Evening star., 1923-01-22
HEARD SHOTS FIRED
INNER ROUGE FEUD
Witness Tells of an Alleged
i Attempt on Life of Or.
McKoin.
MURDER PLOT SUSPECTED
State Believes Two Lake Victims
Were kidnapped After
Z Attacking Physician.
MURDER PLOT SUSPECTED
By the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
BASTROP, La. January 22.-The
alleged attempt to assassinate DR.. b.
M. McKoin. former mayor of Mer
Rouge, which is believed to have
prompted the kidnapping and killing
of Watt Daniel and T. F. Richard,
was brought up at the outset at to-
days session of the open hearing be-
ing conducted by the state into the
activities of masked men on the More
house parish, particularly into the
murder of Daniel and Richard
c. wagsdale of Wagster, the first
witness, testified he was in POKER
game at the home of J. L. Daniel al
Mer Rouge the night DR.. Mckom -
said to have been fired upon from
ambush. Watt Daniel, j. l.. Daniel,
II. F. Richard. W. c. Andrews. Tom
Bell and a man by the name of Hicks
were the other players.
AFTER left the game I went to
restaurant" said Wagsdale, after
which I went to my home. On my
way I heard two shots. I did not pay
any attention to it. I was going away
that night. so I left home and walked
, down to the restaurant again to walt
' for the train. I joined Watt Daniel,
Richard, w. c. Andrews and others
IN the restaurant. / did not hear OF
any attempt to kill DR. McKoin until
reached Bonita next day"
Lake Find Is Shown.
Rain has made the highways into
the parish almost impossible, and
officials expressed the opinion IT
would be impossible for many OF the
witnesses summoned today to appear.
s. I. Bennett. general manager of the
Southern Carbon Company plant at
Spyker, where Harold Teegerstrom
was employed as timekeeper, was tne
next witness.
Teegerstrom disappeared the night
of December %, a few days before
the beginning of the hearing. Two
days later he appeared at the home OF
Henry Jones. near Bastrop Jones
testified before departing from his
homo Teegerstrom informed him IT
was best for him to leave because
federal agents were 'houndng him
concerning certain evidence and he
believed that should he continue to
remain In the vicinity "they would
implicate him in the kidnapping case
DO you remember some one re-
porting to you he had disappeared"
Bennett was asked.
YES the matter was reached to
me by Dean Ashcraft after I made in
'auiry as to where Teg' was. was
Informed that Some one had called
him out last night l notified the
sheriff at Bastrop: | also notified
Teegerstrom's brother. The sheriff
came to the plant and talked to Ash
craft.
; Did Teegerstron read the meters""
NO, Ashcraft attended to that"
Governor in Conference.
who had access to the buildings
where the meters were stored"
"a Shrraft and ypVSe1f"
DO YOU remember a bunch of keys
were handed to you after Teeger
strom had disappeared?"
Yes, Ashcraft gave them to me.
They arc at my house now"
A bunch of keys was handed the
witness and he was asked whether a
certain one opened the meter houses.
Mr.. Pennett replied 1t was a master
key and it would open all the meter
boxes.
The keys exhibited TO Bennett and
hacksaw were found on the banks
Of Lake La Fourche by ]. c. Nettles,
explosion of charge of dynamite
which brought the bodies of Daniel
and Richard to the surface.
conference yesterday in Baton
Rouge between Gov. John NJ. Parker
and Nscrney General Coco was the
topic ~ discussion here today as the
open tA-lng into marked band ac-
tlv1ties y Morehouse parish, which
culminatO IN the kidnapping of Watt
Daniel ana Thomas +. Richard, Au-
gust "a. entsved it's third week.
The attonH" general, at the re-
Quest Of the governor for the capital
Saturday afternoon soon after the
hearing adjourned for the week end,
made no announcement before his
departure, nor would any of his as
ststants discuss the subject of the
conference. 1t was known however.
that 1t pertained to the Morehouse
investigation.
End OF Hearing Near.
In some quarters the conference
was regarded as foreshadowing the
carly conclusion of the hearing. Mem
bers of Mr.. Coco's staff last week had
expressed the opinion that the end
would be reached Wednesday or
Thursday, basing their assertion on
the number of witnesses the state ex-
pected to call to the stand.
Testimony taken during the hear
ing has assumed large proportions
The stenographic report already in
cludes approximately 100000 words,
and the court reporter is so far be-
hind in transcribing it that thousands
of words are being read on debating
machine records and sent to typists
in New Orleans. a transcript of the
testimony is necessary for the grand
jury IL lHe result OF lne 1nVeSuSdt1on
is placed before that body, and every
effort is being made to rush the work.
Five men, Newt" Gray. T. jeff
Burnett. Oliver Skipwith, Smith
Stevenson and "Blacksmith' Smith,
were declared by witnesses last week
10 have been recognized as members
of the masked band which made cap
tives of Daniel and Richards, who
were never seen again after appear
ing at Collinston, eight miles from
here, as prisoners of the hooded men.
The general trend of the interroga-
tion today was expected to relate to
Identification of other alleged MEM