Evening star., 1923-01-11
KLAN'S MESSENGER
GR|LLED At INQUIRY
Fred Higginbotham, Al
though Member, Denies He
Knows Any Others.
TELLS OF FIVE WHIPPINGS
Declares He Attended Meetings of
Ku Klux in Bastrop
Courthouse.
TELLS OF FIVE WHIPPINGS
ny the Associated Press

E1lSSGnDOlHdHls W no uSCidIGu IliiHSSlA |
member of the Ku Klux Klan--a |
charter member and still Il member
asserted on the witness stand today |
at the open hearing inquiry into |
hooded band activities in Morehouse |
and the staying of Watt Daniel and |
Thomas Richard. that although he at +,
tended the meetings of the khan he |
could name only one official, Capt |
J. K. Skipwith. Skipwith is exalted |
CyclopS of the MorehouSe khan.
Higgenbotham declared the last
meeting of the Morehouse khan he at !
tended was held in the parish court |
house. He could not remember who |
was at the meeting other than Skip |
with and l.. l.. Hole.
Lengthy questioning as to khan af- !
fairs brought repeated declarations
from the witness that he knew moth
ing of the business Of the parish khan. |
Mentioned in NeeIis' Testimony.
Higgenbotham was mentioned by
Harry Neelis. youthful automobile
salesman, who testified yesterday, as
one who seemed active in carrying
messages between men who took part
in the kidnapping of Richard on Au-
gust II or Is. last. when he was taken
later released.
Higginbotham denied he conversed |
with Neelis at that time to the extent
stated by Neelis. and asserted that he. !
too. had been held up by the black |
hooded band and that his reason for
being in the vicinity was that he was
on his way from Bastrop to Mer
Rouge to buy an automobile.
DO you approve of what happened |
to Daniel and Richard?" Higgen- |
botham was asked.
He replied he did not.
Higgenbotham, who operates several |
cars between the towns in this section.
was questioned at length as to several !
recent trips and the identity of his fares:
He declared the men he transported and !
whose identity states attorneys SEEM
ed anxious to learn, were strangers
70 him.
Denies Seeking Hooded Men.
Higgenbotham was asked the direct
question as to whether he did not go
out on the Mer Rouge Bastrop road at
the time Richard was held up to talk
with the men engaged in the hold-up.
"I did not" Higgenbotham replied. !
Higgenbotham said he was released
after being held a short time by the
hooded men and ordered to return
He said he did not think it neces-
sary to report the occurrence to the
officials here, that he did not think |
II Important" but thought possibly
Neelis would report it,
The whereabouts of Higgenbotham
on the night of August "a, when
Richard and Daniel were kidnapped
and from which kidnapping they did
not return, was the subject of sew
eral questions. He declared he was
at his home.
las an American, isn't it true that
you knew where Richard was, and
you went to the masked band and
told them he was still in Bastrop%
Higgenbotham was asked with ref
erence to the kidnapping of Richard
on August II.
1I did not" he replied.
Admits He Is Member.
Fred Higgenbotham, alleged messen-
ger for the black-hooded band at the
time Thomas Richard was first kid
naped in August last, was the first
witness to take the stand today.
do you remember an occasion on or
about the 18th of August when 1t was
said T. F. Richard was taken by band
of hooded men from garage in
Bastrop?"
Yes: I was on my way to Mer
Rouge"
Did you go to Mer Rouge?"
No. was held by masked men right
outside of town. They were armed
with pistols and shotgunS."
Where did they take you?"
I'm the woods"
Did you see any one there who was
unmasked?"
"Yes, Harry Neelis."
who else did YOU see?"
"1 don't know; the rest of them
were masked. Neelis was away from
them"
what did they do with you?"
They detained me for a little while
and then told me to go back to
Bastrop."
How were they dressed?"
"They had on black hoods"
Are you d member of the Ku Klux
Klan?"
II ANA charter member of the
Bastrop Khan"
who are the officers?"
IT don't know any in particular, ex- /!
cept Capt. Skipwith." |
He is the cyclops or the sheik of
the klan?"
Something like that, 1 believe"
Yes"
Knows Nothing of Activities.
Have you ever heard them discuss |
the conduct of the people of this |
parish?'
No"
Where do they hold their meet
ings?" ,oo ..s
the courthouse" !
"As I understand it you have no |
recollection of what was discussed at !
any of these meetings."
'I have not"
Your mind is perfectly blank on !
these thinEs?" |
yes, blank" !
you do not know anything at all |
about any Of the khan affairs?"
mo"
what did you do when you return
ed from the place where the black !
hooded men held you?"
az went to my restaurant"
did you see Harry Neelis?"
"I did"
"What did he say?"
HE asked me what was doing out
there. 1 told him 1 had been held
up"
Richard?"
YES Il
why didn't you help him out?"
II don't know; there were, plenty
of other people around there who
didn't help him out"
"Who did you see standing around"
-"I don't remember"
Cant you name some of them?'
81 didn't pay any attention to them."
"Were you afraid?"
Denies He Was Afraid.
81 was not"
t''You did not recognize any of the
masked men in the automobiles"
mo"
Did you see Capt skipwith?"
Not that know Of"
when Neelis came to see you didn't
he ask you why they had taken Rich
ard out?"
"He did not"
Where were you night before
iastT'
Home" Il
where were you before then"
o'clock
did you have telephone call when
you were homer"
s"Yes, about 1880 o'clock. told my
mother to tell whoever 1t was calling
TO call the boy who drives for me-"
Ibid he get the call?' |
tI understand he did"