The Washington times., 1923-01-25
LAKE SLAY|NCS
BLAMED ON
XII KLUX
sastrop Public Hearing Ends.
Last Witness Saw Victims
Taken to Lake.
BY WILLIAM X. HUTCHINSON,
International News Service.

4
BY WILLIAM X. HUTCHINSON.
International News Service.
h COURT HOUSE, BASTRoP.
La, Jan. 26.-The invisible en-
pire" Of the Ku Klux Khan today
was branded with direct response
bility for the reign Of terror
in Morehouse parish, which cul-
minated in the crucifixion Of
Watt Daniel and Thomas Rich
ards, by State Attorney General
A. v. Coco, in q closing state.
ment Ut the ''hooded mob" IN
vestigation.
Hearing Is Concluded.
The hearing was formally ended q
few minutes after, the attorney gen
eral concluded his statement. Judge
Fred l.. OdomA, who presided. de.
clared the investigation Indefinitely
adjourned pending call of the court:
The attorney general Openly
charged the crimes, which ENDED
| ip the double murder, We're com.
mitted Tin the name Of the order
under the protection of its regala
and under the leadership OF its OF
ficers."
Leon L. Jones, a. Mississippi
farmer, was the last witness to tes'
tify.
Jones openly charged the ''bIack
masks" had tossed the mangied
bodies Of their, victims into Lake
LaFourche. The crowded court
room hung breathlessly ON his
words.
"Where were you before August,
1927" Jones was asked. :.
"In Breckenridge, Texas OIL
when did you leave?''
what route did you travel
SFrom Fort Worth to Dallas to
Shreveport to here to Vicksburg.
and then home
"Did you travel through Bas.
what route did you take from
Bastrop?"
Had Trouble with Car.
SCI went to Oakridge and then to
Rayville. They told me to cross
the ferry ct Lake LaFourche."
'You had car trouble7"
Eyes, SIR"
! "Where?"
ST stopped ON the road just this
side of the ferry"
"Was it on the Rayville road?"
IT think 30"
IBID you cross q ferry and lake
on that road afterward?"
Eyes. sir"
"IIow far from the lake we're
your"
About three-quarters of a mile. IS
what did you dor"
II waited there for a new piece
all that day, the next and the fol-
lowing morning"
Where was your carr"
"In the middle of the road"
Ibid 1t stay there the two days:'
Yes, sir"
Saw Hooded KIansmen.
while you were stopped there,
did you see anything OF cars or
hooded or masked men?"
eyes, SIR
Tell US what you saw"
1.-THE first night. two cars came
by. The heat was bad and we were
awake. My wife said. look, there
goes the Ku Klux.
You were in bed?"
Eyes, sir"
Where was your bed?"
I'm the back Of the car"
"What kind OF cars passed your"
"F'ords, q touring car and a truck. "
what kind of masks did the men
wear in those tcars?"
BLACK masks"
"Were there any men In those
cars who didn't seem to wear
masks?" ... -.
Yes; two of them
Where were they?"'
"They seemed to be sitting on
the back Of the truck"
Were they different from the
other mem"
lone of them appeared to have
on q blind-fold. It was q handker-
chief or something. And another
| man In the back Of the touring car
seemed to be the same way. He
! was blindfolded too"
Which way were they going"
Toward the lake."
Where did they go?"
"They seemed to go down to the
ferry. Pretty soon some lights
showed to the right of the ferry.
How long did these lights
shine?'
"A minute or two
what happened next?"
zone light showed again and one
car came up the road a little ways
and storned. My wife and got
scared and we got out of our car
and went into potato patch. In
a little while the car turned around
and we went back toward the
lake"
What did you see next?'
II saw the two lights coming
back"
How long was that after they
had passed your"
From thirty minutes to one
hour"
did they pass you again9"
| yes, sir"
"How close did they conner"
I "Just a few feet"
| Two Mem Not I'm Cars.
"How many men were on the two
cars7" .
I'VE didn't know about the num-
Der, but the two mon who were