The Washington times., 1923-01-28
DEATH PENALTY
FOR 8 SOUGHT
IN LAKE CRIME
State to Ask Indictment of
"Hooded Mob" Members
When Grand Jury Meets
KLANsMEN ARE NAMED
Ku kIux Officials, Leading
Citizens and churchmen to
Face TriaLfor Their Lives

NEW ORLEANS, Jan. 27.-Sia
murder indictments will be asked
by the State of Louisiana as 9
result of evidence \given at the
. Bastrop hearing against the al.
legged "black masks" of More.
house parish, whose reign of ter
Tor eliminated in the killing OF
Watt Daniel and Tom Richards
its was learned officially tonight
MEN ARE NAMED.
Request for the murder indict
meTt with a score of others on
lesser charges will be laid before
the Morehouse Grand Jury when
It meets the first week of March
Two of the other indictments, il
returned. would carry the death
sentence upon conviction.
The eight, men, whom the state
will compel to fight for their lives,
according to official reports. are:
Capt. ]. K. Skipwith, exalted
cyclops of the Morehouse Ku
klux Khan.
Oliver Skipwith. son of the
cyclops.
LII. ouIln6 M mCfAOlH,v IOEILIcT
khan captain in Mer Rouge.
w. P. Kirkpatrick, intimate
friend of McKoin.
T. Jeff Burnett, former deputy
sheriff of Morehouse parish.
e. Newt Grey, church deacon
and wealthy parish farmer.
and wealthy parish former.
Smith Stevenson, alleged driv-
er of the murder truck"
Blacksmith" Smith, known to
state authorities by another
OF this number, McKoin and Kirk
patrick will face charges based on
testimony Involving them in the al
legged kidnapping of Miss Addie May
Hamilton, nineteen-year-old Mer
Rouge girl. Miss Hamilton testified
McKoin and Kirkpatrick were mem
bers of the ''bfaek mask mob
which smashed its way into her
home. carrying guns and drove her
out of Mer Rouge.
IDENTIFIED BY GIRL.
Under Louisiana laws convic-
ton of entering home at night
by force while carrying firearms is
punishable with the death penalty.
The girl specifically identified Nc
Koin and Kirkpatrick as having
carried firearms and she further
testified McKoin had twice fired his
gun in an effort to intimidate her
parents as she was being kidnapped.
1.-The case against McKoin and
Kirkpatrick is convincing" George
Guoin, first assistant attorney gen.
eral said today. Both men were
identified as members of a mob
which broke into a home while
armed. We intend to press this
charge as well as one of kidnapping
against both these men, If convict
ed on the first charge both McKoin
and Kirkpatrick would face the
death penalty"
The five alleged members of the
mob who were identified by wit
nesses at the open hearing will also
face death penalties if convicted,
according to Guoin. He declared
the State would ask the extreme
punishment for every man convict
ed of participating IN any. part of
the murders of Daniel and Rich
ards.
Captain Skipworth, the Khan rul-
er, although not identified as a,
member of the mob, will also face
a murder trial, according to Guion.
The State will attempt to link the
Khan .chieftain to the crime by a
chain of circumstantial evidence.
Attorney General Coco also has
announced his intention Of making
q murder indictment against the
cyclops.
Besides these eight indictments
an effort will be made to obtain
lesser charges against at least
twenty more citizens of Morehouse
Parish. These will range from as
Haulf tn kidnaDing