Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-01-27
nor to really bring the guilty parties
to trial.
rnIniseS AcuIIittal

Promises Acquittal
ST have one other thing to say, and
that is that the persons who have
been named as having been con.
nected with this kidnapping affair,
will prove their unqualified in
nocence when we have an opportu-
nifty of speaking before a court of
justice"
Laurence Leon Jones, of Moselle,
Miss, declared by the state to have
been the last person known to have
seen Watt Daniel and T. F. Richard
after they were kidnapped, took the
stand today at the final session,
Jones last summer was en- route
from Breckenridge, Tex, to his home
in Mississippi in an automobile, and
because of bad roads, came via Mon
roe, La, and Bastrop. He was NOV
ing, and his machine. q powerful
touring car, was heavily loaded with
household effects and a camping out
fit.
Upon leaving Bastrop he ran
through Mer Rouge and Oak Ridge.
"What happened to your car dur
/ ing that day?'
"a, mule and wagon met me on
the road The mule reared and turn
ed across the road. l put on my
emergency brake and stripped the
hub The car was out of commits
sion. | was about three-quarters OF
a mile from the ferry at the lake. 1t
was about noon.'
Jones waited all day for the re-
paired part, which another tourist
had taken to a nearby town to be
welded. The machine broke down
in the center of the highway, and
remained in that position until it
was ready to run again two days
later.
. Saw Masked Party
"When you were stopped there
during any night, did you see any
cars with masked men?''
I Eyes, it was the first night. The
mosquitoes were bad and we couldn't
sleep much. The cars, two of them,
passed closely. They were two
Fords. one a touring car, and the
other a roadster with a small truck
body. The men wore black hoods.
There seemed to be two men noe
masked.
Zone was in the front seat of
| the truck and there seemed to be
| two or three men in the body of
the machine. One man in the tour
| ing car seemed to have something
tied about his face.
1.-THE cars were going toward Ray
Vile, the touring car, [ think, be-
| ing in front"
"How far did you watch them;
where did they appear to go?''
"They went toward the ferry and
pretty soon appeared to be to one
side of the ferry. l saw their lights
shining against the trees. In a mo-
ment they went out. Pretty soon
| the lights came on again, one car
came back near us, turned out it's
lights, turned around and went back
toward the lake. My wife, child and
myself, who had been sleeping in
our car, stepped out and went in
to potato patch. We went into
the patch when the car approach
ing from the lake stopped and put
out it's lights. We returned to our
car and later the two cars came
back. They passed close by us.
There did not appear to be any with
cloths tied about their faces"
Jones said they were the only
| cars of hooded men he saw that
night He remained with his car
the next day waiting for the repair
ed part for the machine and talked
with several persons who passed on
horseback. The incidents of the
night before were not discussed
either by the horsemen or Jones.
Adjutant General l.. A. Toombs,
in a formal statement early today,
announced that he brought to
Bastrop message from Governor
John, M. Parker to the people Of
Morehouse parish expressing de-
termination to protect witnesses who
have testified at the open hearing
and declaring that should there be
a recurrence of the disorders and
should the civil authorities fail to
maintain order martial law would be
proclaimed.
1t was learned on good authority
yesterday that General Toombs,
en- route to Bastrop, bore such
message, but on his arrival here he
refused to admit or deny this was
true.
The adjutant general also an
nounced that troops on duty at Mer
Rouge and Bastrop would be re-
lieved today at noon.
RiOrdan Testifies
H. H Riordan, general manager
o. the Monroe district of the South
ern Carbon company, was the first
witness Wednesday. He was CUES