The Omaha morning bee. [volume] (Omaha [Neb.]) 1922-1927, 1923-01-26
Inquiry Into Mob
"AtrOcities'' in
Mer RougeCloses
Scores of Witnesses Tell of
Flogging and Warnings
Evidence to Be Present.
ed to Grand Jury.

Bastrop, La, Jan. 25.-(By A. P.)-
The open hearing conducted by the
state of Louisiana in the operat tions
of masked men in Morehouse parish,
which Attorney General A. Y. Coco
has characterized as the "Morehouse
atrocities ended today after having
been in session continually since Jan
uary 3. Scores Of witnesses testified
concerning tloggings, deportations.
circulation Of warnings by a vigil
ante committee" kidnapings and the
spriting away of Watt Daniel and T.
+. Richard on August "a, of whom ~
trace was found until their bodies
floated to the surface Of Lake La
Fourche on December %.
The entire hearing revolved around
the disappearance of Daniel and
Richard and virtually every witness
was questioned concerning the Cir
cumstances of their whipping.
Leon Jones of Moselle, Miss, the
only witness at the concluding sea-s
sion, testified that his car was dis
oDiCo va tiO iil,indJ dpOut Ill CO
quarters of mile from Lake La
Fourche some time in August" and
that during the night one small tour.
ing car and truck containing
masked men and two others who ap.
peared to be prisoners, passed him,
bound towagd the lake. Some time
later the cars returned from the lake
and, he 1aid, there seemed to be no
prisoners.
The hearing adjourned at 1925, but
few minutes prior to that time At
torney General Coco made a state.
ment TO the court declaring that evi.
dence had been developed sufficient to
show the ku Klux Klan responsible
for lawlessness in the parish.
Attacks Legality orHearing.
Judge William Barnett, counsel for
the men who, expecting they will be
defendants, have retained legal aid,
attacked in a lengthy formal statement
the legality of the open hearing and
the character of testimony adduced.
Judge Fred NJ. Odom, Immediately
before adjournment, took exception to
certain statements of Judge Barnett
and declared they were reflections
upon the court and that he expected
to issue formal statement upon the
subject Judge Barnett, in a brief
verbal statement in reply, declared no
reflection whatever upon the court
was intended.
Evidence developed at the hearing
will not be placed before the grand
jury until all of the testimony taken
here has been Transcribed and briefed.
1t has been stated by an associate of
the attorney general that the brief
cannot be prepared in less than three
weeks after the work of transcribing
has been completed.
Attorney General Coco will place
before the jury only the brief and a
copy or the transcript, and will have
none of the witnesses on hand unless
the jury requests that they be sum-
moned, he said. 1t was stated that
nothing concerning the proceedings
OF the jury would be made public
until it made its report to the court.
Consider Case in March.
The six months term of the pres
ent grand jury expires the first Mon
day in March and 1t is hardly likely
that the case will be presented to
that body. but the new jury is to be
selected and organized that day. and
it is thought it's first work will be
investigation Of charges to be filed by
the attorney general
The attorney general has stated on
several occasions that none of the
prospective defendants would be ar
rested until after the grand jury re-
port. DR.. Is. NJ. McKoin, former may
or OF Mer Rouge, and T. jeff Bur-
nett, former Morehouse deputy sber.
if. however, already have been
charged with murder in connection
with the death Of Daniel and Rich
ard and both are at liberty under
$5. 900 bail.
1t has been declared by the attor-
ney general that the state would seek
the indictment Of between 25 and so
persons on charges ranging from
murder to ASA ult and battery. Con-
spiracy, 1t has been stated officially,
will figure prominently in the case
when 1t Is brought to the attention
Of the grand jury and other alleged
acts of the hooded bands are covered
by law enacted at a special session
of the legislature in 1870
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