The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-03-05
SECOND STAGE IF. MFR ROUGE PROBE
 WILL BEGIN TODAY
Attorney General Coco to Appear Before Warehouse Grand Jury and Ask For
 Indictments

BASTROP, La. MIrch 4-(By As- sociated Press.)-The ate's inves- tigation into the activities of hooded bands in Morehouse parish was to enter its second stage tomorrow with the organization here of the parish grand jury. Attorney Genera. Coco and George Seth Guion. assistant att torney general. who arrived today, planned to appear before the jury at the earliest possible moment, present evidence obtained at tie open hear ing he.e In January and ask for the indictment of from 30 to 50 persons on charges ranging from murder to assault and battery.
 The operatiCNs of masked men, whom Gov. John M. Parker and the attorney general charge were mem bers of the Ku K-ux Klan, included the issuance of warnings to persons to leave the parish, deportations, flogging, and kidnapings and cul- minated August 24, last. in, the kid- naping of Watt Daniel and T. F. Richard of Mer Rouge. The muti- lated and headless bodies Of two men found in Lake LaFourche, 25 miles from here. December 22, were iden- tified as those of Daniel and Richard and the attorneygeneral has de- clared he would ask for five or more murder indictments in connection with the double staying.
 Two Under Arrest.
 MT. Coco has announced that if the grand jury. should return indict- ments of any kind that fact would not be made public til after the arrest ol tn lersons named. No in- timation has been given as to the fhnya ho fat ta will seek to prosecute but pr. B. NJ. McKoin. former mayor of Mer Rouge, and T. Jeff Burnett, former More house deputy sheriff, already ihave been charged with murder and now are at liberty under bail of 5000 each. They were arrested some time before the open hearing began.
 It has been admitted by members of the staff of the attorney general that the bulk of those whom 1t will seek to have indicted were named during the hearing.
 Named By Witnesses.
 E. N. Newt" Gray, Oliver Skip with. younger son of Capt. J. K. Skip with. exalted cyclops of the More house klan. Smith Stevenson, Burnett and man known only as Black smith" Smith were declared by wit nesses to have been recognized as members of the masked party which kidnapped Daniel and Richard. Anoth- CT witness testified that on the eve ming of the Kidnapping he saw Cap- tain Skipwith conversng with masked man at the fork of the Monroe -Collinston highway. It was at Collinston that Daniel and Rich ard last were seen alive and to get there, their captors Lad to pass the Monroe -Collinston fork.
 Richard was Kidnapped on the streets of Bastrop on August IT and Burnett and Harlie Rogers were identified as having been among his abductors, who questioned him con corning an alleged attempt upon the Tiff. of Dr. McKoin. Captain Skid with was identified as the unmasked man in an autom obile which trailed the car bearing the prisoner and his captors.
 Men Wore Robes.
 Watt Daniel, w. c. Andrews and Harry Neelis were halted on the Gal- lio, highway during the summer while masked men were raiding the home of negro alleged bootlegger. according to R. l.. Dade. mayor of Me. Rouge. who testified that the hooded men were sttired In black and white robes. Dade admitted he was a member of the raiding party and added that his companions included Captain Skipwith, Dr. McKoin, J. D. Higglnbotham. Kelly Harp and Ed Harvey.
 Addie May Hamilton. 17-year- old Mer Rouge girl, testified that she had been ordered to leave her home in tha. place and that refusal to do so would result in the tarring and feathering of her mother and her. self. She declared six men composed the masked party that called upon her and that Dr. McKoin was the leader. She also stated that she had recognized Pink" Kirkpatrick as one of the half dozen.
 Little Fellowship Missionary Bap- tist church. in the Thompson district, near Mer Ro"f was invaded by four hooded men during Sunday morn- ing service. There had b en a gen era, fight in the vicinity of the church previously and the visitors read to the congregation a warning
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