whipped and ordered to leave town within 4S hours, and at intervals during the last six months, scores of men have been flogged. The climax in the disord- CTS was reached early Saturday when police engaged in running pistol battle with alleged floggers after they had kidnapped man from in front of the railroad station. Gov ernor Walker threatened to placs the city under martial law
 The police also announced today 1 that the Hudsons and other members of the flogging band were paid men, and that through the Hudsons they had learned they were being financed by an organization.
 Expect New Arrests.
 We expect to make other arrests within 4S hours" said Sheriff J. R Hicks, Jr. The county official would not tell what had been disclosed iH his examination of the three brothers.
 The police admitte that they were at work on the theory that the three men who were caught by officers last night in the act of flogging, one with a mask still covering his face, are part of gang that has been conducting wholesale whippings in the city.
 ''We are trying to bring out of these men the names of whom we believe financed their operations" the sheriff declared. Tt seems al- most certain that others S pplied the money and issued orders for the op- erations of the gang" he added.
 The federal government entered the nj joined forces with the city authori- ties to apprehend gangsters who held up a mail motor truck Saturday and attempted to remove Charley Mike. negro, from the vehicle for the pur- pose of whipping him. The driver to- day was unable to identify the auto mobile used by the three Hudsons when they were caught last night. War vetrnn Held.
 R. A. Hartley, World war veteran. the last man to report he had been flogged, was committed to jail dur ing the day on writ of lunacy.'
 His brother is also being held on an insanity charge. Hartley has de- clared his brothers condition was due to fright because of a threat of the floggers when he was taken out three weeks ago and lectured. Hartley was taken into custody while attempting to obtain a warrant said. He did not disclose the name for the men who whipped him. IA did not disclose the names Of the floggers.
 In the enforcement of the state tag law, floggers having used no tags on their automobiles, several arrests were made today. Those arrested, the police said, proved not to have oeen connected with the flogging band.