The Washington times., 1923-03-11
KHAN VICTIMS SEEK !
!. To GUST OFFICIALS.
Morehouse Parish District AT.
torney and Sheriff Accused
of Laxity.
PETITION IN CIRCULATION
Removal Asked for Neglect OF
Duty to Prevent Mer
Rouge 0utrages.
PETITION IN CIRCULATION
BY WILLIAM X. HUTCHINSON,
International News Service.


MER ROUGE, La, March To-
Charging the Ku Klux Khan with
preventing a ''fair investigation OF
terrorist outrages in Morehouse
Parish, q group OF victims Of hood
ed mob depredations, here, tonight,
initiated custer proceedings against
two high officials.
The hooded mob victims demand
ed the removal from office OF DIS.
trict Attorney David /. Garrett and
Sheriff. Fred L. Carpenter. Their
demands were contained in q pet1-
ton addressed to Gov. John "A.
Parker, Of Louisiana, which was
circulated here tonight.
SIGNED BY KHAN VICTIMS.
The petition was sponsored by ].
u. Daniel, father Of Watt Daniel.
a hooded mob murder victim, and
Hugo Davenport, Mer Rouge mer-
chant, once ordered deported from
Morehouse Parish by black mask
terrorists. Under Louisiana law
the petition needed twenty-five sig
natures OF taxpayers to require a
formal investigation by the COVER
nor.
It's authors declared the number
will be "over-subscribed." A ma
jority Of the signers are "men who
were molested or threatened or
attacked by the Ku Klux Khan and
its agents"
The petition asked the removal
OF the district attorney and the
sheriff on general charges OF neg
lect of their duties. With the
State custer law permitting the
proceedings to be instituted on
grounds of ''incompetency and NAL
feasance in office, fayoritism, cor
ruption and oppression" the peti'
ton involved most OF these charges
in q general way.
LAXTTY IN DUTY.
Ousting OF the district attorney
was asked because he failed t.
carry out the duties of his office
and permitted the preparation Of
crimes" The sheriff was also
charged with having failed tC
make arrests while witnessing tht
perpetration of high crimes.
Both the district attorney and
the sheriff have failed to perform
their duties OF office" Hugo Dav
export declared, in announcing cir
culation OF the petition.
Conditions in the parish are such
that the law is no longer enforced
and the Ku Klux Khan has pre-
vented a fair investigation OF
hooded mob crimes even by SC
high a legal authority as the at
torney general of the State. 1t Is
time the men who were elected
to prevent and punish these crimes
are themselves called to the bal
OF Justice to answer for their tail
ure to enforce the law.
CHARGE AGAINST SHERIFF.
1.-THE sheriff on one occasion open
~ watched the preparation OF
crime without taking any action
This happened when he stood on tn
courthouse lawn as Thomas F. Rich
ards was kindaped from the streets
Of Bastrop. If he had acted then
Richards probably never would have
been kidnapped and slain a few weeks
later.
1.-THE district attorney also failet
to act in the same case, even WheI
Richards aged mother went to him
and begged for enforcement OF TIM
law. The district attorney told hel
he could do nothing, as he had M
| information. It was his duty to &c
this information.
"The petition will be Forwarded
Immediately to- the governor, with
request for immediate action agains
these officials"
Signers of the petition, besides thu
aged Daniel and Davenport, included
w. C. Andrews, one of the men flog
ged by the hooded mob which muir
dered Daniel and Richards; Leon
Davenport, a Mer Rouge merchant
former State Senator j. L. StuckeJ
and Walter Campbell. town marsha
of Mer Rouge, whose life was threat
ened by hooded mob.
All these men were witnesses FOL
the State at the opening hearing or
the hooded mob murders.
Under the Louisiana law, the pc
tition probably will be referred BY
Governor Parker to Attorney Gen
eral A. v. Coco for action. A public
trial must be held.