The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-01-02
Hell D I on
HEARING
FRIDAY
Continued from First Page.)
believe my husband Is innocent
and that ! have unlimited faith. in
him %
Witnesses Against
Khan Protected By
Government Agents

Government Agents
MER ROUGE. Jan. IA Tar
lung blanket Of government pro-
lection covered Morehouse Parish
today as Federal agents moved to
prevent the launching OF q reign
Of terrorism" against known State
witnesses who win appear Friday
ct the open hearing Ia Bastrop on
the brutal hooded n0ba murders
Of Watt Daniels and Thomas
aRichards, near here last August.
Evidence Involves Khan.
State and Federal authorities win
produce evidence at this hearing, it
was announced, involving the Ku,
Klux Khan in the slayines.
A Statewide dragnet. meanwhile,
was thrown out for Harold L.
Teegerstrom. youthful Government
witness who was mysteriously kid.
naped from his home IN Morehouae
parish Friday night. Federal
agents openly charge he was
spirited away by klansmen to pre-
vent his appearance &C the hearing.
The disappearance Of Teeger-
strom was described BY Govern
ment operatives as q retaliatoro
blow from klansfnen for the arrest
OF DR.. b. m. McKoin, former
captain of the khan here. In Balti-
more, and Of T. jeff Burnett, for
mer deputy sheriff, in Bastrop. on
charges Of murder. 10 prevent
nesses. II was learned, the Federal
authorities have placed Arm d
civilians or State troops 60 guard
the remainder.
Plans Of State authorities TO
launch q roundup Of hill men sus-
pected of implication IN the murders
were disrupted by Teegerstrom's
disappearance. Il was reported. In
stead OF wholesale arrests as
originally planned. suspects win be
arrested from time to time a. their
names are involved In the murders
by witnesses at the open hearing.
This procedure was decided upon,
Il was understood. as an additional
means OF guarding witnesses
Charge He Deported Girl.
The case against DR.. b. n. Nc
Koin held in Baltimore on q murder
charge was being carefully reviewed
today by federal agents. They re-
vealed they had witnesses who viii
identity him as one OF q trio OF
lklansmen who thrust q Morehouse
parish girl on an outbound train last
summer after the khan had decided
she should be depofted. This
evidence will be linked TO testimony
showing the khan responsible for
the disappearances Of Daniels and
Richards, Il was asserted.
Il. JEFF Burnett. the second
prisoner held as a result Of the slay-
ings, was still in the Morehouse
parish fail at Bastrop under guard
OF State troops. Burnett has repeat
edly protested his innocence, but
Federal agents declared they have
q strong case against him. The
closely guarded.
Khan leaders. including Cyclops j.
K. Skipworth. today refused point
blank to discuss the case with news
paper men. Every attempt to get
statements from the "other side"
was met with emphatic but court
eous refugals.
The klansmen declared they would
speak later.
The absence Of Teegerstrom,
while a blow to the prosecution,
win not materially injure the States
case, according ito A. e. Fariand.
chief of the Department Of Justice
agents working on the case. Far
land told International News Serv.
ice, the missing man was greatly
desired" but that "the case was
complete without him."
'.If we get him back" Farland
remarked. The won't get lost q
HNNw
OF kidnapping by the khan In an
effort to prevent Teegerstrom being
used on the witness stand against
Burnett. We. have the goods, how.
ever, and well show enough Of II
Friday to have these two men
bound over for trial on charges
OF murder"
-'WiTI the evidence involve other
men?" he was asked.
you'll have to wait until we
produce it to learn that" Farland
replied.
Farland also declared State troops
and heavily armed civilians are
guarding their witnesses.
''There il information In our pos
session which indicates the kan de
termined to launch q reign OF terror
against our witnesses, he added
1.-The witnesses viii be guarded day
and night from now on and we are
ready to meet the khan at any time
II an attempt IL made to kidnaE
them"
Government operatives meanwhile,
are securing the hills of northern
Louisiana for the missing witness
Additional Federal agents wer
watching roads for any movement
10 spirit the youth out Of the parish
X he has not already been takeI
away. Warnings TO watch the bord
ers of adjoining States have beer
scattered to Federal agents Il
Arkansas. Texas and Mississippi
Federal authorities expressed tn
opinion he may be slipped into an,
one Of these three States until afte
the trials have ended.
Khan leaders denied their organ
ization was to blame for Teegel
strom's disappearance. They d
cIared the belief that the youth vaT
iehed voluntarily because ne did nc
want to become involved in the pen(
ing open hearing. Henry Jones.
saw mill owner, living near BastrOl
told Morehouse parish authorize
Teegerstrom had visited his HON
Sunday to borrow $40 because h
wanted to 90 away" Federal agent
charged Jones Is a klansman, an
discredited his statement.
The youth's mysterious disal